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Knicks Ready to Make Pitch to Lebron James After 2 Years of Planning

By DNAinfo Staff on June 30, 2010 10:18am  | Updated on June 30, 2010 11:39am

The Knicks will count on Mike D'Antoni to bring superstar LeBron James to New York.
The Knicks will count on Mike D'Antoni to bring superstar LeBron James to New York.
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Flickr/ Keith Allen

By Nina Mandell

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

MANHATTAN — The Knicks have spent the last two years preparing for this moment.

At midnight Wednesday night, LeBron James and several other top-level NBA players become free agents and the Knicks, who have dumped contracts and hired a premiere coach over the past two seasons, hope to woo a few of them to help rebuild the team and reestablish it as one league's premiere franchises.

But on the eve of free agency, it was unclear whether the Knicks were still in the running to land King James.

"We still think we're in it," a Knicks source told the New York Post yesterday. "Our internal sources tell us we're in it."

With hours until the deadline, James' reported plans have changed by the minute.

All eyes will be on LeBron James when the clock strikes midnight on Wednesday.
All eyes will be on LeBron James when the clock strikes midnight on Wednesday.
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Chris McGrath/Getty Images

The Daily News reported that James reached out to Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in hopes of uniting the “Dream Team” in Miami. Pat Riley would also return to coach the Heat if that happened, the News said.

"He said, 'Would you be willing to take less to join Dream Team?'" the News quoted an unidentified player saying. "He said his people were putting it together."

To counter that deal, the Knicks have been in talks to bring in Joe Johnson and Amar'e Stoudemire, according to SI.com. They're also hoping to hype the up-and-coming Toney Douglas, Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler as support players. 

The Knicks brass is concerned though that after meeting with Riley, a former Knicks coach, James will be convinced that life in New York can be a career-killer.  D'Antoni, who was an assistant on the Olympic team and is said to have a good relationship with James, is expected to be the lead presenter when the Knicks make their pitch, SI.com said.

James’ team insisted they are staying open to all pitches when they meet with the six teams they’ve selected in Ohio on Thursday — the Knicks, Nets, Bulls, Heat, Clippers and Cavaliers.