Could LeBron James Follow "His Airness" with Chicago in 2010?

Everybody knows about the stellar free agent class of 2010, which is headlined by Cleveland Cavaliers guard/forward LeBron James.

Is The King pondering a departure from Cleveland?

Die-hard Cavs fans and even James himself would probably deny it to this point, but I do not doubt that if James misses out yet again on the NBA Finals in Cleveland, he could be on his way out.

The New York Knicks seem to be a popular choice, but they have nobody on the roster worth LeBron's time.  In listening to ESPN Radio's Colin Cowherd, I am almost 100 percent convinced that James will not invest his time in such a horrible team.  They have nothing worth playing for.

Enter the Chicago Bulls, who feature the NBA's top second-year player in Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, and the team is reportedly working on a trade for power forward Carlos Boozer of the Utah Jazz. 

The Bulls' dream situation would be to trade away the contracts of Kirk Hinrich, James Jones, and the expiring deal of Tyrus Thomas this offseason and bring in LeBron or Dwyane Wade to potentially play shooting guard for the Bulls next offseason.

Like many NBA teams, aside from the Detroit Pistons, the Chicago Bulls are saving up for the stellar free agent class of 2010, and at this point it would be a major disappointment if they did not land a premiere player.

Is the idea of King James in a Bulls uniform that far fetched?

By no means am I a financial guru, especially when it comes to the very complicated NBA, but I imagine that by this time next year, James will undoubtedly be the highest paid player in the entire NBA.

It could also be weird for James to be out of Ohio for the first time in his life.  Obviously, he is comfortable having played high school ball for St. Vincent/St. Mary's which is a hop, skip, and jump away from Quicken Loans Arena where the Cavs play.

There is always the factor of "home-sickness", and also the Cavs have a pretty darn good thing going for them.  They recently have acquired future Hall of Fame center Shaquille O'Neal, and are retaining virtually the same squad that has taken them deep into the playoffs each of the last few years.

That reasoning could also lead to his eventual departure, however.  LeBron may feel that if the Cavs cannot win the NBA Finals with this good of a roster, then he needs to take his services elsewhere.

There is no doubt the Bulls have enough talent on their roster to entice James, and he would most definitely be the impetus of a potential Finals appearance for the Bulls in 2011.

Can the Bulls make this happen?  Is LeBron willing to play in the shadow of the great Michael Jordan at the United Center?

Only time will tell, but if Chicago can lure James and Carlos Boozer in a year's time, they could bring back shades of 1998 to the Windy City.