There’s been an exasperating amount of LeBron James to the Knicks in 2010 talk as of late, namely because LeBron himself isn’t doing much to diffuse the rumors. Also: It’s the greatest basketball player on the planet flirting with the biggest stage in the league — kinda a big deal. (Call me dumb, but Cleveland still has a good shot at bringing him back into the fold. They’ve cleared some cap space and can offer him more than any other team due to the Bird exception.)

But that is neither here nor there. You see, fair friends, there was a time when Jordan had his eyes on NYC, too. From everyone’s favorite mainstream media NBA writer turned blogger, Sam Smith:

Well, perhaps not almost, and Jordan’s agent, David Falk, still denies it ever was serious or under discussion. But it’s part of NBA lore, and Knicks and Bulls insiders at the time remember it as what was portrayed then by Falk as a strong possibility.

In the end, Jordan signed a one-year $30 million contract with the Bulls, and then in 1997-98, a one-year $33 million deal for his final Bulls contract. But there were some at the time who believed Jordan, like LeBron James now, wanted the Madison Square Garden/New York City spotlight to conclude his glorious career. Though it’s also a function of the players there at the time, and the Knicks of 1996-97 were a good team with Patrick Ewing, a healthy Allan Houston and Jordan’s best buddy, Charles Oakley. With Jordan, they likely would have been champions. They seemed a lot better prepared to guarantee Jordan a title than they would now with James in two years.

And that was the plan of the aggressive then Knicks president Dave Checketts, who always said you could not rebuild in New York; that the community wouldn’t stand for a run of draft choices. They’re not exactly doing that now, but might have to if their free agency coup of 2010 fails.

The key was Knicks ownership at the time.

ITT was a part owner and one of its properties was Sheraton Hotels. Though any compensation other than salary has to be included in the salary cap, strange things can happen in the NBA regarding a New York franchise. So the plan being cooked up was to somehow—I never heard quite how—get Jordan substantial Sheraton holdings, perhaps in endorsement money which would be separate from the salary cap and seemingly within the rules.

Smith indicates later in the piece that it might have been nothing more than a power play on Falk’s part to drive up MJ’s price back here in Chicago. And really: I would venture to say that’s probably all it was. That Ewing-led Knicks team was the Bulls’ nemesis during the mid-90’s; I have a hard time believing Jordan would switch allegiance on a dime like that and have a whole city — a city that loved and embraced him — turn their backs.

But hey, who knows? Money does funny things to men.

(Gracias, Baller Blogger.)