Many believe that the chances of LeBron James remaining in Cleveland will increase if part of the team is sold to a Chinese investment group.

Majority owner Dan Gilbert reportedly has a tentative agreement in place with Chinese investors that would allow them to purchase a stake in the franchise.

Such a deal would give the Cavaliers more capital, as well as position the team for new business ventures in China.

Another perspective is that a move to bring in an additional investor indicates that Gilbert, who owns Quicken Loans, has been hit financially by the mortgage crisis in the U.S.  

"What Gilbert is acknowledging with this move is: a. Unlike James Dolan, Gilbert doesn't have the financial ability alone to handle the task of paying LeBron a king's ransom and keeping a championship team around him for the long term; b. The Knicks and New York are a very, very serious threat," Alan Hahn of Newsday writes in his blog.

Hahn also points out that Kobe Bryant has become "the biggest NBA star in China and there aren't any Chinese-based investors in the Lakers that made that so."