by Frank Isola
source nydailynews.com
Don't kid yourself. Number 23 is as good as gone.
And it has nothing to do with LeBron James announcing months ago that he was changing his uniform number from 23 to 6.
"Chicago or Miami," says Charles Oakley, the former Knicks power forward. "Not New York. He's leaving."
Oakley has become a friend/mentor to the NBA's two-time MVP over the last few years. They have an Ohio connection - Oakley owns a home in the Cleveland suburbs - as well as a world-famous connection. Oakley is best friends with James' idol, Michael Jordan. (LeBron is changing his number to honor Jordan.)
And if James signs a free agent contract with the Bulls or Heat in July, the Knicks may regret the day they never followed through with their plan to offer Oakley a job as a big-man coach. Oakley's relationship with his former club ranges from cordial to estranged, and having him so close to the most prized free agent in nearly 20 years could be a detriment to the Knicks instead of an advantage.
"He wants to go someplace where he can win," Oakley said following Cleveland's Game 5 loss on Tuesday. "He's been in the league, what, seven or eight years? It's time for him to get over the hump."
James has said repeatedly that winning is all that matters to him and that he will choose the team that gives him the best chance to win multiple championships. That may or may not be in Cleveland.
Late Thursday in Boston, James removed his best-selling Cavaliers jersey for the last time in the tunnel leading to the visiting team's locker room. In an instant, James was free at last.
It was a symbolic gesture from a player whose carefully constructed image took as much of a beating this week as his team. Now, instead of competing for an NBA championship, James becomes the trophy, and signing him is the game the Cavs, Knicks, Nets, Heat, Bulls - and yes, even the Clippers - are playing.
Not since Shaquille O'Neal left Orlando to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers has there been a more sought-after free agent. Despite his disappointing performance against Boston in the last three games of the Eastern Conference semis, James is still a superstar talent whose best years are ahead of him. Everyone has an opinion on which uniform he will wear next and just about everyone agrees that that decision could alter the history of the NBA for the next 10 years.
"He's the face of basketball," says Boston forward Kevin Garnett. "It's gonna be the talk of the summer. Everyone is gonna be tuned in."
Every theory about James' next move has been debated, and all of them sound plausible. The most repeated scenario has James signing a three-year contract extension in order to bring Cleveland its first pro sports title since 1964.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/2010/05/15/2010-05-15_oakley_feels_its_23_skidoo.html#ixzz0nzsti38R
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