Expert, NBA Fans, Weigh In – Will Knicks or Nets Become Contenders if LeBron Comes?

One expert NBA writer – and two of the most knowledgeable pro hoops fans I know – have weighed in with their thoughts on what will likely happen to the New Jersey Nets and New York Knicks should LeBron James, the biggest free agent in NBA history, decide to join either of these respective franchises.

With James’ free agency announcement of where he intends to play next season, just a mere matter of hours away, let’s gets started.

Expert sports journalist Aaron Torres shared his thoughts on James possibly going to the Knicks by saying, “This press conference is being held in Greenwich, Conn., which is just a hop, skip and a jump from NYC.  Yet no one in New York seems to actually think the Knicks are going to land LeBron. What gives?

Torres was downright comical with his assessment of James possibly joining the Nets, writing, New Jersey: No… No… No!!!

George Coley Jr. from Philadelphia had this to say about James and his New York-area possibilities.

“If he goes to the Knicks, they still have a lot of work to do and probably wouldn’t make the playoffs. If he goes to New Jersey, they’re automatically in the playoffs and could theoretically contend for something. They have a great coach in Avery Johnson that should have never been fired by Dallas in the first place.”

Keith Branch from New Jersey
Branch, a sweet-shooting small forward I grew up with, had this to say about James and had a polar-opposite take on the New Jersey Nets than Torres

“The Knicks need more pieces. I wouldn’t go to the Knicks, they’d still have three or four years before they’re ready to contend. They need a big man and there’s a lot more pieces to the puzzle they’d need in order to contend for anything,” he said.

“I love the Nets and I love their young center (Robin Lopez). If he’s going to the New York area, the Nets would be the much better team to join. They have a wonderful point guard and an owner willing to spend big money to improve their team. The Nets would be in the playoffs immediately and that’s a start, but they’ll probably get knocked out in the first round. I’d give them two years for them to contend for the Eastern Conference title though.

My personal feelings say that if James joins the Knicks, the team won’t be contenders for the Eastern Conference title for at least two or three years at the very least, depending on whom the team surrounds him with.

Like Branch, I also like the New Jersey Nets and their situation, though I agree they won’t be ready to challenge for the Eastern Conference crown for at least two seasons themselves.