Like most Knicks fans yearning for a pro basketball fix during the summer, we turned our attention to USA Basketball. Assistant Coach Mike D’Antoni and the rest of the “Redeem Team” did not disappoint and proudly reinforced America’s dominance on the game. Many of you watched intently looking for staples of the D’Antoni offense in Team USA’s sets. Others paid special attention to foreign prospects – most notably Spain’s prodigious point guard Ricky Rubio & Australia’s Patrick Mills – whose names will be in heavy rotation during next year’s draft. For those of us eagerly awaiting the 2010 free agent class, we watched one player that could light up The Garden for years to come.

Lebron James is widely viewed as the grand prize of the 2010 free agent pool. He is undoubtedly the game’s most electrifying player. While Kobe Bryant showed why he’s universally recognized as the world’s best player, James is a talent like no other. For that reason alone, I fully expect the Cleveland Cavaliers to exercise their “Bird Rights”on James as they can offer him more than any other team in the NBA. The Ohio-native seems intent on turning Cleveland into a winner in the same way Tim Duncan made San Antonio into a powerhouse. Should James re-sign with Cleveland, Donnie Walsh should focus his attention on landing fellow All-Star Dwyane Wade.

From his heroics in the NCAA tournament for Marquette to single-handedly winning an NBA title to leading the attack for Team USA, Wade would be the ultimate Plan B. He showed the world that on any given night, he can outshine James & Bryant. The knee and shoulder injuries that hindered him are apparently a thing of the past. Considering D’Antoni had a courtside view of Wade’s dominating performances in Beijing, surely he envisioned Miami’s All-Star guard in the Knicks backcourt.

Since winning the NBA title in 2006, Wade has had an opportunity to revel in his celebrity status. Some might say he focused too much attention on making T-Mobile commercials with Charles Barkley rather than getting back into game shape. Wade’s performances in the Olympic exhibition contests, pool play & the medal round proved he was committed to returning to the court at a peak performance level. His 27 points in the gold medal game were reminiscent of the scoring display he put on to dismantle Dirk Nowitzki’s Mavericks in the Finals.

As Donnie Walsh works towards getting the Knicks under the salary cap, he knows the lure of playing in the Big Apple will entice an elite free agent to play at The Garden in 2010. If Mike D’Antoni can successfully implement his coaching strategy and significantly increase the win total, Wade may be inclined to leave South Beach for Madison Avenue.

Now that Mike Krzyzweski’s has elected not to return as head coach for the Senior Men’s National team in 2012, it opens the door for D’Antoni to fill the void. Considering the 3-year commitment necessary to join Team USA, D’Antoni will be in a prime position to influence some of the best players in the game. If he can recruit a few to Madison Square Garden along the way, it’s a win-win for everyone.

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Danilo Gallinari’s jersey is quickly becoming a best seller at the NBA Store. Unfortunately, we’ve seen more of his jersey than of the rookie himself. The 20-year old forward is still suffering from back pain following his one & only summer league game. Gallinari withdrew from the Italian national team, which will compete in the Euro basketball Qualifier tournament. He is expected to be fully healthy when the Knicks begin training camp on Sept. 30th.

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