What are LeBron's Options?

Like every other sports blog, Our Dairy Errors is compelled to offer our opinions on the Summer of LeBron. After reading dozens of opinons, I've noticed that very few people are talking about James' basketball options. Sure, rumors are flying: World Wide Wes is shopping James and John Calipari as a package, James, Wade, and Bosh made a secret deal during the Olympics to play together, Delonte West slept with James' mother. But nothing is really helpful for the one goal James should have right now: winning a championship. If James does not resign with the Cavs, here are the most likely options everyone is talking about and each teams' estimated cap space:

• Knicks: $33 million
• Nets: $26 million
• Bulls: $20 million

The Knicks are the play if James wants to be a hybrid of Wilt Chamberlain/Joe Namath: He will put up fantastic stats in Mike D'Antoni's offense and will run the city. It wouldn't be hard to imagine multiple 32/10/10 seasons in that offense. And in New York, he'd be larger than life. But a championship would be far from guaranteed. James would likely have another legitimate running-mate, a la Bosh, Wade, or Stoudemire, but that would be it. James isn't Michael Jordan, and Jordan didn't just need Pippen, he also needed Horace Grant/Dennis Rodman (OK, that last championship was all MJ, but we can all agree MJ's heroics that season were an anomaly). If James goes to the Knicks, he'll be forever searching for a third banana.

The Nets and the Bulls are far more intriguing. My man Bill Simmons has been all over the Bulls' rumors for almost a year now. And kudos to him for that. Rose, James, Noah would make a terrific 1-3-5. Add a banger who can hit an open J at the 4 (Glenn Davis?) and an athletic swing, and you've got a championship team. What happens with Deng and Hinrich are questions, of course, but rumors are swirling that Deng will be traded to Toronto in a sign and trade for Bosh. That would seal the deal. No one would beat that team. I'd like to offer one last scenario in the event Toronto, or Bosh, won't play ball (Bosh could only get to Chicago in a sign-and-trade, so the Raptors *could* prevent the apocalypse).

Let's say the Nets, who had the worst record in the NBA this season, find their way to John Wall and the #1 pick after tonight's NBA Lottery. James would look at the Nets (who could also sign Calipari to coach) and see a young PG with unlimited potential (Wall's not the scorer that Rose is, but his defense is unmatched) a young C who doesn't need shots to be an All-Star (Brooke Lopez averaged 13 shots, 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game this season) and a good scoring combo guard (Devin Harris is just one season removed from All-Star status). Sure, LeBron would rather murder Yi Jianlian before entrusting him to the PF spot, but the Nets still have Sean Williams (crazy, but all the talent in the world - if Lebron could get him in line...) and they could always pull a mid-level exception in year two for the aging PF du jour and be right in business...

(Brooke Lopez singing"Brooklyn Nets ain't nuttin' ta fuck with")

On paper, that Nets scenario is right at the talent level of the Chicago scenario (without Bosh). It would also allow us to see the kind of trapping defense that is unimaginable unless you have John Wall, Devin Harris, and LeBron James at the 1-2-3. They'll be able to go crazy with Lopez and Williams (optimistic here) protecting the rim. The team record for steals per game in an NBA season is 12.9. While I don't think that team would set the record, they'd be as close to it (think about how ridiculous that record is - the warriors led the league this year with 9.28/per) as we've had since the 80s. That'd be pretty fun, right? But we all know James isn't going to choose the Nets over the Bulls based on steals. He would, however, notice that the talent was equal, and then follow the money. Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov now owns the Nets. Jay-Z has a minority interest in the team. The Nets are moving to Brooklyn in 2 years (mark it down). In this scenario, James gets the best of New York AND Chicago, all in one move. How does this not happen? People thought the '03 Lottery was the most important Lottery in NBA history. Well, James was the prize that year. This year's prize? For the Nets, it may just be Wall and James.