GREENWICH, Conn. — Chris Jewett of White Plains was prepared for either happiness or heartache. One side of the sign he held on the sidewalk across from the Boys and Girls Club in Greenwich read “All Hail The King.” The other side: “LeBum.”
“You’ve got to be ready,” said Jewett a lifelong Knicks fan. “I’d love for him to come here. I’m not sure if Amar’e Stoudemire is going to be enough.”
This was about two hours before LeBron James would announce inside the Boys and Girls Club that he was “taking my talents to South Beach,” ending the most hyped free agent pursuit in the history of the NBA. That wasn’t good news for many in the crowd of about 500 who had waited for hours in the heat and humidity hoping James would choose the Knicks.
For Jewett “The Decision” was a double whammy. Not only did the Knicks not get LeBron, but they lost him to Pat Riley and the Heat. At age 31, Jewett remembers when Riley coached the Knicks to the 1994 NBA Finals then a year later faxed his resignation and headed to South Beach where he eventually won a title in 2006.
“The Rat did it again,” Jewett said. “He was good for us when he was with the Knicks. But he didn’t win a ring. Now with LeBron going to Miami, the Eastern Conference can say good night before it starts.”
LeBum and The Rat are now a tandem in Miami. Along with perennial All-Stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, the Heat has used free agency to shift the balance of power in the East where the Knicks hope to be a factor. To do so, team president Donnie Walsh and coach Mike D’Antoni have to resort to Plan B or Plan C now that James is headed to the Heat.
“That’s going to be one powerful team in the East,” said Andrew Busani of Greenwich, who was standing outside the Boys and Girls Club with his 11-year-old son Michael. “It won’t be fun watching basketball. It should be competitive, but instead it looks like there’s going to be one dominant team. It’s bad for basketball.”
You can bet there won’t be any more cheering of James the next time he comes to the Garden. Knicks fans gave him a hero’s welcome during his one and only visit last season, hoping to persuade him to sign with the hometown team. Now that he has joined forces with Wade, Bosh and Riley in Miami, the Heat might be as detested as they were when Riley was the coach, and the Knicks and Heat seemed to be battling in the playoffs every year. The Knicks still are trying to get back to the level. The Heat got there last night thanks to James.
Certainly, the fans in Cleveland have a right to feel betrayed. But so do Knicks fans, who have endured two horrendous seasons hoping it would lead to the acquisition of James.
“I thought there were some good vibes on Wednesday,” said 18-year-old Will Petok of Greenwich. “I went to bed thinking it was a good possibility he was coming to the Knicks. But when I woke up and turned on the television, I started hearing otherwise.”
James admitted teaming with Riley was part of the attraction to playing in Miami.
“Pat has been there,” James said during his hourlong broadcast on ESPN. “He’s coached and won championships multiple times. He’s played the game. He understands what it takes to be a championship team and the DNA of a championship team. He’s going to do everything in his power to make sure we win championships for years to come.”
That’s just swell. The Knicks lose to Riley and the Heat again.