These friends will forever be rivals.
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It is the debate heading into the 2006-07 NBA season. And it's likely to be so for the next several years. After all, LeBron James is just 21 years old and Dwyane Wade is only 24. The specific question for discussion could be: Who's better? or Who would you rather have? or Who will win more titles? or Who's the MVP?

When we brought that last one up this past April, we got plenty of reaction. James finished second in the actual MVP voting, while Wade finished sixth. But that voting was based on regular season performance. Two months later, Wade won the other MVP award hands-down. No debate needed whatsoever.

Dwyane Wade took it to another level in the postseason: 28.4 points, 5.9 boards, 5.7 dimes while shooting .497 from the field, including a sick .617 against Detroit in the Conference Finals. And he hit more threes in the playoffs than he had during the entire regular season.

Of course, it's not like LeBron was basketball's version of Alex Rodriguez in the playoffs. He had the playoff-debut triple-double, the game-winning shots and he gave the 64-win Pistons a real scare.

Now, it's a new (basketball) year and as we always do, we have polled the league's GMs for their take on the debate. Not surprisingly, James and Wade top the list of candidates for this season's MVP. When asked who they would want to start their franchise with, James was the clear favorite, but there was Wade at No. 2.

They are at the top of one of the strongest draft classes - and I don't hesitate to say this one bit, even though it has only been three years - in the history in the NBA. Carmelo Anthony looks like a perennial All-Star as well. Chris Bosh is already an All-Star. Kirk Hinrich, Chris Kaman, Boris Diaw and Josh Howard have made a significant impact, and Darko is creeping on a come-up.

But enough of those other guys. We're talking about LeBron and D-Wade here. And it's your turn again to tell us what you think. Who's your man? State your case and we may publish your answer on the site next week. Make it good, because that weak stuff won't cut it.

"James enters his fourth season as a favorite to win the MVP award this season. This for a man who wasn't legally allowed to order a drink until last December. James' skills set isn't much different than Bryant's or Dwyane Wade's, it's that his 6-foot-8, 240-pound size -- and Cleveland's need -- allows him to use those skills for longer stretches of time...

"It's difficult to make a case against Wade after he almost single-handedly dragged the Heat out of an 0-2 hole to win the title in June. 'He stepped up and did everything that had to be done,' a Western conference scout says of Wade's Finals MVP performance. 'Kobe Bryant's a fabulous player, but I don't like what he's done without Shaq, and LeBron hasn't shown me he's capable of leading a team to a championship, but Dwyane Wade has.'"
-- Paul Forrester, SI.com

"Winning an NBA championship and taking home the finals MVP in only his third season served as the perfect capper to his meteoric rags-to-riches story, the one where a poor kid from a tough neighborhood in Chicago becomes a college star at Marquette, a first-round draft pick, Shaquille O'Neal's prime cohort in Miami and arguably the game's hottest star."
-- Tim Reynolds, AP

"Cleveland has never had an athlete like Lebron, ie. a truly great player who’s also arguably about to become the face of the entire sport for the next 12+ years. Closest we’ve ever had was Jim Brown (too long ago) and Albert Belle, who was rumored to have several temperment issues. I think most people in Cleveland have a hard time coming to grips with the reality that all this is really upon us. We expect the worst - I was literally (no joke) curled up in a ball shivering after that Game 5 buzzer beating drive against Washington last season, mainly because I couldn’t come to terms with the fact we didn’t lose that game."
-- YAY Sports via SLAM Online