Prepare The Throne, the King Is Here! Lebron James Pays Visit To Knicks

Come one, come all! Catch the spectacle at Madison Square Garden! King James has finally arrived to New York…even if it is only for a visit.

The summer of 2010 is not quite here, and Lebron James is not donning that orange and blue just yet, but he is ready to perform at MSG tonight, his only audition leading up to the long awaited summer.

Whereas Knicks fans will have to wait until next summer to see if James will be bringing hope and success to the team, nobody has to wait for him to bring fame and publicity to MSG—at least for one night.

In a season in which talk of Lebron James seems to overshadow the actual play of the Knicks every game, this is the only time of the year where he and the Knicks’ game will actually coincide as the Cavaliers face off against the Knicks tonight.

King James was not expected to attend the Yankees’ World Championship Parade, but he has already been swarmed by the local media leading up to tonight’s game, making it clear the Knicks will be a possibility in 2010.

The Knicks would have to pull out all the stops to get him next year. He has already won major individual awards. Success with the Knicks is not guaranteed, but what about more fame? More fortune? The bait is certainly present.

“For me to say I’m not going to be a Knick or I’m going to be a Cav, or I’m not going to be a Cav and be a Knick, I’m not going to say that right now because I did a three-year contract for a reason. I want to keep my options open.”

James has already reiterated that he feels the league is better as a whole if the NBA’s “classic” teams are better. He may just feel like he has a civic duty to fulfill by making the Knicks relevant again.

The fact that the Knicks are still an option gives hope to Knicks fans everywhere.

And the celebrities will be coming out in full force in support of King James. His good friend and Nets part owner/rap mogul Jay-Z is expected to be in attendance tonight, as will former Cavs teammate and New York native Wally Szczerbiak and Sopranos stars Michael Imperiolli and Steve Schirripa, among many others.

Bernie Williams, the former Yankees World Champion, now a Grammy nominee, will perform the national anthem and plans to watch the game after that. He and his family are especially excited about the prospects of meeting King James.

The big stage is set for James to electrify New York, a city starved for excitement in the Garden.

The only problem is there is still a game to play, one that the Knicks plan on winning.

…What?!

After giving up the lead and losing to the Pacers on Wednesday night, “we got to win,” said Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni. The Knicks have lost four of their first five contests this season.

Sorry Mike, but it just may not be that simple.

Although he is currently still a visitor, fans will certainly try and make the King feel at home, as any cheers will more than likely be for him. James is guaranteed to send them home happy, too, as he owns the second highest scoring average for an active player at MSG (30.1) behind only Kobe Bryant.

In his last theatrical appearance, he dazzled the Knicks and their fans with a 52 point, 11 rebound, and nine assist performance, a near triple-double.

And has anyone forgotten about Shaquille O’Neal?

Simply put, a team with two of the NBA’s most exciting players of all time gives the 1-4 Knicks little to no hope of coming away with a victory.

The Knicks are completely out of their league against as a team like the Cavs, who in addition to King James and the Diesel, feature the talents of all-star Maurice Williams and many more.

Wilson Chandler will face the daunting task of guarding James. Seeing as how Chandler is likely to be a Knick next year, it may never be too early to start taking notes from a potential future teammate.

I suppose this year cannot go any faster.

For now, the city of New York can hope and dream about the summer of 2010, looking forward to Lebron’s name in lights, on billboards drawn high and tall across the city, and King James wearing that orange and blue with pride. 

Until then, Lebron is still in that red and gold, ready to bring a championship home to Cleveland, and a victory against the Knicks tonight is just a small cobble stone on that very long path.