LeBron James'

New York Knicks had surprise second meeting with LeBron James' representatives in Cleveland

The Knicks refuse to throw in the towel in the LeBron James sweepstakes and were granted a second round of meetings with his representatives Saturday in Cleveland, the Daily News has learned.

According to a Knicks official, Garden president Scott O'Neil and senior VP of basketball operations Glen Grunwald were dispatched to Ohio for the clandestine meeting after the Knicks received a verbal commitment from free agent Amar'e Stoudemire.

James, who held face-to-face meetings with six teams over three days in downtown Cleveland, was not present at the meeting, nor was his business manager Maverick Carter. Instead, James' agent, Leon Rose, met with the two Knicks executives on the same day that James' camp spoke with both the Cavs and Bulls.

Knicks officials remain confident that James will seriously consider leaving Cleveland for New York despite reports to the contrary. On Saturday, The News quoted a Knicks source as saying it was "very doubtful" the team would end up with the biggest free agent on the market.

The Knicks also remain in the running for Dwyane Wade, who is reportedly serious about signing with his hometown Chicago Bulls. Several league executives, however, believe that Wade will ultimately re-sign with Miami because the Heat can offer him $30 million more than any other club.

The one potential snag is that Wade's former wife and children live in Chicago and Wade may feel he has no other choice but to return home. The Knicks are clearly in third place in their pursuit of Wade.

The Knicks, Nets, Bulls, Heat, Clippers and Cavs are vying for James' services and the consensus is that James is leaning toward re-signing with Cleveland. He will hold a camp for top high school players this week in Akron and a decision on his future is not expected until Wednesday at the earliest.

The Knicks are trying to convince James to visit New York but his presence at the camp makes it difficult for him to leave. Wade will also return to Miami this week due to a previous commitment.

The second meeting with Knicks officials came the day after it was learned that the club was close to finalizing a deal for Stoudemire, the All-Star forward who rejected a contract extension from Phoenix. The addition of Stoudemire, who is expected to receive a five-year, $96 million contract, makes the Knicks more appealing to James.

The Knicks' goal was to demonstrate to James' reps that the franchise is committed to building a winner and wants James and Stoudemire to be the foundation. Grunwald is the Knicks' salary cap guru and his presence at the meeting in Ohio likely means that he wanted to lay out the team's plans for adding more free agents. The Knicks will have enough salary cap space to add an elite free agent next summer as well.