The Knicks are attempting to determine how much actual influence William Wesley holds over LeBron James.

Depending on who is talking, Wesley is either on the periphery or hold great power.

"Wes is the best insider in knowing people. Wes has an affinity for people and they just like him," longtime Adidas sneaker king Sonny Vaccaro said. "He can do anything, but what he has to do with this decision is unclear because of LeBron?s Akron friends."

Knicks president Donnie Walsh talked about Dwyane Wade's planned free-agent summit in an interview with ESPN 1050 Radio on Friday afternoon.

Wade revealed a planned sit-down with LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Joe Johnson earlier this week.

"I didn't take it that (Wade) was recruiting all these guys, just that they were gonna check with each other to see what each other were thinking, so that, let's say, six of them aren't going to the same team," Walsh said.

The Knicks have enough cap space to sign two free agents to max contracts. Amar'e Stoudemire and Carlos Boozer are among the class as well.

"What I've seen that was quoted to Dwyane Wade was more 'We're gonna be checking with each other,' and everyone's made it out to be a summit meeting or something," Walsh said.

"They can certainly do that. The players can meet, the players can share ideas and try to get a handle on what players are thinking."

A reported meeting of this summer's top NBA free agents could turn out to be the Knicks' best chance to land LeBron James.

Marc Berman of the New York Post writes that New York's only chance at James is if he can convince another top-flight free agent, such as Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh or Joe Johnson, to come along with him.

The Knicks have enough cap space to sign two max-level free agents, with $34 million available, the only team with the flexibility to do so.

Wade brought up the possibility of a meeting earlier this week.

Donnie Walsh has reportedly not considered replacing Mike D'Antoni with another coach such as Phil Jackson in order to improve his odds of signing LeBron James.

Walsh originally hired D'Antoni in part because of his familiarity with James from the Olympics.

According to two sources, Knicks team president Donnie Walsh intends to begin a list of general manager candidates in late July/early August after free agency is over.

Walsh is long overdue for major hip surgery.

Knicks senior vice president of basketball operations Glen Grunwald, a leftover from the Isiah Thomas regime, has one more year left on his contract, but Walsh does not appear to view him as his ultimate successor.

LeBron James could have major input in that decision if he signs with the Knicks, but former Warriors GM Chris Mullin, who is tight with Walsh from their Indiana days, seems a natural fit and long has been considered a candidate.

Patrick Ewing was asked where he thinks LeBron James will be next season.

"Cleveland," Ewing said. "That's what I think."

Ewing mentions money and the quality of the Cavs' roster as the primary reasons for his opinion.

"The league designed it that way," Ewing said. "If you stay you can make $30 million more. And if you already have a good team, why leave?"

ESPN's Chad Ford interviewed a "well-placed source with knowledge of the Knicks' thinking" who revealed key elements of the team's plan for approaching this summer's marquee free-agents.

Not surprisingly, the Knicks' leading pitch to LeBron James is that he would be able to play with another superstar in New York.  The Knicks will hold enough cap room to offer two maximum-salary contracts.  

The Knicks' first choice is to sign Chris Bosh to play with James, which the club believes would form the most dominant pair from among this free-agent class.  The team does not believe that Dwyane Wade and James complement each other best.  But the Knicks are also interested in pairing Wade with Bosh if James declines their offer.

"I'm sure LeBron and Wade would figure out a way to play together, but it's not an ideal fit," the source said. "Bosh would be a perfect complement to both of those guys because of his ability to stretch the floor."

Mike D'Antoni will lead the Knicks' recruiting efforts by showing James and Wade how he would maximize their talents.  D'Antoni envisions using James or Wade in the role that Magic Johnson played in Los Angeles.

The team will also pitch its facilities and staff.  Donnie Walsh has invested in state-of-the-art equipment and a world-class group of trainers.  

And the team will sell James, Bosh and Wade on the greatness of the opportunity in New York City.

"Whoever can come in and win a championship in New York will own the city," the source said. "No one can replace Michael Jordan in Chicago, no matter how many titles you win. The Heat are coming off a recent championship and the city is far from the most rabid when it comes to basketball. I think there are more Knicks fans in Miami than Heat fans.

"If someone can come in here and do what no one has been able to do for decades, their legacy is complete. That matters to players and [the Knicks] are going to make sure they know it."

Eddy Curry defaulted on a $570,000 personal loan he took out in Nevada at nearly 85% annual interest, to help support his $17,000-per-month lifestyle.

Curry's debt has ballooned to $1.2 million total.

On Friday, a Manhattan court ordered Curry to pay down the debt with $75,000 monthly payments.  The court also allowed the Las Vegas lender to take possession of three of Curry's cars.

Curry's lawyer said the two sides had reached "a mutually satisfactory resolution of the matter" that would make the court action moot.

An NBA insider told the New York Post that Jay-Z's "dream scenario" would be for LeBron James to sign a short contract with the Knicks that allows him to opt out after three seasons and join the Nets when the team makes its move to Brooklyn.

Jay-Z owns a minority share of the Nets and is considered a close friend of James.

During a Yahoo! Sports video interview, NBA analysts Kenny Smith and Marc Spears predicted where LeBron James will wind up next season.

"He'll be in either New Jersey or New York," Smith said.  "He loves New York City, he loves the bright lights, and he wants to be an international superstar, not just a national superstar.  And I think that's where he thinks he can get it done at."

Spears sees James remaining with the Cavs.

"The champagne won't taste as sweet if he doesn't do it [win a championship] in Cleveland," Spears said, citing "a sentimental factor" that will ultimately sway James to stay.

Neither analyst picks the Bulls as his destination but Smith calls Chicago an "attractive situation" for James.  

Spears does not think James and Derrick Rose can coexist on the court but Smith believes that two great talents such as these would figure out how to be successful playing together.