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There is so much speculation as to where NBA's most valuable free agent will ultimately end up that Sportsbook.com was forced to pull its Lebron James odds down on Thursday, at least temporarily.
Cleveland, which had been a -150 favorite to keep Lebron, was now listed with +200 or 2/1 odds. The Chicago Bulls, who had been at +150 odds, were now the big favorites at -300.
But keep an eye on Miami. At +200 odds, should Lebron James go to the Heat, the payout would be $20 for every $10 bet.
New York and New Jersey were both listed with much better payout odds and the focus seemed to shift to those two teams on Thursday with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg releasing a public service ad letting James know the benefits of playing in the New York City market.
Nets billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov, rap mogul Jay-Z, coach Avery Johnson and other team officials spent more than 90 minutes making a presentation on Thursday to James. Jay-Z is a good friend of James.
The Knicks spent more than two hours speaking with James and his closest advisers and came away feeling they did all they could.
"I think it went well," New York coach Mike D'Antoni told The Associated Press. "But obviously everyone that gets the chance to talk to him will probably say the same thing."
Former Knicks guard Allan Houston said D'Antoni made a strong presentation but couldn't tell if James was impressed.
"He didn't give us much feedback," said Houston, now an executive with the team.
Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh reportedly met with James and there is much talk this week of the three playing in Miami together. The Heat is one of the few teams with the salary cap to embrace this trio.
Tyrone Black, Gambling911.com
