King of Newark? Don't Sleep On It.
Overshadowing the intriguing final four in the NBA Playoffs is the impending Summer of LeBron (and others, let's not forget) beginning July 1st. It is the most anticipated free agency class of all-time, with King James as the most scrutinized free agent in the history of professional sports.
The seemingly impossible question to answer remains: Where will LeBron choose for his new kingdom?
The choices are limited: Knicks, Heat, Bulls, Nets, Clippers (but let's be real), or re-sign with his hometown Cavaliers. Those are the only teams with enough cap space to sign the 25 year-old stud.
Every potential option has a flaw. The Knicks are bad (even with LeBron and another max free agent), the Heat already have a superstar (and even though superstars always say they'd love to play together, it rarely happens), the Bulls put too much pressure on James to fulfill the legacy of Mr. Jordan, the Clippers are the laughing stock of professional sports and play in Kobe's town, and the Cavaliers have done everything possible to be a contender in the past seven years but still haven't realistically come close to a title.
That leaves one franchise: The New Jersey (soon to be Brooklyn) Nets.
This seems like a far-fetched idea considering the Nets are coming off a 12-70 season, but they are not as bad as their record indicates.
Let's start with some hypotheticals. All of the following are imperative for James to see a legitimate reason to sign with New Jersey, and all are actually possible:
Let's say the Nets get the #1 overall pick (25% chance of happening) and land John Wall, who LeBron loves and is the most promising prospect since James himself. This would already bring excitement, hype, and attention to the organization. Once picking their franchise point guard, they would have to trade a talented but unmotivated Devin Harris for a value position player (ideally a power forward). This leaves them with John Wall, a talented slew of young perimeter players (Terrence Williams, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Courtney Lee), a potential power forward in the Harris trade, and Brook Lopez, an All-Star caliber center at the ripe age of 22.
Combine that with the potential of another B-level free agent, a high-profile coach basically of LeBron's choosing, the wooing skills of LeBron's best friend and minority owner Jay-Z, and Mikhail Prokhorov (a Russian playboy and more ambitious and wealthier than any owner in any sport), who would be willing to spend whatever it takes to build a contender (he already offered Mike Krzyzewski $12 million a year), and the Nets can make a compelling case for The Chosen One.
The only obstacle is geography. Is LeBron James, who wants to become the first billionaire basketball player, willing to spend two years playing at the Prudential Center in rundown Newark before moving to flashy Brooklyn in 2012? It seems plausible. He can still live in New York, attract the Big Apple media, and party with Jay-Z and Beyonce at the 40/40 Club on weekends. Also, Newark's mayor, Cory A. Booker, is a young and aspiring African-American who could be another wooer. The question is whether The King has the patience.
Truthfully, no one has any idea what LeBron is thinking and where he is going to sign on July 8th (when signing begins), he has kept all his thoughts in the vault. However, the Nets are a legitimate contender, and should be considered more than a sleeper once the Class of 2010 is in session.
