Aww here it goes!

LeBron has been waiting a year to be back in the playoffs. At long last, that day has come for him. For Knicks fans such as myself, the day or reckoning has yet to come. Hyped as I may be for all of the great series to come in the next two months- including the dream matchup of Kobe vs. LeBron we missed out on last year- it's all about July 1st in my world. LeBron spent a year letting the taste of last year's disappointent fester; Knicks fans have had to live through nine miserable years with the likes of Eddy Curry, Jerome James, Starbury, sexual harassment lawsuits, James Dolan, and he who shall no longer be mentioned. We more or less forfeited the last two seasons in the hopes of landing a big free agent this summer. Not too long ago, a stranger who noticed my New York license plate asked me if I was still a Knicks fan. I proudly said yes, but I was embarassed that a question like that could ever be asked.

It can't be overstated how unreasonably risky it is what the Knicks are doing. They have four players under contract right now. Three once you account for the fact that Eddy Curry might as well be retired at this point. They don't even have a first round draft pick. With or without LeBron, the Knicks' cieling in 2011 might be a 6th seed in the East and a swift exit from the playoffs. Even sadder, the hard truth is that the Knicks' future probably doesn't include LeBron James.

Joe Johnson and Chris Bosh make for a respectable alternative to landing LeBron. But do those two guarantee a championship? The Knicks will be major contenders, but they won't have that one player who abolutely scares the life out of opponents. They won't have the player who gets the ball 100% of the time when the game is on the line. They might get two players who get the ball 95% of the time. Hell, they might even get LeBron and Bosh/Johnson (best case scenario). Or maybe they'll have to settle for Amar'e and Rudy Gay (worst case).

It's greedy of me to be asking for a guaranteed championship. I know that's just not how the world works. But the Knicks have tanked in a way never seen before. They've been openly giving up for two seasons. All of this in the basketball capital of the world. Anything less than a championship- or two or three, or seven- will equate to more disappointment. Nine years and counting...