Hey LeBron, New York Knicks Have More Talent Than Cleveland Cavaliers

Much has been written on the topic of LeBron becoming a free agent this summer. A lot of it has centered on the choice of staying with the Cavs or going to the Knicks.

Of course, LeBron has other options, but most tend to agree that these are the two most likely.

There are many arguments as to why LeBron would/should stay with the Cavs or why he would/should go to the Knicks.

But one of the most common arguments has been troubling me.

I keep hearing people talk about how if LeBron wants to win, he should stay in Cleveland because they have more talent than the New York Knicks.

It seem to me that a lot of this thinking comes from our current conception of the Knicks and the Cavs.

When we think of the Knicks we think of a team that has been the laughing stock of the league in recent years. We think of a team that hasn't won 40 games since the 2000 season.

When we think of the Cavs we think of a team that has won an average of 48 games per year since drafting LeBron James. We think of the ONLY team in the league that has made it past the first round of the playoffs in each of the last four years.

But if we're going to compare the talent of the Cavs and the Knicks, in this situation, we need to remove LeBron from the Cavaliers.

How far do you think the Cavs go without LeBron. How many games do you win with a starting lineup of Mo Williams, Delonte West, Anthony Parker, Anderson Varejao, and an aging Shaquille O'Neal?

Don't take my word for it, though. Let's see what the numbers say about which team has more talent.

I'll use the Player Efficiency Rating, the most encompassing stat that exists at an individual basis. It does, of course, have its flaws, but if we want numbers, its the best thing we'll get.

Because a player's PER can be very inflated (or deflated) when they don't get consistent playing time, I will only use the players that get at least 15 minutes of playing time per game. That gives us eight players for the Knicks, and nine for the Cavs.

Right now, in the 2009-2010 season, the Knicks Roster has an average PER of 14.975. Over the same time period, the Cavaliers Roster (minus LeBron James) has an average PER of 13.6.

The Cavaliers have two players, other than LeBron, with a PER above 15. Shaq has a rating of 18.2 and Mo Williams has a rating of 16.3.

The Knicks have four players with a PER above 15. David Lee at 22.0, Nate Robinson at 17.9, Al Harrington at 17.2, and Danilo Gallinari at 15.7.

Now, let's take a minute to think about the age of the talent. How long will this talent be around.

There are only six teams in the league with a higher age average than the Cavaliers. Shaq, who has the highest PER besides LeBron and is pulling up their average, will likely be gone at the end of this season or next.

The Knicks are just below the league average, around 26 years of age per player. Their most promising talent (Gallinari, Lee, Robinson) are new to the league within the last five years.

Remember, before LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavaliers weren't exactly ruling the league. In the five seasons prior to drafting LeBron, the Cavs won an average of 26.0 games per years.

That's slightly worse than the Knicks average of 28.8 wins over the last five seasons.

But if LeBron does go to the Knicks, don't expect it to take him four years to get to the Finals like it did in Cleveland. LeBron isn't a rookie anymore.

In his first four years, before going to the Finals, LeBron's average Player Efficiency Rating was 24.5. In his last three years, since then, LeBron has an average Player Efficiency Rating of 30.77.

Plus, after all, if he does go to the Knicks, he'll be surrounded by better talent.