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Talk Of New York: Area Fans Weigh In On LeBron Sweepstakes

With the opening of the NBA free-agency summer period, the race to sign LeBron James is on. Port Chester basketball fans have their fingers crossed.

 "You have to stay open-minded if you're a Knicks fan. If you guys want to sleep right now and don't wake up until July 1, 2010, then go ahead. It's going to be a big day."

Those were the words of super-star forward and two-time League MVP LeBron James, spoken after his team's second round exit in last month's NBA playoffs. Well, LeBron, July 1rst has come and gone, and Knicks fans, as well as countless other basketball fans from Miami to Los Angeles, are wide awake.

With the opening of the NBA free-agency period on July 1rst, some of the league's biggest stars, including Miami Heat guard Dwayne Wade and Toronto Raptors forward Chris Bosh in addition to James, are shopping around for new teams, all part of what has been billed as the biggest and most exciting summer of free-agency the league has ever seen. There is no doubt that "King" James is the crown jewel of the group, however, with a number of teams in contention, and willing to do just about anything, to sign him. Which team has the advantage in winning the James sweepstakes is just about anyone's guess, along with what exactly James is looking for in his future home and employer. Of course, that doesn't mean basketball fans don't have their own opinions.

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"No, LeBron isn't going to the Knicks," said Port Chester resident Dennis Amoruso. "He's going to go to Chicago. Why? Because the Knicks aren't going to be a winning team. He'll get big money in Chicago. He already has endorsements."

How the Knicks plan on getting LeBron to New York is no big secret: Money, and lot's of it. The team met with the six-time NBA All-Star on Friday, doing just about everything short of giving him the key to the city to convince him Madison Square Garden is where he should be playing home games next season. The Knicks' even presented James a marketing study that revealed how the 25-year-old could become a billionaire in just a few years by playing in New York. Rumor has it that Knicks President Donnie Walsh threw in James' very own television channel to sweeten the deal. Whether money and fame is what King James is after is still left to see. With the New Jersey Nets, Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, and the hometown Cleveland Cavaliers, James' current team, still in the mix to sign him, area Knicks fans are skeptical.

Find out what's happening in Port Chesterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"No, absolutely not," said Knicks fan Allan McClain about James' chances of coming to the Knicks. "I think he's going to stay in Cleveland. If it's a business deal than he should come to New York. I think he'd be dumb not to, but I just don't see it happening."

If the Knicks do fail in signing James, they will mostly likely focus their energy in bringing a duo of stars to New York, possibly Phoenix Suns forward Amare Stoudemire and Atlanta Hawk guard Joe Johnson. Next to King James, however, undoubtedly one of the most recognized sports figure in the entire world, that option seems a lot less enticing.

"He's coming," said one Port Chester resident jokingly. "No, I'm not sure. Lots of people want him. Highest bidder will get him I would guess."

Until James officially signs with his new team this summer, basketball fans in Port Chester and just about everywhere else in the United States will keep their fingers crossed. 


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