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On the eve of his Garden visit, free-agent-to-be LeBron James spoke tonight before facing the Bulls and said enough hopeful things to keep Knick fans fantasizing about July 1. Certainly, James wants the Knicks as an option, whether as a bargaining chip or to keep his name alive. "I don't tease, I've never teased the New York media my saying I was coming to New York or playing for the Knicks,'' James said. "I saw the same thing every time. When July 1 gets here, I'm going to approach it like a business man and approach it for the best fit for LeBron and his family. "

New York Post

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We can't blame Andre Miller for being the new guy. We can't blame Brandon Roy for wanting to pick up where things finished a year ago. We can't even blame Blazers coach Nate McMillan for dabbling with so many combinations that the players look confused, especially after he lost his starting small forward late in the preseason. If Miller and Roy are still struggling to play together in December, you can start talking trade of the new guy. And if McMillan continues to dabble in a way that prevents the Blazers from finding comfort, we can begin the dialogue about whether he's the right coach to lead the team into the future.

The Oregonian

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Whenever New Orleans Hornets Coach Byron Scott sees his team sputtering, he goes into his bag of motivational tactics to try to break the slide. Before playing the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night, Scott questioned if his players were afraid to carryover the way they execute at practice into games, because he was not seeing it. He also threatened to make lineup changes if some starters did not show improvement.

New Orleans Times-Picayune

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The unsigned Wally Szczerbiak told The Post yesterday he underwent knee surgery three weeks ago at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan and is seriously considering retiring in the coming weeks. The surgeons have told Szczerbiak another knee injury could affect his ability to lead a normal life because he lacks enough cartilage in the knee after three surgeries.

New York Post

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If the Yankees stage their world championship parade Friday, a Cavaliers spokesman said noted Bronx Bombers fan LeBron James is not expected to attend the festivities, even though he will be in town to face the Knicks that night. There is a chance, however, the Yankees will come to James. Plans were being made to invite a handful of Yankees to the Garden night for the Knicks game vs. the Cavaliers if they are the world champions.

New York Post

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