07/07 Quickie: LeBron vs. Wade-Bosh

Two dramatic arcs of the Summer of LeBron are playing out over the next 24 hours:

(1) LeBron will make his announcement tomorrow night on ESPN in a one-hour special. As I talk about in today's SN column, this is entirely appropriate for LeBron's "king" complex.

In fact, this may be the most authentic thing that LeBron has done in his entire career. And that makes me kind of like it, in all its distasteful excess.

Sure, the show is 99 percent fluff. But for that one minute -- presuming that the news hasn't leaked ahead of time -- it is honest-to-god sports awesomeness: Uncertainty in a huge story that will have impact that extrudes way more than a mere championship win.

(2) Wade and Bosh are apparently announcing today their intention to join forces in Miami. It's a win for both: Wade gets a running mate (and cred for not leaving town); Bosh gets the glitzy address he has coveted for years.

But there is a bigger implication: What does it mean for LeBron? Let's lay out the scenarios:

*Join Wade and Bosh in Miami: I think it's too much of a pay cut and too much of an ego trim.

*Go it "alone" in Chicago: No Wade or Bosh, obviously. But Carlos Boozer is still available; he would make a terrific addition to that team.

*Join Amare in New York: Up until this morning, I gave the Knicks no chance. Now, I give them a puncher's chance. It isn't entirely unthinkable that he would go to NYC.

*Stay in Cleveland. Let's see: Bosh is off the table. Boozer is persona non grata. The rest of the team has been proven to be lacking in championship mettle. Why would he stay? Loyalty?

Here's the thing: They are all viable options, and that's what makes tomorrow night so intriguing. One thing I will say: I think he signs a 3-year deal, wherever he goes.

(That's why I leave Brooklyn out of it for now: For now. If he does sign a 3-year deal, I think it's with the intention of joining the Nets, presuming that franchise is on the up-and-up.)

And then this circus starts again...

Complete SN column here. More later.

-- D.S.