MINNEAPOLIS – Larry Hughes has brought a smile to Knicks fans’ faces in recent days with his clutch play, but his opinion on his buddy and former Cavaliers teammate LeBron James’ future will not be a popular one in the Big Apple.
Hughes, who revisits Cleveland Sunday for the first time as a Knick when they close their Rust-Belt Tour, told The Post he thinks there’s a good chance James will stay in Cleveland, possibly signing a contract extension this summer.
“I think it would be a tough situation for him to actually leave everything,” Hughes said. “It’s set up for him there, being from the area [and] taking that team as far as he’s taken them. He’s the face of the organization. He’s the face of sports in that city. It would be tough.”
Nevertheless, Hughes said the Knicks could be James’ next choice if he doesn’t re-sign with the Eastern Conference leaders.
“I’d definitely think he’d consider it especially if he doesn’t re-sign,” Hughes said. “I think all his options will be open. At the same time, I think he’s going to go to a place where he feels he could win the most and also get the exposure of being in that market.”
Hughes may have his inside information on James’ plans. Hughes and James text-message twice a week. Their wives hang out in the summer and talk all the time, Hughes said.
“We’re friends,” said Hughes, dispelling the myth that they didn’t get along.
Hughes, whose Knicks face the Timberwolves tonight at Target Center, has given their playoff push a shot in the arm with his back-to-back gems in Milwaukee and Detroit, leaving them 1½ games out of the eighth slot.
Hughes’ contract expires after next season, and he could be taking notes for James, who congratulated him on coming to the Knicks.
“He liked it,” Hughes said. “He talked highly of the coach [Mike D’Antoni] and his style of play.”
Hughes’ stint in Cleveland was pockmarked with off-the-court issues despite being on the 2006-2007 club that stunned the league by making the finals. Hughes missed the last two finals games with plantar fasciitis. But Hughes was going through a personal crisis through much of his Cavalier stint.
During their playoff series vs. Detroit in 2006, Hughes’ brother, Justin, who had a heart defect, died at age 20. Hughes was so close to his brother he elected to stay close to home for college, at St. Louis University. Hughes said around that time his aunt also passed away and his wife had an aneurysm. At the trade deadline last year, Hughes requested a trade and was shipped to Chicago.
“I needed to get out of there,” Hughes said. “A lot of personal things happened [that] made it tough. It wasn’t about the city, wasn’t about the team.
“I needed to get out of that city. It’s tough when you drive on the same roads you heard bad news. I tried to get out of there and get a clear head. I talked to management and told them I needed to just get something new going. They helped me out, and I feel 100 percent better now.”
A Cavaliers source admitted Hughes played in a depression-like state his last 2½ seasons in Cleveland. His stay was a disappointment, considering the Cavs signed him to a five-year, $70 million deal to be James’ running mate.
“Just watching him play in Chicago early this season, you could see the difference, he looked like he was having fun,” the Cavs’ source said.
But it didn’t work in Chicago either, as Hughes fell out of favor with new coach Vinny Del Negro and didn’t play the last five weeks before the Feb. 19 trade to the Knicks
“He said they wanted to play the young guys, but every guy on the team was a veteran guy,” Hughes said. “That was the excuse I was given. I look at it as an excuse.”
Hughes, after a brutal first three games, is averaging 21.8 points in the last seven games.
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Knicks president Donnie Walsh denied an Argentine report that said he still was interested in signing point guard Carlos Delfino this season. Delfino is playing in Russia and would be eligible for a playoff roster.