Kathy Willens / Associated Press
LeBron James’ interest in the New York Knicks has lasted for over a decade.
In 2010, the Knicks had the best chance of acquiring it. They were flush with the cork space after tanking for the explicit purpose of signing James and other high profile free agents that July.
Unfortunately for the Knicks, that summer will drop forever as one of the biggest disappointments in the franchise’s history after messing up their meeting with James despite being considered the “favorite” in the league circles.
“From everyone I’ve talked to since then, it’s clear that the Knicks were the first choice,” said Ringer’s Bill Simmons on his podcast. “Basically it was the Knicks who lost, and they just couldn’t help it in their own way. The stories are legendary.”
The meeting, which Simmons described as a “disaster”, went so badly that James didn’t give the Knicks a second chance to sit down before signing with the Miami Heat. While the Knicks moved all-in with pomp in their presentation – even hiring James Gandolfini and Edie Falco to resume their roles as Tony and Carmela Soprano – their field completely lacked a long-term vision on the field.
“Dolan was Dolan. They hadn’t prepared anything. It couldn’t have been any worse. It was a disaster. I think at that point, combined with the decade the Knicks had, I think those guys were just like ‘f – k it ‘, “said Simmons.
The Knicks had about $ 34 million in the space limit in the summer of 2010, which would have been enough to land two top free agents in a few maneuvers. The addition of the third piece to the Big Three would have required a sign-and-swap, but the Knicks had promising young players such as Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and Timofey Mozgov who could have been attractive for rebuilding teams in Toronto and Cleveland.
Eventually, the failure falls on Knicks’ management, which has been among the worst in the NBA for much of the 21st century. The Knicks rushed to overpay Amar’e Stoudemire despite his knees not being covered by insurance and then threw away their young talent for Carmelo Anthony in 2011, which at the time was a few months away from a free agency without restrictions.
Knicks fans, meanwhile, had their only chance to experience James’ dream signing with the Knicks in NBA 2K14.
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