Earlier this week, Knicks prez Donnie Walsh said it was a long shot but he must be liking what he's hearing and seeing of Iverson because a deal is supposedly imminent. There are other sources to NBA.com that are saying the deal isn't so close to happening and the 2-9 Knickerbockers are still looking at the plusses and minuses of signing Iverson.

But what do the Knicks have to lose? They've blown a lot more money on far worse players to try and inject some energy into this losing franchise. Then again, the last thing this team needs is another diva who is going to fill up gossip pages rather than the basket.

The Toronto Sun has it that the Miami Heat are hoping to re-sign Dwyane Wade and have enough dough left over to snag both LeBron James and Chris Bosh. That little plan has apparently not just been a little fantasy in the team's front offices. The three players have supposedly been in on the concept and have talked about the possibility. James and Wade are certainly pals and would like to play together again if the Cavs somehow don't satisfy the wishes of James.

Still, it is very hard to imagine James leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers, though it is very easy to imagine Bosh leaving the Toronto Raptors.

James will be wearing No. 6 next season, wherever he ends up. He reportedly wants every player in the league to give up No. 23 out of respect for Jordan. "I just think what Michael Jordan has done for the game has to be recognized some way soon," James said. "There would be no LeBron James, no Kobe Bryant(notes), no Dwyane Wade(notes) if there wasn't Michael Jordan first."

This, of course, equates to massive jersey sales next summer when James takes on his new number. The NBA should just give James some kind of bonus right now for the amount of cash he's about to bring the league.

Wade did tell the paper "it really could'' happen, but wouldn't bet on it. "It's something we've talked about, of course,'' Wade said of playing together. "No question, it's a long shot. He's put in position in Cleveland where he has the opportunity to compete for a championship now. I'm in Miami, where I've won a championship and this is where I love to be. So it's not like we're both looking over our shoulders saying we want to get out of here. So it's a long shot. But at the end of the day, it is a shot.''

If it happens, it's more likely to happen in Miami where the team has more salary space available than the Cavs.

Once folks in Cleveland were scared of this idea. Then they scoffed at it as the Knicks became the butt of jokes on late-night TV and in the arena. But now New York is starting to concern them again because Mr. LeBron James has said that he will consider any and all comers and that he has not ruled out moving to New York, according to the New York Post.

James has apparently said that when the free-agency window gets thrown open on July 1 next summer, he will be thinking like a businessman and considering what will be best for him and his family.

Sounds like he's thinking like a businessman already, starting to play chess with Cavs management through the media, making sure they know that this isn't a done deal. They've got to show him the dinero. Or someone else will.

That is, if you think the disgruntled Jackson is a prize. The Golden State Warriors have been trying to get rid of him since just before the season's start when it became very clear there was bad mojo brewing in this chemistry and it wasn't going to take long to explode.

The Cavs and Nuggets apparently are having trouble finding ways to absorb Jackson's long-term contract and also aren't finding the right combination of tradable assets. The Bobcats, however, seem to pressing forward and believing that it can get this deal done.

The veteran point guard is apparently getting a lot of interest around the NBA and one of the teams is supposedly the Cleveland Cavaliers, according to HoopsWorld.

The Cavs were considered the frontrunners to land the guy who has averaged 7.6 points and 3.4 assists over a 12-year career. But a bunch of new teams have apparently crowded into the scene and Daniels is discussing how many playing minutes he would likely get with each team as well as what his specific role would be.