New York (7-6) has been competitive so far under first-year coach Mike D'Antoni, but on Friday the Knicks' prospects of contending for a lower-tier playoff spot this season took a backseat toward what they hope are championship aspirations two years down the road. Team president Donnie Walsh traded leading scorers Zach Randolph and Jamal Crawford, clearing a combined $27.4 million in cap space for 2010.

Not coincidentally, that's the summer when James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh - among others - will potentially become free agents.

"I have a good idea of what we just did," Walsh said. "I can't tell you that I've thought out what I'm going to do in two years or something like that. I haven't done that. All I know is that we've created more cap space than we had."

The top prize would be James, who led the league with 30.0 points per game last season and is averaging a league-best 29.1 points this season for the Cavaliers (10-3).

With the NBA's third best record less than a month into the season, James says he's thinking solely about winning a championship in Cleveland.

"I am focused on the team that I am on right now and winning a championship," he said before scoring 31 points in a win at New Jersey last week. "So it gets funny at times, but I don't think about making a change at this point. I am focusing on the team I have here and the relationship I have with the Cavs."

The win against the Nets was Cleveland's eighth straight, and while that streak was snapped the next night in Detroit, the Cavaliers bounced back on Saturday. James had 24 points, eight assists and seven rebounds and Mo Williams added 23 points in a 110-96 win over Atlanta.

James is expected to receive a raucous ovation Tuesday night from New York fans, who no doubt remember his last trip to Madison Square Garden. James scored 50 points to go along with 10 assists, eight rebounds and four steals on March 5 in a 119-105 Cavaliers victory, leaving the court to chants of "MVP!"

"To get a standing ovation in the greatest basketball arena in the world, it was a dream come true for me," James said. "It's one of the best things that ever happened to me."

The current Knicks should get a boost Tuesday night with the expected debuts of Al Harrington, Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas, who came over in the deals for Randolph and Crawford.

Those two accounted for more than 40 points per game for New York, but with just seven players available Saturday night due to the trades, the Knicks looked just fine. Quentin Richardson scored a season-high 34 and New York held off lowly Washington 122-117.

"These guys got heart," D'Antoni said. "They've been doing everything that I've asked and even more. And like I said, I think a lot of times they want to come together, they want to play together, they want to be a winning team and they just demonstrated it. They gutted it out."

James averaged 42.3 points in three games - two wins - against the Knicks last season.