Media reports in New York and Chicago buzz with any news linking James to that city.
Contrary to one Chicago Web site, the fans' attitude toward LeBron James in Akron on Saturday didn't have the feeling of a farewell.(Chasing down rumors about LeBron James' basketball future could be a full-time job. Now it's my full-time job. Just call me The Rumor Monger. Every day we'll compile a list of the rumors we're hearing about James and his next contract. Just remember these are just rumors, not necessarily facts. It's going to be a long and rough ride, Cavs fans. Buckle up. -- Mary Schmitt Boyer)
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- While everybody in Northeast Ohio was celebrating James' appearance at the rally in Akron, the headline on that event on the Chicago Sun-Times Web site read, "Farewell party for LeBron?"
And on the Chicago Tribune Web site, David Haugh suggested a billboard in Cuyahoga County reading, "Kobe 5, LeBron 0,"' referring to the number of NBA titles Bryant has won with the Lakers.
Writes Haugh, "The message behind my proposed billboard potentially affects James' free-agent decision more than silly LeBron James Appreciation Day, Saturday in Akron, or any hokey tribute New York or Los Angeles or -- let's hope not -- Chicago may be concocting.
"One big, bold sign alongside an Ohio highway could help James realize the shortest, quickest road to start changing his NBA championship total and legacy goes through Chicago."
• James is leaning toward New York, Stephen A. Smith told ESPN Radio on Friday. Smith covers the NBA for the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Said Smith, "From what my sources tell me, he still hasn't made a final decision, but he's higher on New York now than he was a month ago, and the reality is that he is leaning more towards New York than he is towards returning to Cleveland."
Smith said the sources said James' advisers have been asking "very in-depth questions" about the Knicks organization and that the superstar may not sign with Chicago because he doesn't want to compete with Michael Jordan's legacy.
• Chris Bosh recently told SNY TV he was considering the Knicks and wouldn't wait for James to make a decision.
"Anytime you have the opportunity to play with certain guys, you have to take that into consideration," Bosh said on The Wheelhouse program. "When it all goes down, he's gonna be one of the all-time greats. At the same time, I can't just sit around and wait. I have to be proactive with my choices and what's gonna make me happy. I have to make sure I take my time and make the right decision."
• An open letter to James from Ebenezer Samuel in the New York Daily News included the following comments:
"Think twice about coming to New York. Contrary to the Big Apple belief that The King plus a superstar sidekick equals the first NBA title in these parts since '73, your signing doesn't guarantee a ring.
"Yes, you're a force who will single-handedly put the Knicks back in the playoffs and fill the Garden with more oohs and ahhs than the Westminster Dog Show. But free agency's a tricky business that delivers only two things with regularity -- wasted dollars and disappointment. Land here, and your career arc could easily mirror Dominique Wilkins' instead of Michael's or Magic's or Bird's.
"There's been exactly one exception to the rule. Fourteen years ago, Shaquille O'Neal left Orlando for L.A., then led the Lakers to three titles.
"We want to believe LeBron-to-NYC will be like 'Diesel goes to Hollywood,' but even in the Leastern Conference and even with Cleveland out of the picture, the Knicks are a long way from a title. Constructing a contender takes years and patience, which is why just eight teams have earned championship hardware over the last three decades.
"And the Knicks' foundation is thin, its house far from a fixer-upper."
• Even teams not courting James are interested in where he ends up. Bob Wolfley of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel thinks the worst-case scenario for Bucks fans is if James signs with the Bulls.
"You do not want the horror which would become your life if James decides to play for the Chicago Bulls. This is even worse than the misery James can visit upon you from Cleveland, because not only do you have to play him four times, but now he would be wrecking your dreams from Chicago. And you hate Chicago, or at least you hate their teams. You despise their teams.
"Mmmm, what happened the last time the game's best player was in a Bulls uniform? How'd that work out for you?"
Wolfley says Bucks fans should root for the Clippers to sign James.
"He leaves and the better your team's chances of winning a division become. Out of conference, out of mind. All hail the Clippers."