ESPN New York Opens With 5,000 Stories About Cleveland Athlete

Okay, so maybe it's four stories instead of 5,000. And yes, it is LeBron James, who has been rumored to sign with the Knicks in the summer of 2010 for several years now. 

But still, three full-length feature stories and one roundtable discussion about a player who may or may not ever play in New York?  One column advocating LeBron signing with the Knicks because ... a bunch of beloved New York athletes and sports figures (except Dave Checketts) say so? No stories about, you know, the players who currently play for the Knicks? Yup, that's right. 

Is LeBron a big story? Sure, absolutely. Are Brian Windhorst's and Chris Sheridan's stories insightful? Sure, somewhat. But it's April 2, not July 2. ESPN still has three months to drive the "LeBron to New York" story down our throats. They don't need to start now. 

UPDATE: And now the disease has reached the front page of ESPN.com. Check it out.

For the first time, I understand why Cleveland fans get so defensive about the "LeBron to New York" thing.