It was a busy day, a jaunt from New Jersey to Ohio to Illinois and back aboard a Gulfstream V, seeing LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, even trying to squeeze in a meeting with David Lee.
At the end, the six Nets officials--two Russian businessmen, a hip-hop icon, the winningest coach in NBA history, the president whose looking for one last legacy and a marketing maven--seemed very satisfied, particularly about their chances of securing LeBron James signature July 8. And while they said little on the record, others in the organization were not so reserved. After talking to their bosses, they used phrases like "definitely in the game", "tremendous touching on spectacular", "a grand slam", "front runner" and "it went extremely well". Of course, the Knicks feel good about their chances, too, and James still has to meet with four other teams, including the Cavaliers. But none of them have Jay-Z, who spent 20 minutes alone with James after the others left.
James didn't comment, but Chris Bosh, the Nets last meeting of the day, complimented the group, tweeting, "New Jersey meeting was very good as well. These guys really know how to sell a franchise." Wade also told writers he was "impressed" with the Nets' presentation.
And there was another bummer for the Knicks Thursday: someone leaked the PowerPoint presentation they developed for James.
What's next? James reportedly told the Nets to be prepared to offer two max contracts--which would require freeing up $3.7 million more in cap space. Word is that at least part of them can be accomplished through a trade of Kris Humphries. Also, expect meetings this weekend with Amare Stoudemire and Carlos Boozer, then LeBron's decision Monday.
- Nets 'definitely in the game' as meeting with free agent LeBron James goes well - Dave D'Alessandro - Star-Ledger
- NJ Nets: The Flight Home - Dave D'Alessandro - Star-Ledger
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In battle to land LeBron James, Nets outshine rival Knicks - Steve Politi - Star-Ledger
- Nets insider: Meeting with LeBron ‘spectacular’ - Fred Kerber - New York Post
- Wade, Bosh cap long day for Nets - Fred Kerber - New York Post
- Hard to sell New York when you are stuck sitting in Cleveland - George Willis - New York Post
- This could turn ugly in a hurry - Mike Vaccaro - New York Post
- Knicks happy with 2-hour LeBron meeting - Marc Berman - New York Post
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Knicks' pitch to LeBron: City sizzle, mountain of money - New York Post
- Productive Day - Al Iannazzone - In the 'Zzone
- The Nets gave LeBron something to think about - Al Iannazzone
- Nets offer the world to LeBron - Tara Sullivan - The Record
- Knicks toot their own horn in meeting with LeBron James - Steve Adamek - The Record
- Nets run full-court press - Julian Garcia - New York Daily News
- Cory Booker lists reasons why LeBron should play for Nets - Julian Garcia - New York Daily News
- Salary cap limits Knicks with LeBron, so Amare could be backup plan - Mitch Lawrence - New York Daily News
- Knicks fight uphill battle against Nets, Bulls, Cavaliers - Frank Isola - New York Daily News
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Garden Party is a low-key affair - Bob Raissman - New York Daily News
- Nets and Knicks Make Pitch to James - Howard Beck & Jonathan Abrams - New York Times
- 99 Problems, but Marketing Isn’t One - Richard Sandomir - New York Times
- Nets feeling optimistic about chances with James - Barbara Barker - New York Newsday
- Nets, Knicks woo NBA superstar LeBron James - Tom Withers - AP
- James gets visitors, and Gay gets a big contract - Brian Mahoney - AP
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Wade meets Bulls, Nets on Day 1 as free agent - Andrew Seligman - AP
- LeBron James recruiting visits begin: Nets, Knicks make pitches in downtown Cleveland office - Brian Windhorst - Cleveland Plain-Dealer
- Nets, Knicks pitch to LeBron - Jason Lloyd - Akron Beacon Journal
- James meets with Knicks, Nets as teams make their bids for King James - Larry McShane - New York Daily News
- The Nets Are Not Being Shy About Taking Over New York - Eric Freeman - The Sporting News
- Nets Ask Avery Johnson To Lead Rebuilding Effort - Scott Cacciola - Wall Street Journal
- LeBron James scene: Suitors come to sway free agent superstar - Chris Hine - Chicago Tribune
- Russian, his shot - Mark Perner - Philadelphia Daily News
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Winning should be all that matters to LeBron - Michael Wilbon - Washington Post