It’s all rumors and speculation right now, but LeBron sat down in an interview and cleared the air a little on whether or not he’d join the Knicks. He didn’t rule out playing for the Knicks, not by any means. But he did say his favorite city is Brooklyn, where one New Jersey Nets team plays.

“My favorite borough? Brooklyn,” James said, choosing the proposed future home of the New Jersey Nets over the borough of Manhattan, where the Knicks play their home games. “Brooklyn is definitely a great place here in New York City, and some of my best friends are from Brooklyn, so I stick up for them.”

I understand his love for the city. With that said, for the last two years all we’ve really heard is LBJ complain about not having enough help down in Cleveland. News flash, LBJ: Jason Kidd is gone. And Richard Jefferson. That leaves you with Vince Carter, who can dunk, and some young guys that aren’t very good.

Ben Wallace is looking better and better by the moment.

Last night the draft took place, and outside of the Grizzlies getting OJ Mayo, who was originally drafted by the T’Wolves, for Kevin Love, there wasn’t a whole ton of surprise. Here’s a recap of the Top 10.

1.) Chicago Bulls, Derrick Rose: This thing was done the moment they landed the No. 1 pick. It’s his hometown, he was the best player in March, and it all made sense. What happens to Kirk Heinrich is up in the air, but this guy will be a star in this league for a long, long time.

2.) Miami Heat, Michael Beasley: Beasley with Marion and D’Wade? Not bad. Not bad at all.

3.) Minnesota T’Wolves, OJ Mayo: He was traded for Kevin Love.

4.) Seattle Supersonics Russell Westbrook: This is the guy I felt would be the steal of the draft, but at the No. 4 spot, is he still a steal? Regardless, he’s going to play lockdown D on anyone that’s got a ball in front of him. Great pick.

5.) Memphis Grizzlies, Kevin Love: Traded for OJ.

6.) New York Knicks, Danilo Gallinari: He’s an Italian guy, one I don’t know much about, but those European players are either great or they bust. The bad news? There’s not many people coming from Europe that play defense, something the Knicks really, really lack.

7.) LA Clippers, Eric Gordon: The one-year Indiana star. We’ll see how he does with the big boys.

8.) Milwaukee Bucks, Joe Alexander: He’s 6′8″, 220 pounds, and they just acquired Richard Jefferson. Where does that put Alexander on the roster?

9.) Charlotte Bobcats, DJ Augustin: Say goodbye to Raymond Felton.

10.) New Jersey Nets, Brook Lopez: Ric Smits, maybe?

I don’t know enough about players who were in college for one year, so I won’t attempt to make a mock draft that will only belittle my sports knowledge. But I will link you here, where ESPN has their 2008 NBA Mock Draft.

While I won’t make my own list, I will ask a couple of questions about this one.

• First and foremost, how in the hell do the Bulls have the No. 1 overall pick? There’s been conspiracy talk for years, and my God, just let us see the freaking ping pong balls drawn. That way, when a team that was supposed get No. 9 actually gets No. 1, we don’t feel like we’re being Tim Donaghy’ed.
• That said, the Bulls have to take Michael Beasley. Derrick Rose will probably be the best player, but they just re-signed Kirk Heinrich to a five year deal.
• Which means, in short, the Heat won, because they’re going to take Rose, and he and Dwyane Wade — barring the guy can stay healthy for a year — will be totally sick.
• No. 3 pick, Brook Lopez. Say hello to Darko Milicic.
• OJ Mayo to Minnesota? The guy will be the worst pick in the NBA Draft. He’s got no sense of what a team is, and he’s one of those guys that will never realize that athleticism will only carry you all the way in high school.
• If the LA Clippers get Russell Westbrook with the seventh pick, they’ll get the steal of the draft.
• Kevin Love to the Bobcats: Charlotte just keeps wanting to add to their list of big name college players that just don’t pan out. Sean May got fat. Love already is fat. May not be the best selection.
• DJ Augustin to the Pacers would fit nicely with Jermaine O’Neal.
• Roy Hibbert to Utah makes more sense than anything, given that Utah plays slow and, well, Roy Hibbert is really slow.

Well, for starters, football. But since we don’t have football, I guess figuring out the NBA Lotto and figuring out if Boston can lose at home will have to make due.

Tonight features Detroit on the road against Boston, where the Pistons will try and exploit all of Boston’s many weaknesses that, unfortunately, Atlanta and Cleveland weren’t able to exploit (or at least exploit enough). My prediction last night was off — I said Hornets by 8 — and tonight I’m going out on a limb, saying Detroit not only covers, but Detroit wins.

Boston has got to be worn out with 14 games already played in this year’s playoffs, and Detroit has cruised through. Some people will say that makes Boston battle tested, but I think that makes them pretty weak. I mean, Atlanta? I’m from Atlanta, I’m a Hawks fan, and I still think they’re pretty bad.

Say what you will about Cleveland, but they’re a one man team, and if KG is a legitimate MVP, and Paul Pierce is all he’s suddenly been cracked up to be, and Ray Allen is that other guy in the Big Three, then they should have mopped the floor with the Cavs.

That said, they didn’t, and tonight features the first game where a team has about as much talent as them. And if the game isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, then we at least get to watch the NBA Lotto at halftime, where we can see just how easily David Stern rigs everything to make sure players end up in big markets where he wants them. Miami has the best shot at No. 1, but don’t be too shocked to see it head to New York, where they’ll take Derrick Rose and rid themselves of Stephon Marbury.

We’re hoping he was high or drunk. Or both. I dunno.

Stephon Marbury has some very interesting things to say — read the post above — so whenever he speaks I generally write. The guy is at it again, ready to embrace change in New York.

“I think it’s great. It’s new life. Having a guy who’s an upbeat coach, an upbeat style, [it'll] make us play different,” Marbury said in the New York Post. “Bringing in a new regime is definitely gonna mix things up. People have been getting a taste of something for a long time. Now they want something different.”

I’m not sure Steph is right on in saying people wanted a change because they were just tired of the same old thing, but rather because they were just tired of losing. When you’re winning, people are fine with “the same old thing.” When you’re the Knicks, and you’re an absolute wreck, yes, people want change. And when new coaches or GM’s come in, Steph, that change usually starts with trading you. Thankfully, though, Isiah had the hindsight to sign you to a max deal, making it pretty much impossible for any such trade to happen.

Mike D’Antoni, former coach of the great Suns and current coach of the sorry Knicks, has officially entered purgatory, as he was announced as the Knicks coach today.

“I will adapt what I do. Now I like to play fast, move the ball and all that stuff, and we’ll try to do that as best as we can,” D’Antoni said Tuesday. “Obviously you’re going to be a little slower than [the Suns], but at the same time there’s no reason why you can’t run, be exciting and have good ball movement.

“There’s 30 teams out there all with the same goal in the off-season, and that’s to make the playoffs. And I can’t think of a better team to be with than the Knicks.”

You can’t think of one, Mike? Let me help: San Antonio, Golden State, the Lakers — hell, the Clippers — the Heat, the Hawks, the Celtics, the Bucks, the Cavs, the Bobcats, the Grizzlies, Duke, Alabama, the Bruins. . . .

I’d be doing you a real dis-service if I didn’t include this one. Watching Zach Randolph dribble around like an idiot and chucking up an air ball is one thing — watching Stephon Marbury scream to the streets of New York that the East is scared now. . . it’s way better.

From one of the best teams to one of the worst, Mike D’Antoni will now coach the New York Knicks. In lieu of the move, I’ve attached a video of just what D’Antoni can expect to get out of his team. It’s one of my favorite clips. Enjoy, Mike.

When I graduated college, I went into a telemarketing position that was a joke. A complete and utter joke. I called people at their homes, people who wanted nothing to do with me, and I tried to sell them credit and debit card processing (I should point out that in this position, all the people I called were business owners; as cold as these calls were, we weren’t just calling your Average Joe and attempting to sell them debit and credit terminals). I last less than two months in this job, simply deciding the position and pay wasn’t for me (another note: I was suckered into taking a position that paid $10 an hour, but was promised the commission was ridiculous).

When I left that job, I decided I had to have something that was better. More pay. More advancement. Less cold calls or, if there are cold calls, cold calls that are a little warmer than the shit I was making. I ended up taking a job in recruiting, nearly doubled my salary, was offered commission opportunity and a great form of advancement.

Mike D’Antoni, former coach of the Suns, isn’t taking my same path. According to reports, he’s speaking with the Knicks — yes, the same Knicks that are way over the salary cap and have absolutely nothing bright about their outlook — and they’re reportedly offering D’Antoni a 5 year, $30 million deal, which will make it hard for D’Antoni to say no, even if it does mean moving from Steve Nash to Stephon Marbury.