Fit For The King?

"Today don't know nothin'...about this bullshit/there's more shit/than wantin' to be this King of New York shit" - Nas, Last Real N***a Alive

Last night's NBA schedule brought the Cleveland Cavaliers to Madison Square Garden for a tilt with the Knicks; a game that should be of little consequence in the scheme of the season. Despite this, because of a certain #23's looming free agency, the matchup was covered, even scrutinized like few others. Let's forget for a second that 'Bron had a historic 50-point triple-double, probably the game of the year (As hard as that is to do). This goes back further than that. The rumors about Lebron booking it to New York have been as persistent and annoying as Bruce Bowen's D; not only are they inescapable but built on paranoia, misinformation, and a baseball cap. Building towards the summer of '10, we've heard every possible reason why King James will assume a larger throne in the basketball Mecca when the Knicks surely swipe him away. Here's a few why they (and anybody else) might not:

The Business, Man
James wants to see his name synonymous with Jordan not only in on-court dominance but brand recognition; he sees himself as an industry and may have already reached the upper echelon of personal marketability. Granted, he plays in a small market that might not give the average athlete the exposure he desires. But Lebron can count himself among the League's jersey sales leaders, top All-Star vote-getters and World's most visible athletes. At 24, he's precociously graced the cover of every magazine from Slam to GQ to Time, hosted SNL and the ESPYs, and led his country to Gold in what might've been their most important Olympics ever. All straight outta Cleveland. Lebron should feel little concern about the market he's in because his celebrity transcends where he plays; he'll be a World-class athlete anywhere.

Dollars and Sense
Of coure there's the pure finanaces of the matter. This $1,000,000,000,000 bonus everybody seems to think James will get from Nike if he plays in the Big Apple doesn't exist; he already hawks more apparel for them than anyone not named after a jungle cat and is paid accordingly. So he's got no real monetary incentive to move to another market, and plenty to stay in Cleveland. The Cavs can offer Lebron a six-year contract (vs. five for everyone else), at an increase of 10.5% per year (vs. 8% for everyone else), which translates to $31 million more in his pocket. Rob Babcock could even make the right call here.

Pairing that Ace
The Cavs are currently committed to few players past the summer of '10, and with most of big contracts expiring will have Max dollars to wave in the face of another superstar to play alongside 'Bron. The opportunity to be Lebron's wingman would no doubt entice just about anyone, but in case they have trouble landing their first choice: Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Yao Ming, Paul Pierce, Manu Ginobili, Joe Johnson, Dirk Nowitzki and Michael Redd are all slated for free agency.

The Roots
Don't forget how the Cavs landed a hometown hero who was born and raised a half-hour outside Cleveland. He might've grew up cheering on the teams that always beat them, but he wants to elad this squad to a title. This is His Team; the one that drafted him, that tailored this lineup to his specifications and tried to meet his lofty standards. He's got family here, friends here, a whole city behind him and no comparably high-profile athletes sharing the spotlight.

The W
Then there's always the simple turth that the Cavs are a lot better than the Knicks. There's that corny old addage If it ain't broke don't fix it, and the Cavs sit atop the East, on cruise control most games. New York has underacheived for the better part of the decade and been mired in turmoil and controversy so thorough that Lebron might be wary of what could transpire if he signs there. He's at the helm of a potential dynasty, a team that's already contending and can get better, which is the best reason why James won't want to lead a rebuilding effort, in New York, or anywhere else.