LeBron James is calling the possible union of Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and of course, the King himself, "Dream Team."
Those were the words James used when he reached out to another free agent in the past 10 days and pitched the idea of joining them.
"He said, 'Would you be willing to take less to join Dream Team?'" the player, who did not want to be identified, told the Daily News. "He said his people were putting it together."
That conversation lends credence to reports that James will join Bosh and Wade in Miami. In that scenario, Pat Riley will likely return to the sidelines and coach the Heat.
However, there is a twist because with LeBron there always is. There was a report out of Cleveland Tuesday quoting a person close to the Cavs' free agent as saying that the club still has an edge in re-signing him. There were other reports that James is leaning toward joining the Chicago Bulls.
Few, if any, reports give the Knicks much of a chance, and yet the club's brain trust remains confident that it can convince James to make the jump to the NBA's biggest market.
The Knicks will have their much-anticipated meeting with James Thursday afternoon in Ohio, hours after he finally becomes a free agent at midnight. There is a possibility that the sit-down could take place at James' mansion in Akron.
The Nets are batting leadoff and will be followed by the Knicks, whose traveling party includes team president Donnie Walsh, head coach Mike D'Antoni, Garden chairman James Dolan and former player Allan Houston. The Bulls, Clippers, Heat and Cavs have also scheduled meetings with James in Ohio.
The Knicks are fighting long odds in their bid to land James but feel they have several strong selling points - New York City, the flexibility to sign another "max" free agent and enough salary-cap space to add another elite free agent the following summer. The team will also impress upon James that he has a chance to build his brand and establish his legacy by winning in New York.
The tough sell for the Knicks, though, is convincing James that he can win titles in New York. The franchise hasn't raised a championship banner since 1973, and under Dolan's ownership, the club has suffered through nine straight losing seasons. Expect several teams, particularly Riley and the Heat, to stress to James that joining the Knicks could be a career killer.
In fact, the Knicks' old administration is coming back to haunt the Garden. Riley is the most accomplished winner who will sit across from James, and his mere presence is a powerful influence. The fact that Riley is expected to re-sign Wade and will likely sign Bosh makes Miami even more appealing. Former Knicks president Ernie Grunfeld made trades with Chicago and New Jersey over the past five days that gave both teams additional cap space. The Bulls could conceivably add both James and Bosh.
The Knicks will start their day at 9 p.m. PDT in Los Angeles when they meet with Hawks free agent shooting guard Joe Johnson. According to a source close to Johnson, he has narrowed his choices to three teams: the Knicks, the Hawks and the Bulls. If Atlanta doesn't offer Johnson a six-year, max contract, he will almost certainly leave and most likely join the Knicks.
The Knicks could also have the inside track on signing free agent point guard Luke Ridnour, whose price tag is too high for Milwaukee. Ridnour would serve as the perfect mentor for second-year point guard Toney Douglas, having been used in a similar role last season with the Bucks and their rookie Brandon Jennings.
The Knicks' contingent is hoping to have a verbal commitment from Johnson before it leaves to meet LeBron, but the Hawks claim they are prepared to offer Johnson a max contract, which is $30 million more than the Knicks can offer. The Knicks are also hoping to sit down with Amare Stoudemire before they leave the West Coast.
When the Knicks do meet with James, the two-time MVP will be joined by his business manager, Maverick Carter, and his agent, Leon Rose. Tuesday, Carter was quoted in the New York Times saying that NBA power broker William Wesley, otherwise known as "World Wide Wes," will not sit in on the meeting and that "Wes has nothing to do with where he goes."
Wesley's exclusion could be a bad sign for the Bulls, the team believed to be the one Wesley is trying to convince James to join. However, the Knicks also have a relationship with Wesley dating back to last summer when Walsh hired him to run Eddy Curry's off-season workouts.
Carter is James' childhood friend, and several people close to him believe he would prefer to see James remain in Cleveland.
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