New York Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni is confident the Knicks will land a big-time free agent this summer. (UPI)

The LeBron James Sweepstakes is underway and club officials from the New Jersey Nets and New York Knicks met with James in Cleveland on Thursday to make their sales pitches to the two-time NBA MVP.

Team New Jersey included billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov, head coach Avery Johnson and rap star Jay-Z, a close friend of LeBron’s, while Team New York included Knicks general manager Donnie Walsh, head coach Mike D’Antoni and former Knick player Allan Houston.

Because the Knicks don’t really have a Derrick Rose or a Dwyane Wade on their roster to dangle in front of LeBron, D’Antoni and Co. are using the “Bright Lights, Big City” approach to reel in the biggest catch of this year’s free-agent class.

“I’m confident because we’ve got a great product. New York is very unique and we’re selling the best place in the world to come and live and play,” D’Antoni said in an exclusive interview with MSG Network that was posted on MSG.com.

Full exclusive interview here: http://video.msg.com/Home/Mike-D-Antoni-on-Free-Agency

“It’s going to be a process where every team will go through, have face time with potential free agents, and you just have to go with your instincts,” D’Antoni explained. “There will be some jockeying going on.”

So, what if the Knicks don’t land LeBron or a top free agent this summer?

“That’s always a possibility,” said D’Antoni. “That’s why we won’t sleep a whole lot for the next week. But we set ourselves up to be able to realize this plan and here we are and let’s see if we can get it done. We’re in the ballgame and we’re trying to win.”

D’Antoni added: “We have to win. We just have to convince the guys coming here that they can win because New York is a place where you need to win. And I think we can do that. Whether they like the style or not is up to the individual. We’ll see how it goes.”

This year’s crop of free agents have been called the best in league history, and only a handful of franchises will get to reap those benefits. Those who are left behind will have some serious catching up to do in filling up their rosters after clearing cap space for that past two seasons.

“This will set a course for the franchise for the next 10 years, which is a pretty important time. And we have gone through two years of not a whole lot of fun. This is what we all signed on for and this is what we’re trying to realize,” D’Antoni said. “I’m excited about it, at the same time obviously I think everybody’s a little nervous about it that’s because it’s high stakes out there. Again, the biggest point is that we have a good hand. We’re selling a good product in New York, and that’s pretty unique.”

Would the Knicks consider this offseason a complete failure should they fall short in landing a franchise player?

“I don’t think you can really address it until November 1st when we start playing,” the Knicks coach said. “We’re going to get the best free agents available, the best team, keep developing our young guys hopefully we’ll have some surprises with them, and have a lot better product next year.”

One thing D’Antoni is encouraged about is the development of the young players on the Knicks’ roster, such as Danilo Gallinari, Toney Douglas and newly acquired Bill Walker.

“I think our core of young players can be put up against anybody,” D’Antoni boasted. “We have some pieces that are very interesting and we have a lot of room, and we’re able to find players that compliment each other, play off each other, and the best fit.”

D’Antoni said Walker and Douglas are working extremely hard this offseason, coming in daily at 8:30 in the morning to workout. “They’re very talented basketball players and have shown the dedication to what they’re doing for about three weeks and that’ll continue throughout the summer. I’m excited about both of them.”

Walker is reportedly down to 227 pounds. He was 254 last year when he was acquired from the Celtics.

“He’s very athletic guy, jumping out of the gym,” D’Antoni said of Walker. “When he did come out of high school he was one of the top two players of his class. O.J. Mayo was the other guy. He just had those knee injuries. He’s back to his athletic form when he was dominating all the Reebok camps and Nike camps.”

D’Antoni also expects center Eddy Curry to be on the team next season.

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New York Knicks fans remain at the edge of their seat in anticipation of who will move into the Big Apple and become the next Knickerbocker.

MSG Network celebrates the start of the free agency with “Knicks Night Live,” a one-hour long program scheduled for Thursday evenings at 8 p.m. EST throughout the summer in support of “Knicks Thursdays,” a part of MSG Network’s Summer Block Party nightly themed programming blocks.

MSG Network is giving Knicks fans first-access to the latest offseason coverage and breaking news surrounding the NBA, free-agent signings, press conferences, exclusive interviews, and more on “Knicks Night Live,” which will be hosted by Al Trautwig. Fans will receive instant, inside access and expert analysis only on “Knicks Night Live” and online at http://www.msg.com/knicks.

Don’t forget to keep checking MSG.com/Knicks for the latest on the free agency buzz, including exclusive free agent photo galleries, “Fan on the Street” videos, polls, and the latest from the MSG.com bloggers and more. Check out who’s at the top of the free agency here: http://www.msg.com/photos/top-2010-nba-free-agents/

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Forward Chris Bosh is expected to opt out of his Toronto Raptors contract on July 1.

It was fitting that Carlos Boozer and Joe Johnson were eliminated from the 2010 NBA playoffs on the same night because both may have played their last games for their respective teams and could very well be playing elsewhere next season. Another free agent who is expected to leave is Chris Bosh.

Bosh, Boozer and Johnson have said they are going to opt out of their contracts on July 1 and join a robust list of super free agents that could include LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzki, Ray Allen and Amare Stoudemire.

Bosh says the Toronto Raptors are “still in the mix,” but who is he kidding? The fact that the Raptors selected a power forward in Thursday’s NBA Draft is a sign that they don’t think Bosh is returning to Canada.

Among Bosh’s hottest suitors are Miami, Chicago, Dallas and New York. The 6-foot-11 power forward has decided to ditch the Raptor dreads for the Georgia Tech clean-cut look, a symbolic move that could mean he is now ready to move on. He recently had dinner with D-Wade and claims free agency did not come up during their conversation. Yeah, right! That’s like saying men buy Playboy magazine to read the articles.

If you believe what Bosh told the Miami Herald recently, the Heat are the favorites to sign him. But Bosh could also be throwing out feelers out there to get a reaction from other ballclubs, forcing them to up the ante.

After the Jazz were swept by the L.A. Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals, Boozer told ESPN’s J.A. Adande the Jazz needed to improve to advance in the playoffs. “We have to improve. We have to improve. We have to get better,” said Boozer, who has been with the Jazz since 2004.

Notice Boozer referred to the Jazz as “We,” a clear indication that he intends to stay. But do the Jazz want him back?

The way the team in constructed right now, Utah is just not equipped to handle bigger teams such as the Lakers, the Magic and the Celtics. The Lakers’ length was a huge factor in the conference semifinals, and bringing the undersized Boozer back would not be a smart basketball decision for Jerry Sloan and the Jazz management.

The Jazz need more size in the frontcourt. They have too many undersized forwards on the team: Boozer (listed at 6-9 but he’s more like 6-7), Paul Millsap (listed at 6-8 but probably closer to 6-6), C.J. Miles (listed at 6-6 but plays more like a guard) and Wesley Matthews.

Millsap and Boozer are interchangeable. You can’t play them at the same time because they play the same position and they virtually take up the same amount of space on the court. Utah signed Millsap to a $32-million deal last summer so they are committed to him for the next four years, making Boozer (who made $12 million this season) expendable.

The Heat has James, Bosh and Stoudemire atop their wish list, but would settle for Boozer if Plan A, B and C falter.

The Hawks are in the same predicament as the Jazz. Atlanta has three forwards in their frontcourt and doesn’t have a legit center on the roster to command double teams on offense and defend the paint on defense. That lack of a true post presence showed up in the conference semifinals against Orlando as Al Horford (6-8), Josh Smith (6-9) and Marvin Williams (6-7) simply couldn’t handle Dwight Howard in the box.

The Orlando-Atlanta series was the most lopsided in NBA history. From the opening tip of Game 1 to the final whistle in Game 4, the Hawks were never in the series, losing Game 1 by 43 points and Game 3 by 30. The Magic had a 25-point average margin.

It got so bad for the Hawks that some fans didn’t bother to show up for Game 4, and those who showed up booed with a passion.

Is the door completely shut for Johnson in terms of returning to Atlanta next season?

“It’s still open. It’s still open. I’ve been booed louder than that. I’ve got a thick skin,” said Johnson, who shot just 29.8% in the series and averaged 12.8 points – eight below what he averaged in the first round.

Though Johnson hasn’t closed the door on the Hawks, a team he has been with for past five seasons, the two-time All-Star is certainly open to hearing what other teams have to offer. Money talks, and Johnson would be selling himself short if he doesn’t test the free-agent market and find the best deal for him.

The 2010 free-agent class has two tiers on the first page. The first tier, also known as “the franchise” list, has two players: James and Wade. Those are the only two guys who deserve the maximum contract. The rest are second- and third-tier guys who are All-Star players but more suited for secondary roles.

Johnson falls into the second tier class. He is without question the best player on the Hawks, but he’s not someone who is good enough to carry an entire franchise on his shoulders. But if Johnson is paired up with a first-tier All-Star, then you have quite a 1-2 punch.

The Hawks brought in Jamal Crawford this season not just for scoring punch off the bench but also as a possible replacement in case Johnson leaves. There is still a good chance Johnson returns to Atlanta, but teams such as the Bulls, Heat, Knicks and other teams with cap room are willing to overpay for Johnson’s services.

Chicago is a very strong possibility because Johnson can share the spotlight with budding star Derrick Rose and the Bulls won’t have to alter what they do offensively because Johnson can slide into the shooting guard or small forward position without a hitch.

This offseason could prove to be one of those landmark times in the league, much like the Summer of ‘96 when Shaquille O’Neal and Alonzo Mourning changed the landscape of the NBA by signing massive free-agent contracts with the Lakers and Heat, respectively.

Expect the first domino to fall prior to July 1.

Photos courtesy of NBA Entertainment/Getty Images.

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Ron Artest hopes to point the Lakers to a 16th NBA championship. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

When Ron Artest was introduced as the newest member of the Los Angeles Lakers, he didn’t disappoint and gave the assembled media a sneak peak at his colorful personality, starting with the No. 37 jersey he chose to wear for the 2009-10 season.

Why No. 37?

“I just ask all my Twitter friends and on MySpace and Facebook, and I asked all my fans to pick a number for me,” Artest said during his press conference on Wednesday. “A fan came up with this idea, because I like Michael Jackson so much, she said pick 37 because Thriller was the No. 1 album for 37 straight weeks and it was the No. 1 album of all time.”

The jersey number was definitely an odd choice even for an oddball like Artest. But that’s Ron Artest in a nutshell – half genius, half madman, but 100% quirky,

The Artest deal was reported at $33 million stretched across five years, and the agreement was basically consummated just hours after the free agency period began on July 1. Artest posted on his Twitter page on the evening of July 2 that he just signed a deal with a team. He did not specify which team, but the media dismissed the reports, saying the source was a phony. As it turned out, it was indeed Artest who sent the message on his “96TruwarierQB” Twitter account.

The acquisition of the 30-year-old forward signifies the end of the Lakers being labeled “soft.” The recently crowned world champions instantly got harder and tougher by bringing in the imposing 6-7, 250-pound enforcer. Everything about him exudes physicality. He could walk right up to you and say “Boo!” and you would be running for cover.

But before we hand the Lakers the Larry O’Brien trophy for 2009-10, consider some of the baggage Artest brings to the locker room. For all the heightened testosterone he injects into a ballclub (he has played for Chicago, Indiana, Sacramento and Houston) the highly combustible Artest is still…Ron Artest, and there are several warning signs that comes with the package.

His probation officers, also known as the NBA headquarters in New York, are always watching his every move. The Queensbridge native just can’t seem to escape the image of him climbing the standings and throwing down with paying customers in The Palace of Auburn Hills during the infamous Pacers-Pistons brawl in 2004.

From that point, Ron-Ron has developed a reputation for being a trouble-maker. He has become a magnate for technical fouls and is arguably the most scrutinized player in the league. The Lakers rely on continuity and steady flow, two of Phil Jackson’s favorite terms, so the addition of someone such as Artest – whether it’s with or without merit – can cause a disruption in Jackson’s circle of trust.

Think back to 2004 when the Lakers has Shaq, Kobe, Gary Payton and Karl Malone. Team chemistry was completely out of whack and the Big Four and their gigantic egos were too enormous even for a grand stage such as Tinseltown.

Last week, Jackson told a radio station in Los Angeles that he was not given the “either/or” when it came to choosing between Artest or Trevor Ariza. “He’s an unknown,” Jackson said of Artest. “He’s a player that even I think his own teams don’t know exactly what he’s going to do that particular night.”

Jackson didn’t sound like a guy who is looking forward to dealing with a headstrong personality, especially at this stage of his career where he is considering retirement and has dealt with numerous health issues.

Artest may have lost a step or two but his tenacity on defense can still be a huge plus. Bulldog forwards such as LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony can no longer push their way through the Lakers defense. However, the same can’t be said about his game on offense. It’s just not built for the triangle offense, which is defined by ball movement and spacing.

Artest tends to pound the ball on one side of the court and can be reluctantly to swing the ball to the weak side. He is extremely inconsistent as an outside shooter and, at times, forces shots and does not make good decisions. To be effective, Artest needs the ball in his hands but he might have a difficult time prying it off Kobe Bryant’s hands.

He is at his best when he posts up smaller defenders and muscles his way to the basket. But on a team that already has excellent low-post scorers in Bryant, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom (whenever he decides to re-sign with the Lakers) and Andrew Bynum, Artest could be the odd man out. It is highly doubtful that he will plant himself behind the 3-point line and give way to Bryant and Gasol, much like what Trevor Ariza did during the playoffs.

If Ron-Ron falls in line and defers to Kobe and the others, then this experiment will work. But Artest is at the point of his career that his popularity is at its peak and he will do nothing halt his rising Q rating. He loves being in the spotlight and doesn’t hide his shameless promotions of his TruWarier record label.

To ask Ron Artest to take a step back and let others shine is a very deadly proposition.  It’s just not his nature nor his preference.

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