Six in the City?

NEW JERSEY – Now that free agents are allowed to negotiate new contracts in the NBA, LeBron James is cleared to sit down with representatives of six teams to examine what’s on the table in his quest for hoop immortality.

Under NBA rules, the pursuit for free agents started at midnight yesterday but players are not permitted to sign until July 8.

Six is the magic number in James’ future. Aside from six teams in contention for his services, six will also be James’ jersey number next season. He’s dropping No. 23 in honor of his idol Michael Jordan and choosing No. 6 because that’s how many championships His Airness won in his career.

Six teams, including Cleveland, are moving heaven and earth to ink James, a seven-year pro despite being only 25. Cleveland has been James’ home since entering the NBA in 2003-04 and its advantage over other bidders is the ability to offer a six-year $126 million renewal. Other suitors are limited to a five-year $96.3 million tender.

But for James, it’s not just about money. It’s about winning. And so far in his career, a championship hasn’t blessed Cleveland. Coach Mike Brown is gone and with collegiate coach Tom Izzo out of the running, it appears Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Brian Shaw will take over. Shaw, 43, was in Phil Jackson’s staff the last five seasons so he’s got championship tradition with the Lakers.

New York is making a big pitch for James and “Six in the City,” a play on words of Sarah Jessica Parker’s popular TV series, is a battlecry that resonates all the way to David Stern’s office in Manhattan. The Knicks’ continued failure to make an impact in the league as a contender has deflated the NBA’s potential to earn big bucks in the major US market and James might be the key to turn things around.

James is set to meet with his suitors starting today. First in the calendar is the New Jersey Nets with Russian billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov joined by new coach Avery Johnson, president Rod Thorn and minority owner Jay-Z, the popular rapper who is James’ long-time buddy. Then the Knicks take their shot with owner James Dolan, president Donnie Walsh, assistant to the president Allan Houston, coach Mike D’Antoni and Madison Square Garden president Scott O’Neil. The third team in the lineup is Miami with owner Mickey Ariston, president Pat Riley, Fil-Am coach Erik Spoelstra and maybe star guard Dwyane Wade across the table. The fourth is Chicago with owner Jerry Reinsdorf, president John Paxson, general manager Gar Forman and new coach Tom Thibodeau in the Bulls talking team. The Los Angeles Clippers are the fifth squad with president Neil Olshey, general manager Andy Roeser and public relations director Joe Safety carrying the ball. Finally, Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, general manager Chris Grant and assistant coach Chris Jent will round out the negotiations.

Clearly, James will examine how the cards stack up in terms of his supporting cast. His experience in Cleveland has shown he can’t win a title by himself.

There is talk that James is being enticed by Wade to move to Miami with another free agent Chris Bosh. The three are good friends in search of the NBA’s “Holy Grail” and a collusion might make for a serious challenge to the Lakers’ attempt to win a third straight crown.

The Nets, expected to move to Brooklyn in two years, are seriously trying to lure James, clearing cap space by waiving guard Keyon Dooling, buying out his contract for $500,000, and trading Yi Jianlian with his $4.05 million salary. Before the twin deals, the Nets were $27.1 million under the salary cap, short of the Knicks’ war chest of $34.1 million which will be enough to cover the first-year wages of two top-notch free agents (a combined $33 million).

Aside from James, the Nets are rumored to be baiting Phoenix forward Amare Stoudemire, Utah’s Carlos Boozer, Memphis’ restricted free agent Rudy Gay and Knicks forward David Lee. Prokhorov’s deadline to capture a title is 2015, putting pressure on Johnson.

New York has initiated talks with Atlanta guard Joe Johnson and Stoudemire, both of whom have played for D’Antoni. If James turns his back on New York, the Knicks will go for Johnson and Stoudemire even as the team is also likely to zero in on Wade and Bosh.

Two veterans opting out of their contracts have made the chase for talent even more interesting. Boston’s Paul Pierce and Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki are testing the free agent waters although the speculation is they’re just leveraging for extra years to guarantee a longer career.

New York Daily News columnist Mitch Lawrence predicted James and Wade will end up with their old teams but said Boozer and Boston’s Ray Allen will move to Miami, Joe Johnson and Bosh to Chicago and Stoudemire to New York. Lawrence didn’t mention how New Jersey will figure in the battle but Prokhorov isn’t tipped to just watch the stars slip by.

In the coaching scene, Jackson and Boston’s Doc Rivers are still undecided on whether they will return on the bench next season. Jackson has health issues but the probability is if Lakers owner Jerry Buss doesn’t substantially cut his salary, he’ll be back. ( Rivers stays with the Celtics. See related story. – Ed).

The Lakers are way over the salary cap of $69.9 million with a payroll of $91.7 million and even if Derek Fisher, Jordan Farmar, Shannon Brown, Adam Morrison, D. J. Mbenga and Josh Powell aren’t re-signed, the wages for their eight holdovers – including Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Ron Artest – amount to $83.7 million. That’s one reason why Buss is thinking of slicing Jackson’s expired salary which was $27 million for two years. The Lakers will shore up their point guard spot by trying to bring in Steve Blake or Earl Watson or Luke Ridnour.