NBA free agency commenced this past Tuesday morning at the stroke of midnight. While the Cleveland Cavaliers were busy convincing Kyrie Irving to re-sign for 5 more seasons. Several of the NBA’s premier players including Carmelo Anthony, Lebron James, Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, and Pau Gasol, among others, are now free to decide if greener pastures await them in other NBA cities across the country.
In South Beach, more commonly known as Miami, what seemed to be a foregone conclusion not more than two weeks ago may now be very much in peril, as rumors are running rampant that Lebron James is seriously considering taking his talents north to the shores of Lake Erie. After four straight NBA Finals appearances, including two championships, people everywhere may be wondering why James would leave that situation to head back to the team he abandoned 4 years ago, which hasn’t sniffed the playoffs since his unceremonious “decision”. The answer is multifaceted and, on some levels, may not make sense, while on others it makes so much sense that only a personal trainer could prophesize it. Will the King stay or will he go? I don’t know, but “sources” tell me we’ll all know very soon…
If James leaves Miami, what does that mean for his other “Big Three” mates? I think the most likely scenario involves Chris Bosh leaving for Houston, as the Rockets provide him the best option to make the most money while having a legitimate chance to win, not too mention that Bosh is from the Houston area. As for Dwayne Wade, I don’t see any scenario where he leaves Miami, as Wade will not be able to command the same amount of money that Miami can offer him. Not only has Wade been their “franchise” player for years, but it would be a last ditch effort to save some face after allowing James and Bosh to do the unthinkable and leave, Pat Riley and the rest of the Heat organization will have to take care of their long-time star after he opted out of the remaining 2 years and $40M dollars on his previous contract or be left with even more egg all over their faces after going from champs to chumps in a year.
Speaking of former champs and chumps, the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks appear to be the most likely destination for Carmelo Anthony. Anthony, who opted out of his contract with the Knicks, has visited with the Lakers, Chicago Bulls, and Houston Rockets. The most recent reports have Anthony whittling down his list to either the Lakers or Knicks. While neither of those teams seems like the best possible solution for Anthony to win games, he’ll definitely get the max salary and exposure he seems to crave. Then again, maybe Knicks’ President Phil Jackson has some more Zen Master tricks up his sleeve to turn the Knicks into a winner.
Conversely, the Lakers still don’t have a head coach, unless Kobe Bryant is planning to coach and play next year, so why any free agent would sign there at this point could only be related to paycheck or the “Lakers” mystique (if there is such a thing any more) which now plays second fiddle to the Los Angles Clippers’ “Clip Show” and is nothing compared to the glory days of Magic, Kareem, and the “Showtime” Lakers teams of the 80’s. In fact, Pau Gasol, the Lakers other star player, quite possibly won’t be returning to the Lakers either, who, despite the presence of Bryant, are likely in for a rebuild unless Anthony decides to head west. Then all bets are off.
As we come to the conclusion to the first week of free agency, the dominoes should fall into place quickly. James will likely makes his decision in the next two to three days, then everyone else will follow suit. After that, the remaining second and third tier free agents will sign new deals, while other teams will make trades to solidify their rosters before training camp. Once the smoke clears, we’ll find out if there’s a new challenger for the defending Champion San Antonio Spurs, or if it’s the same old “Big Three” trying to piece together one more title run before the wheels fall completely off. Either way, the past few days have been a wild ride of rumors and speculation, while the next few could be transcendent and change the landscape of the NBA moving forward.