New York State of Mind

Iconic basketball players like Lebron James come around about as often as a two-legged horse in the Kentucky Derby. Sure, plenty of physical freaks showcase their elite skills every year in AAU tournaments across America, but it's rare for one of these specimens to mature into what scouts project them to be 5 or 10 years down the road. Some fizzle out mentally. Some fatigue physically. And, some just cant stay out of trouble. Fortunately, Lebron took it seriously when scouts, GM's, coaches, the media and (of course) fans anointed him as the chosen one the first time he took the court live on ESPN as the most heralded member of the Saint Vincent Saint Mary basketball team earlier this decade.

It's the understatement of the century (so far) that scouts fired their projections about James with pinpoint accuracy. Blessed with an ever growing and superbly athletic body, a firm commitment to always improve his game, and armed with the most physically gifted set of basketball skills the NBA has ever seen; the 6'9" 260 pound phenom continues to elicit rounds of "ooh's", "ahh's" and "how the hell did he just do that's". Unfortunately, despite the downright disgusting domination on the court during the regular season, the only gold (figuratively speaking of course) King James sports is the 24 carat crown he wears to baseball games, Sunday Service and, if you live in the Cleveland area, your kid's backyard birthday bash. Oh, nevermind... That's a Yankee cap.

On July 1, 2010 the freak that is Lebron James will be unleashed. He'll no longer be bound by contract to his home state. And, despite what they might hope, even a group of self appointed "Grandma James's" won't keep him in town. Although he's firmly entrenched in Ohio, this summer the Bron Bron Kingdom is expanding to Brooklyn. Or, is it still Jersey? For the sake of this article, let's hope it's not Jersey. That new housewives mafia might very well scare him off. Not that Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov couldn't produce a strong-armed YouTube clip to send back in their direction...

Which leads me to my first reason why the Nets are a perfect fit for Lebron: The Ideal Owner Theory

-Prokhorov is every player, GM and fan's dream. He wants to spend as much smart money as possible to create and maintain a winning franchise. Not only does he have plenty of money to carry through on this promise, he doesn't shy away from being vocal about it. After publicly forecasting the acquisition of 2 marquee free agents, word on the black market is that the Nets and Phil Jackson have a mutual interest (even if it is just to share some of that divine Russian vodka). Finally, at 6'7" Prokhorov could always suit up and play the wing in case their 3rd overall draft selection doesn't show up ready for action.

Reason number 2: Nets Hold the Third Pick in the Draft Theory

-Okay, so they probably don't have much of a chance to land John Wall. Who? John Wall. That doesn't stop them from grabbing one of the high upside front court monsters in Cousins or Favors. Also, don't forget the possibility of landing point forward Evan Turner. Regardless of who they take, the point is that they have the third pick. I'm sure Lebron and Prokhorov can come up with a nice selection to compliment the young core already in place.

Reason number 3: Talented and Young Core of Players

-They may boast (not sure if they're actually boasting) the smallest NBA payroll since David Glass took over the Royals... Whoops. Wrong sport... but the core of players they do have show some promise for the future. Most notably, Brook Lopez looks to be well on his way to becoming one of the better 5 men in the East. That Devin Harris isn't too bad either.

Reason number 4: Bright Lights Big City Theory

-Cleveland's nice and all, but when was the last time anyone saw Bron Bron repping a Cleveland sports franchise when he wasn't on the basketball court? Exactly. It's always been Yankees this. Jay-Z that. Hey, isn't Jay-Z part owner of the Nets? Music please..."Reunited and it feels so goooood...Reunited like we knew we woouuld"... Maybe those aren't the words. Maybe they aren't even close. But, you got the point, didn't you?

As rare as it is for a player like Lebron to come around, it's even more unfathomable to think of him hitting the open market. The Cav's are going to give it everything they've got to keep their home grown homie around. But, he's been there. He's done that. It hasn't worked for 7 years. Why now?

Besides, Prokhorov has already contracted his own company Polyus Gold to provide the raw materials necessary for those coveted 2011 NBA champions rings. He doesn't want them leaving Brooklyn. Or Jersey.