Ladies and gentlemen, this is what everyone in the basketball world has been waiting for.
This Thursday, July 1st, officially marks the start of free agency. Given the activity on the rumor / spin mill since the Cavs’ season ended last month, it’s hard to believe that there’s another gear that this can all go to. But there is, and starting 12:01 AM on Thursday, we’ll all get to see what that’s like.
I for one am looking forward to it.
However, as much as I appreciate a good theater of the absurd—and really, is there any better description for this entire feeding frenzy around the class of 2010?—I’m looking forward to it for a different reason.
This is the week when we’ll finally start to get some answers about basketball in Cleveland. However, I want to heavily emphasize “some.”
Obviously, the franchise did nothing in last week’s draft—no picks, no trades, no significant moves of any kind. In fact, other than some clandestine coaching interviews that may or may not have happened, business has mostly ground to a halt since Reptile was rebuffed by Tom Izzo a few weeks back.
This week will be a different animal. Windhorst asserts that the front office hopes to have a coach in place before the start of free agency, regardless of whether or not Phil Jackson indirectly tries to cock-block the Cavs by dragging out his decision about returning to the Lakers. That, at least, will be something.
Theoretically, noted (metaphorical) hostage-taker LeBron James *could* make his big decision by this weekend, too. But I wouldn’t bet on it. If I’ve learned anything about James by studying him over the past 7 years, my guess is that he’ll drag this decision out all the way until he can officially sign somewhere on July 8th. If not longer. Remember, he’s been building to this moment since he signed his last extension at the end of the 2006 season. The idea that he’s going to just make a decision on the first or second day of free agency is naive, in my mind. He’s going to milk this thing for all it’s worth.
In other words, if you’re holding your breath for resolution on the James front, I’d suggest you wait another week before starting.
I’m no longer going to attempt to speculate on where he’s going to go when it’s all said and done. I doubt it will be Cleveland anymore, but I have no real evidence to base that on. Then again, I’m not sure that anyone else really does either. We’ve all been living in the LeBron spin zone for so long that it’s impossible to believe that anything being heard is the truth. (Sidebar: according to cap specialist Larry Coon, the Bulls are still likely going to be about $4MM away from being able to accommodate 2 max contracts after the Hinrich trade goes through, so don’t let any obnoxious know-it-all types tell you they’re a James Johnson trade away from having the space. They’re a lot closer than they were, but a $4MM difference is not insignificant.)
Unfortunately, we all know by now that James is the linchpin in the entire personnel game for the wine and gold. Coach or no coach, the front office won’t feel ready to make any roster moves until James has at last shown his hand. Which means that we’ve all got at least another week before any of the dominoes start to fall.
So take a deep breath. Even though the race begins Thursday, there’s still a lot of spectating to be done before anyone crosses the finish line.
-T
