Upon Further Review

After an unexpected early exit from the playoffs for LeBron, the talk of his impending free agency has heated up much, much more. I would like to first start by saying that LeBron at the end of that series with Boston was not healthy, he couldn't have been. We've gotten used to LeBron crashing through the lane like a freight train with "no regard for human life," as one commentator called it, and that was not the LeBron we saw at the end of that series. We may never know how much his elbow was bothering him - he admitted after the series that it affected him - but I find it hard to believe that he wasn't compensating for it by adjusting his game. This is not to discount the resurgent Celtics, who may have won the series against a healthy LeBron, I just would have liked to have seen it.

In handicapping where LeBron will end up, there are a number of things to consider. He has always claimed that his number one priority is to win, so that would seemingly weight the equation the most. He, of course, has the pull of staying home, as he has been able to do through the first seven years of his career in Cleveland. There's the friend factor, whether it be Jay-Z, minority owner of the Nets; John Calipari, potential coach of the Bulls, Nets, Cavs, Clippers, you name it; John Wall, future Washington Wizard; or any other number of players/friends. Where other star players, Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, Amar'e Stoudamire, Joe Johnson, and Carlos Boozer, go could all be a factor or hinge on what happens with LeBron. Oh yeah, and money might factor in - advantage Cavs. So here's how I give the percentages for the teams in the running.

Everyone is ready to pronounce that LeBron is done with the Cavs after the very disappointing playoff run, but I'm not quite there yet. There's a couple reasons I still think that the favorite is Cleveland, and I don't think its the money. The first reason is the overwhelming pull of playing in his hometown, where he is comfortable and has lived his entire life. The second major reason, at least for me, is the feeling of unfinished business he must have in not having brought a championship to Cleveland. It would have to leave a bad taste in his mouth leaving without the championship, and perhaps even put a "blemish" on his "legacy." Though I think there are certainly now questions about whether this team is built to win a championship, I still think the Cavs provide close to if not the best chance for him to win. Maybe if LeBron was healthy in the playoffs we'd still be watching them play, again we don't know the extent of the injury. Either way, if your the Cavs, I think your best strategy is to give Phil Jackson a load of money to come to Cleveland, with a backup plan of keeping John Calapari in your back pocket.

The Bulls seem to be the hot name for LeBron after the Cavs playoff failures. They have an attractive budding superstar in Derrick Rose, as well as an energizer and potential All-Star center in Joakim Noah. Toss in the fact that the Bulls would have cap space to add in some other pieces (possibly another max-contract player through a sign-and-trade) and a coaching vacancy that could probably be filled by a candidate of LeBron's choice, and we have a pretty attractive option. Probably the biggest deterrent of Chicago is the shadow cast by the man LeBron idolized as a kid and is trying to chase down as a player, Michael Jordan.

The Knicks have been preparing for this summer ever since they gave Isaiah Thomas the boot. The plan has long been to clear cap space and sign LeBron in 2010, and they've done such a good job that they could actually sign two LeBrons..... or perhaps LeBron and Bosh or Wade. The only problem is that they have done such a good job that they don't have a team that LeBron or any star(s) could walk into and have a legitimate shot at a championship. Still, they have the pull of playing in New York and in one of the meccas of basketball, Madison Square Garden. I don't think this is going to be the summer for them, however. I see a more likely scenario of maybe signing one of the second tier free agents (Johnson or Boozer) and then going after Carmelo Anthony next summer.

Russian billionaire, Mikhail Prokhorov, has a plan to win a championship in a maximum of five years, and believes they may be able to next year. In order for that to happen, he has to get LeBron. For the worst team in the NBA, the Nets actually have a couple good pieces with Devin Harris and Brook Lopez. They also have part owner and friend of LeBron, Jay-Z, on their side. Unfortunately for them, the ping pong balls didn't turn out as they would have hoped and John Wall, potential star point guard and another friend of LeBron's, will not be suiting it up for the Nets, a major hit to their prospects of landing King James. Add to that the questions about whether they will actually ever move to Brooklyn, and their chances seem to be dwindling.

I assume, as do most, that Dwayne Wade will resign with the Heat. Though it sounds like a fun marriage, it wouldn't work - they both need the ball. The Clippers could have the space but there are two strikes against them 1) they're the Clippers and 2) a guy named Kobe shares the same building. The Mavericks, like many teams in the NBA, don't actually have the cap space for LeBron, but unlike other NBA teams, they have Mark Cuban. If anyone would come up with some way to get a sign-and-trade done, it would be Cuban.

Having that all said, come to Chicago, Lebron!