Rumors will be flying in this NBA off-season about what jersey LeBron James may land in.

SLAP! Excuse me, I just hauled off and slapped myself.

There are still two rounds to go in these NBA playoffs and the media, including us, are already absorbed in the LeBron sweepstakes.

Last time I looked there were four NBA teams that earned some press time by advancing to their NBA Conference Finals. Boston, Orlando, Phoenix and the L.A. Lakers all deserve the attention since they . . .

Forget that, back to LeBron.

After the Cleveland Cavaliers were given a shocking quick exit courtesy of Kevin Garnett and the Celts last night, Celtics fans was throwing in their two cents and giving a national television audience their prediction raising the roof with a chant:

“New York Knicks. New York Knicks!”

James had a statistically good night throwing up a triple-double, 27 points, 19 boards and 10 assists.

‘Throwing up’ may not be the best description pertaining to LeBron’s scoring; it seems more suitable for describing the symptoms Cavs fans may be having after another early ouster from the playoffs and the realization James may have played his final game in Cleveland.

When asked, James did not lay out any detail as expected about slam-dunking in another NBA uniform but he also did not suggest he will stay in the home of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame either.

“It’s all about winning for me, and I think the Cavs are committed to doing that,” James said. “But at the same time I’ve given myself options to this point.”

If LeBron does pack his bags, his final game could not have been a worse going away party. He was actually booed off the court after the Celtics took it to the Cavs blowing them out 120-88.

So where does ‘King’ James land? And I use that name lightly after his failure in this year’s playoffs.

The Chicago Bulls make a lot of sense since they have a foundation in place and plenty of championship history with Michael Jordan’s No. 23 jersey hanging in the rafters. Derrick Rose is one of the top point guards and Joakim Noah is developing along at a nice pace.

The Bulls gave away John Salmons and their No. 1 pick to the Fear the Deer group in Milwaukee and many believe that was solely to free up a butt-load of cash to bid on LeBron.

Miami is a part of this buzz as well and the timing of Pat Riley going to the press and declaring he may be interested in coaching again may not be a coincidence. Besides, they have the hottest cheerleaders on the planet who make every game feel like a sexy Halloween night.

Finally, the Celtics fans’ prediction, the New York Knicks. James has come right out and said New York is his favorite city and Madison Square Garden is his favorite NBA arena to play in and the Knicks have been clearing cap room for quite some time preparing to make a maximum offer to James.

If James is serious about wanting to be the first billionaire athlete in the universe, then the Knicks would almost have to be the place.

For sympathy reasons we will mention the train-wreck New Jersey Nets and give honorable mention to the L.A. Clippers because we have a really smart writer on staff here who lives on the west coast and thinks they may be prepping for the auction.

This summer will be one of the most interesting NBA off-seasons for sure, oh and BTW, I almost forgot to mention, the NBA Conference Finals start this weekend.

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