Will It Happen?

For over a decade, the New York Knicks have strayed from NBA power to NBA punchline. Isiah Thomas, Stephon Marbury, Eddie Curry...the list of awful decisions has seemingly had no end.

The one bright spot during the horror show was the hiring of Donnie Walsh. This respected NBA figure took over as the Knicks President of Basketball Operations on April 2, 2008 and has accomplished a 2 year goal of clearing salary for the 2010 free agent class.

Any talks of the Knicks 2010 free agent plans begin and end with Lebron James. Knicks fans have marveled and fantasised about seeing the games best young star call the Garden home since 2006. Trading productive players such as Jamal Crawford, Zach Randolph, and Nate Robinson were all seen as good moves because the ultimate reward would be coming in 2010.

Summer 2010 is here and it's put up or shut up for Donnie Walsh and the entire New York Knicks organization. Acquiring All Stars like Amare Stoudemire or Joe Johnson would be nice, but will ultimately be seen as a failure. A free agent of Lebron James' calibre has never been seen in NBA history. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity that the Knicks are planning to jump on. Donnie Walsh has put all his eggs into the Lebron James basket and that basket will need to be filled come tip off in October.

Besides the glamor and glory of New York City, what else do the Knicks have to offer? They have missed the playoffs 8 of the last 9 seasons, they are coming off a 29-53 campaign, their only All Star is an unrestricted free agent. Why would the game's biggest star come to a supposed train wreck like that?

Fear not Knicks fans, Donnie Walsh and Mike D'Antoni know exactly how they will answer that question. In terms of coaching, Lebron has played and won with Mike D'Antoni in the Olympics. He knows how effective his fast-paced offensive system can be when he has the proper talent. Lebron can look at Donnie Walsh and know he will do everything in his power to build a championship contender. He has done a marvelous job in riding the team of over priced semi-stars the last 2 years and will continue to build the team the right way going forward.

As far the roster goes, what exactly is Lebron James looking at? He knows the Knicks can afford him and any other Free Agent of his choosing, preferably Chris Bosh. Lebron has stated he is a fan of Danilo Gallinari, a young forward who continues to improve every year. The pieces will not be entirely in place in 2010-2011 but if free agency goes according to the Knicks plan, they have unlimited potential going forward.

If anyone deserves Lebron James, it is the New York Knicks fans. If waiting since 1973 to win a championship and watching the team lose two NBA Finals during the 90s isn't enough, think of the misery they have endured over the last decade. Nothing seemed to ever go right and this may finally be their chance to have their day in the sun.

Little known fact about the 2009-2010 Knicks. Their attendance was 5th highest in the entire NBA. Higher then the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers...and those two storied franchised appeared in the NBA Finals. That statistic alone is enough to prove to Lebron that Madison Square Garden will be bumpin' every night he takes the court.

The summer of Lebron has finally arrived. The Knicks are ready, their fans are ready, the only question left to answer is Lebron ready? His superstar status is already through the roof but could only get bigger in the Big Apple. The games biggest star playing the world's most famous arena in the world's most famous city? That's a scenario that would normally be too good to be true. Lucky for Knicks fans, that will not be the case come July 1st.