Obama vs. Bloomberg: We Want LeBron!

The courtship of King James took a presidential turn yesterday when Barack Obama, asked to comment on the possible exit of LeBron James from Cleveland, told the voice of the New York Knicks, Marv Albert, that the superstar would do well in Chicago. "You know, like I said, I don't want to meddle," Obama told TNT. "I will say this: (Derrick) Rose, Joakim Noah it's a pretty good core. You know, you could see LeBron fitting in pretty well there."

While the president has a point, it's suspiciously convenient that James's "doing well" would involve him being a part of Obama's hometown team, and a presidential seal of approval is a strong recruiting tool for someone who's "not meddling."

At least New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg was a bit more honest about his intentions in getting LeBron to come to the Knicks. On his weekly radio show last week, Mayor Bloomberg said, "I think it would be great for New York if he comes here. If he calls me and says, 'What's it like to live in New York?' I'll give him a big sales pitch for New York."

Could Obama's comments be a challenge to Bloomberg? We'll have to wait until June 24th, when LeBron becomes an official free agent, to see where his future loyalties lie. For now, Mr. Mayor, consider the gauntlet thrown.