King of New York: Why LeBron James Should Move East to a Bigger Kingdom

Go towards the light, 'Bron 'Bron—all of them. On any given New York night, Times Square shines bright enough to upstage almost any star, that may change this summer if LeBron James makes the quantum leap from Midwest hometown hero to king of the NBA's largest market. 

Almost 25 years to the day the basketball Gods (and possibly David Stern) blessed the Madison Square Garden faithful with their most recent savior, the Knicks will find themselves with at least a fighting chance to acquire the biggest free agent since Michael Jordan, himself, chose to remain within the windy confines of the Second City over migrating East to the "First" City back in the mid-90's.

Not only has the Mecca of basketball struggled to stay competitive since Patrick Ewing was exiled to the Pacific Northwest around a decade ago, they've struggled to remain relevant.

With no All-Star selections in nearly nine years and no franchise players in even longer, the throne atop Madison Square Garden has been collecting dust for a period of time that can only be counted in dog years once you take into consideration where it sits.

New York City, the ultimate "What have you done for me lately?" town, has been living and dying (mostly the latter) with their Knicks ever since Walt "Clyde" Frazier and Willis Reed helped hang two championship banners up in the Garden's hollowed rafters back in the early '70s.

Since the Knick glory days, New Yorkers have watched almost every city team hang a championship banner or two (sorry, Jets). The Knicks have provided no such memories.

That could change soon though, in a move that could make just as much sense for Cleveland's Emperor as it does for New York's empty kingdom. 

The same argument gets reiterated almost to death—Why would LeBron flee his home state for the foreign isles of New York City, where talent is scarce and the media is vicious? Why would he leave a team that won 66 games last year to join up with one who managed just 32 victories?

And what's so great about New York? What about the other teams in the running? He obviously has a way better shot at winning a ring in Cleveland than he does in New York or anywhere else and that's all LeBron cares about! Except he doesn't.

The Knicks have scrubbed and scraped close to every bad contract off their palace floors to ensure that their proposition to James is as sparkling as can be. By ridding themselves of just about every jester, the Knicks have stockpiled a King's ransom of salary cap space, currently more than anyone else in the Royal Empire known as the NBA.

The Garden is a kingdom in transition, and LeBron's blue and orange crown has been fitted and is ready to go. He would preside over the Knicks and New York and all but dictate what players the organization bring in to compliment His Highness. With plenty of cap room to sign new associates, LeBron could build his empire from the ground up in a way that he never could in Ohio.

The Cavs are a good team but aren't championship-quality. And with several long-term contracts on the books for years to come, they lack the kind of cap flexibility that the Knicks and several other teams currently enjoy.

Sure, the Cavs are better than the Knicks right now, but this Knick team is going to the cleaners at the end of this year, the Cavs are what they are for a relatively long time.

And what they are is an impact team with several good players that at best is maybe the second or third best team in the Eastern Conference and Lord knows what in the greater scheme of the NBA as a whole.

Mo Williams is a fine player but how many rings do you think James honestly expects to win with him as the Pippen to his Jordan? Williams isn't even as good as the fourth best players on the Lakers or Celtics. By signing with a team with large amounts of cap space, he'd be able to all but handpick his Pippen. Not to mention his Rodman, his Kerr and so on. 

So why New York? Why not the Nets, Bulls, Rockets or some other team with cap space? Well, for starters, they're not the Knicks. They don't play in the most famous city in the world at the most famous arena in the world and don't possess the adoration of fans many believe to be the game's most knowledgeable. Not to mention the Mike D'Antoni factor. 

Say what you'd like about LeBron's bond with Jay-Z and the Nets impending move to Brooklyn, but I don't see LeBron turning everyone in his home state against him (likely close friends and family members included) to go and be the greatest Net in franchise history.

Sure they have a few nice young pieces and cap space but they lack a head coach and remain stranded in the dreaded Swamp. With Net shovels still yet to penetrate the Brooklyn terrain and a two year layover in Newark looking like the best-case scenario, Young Hova may need a little help from Jehovah if he plans to lure LeBron across the Hudson to the Nets.

Besides, even if the Nets do make the move to Brooklyn, they'd always be second class citizens in a city that has continued to support the Knicks throughout their darkest decade in franchise history (think Mets, Jets, and Islanders). Why would 'Bron 'Bron settle for second best?

Delivering a ring or two to the hungry Garden faithful could lead to LeBron owning the town in ways that only Derek Jeter has. And really, who has ever owned a town the way Jeter owns New York?

To New Yorkers, even Met fans, Jeter is one of the most admired people in the world. I'm fairly certain they could move to rename a borough after him without meeting much resistance (his is already on a short list of possible names for a small bridge in the Bronx). 

That could be LeBron. This could all be his.

If I were Donnie Walsh I would take LeBron around town and let him hear what the fans think for himself. We'd wrap it up with a trip to the top of the Empire State Building. Once we were up on the 86th floor observation deck, I wouldn't say a word. I wouldn't mutter a single syllable. I would simply allow him to take it all in, listen to the city breathe, and realize what he stands to inherit if he chooses to reign over it.