When the New York Knicks draft LeBron James next June -- and trust me, they'll get LeBron James -- they'll have Antonio McDyess to thank.

Not that the Knicks would've reached the playoffs anyway (their chemistry was already in flames due to a certain shooting guard), but they've just gone from a low probability of hitting the lottery to a high one. A very high one.

Losing McDyess to a fractured kneecap simply saves the Knicks the trouble of dumping games on purpose to land James; now they can lose their 60 legitimately. Either way, it's a good year to be in the lottery -- in fact, the best year since Tim Duncan came out -- and the Knicks at least can go about their cellar run with dignity.

And of course they'll get LeBron James. Not that there's a conspiracy or anything, but these things just have a way of happening. The next Jordan is available; the Knicks will field their worst team in decades -- it's a marriage made in Vegas.

And won't the Cavaliers be ticked off. Every move Cleveland has made seems to have been with LeBron James in mind. He doesn't turn 18 until December, but James is 6'7", 215 pounds, wears No. 23 and probably already has a bio in the Cavalier media guide.

Their coach, John Lucas, has worked him out, and loves him, and Cool Hand Luke will run out a young team this year that can lose almost every night and still look good doing it. Darius Miles is a kick to watch, and Dajuan Wagner may even give him the ball once or twice. They'll run and dunk and make SportsCenter's Plays of the Week, and still lose their 50-to-60, as well.

There are some other teams with their eye on James, too. It's just that, with the season starting, they don't want anyone to know it.

Chicago. You keep hearing about the advancements of Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry, but the thing to remember about 18-year-old rookies is that, the next year, they're …19-year-olds. Chandler plays defense, but can't score, and Curry can score, but can't defend. Jason Williams (can't call him Jay) will be less of an impact player than Jerry Krause thinks, and, if they're smart, they'll hang onto Jamal Crawford. Regardless, they know that if they get James, all is forgiven. So they'll dump. Subtly, they'll dump.

Milwaukee. First, they were building around Glenn Robinson and Vin Baker; then, they were building around Robinson and Ray Allen. Now, they're building around Allen and … Toni Kukoc? They'll dump.

Miami. Based on what happened to Alonzo, Pat Riley will think he deserves LeBron as compensation. Caron Butler looks almost like their best scorer right now. They won't have to dump.

Memphis. Jerry West isn't an experienced ping-pong baller, but some believe in beginner's luck.

Of course, it's all moot. The Knicks are leaving no stone unturned. Latrell Sprewell was insubordinate before, and he'll be insubordinate again, but the Knicks chose THIS YEAR to mess with his mind. And everything else is just gravy. Frank Williams' broken wrist? Michael Doleac's strained hamstring? Lavor Postell's knee surgery? All fortuitous. Don Chaney as coach? Again, fortuitous. And now McDyess is gone for the year.

Get off Scott Layden's rear end.

Knicks all the way in 2004.

Tom Friend is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at tom.friend@espnmag.com.