Even current players think it's a long shot:
Knicks forward Al Harrington doesn't see it happening, and he's not in the minority.
With each passing day, as the Knicks disgrace themselves and the Cavaliers march to their potential first NBA championship, the Knicks' chances of free-agent glory in landing LeBron James this summer gets more remote.
James makes one final trip to the area tonight, facing the Nets at the Meadowlands.
"A lot of teams would love to have him and the Knicks are one of them," Harrington told The Post in the visiting locker room at Quicken Loans Arena Monday night.
"But if he's as loyal as he says, I would think it's very hard for him to leave, especially because he's home.
"If it was a different city, maybe not as much a connection, but at the end of the day, he generates every single thing for this whole state. It would be tough for him to make that decision to leave."
The buzz of the Tracy McGrady cap-clearing trades has vanished, and evidence is building, not in what James says, but in what he doesn't say.
After Monday's Knick embarrassment against the Cavaliers, when they fell behind by 49 points, James found it inappropriate to address a question regarding the Knicks' new cap situation, in which he could bring along a star companion such as Chris Bosh.
James clung to his mid-November policy of not talking about his free-agent options, but he has left enough hints to New York fans that the Knicks' bid is a longshot.
In his lone appearance at the Garden, Nov. 6, James said in strong terms the only factor is whether he can win at his new destination. At All-Star weekend, he reiterated, "It's all about winning."
And Monday night, when asked if he could join a team that doesn't care about defense, James said he's never played on any basketball team in his career where defense wasn't considered the No. 1 priority.
Defense is not considered No. 1 in Mike D'Antoni's speedball universe.
Even James' buddies -- and Nike -- are in the dark on his intentions.
McGrady, who considers James a friend, said Monday, "I don't know what that kid is thinking. His own circle doesn't know."
Knicks president Donnie Walsh has touted the Knicks' cap space to divert the pain of two pathetic seasons. Yet he has tried to lower LeBron expectations.
When asked about James recently, Walsh said on WFAN, "It's very difficult to get a guy to come out of his hometown if he's had success there."
Team sources indicated D'Antoni would be very pleased to add overshadowed free agent Joe Johnson as a fallback. D'Antoni thinks Johnson is a great piece to build around.
But Johnson, the potential re-signing of David Lee and another mid-level free agent, does not put the Knicks in position to compete for a championship.
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