newjerseynewsroom.com

BY STEPHEN SCHIMMEL

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

COMMENTARY

What is a moral victory, if not a politically correct way of telling a second-grader that the word "couch" isn't spelled with a "W", and sadly, he or she will not be taking home the 2010 SCRIPPS National Spelling Bee's grand prize?

"Great job Suzie, you did it! Congrats on spelling your final word incorrectly and going home with a newfound confidence. Please help Tommy escort his beautiful new pony off the stage towards his parents who love him dearly!"

"But don't worry, Suzie, you won't be going home empty-handed. No, your so-called moral victory has earned you a debilitating stutter that you won't overcome until 12 years of therapy land you a part-time escorting position in Vegas. Congrats!"

Anybody else want a moral victory? How about Smallpox?

Suddenly, a moral victory sounds about as credible as a product safety class with BP; or a money management course with Bernie Madoff.

That's why starting this July, when the NBA kicks off its long-awaited free agency summer of 2010, the New York Knicks should be hard-pressed to escape from the decade-long age of ineptitude shrouded by mentions of moral victories and steps in the right direction that they have conveniently taken cover inside of since running Patrick Ewing out of town in 2000.

"Hey, we may have gone 32-50, but at least we got rid of Stephon Marbury."

"OK, we may have lost to the Celtics by 45 points, but did you see Nate Robinson's cool new sneakers?"

"Yes, we may have struggled the past few seasons, but at least we now know it's because Isiah Thomas was addicted to Lunesta."

Accepting failure on behalf of inconsequential bright sides can no longer be an option — not in 2011.

It's time for the City that Never Sleeps to wake up and play some basketball. Eleven years after losing to the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA finals, eight years after naming Thomas the President of Basketball Operations, and three years after current president Donnie Walsh began dismantling the remnants of a decade-long hangover in hopes of landing the big fish in the 2010 Summer of Free Agency, it's time for the Orange and Blue to put up or shut up. Knick fans have been uncharacteristically patient with Walsh's team, but come this July, that patience will have run its course. More specifically, come this July, anything less than Cleveland's free-agent-to-be, LeBron James, will be an absolute failure.

For anyone who's spent the last three years living under a rock, the summer of 2010 boasts what is undoubtedly the most anticipated free agent market in NBA history. Up for sale will be Dwyane Wade, Joe Johnson, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer, Paul Pierce, Dirk Nowitzki, Michael Redd, and a host of other all-star talents. And New York is one of only a handful of teams with enough money to sign two of those players.

Still, there is only one free agent who has captivated the attention of general managers and fans throughout the NBA: King James. And failing to get him this summer would be the start of another decade marred by excuses and false confidence.

For New York, it's LeBron or bust in 2010.

Bosh, Johnson and Stoudemire are superstars in their own right. Wade is a first-ballot hall of famer at 28. Alone in New York, however, their presence would only be a constant reminder of the city's failure to do something that it set out to do three years ago: bring in LeBron.

And New Yorkers don't fail. Even failure is an expected prelude to something spectacular — like James himself.

This is the greatest city in the world — this is Broadway, the Yankees, Sinatra (born in Hoboken, N.J.) and Willis Reed; this is Central Park, the Statue of Liberty, Madison Square Garden and the Empire State Building. New York is second to none, and failing to snatch LeBron away from Cleveland would be a demoralizing blow to the Knicks' already aching psyche.

That is why getting Wade, Bosh, Johnson, or any of the other available superstars this summer, in lieu of James, would be a moral victory that the Knicks can't afford to win.

New Yorkers have spent long enough suffering through the doldrums of defeat, and that defeat was accepted as a necessary evil within the assumption that LeBron would restore order to the Garden in 2010. Shipping off former Knick talents Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph was a no-brainer because it cleared highly coveted cap space for James.

Much has been made about what zip code the reigning MVP will refer to as home this fall, and how he will change one city's fortunes, but little has been made about where the Knicks will be if LeBron decides not to relocate to New York this offseason.

Can you imagine the fallout that would result following three years of false promises and unrealized hope? I recommend promising your eight-year-old daughter that Justin Bieber will be present at her all-you-can-eat ice cream, candy, princess, puppy and rainbow -themed birthday party. Then tell her the party has been cancelled because she spelled the word couch wrong.

Realistically, Madison Square Garden will be a ghost town if Walsh can't figure out a way to lure the King away from the additional $30 million that the Cavaliers can offer him over the next six years. Without James, what the Garden manages to pull in numbers will be absent in spirit.

The unrealized fantasy of LeBron walking on air in orange and blue would pop more momentum than the lifeless Knicks can afford to lose, and even with Bosh, Johnson or Wade, the buzz just won't be there.

That is why this summer, for the Knicks, there are no moral victories; just winners and losers, victories and defeats in plain black and white. The stage is set. July 1, the official start of the NBA free agency season, marks the biggest month in Knicks history, and one way or another, it will redefine the aura of Madison Square Garden and what it means to wear a Knick uniform.