They <3 NY, and the threat of 2010

Don't wanna play the field 'cause I get lovin' at home base Don't gimme no long face just exit with a grace You and I are the past; c'est la vie, much respect girl But now you're my ex-girl 'cause I'm on with the next girl.... So Dwyane Wade comes out and boldly says he'll only re-sign with the Heat if they are championship contenders. Playoffs are not enough. And there are the Knicks, waiting with fists of dollars, in case the Heat don't take him seriously. It's right out of the LeBron playbook, no? Perhaps this is cynnical. But there is a perspective to take here about some of these guys headed to free agency in 2010. Grab your franchise by the throat, demand they lavish you with riches as a great supporting cast and point to the Knicks as the hot chick in the corner batting her eyes at you. Let's see how Miami reacts. Desperate signing of Allen Iverson (yeah, that'll work...A.I. needs the ball and D-Wade owns it. Coach Erik Spoelstra, it's Dr. Phil on Line 1). We already saw how Dallas reacted when Jason Kidd went out on a date with New York. Mark Cuban jumped in a plane and begged for another chance. Kidd got the term and financial commitments he wanted and New York was left alone at the bar. No night cap. Grant Hill is here now, too. Is he doing the same? Boston is already on bended knee, offering the chance for a ring. But they can't cough up more than the bi-annual. Perhaps Grant wants more than one year. Of course New York now can dip into their mid-level for him. Ohh, New York. So good to these fellas. And as we go on, D-Wade and LeBron will continue to flirt. Continue to let New York linger in their out-loud thinking. They talk of a possible three-way, even. And there New York giggles and purrs as she waits patiently in that dark corner of the club. (Yeah, I said it.) * * * On the David Lee front, he was out my way over the weekend enjoying life as a famous New Yorker. I'm sure Portland has cool places to hang out, too, but David was made to be a New York pro athlete. Not many offer-sheet options left for David. The Blazers know the Knicks will match anything reasonable and they also know it's not reasonable to pay $9M to $10M for Lee when they already have an all-star caliber power forward in LaMarcus Aldridge. Now, they could move LA to the three-spot, but remember, the Knicks will have money in 2010 and revenge could be taken with Brandon Roy. Portland's best scenario is a S&T. Let's begin the conversation with Rudy Fernandez . . . Cleveland should be the best fit, though I don't believe they have inquired. Lee is an upgrade over Anderson Varejao IMHO and his ability to rebound and outlet would benefit that team greatly now that it has slowed down even more with the addition of Shaq. But the Cavs would have to sign-and-trade and the Knicks really aren't interested in anyone on that roster . . . . . . aside from, of course . . . We will maintain that Lee remains in New York. Where he belongs. At a fair price. Easy for us to say, but the gameplan should be to take a one-year and go UFA next summer, when everyone will have cap space and the Knicks would have your Bird Rights. The situations involving Lee and Nate Robinson will heat up once we get beyond the moratorium, which is lifted Wednesday.