INDIANAPOLIS – Dwyane Wade acknowledged last night “it’s not crazy” to speculate that he and LeBron James could tag-team their way to the Big Apple as free agents in 2010.
Wade, following the Heat’s loss to the Pacers, told The Post he and James could join forces in 2010, with the Knicks not out of the question. Wade indicated they have talked about the potential scenario, and both played for Mike D’Antoni last summer while winning a gold medal at the Olympics.
“It’s not crazy,” Wade told The Post in the visitor’s locker room of Indiana’s Conseco Fieldhouse. “It could happen. We both understand that. We both signed the same contract. We did it together. More than anything, it’s fun to think about. It’s exciting to know we both control our future. Will it happen? Who knows. He has some something he’s trying to accomplish in Cleveland. I have something I’m trying to accomplish in Miami. But up until 2010, it will be fun to think about.”
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As Wade spoke, the Knicks were blocks away in their hotel, bracing for the Pacers tonight.
Asked about the merits of playing in New York, Wade, a native of Chicago, said, “It has its ups and downs. One of the downs is the weather. I love the weather in Miami. So New York has its ups and downs.”
The Knicks will have to do more cap management in order to sign two maximum free agents, particularly trading grieving Eddy Curry. King James, who will play at the Garden next Wednesday, downplayed his potential Knicks move in ESPN Magazine this week.
“Ever since I’ve been asked, I’ve never given any indication I was leaving or that I wasn’t happy here,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Knicks will have their own Super Bowl Week, starting Monday, facing league lions, the Lakers, Cavaliers and Celtics in succession on a homestand from hell.
But before the NBA’s three best teams, each playing nearly .800 ball, grace the Garden, the Knicks have to take care of business tonight at Conseco against the 19-28 Pacers if their recent surge into playoff position is going to last.
The Knicks may get a break. Newly minted All-Star Danny Granger said last night he’s “50-50” for tonight’s game because of a bruised knee. Granger said he felt pain during the victory over the Heat and may not want to test a back-to-back.
David Lee, fresh off his All-Star snub, hadn’t lost any of his cockiness.
“I think Indiana is a team we should beat on the road,” Lee said. “It’s a game we play our best, we can win. More important we’re in need of a big road win. We’ve proven we can take care of our home court now. Obviously we’ll be tested next week but it will be good to go on the road and beat an Indiana team near us in the standings.”
At 20-25, the Knicks are one-half game out of the eighth and final playoff spot with Milwaukee, which beat Toronto last night. They’ve won five straight games at the Garden. They’ve won seven of their last eight to reach 20 wins – three behind last season’s total.
For nearly a month, the Knicks have been more than respectable – 8-6 since beating Boston on Jan. 4. The game before the Celtic upset, the Knicks hit a low-point in losing to the Pacers at home.
“It’s one of the [teams] we have to beat to get into the playoffs,” D’Antoni said. “It’s worth two games. It’s big because it’s Indiana. It’s a team we have to knockout, then we have [those] three games coming after that.”
The Lakers (35-9), Celtics (38-9) and Cavaliers (35-9) have a combined record of 118-27.