The next time Jay-Z sees LeBron James listening to his latest album, he should take it and break it in half.

The last thing Jay-Z, who is also the co-owner of the New Jersey Nets, should want is James in an “Empire State of Mind.” If James signs with the Knicks, he’ll be seeing the King on his court a lot more.

It’s no secret that New York has been saving up to make a run at James since he’s been apart of the famed 2010 free-agent class that also includes Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire and Dirk Nowitzki.

The Cavaliers’ star forward has already filled out the paper work to have his jersey number changed from 23 to 6 to pay respect to the original No. 23: Michael Jordan.

I just hope the number is the only thing changing on King James’ jersey next season.

James needs to stay in Cleveland and out of the New York tabloids.

I can see the obnoxious headlines now “LeBron: The Chosen Bum.” Just ask former General Manager Isiah Thomas, who left the organization after a sexual harassment suit, about the pressure in New York.

Or he could call former Knicks star Stephon Marbury and ask him why he sat the bench for most of last season before being traded to the Boston Celtics.

Both Marbury and the Knicks would tell you it’s because the other was dysfunctional and both would be right.

The Knicks are a team in shambles. They haven’t made the playoffs since James entered the league in the 2003-04 season.

He has already spent seven years of his career turning the once laughingstock Cavaliers franchise into a championship contender, and if he wants to get rings soon, the Knicks are the last place to go.

James should stay in his home state of Ohio and continue to work toward bringing the city of Cleveland its first professional sports championship since the Cleveland Browns Won the Super Bowl in 1964.

The Buckeye state hasn’t won a professional title since the Cincinnati Reds won the World Series in 1990.

The Cavaliers promised to surround James with the right pieces to bring a championship, and their first ever NBA finals appearance in 2006-07 is proof they are close and working hard to deliver that promise.

The acquisitions of Mo Williams, Delonte West, Shaquille O’Neal and Antawn Jamison over the past two seasons have helped the Cavs to an Eastern Conference best 48-14 record this year.

Cleveland has been saving up to sign James, and if they want, they can offer him millions more than any other team could, so money is not the issue.

Rumors that the Knicks would try to sign both James and either Wade or Bosh to create an instant contender are also unlikely because it is doubtful for the Knicks to free up enough cap space for two max contracts.

The only reason this is a tough decision for the 25-year-old James is that he has always loved New York.

He even wore a New York Yankees hat to a Cleveland Indians playoff game when they played New York in 2007. James has always declared that he wants to be a “global icon,” and he feels the Big Apple is a good place for that.

I have been a LeBron fan since the first time I watched him dunk with more authority than bullies at a Star Trek convention.

But if the 6’8” force of nature goes to New York to be in the spotlight instead of bringing his home state a championship, I may have to re-evaluate my fan club subscription.

New York may be “where dreams are made of,” but the Knicks franchise is where nightmares happen.