Royal Odds: Where Do Knicks Rank in Early LeBron James Chances?
A visit from King James? The New York Knicks have more regal affairs to attend to.
Nonetheless, the basketball world's fixation with pairing the Knicks with LeBron James can officially resume after what transpired in the wee hours of Tuesday morning: James' Los Angeles Lakers saw their season end in Denver, tipping off an offseason of speculation about his future and the twilight of his NBA career.
Oddsmakers at BetOnline wasted no time in indulging the Manhattan-based James fantasies, placing the Knicks' third in their opening odds for his next team if it's not the Lakers. New York has a 6-1 chance, behind only the Golden State Warriors (4-1) and James' original NBA employers, the Cleveland Cavaliers (5-1).
In other rankings from BetOnline shared with All Knicks, New York also has the third-best chance to land Kevin Durant (6-1) while it leads the Devin Booker forecast (3-1). Booker and Durant's Phoenix Suns are likewise home for the spring after they were swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves in four games.
Knicks fans are understandably weary of the basketball world paying matchmaker for them, especially when it comes to James. Little more needs to be written about the long-distance relationship between James and the Knicks, one where the NBA's all-time leading scorer has frequently broadcasted his love of playing in New York but not enough to remain there on a consistent basis. The fact that James turns 40 in December and has insisted on his new team using a draft pick on his son Bronny (a draft-eligble freshman who struggled to land minutes at USC) are new layers in this latest free agency saga.
Yet, anyone still clinging to the dream of James donning blue and orange was granted a strand of hope last winter, when it was reported that his agent Rich Paul held a "peace summit" of sorts with Knicks president and former player rep Leon Rose. The speculation will likely only intensify this summer, whether the Knicks are interested or not.
In any event, only the most blatant metropolitan James apologist is thinking about a transfer to Manhattan, Knicks fans' attention almost exclusively lingers on the ongoing playoff run, which continues on Thursday with Game 6 of the Eastern Quarterfinals against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center (9 p.m. ET, MSG/TNT).
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI
Editor-In-Chief at All Knicks