The Great LeBrotto

The most interesting take I have seen on "The Great LeBrotto of 2010" is the recent post in Forbes magazine which predicts the Knicks will get the great marketing turbine because, "this January they (the Knicks) became the only franchise that can use their stock as currency. They cannot pay James (directly) with MSG stock because it would violate the league's collective bargaining agreement. But there is nothing to stop James from buying shares of MSG with his money. This would allow James to in essence work for himself and capture the upside in revenue from higher ratings on the MSG RSN, a soon-to-be renovated Madison Square Garden and much higher profits he will bring to these platforms." This is a compelling argument for James, if he wants to be an "owner," and if making money is his core issue.

It's difficut to imagine that building an entire team around him pretty much from scratch, which is what he and the Knicks would have to do, makes any sense to him at his next team since he's been doing that in Cleveland ever since they won the First LeBrotto.

My personal belief, though, and I know this is hopelessly romantic, is that he's most interested in having some fun and winning some championships. His brand equity is already far beyond internationally platinum, and, unless he does something too stupid to even contemplate, it will remain so for many years to come. Plus he already makes, has made, will make colossal lucre.

Who wins The Great LeBrotto of 2010? Who knows? My personal favorite scenario is Dallas with Dirk voluntarily taking a giant salary cut to make it happen, Phil signing a huge contract to coach them and Chris Bosh joining in for good measure. Hey, it's my blog, and I can dream, can't I?

Whoever gets LeBron's imprimatur, it will be almost as much fun watching the contortions the owners and the commentators put themselves through as it will be guessing which team will win The Great Lebrotto.