Summer of LeBron (and Those Other Free Agents) Heats Up

In Cleveland, it's a hairy situation.

Literally.

As things were beginning to get a bit desperate in the quest to hold on to local treasure LeBron James, one Cleveland radio station at the start of June began "Beards for Bron.'' Yes, WKNR-AM is having its staff members (male, that is) grow beards and asking listeners to do likewise as sign of support in the hope beard-clad James will re-sign with the Cavaliers.

"Our promotions department came up with it for the city to show a sign of solidarity, of sticking together (to keep James),'' said Kenny Roda, a host at the all-sports station. "June and July are the hottest months in Cleveland, but we've all decided to grow beards though free agency.''

Roda admits it doesn't figure to influence James, the NBA's reigning two-time MVP. But it's been fun, and he says one guy on the sales staff "already looks like Grizzly Adams.'' Of course, it won't be fun in Cleveland if James bolts the Cavaliers.

Where James will end up is the main storyline as the craziest summer in NBA history is about to reach a fever pitch. As 12:01 a.m. EDT hits Thursday, James and a number of other stars will become free agents. And you thought Independence Day was July 4.

Players can sign new deals with teams starting July 8. And, although some still believe James, a forward from nearby Akron, could end up re-signing with his home-state team, that's the first day that could become a day of mourning in Ohio.

"If LeBron leaves, Cleveland will become a ghost town,'' said NBA TV analyst and former sharpshooting guard Dennis Scott.

Wow, that's heavy stuff. But this summer of free agency is not something to be taken lightly.

Teams have been eying 2010 for several years. The New York Knicks have not cared about having two straight losing seasons under coach Mike D'Antoni, hired away from Phoenix in 2008, because all they care about is accumulating as much cap room as possible to try to entice James and one of the other big free-agent stars to their city.

New York mayor Michael Bloomberg has been spearheading the city-wide campaign to land James. No, he hasn't grown a beard but he has gone Biblical, pleading in a video, "As the good book says, 'Lead us to the promised land.' And that's a quote from the King James version.''

In Chicago, which might be the leading candidate to land James, they've got the nation's No. 1 fan on their side. President Obama said in a TNT interview last month he could see "LeBron fitting in pretty well'' with his hometown Bulls.

In Miami, the Heat are trying to court James. But at the same time, locals want to hang on to guard Dwyane Wade, the second-biggest star soon to hit the free-agent market. No wonder a resolution was passed that Miami-Dade County will be known as Miami-Wade County for the first week of July.

As for the city where the guy who is No. 3 in the NBA free-agent power rankings plays, Toronto is one of the few places seemingly not too worked up about free agency. Maybe it's because anticipation recently led up to last week's NHL draft.

No need to bother any more about generating excitement. Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo said earlier this week the the team likely will lose forward Chris Bosh in free agency.

After those top three free agents, there's still plenty more. Other stars available include Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki, Boston forward Paul Pierce, Atlanta guard Joe Johnson, Utah forward Carlos Boozer and most likely Phoenix forward Amar'e Stoudemire, who is expected to opt out of his contract.

"This summer of 2010 has been pointed out for a long time, and we're finally on the doorstep of it,'' said Orlando senior vice president Pat Williams, who has been involved with the NBA since 1968. "We've never seen anything of this magnitude before. The closest would be the summer of 2000, when Tim Duncan, Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady were free agents.''

The Magic, who had carved out cap room similar to what many teams did for this summer, didn't get Duncan then, as he stayed with San Antonio. They were able to land Hill and McGrady. It didn't end well, mainly due to ankle injuries suffered by Hill, but that's a story for another time.

"This is 10-fold, maybe 20-fold bigger (than 2000),'' said Williams, referring to more stars available this summer and the proliferation of Internet sites, and other modes for instant news, having cropped up in the past decade.

News of where James might land overshadowed the NBA Finals at times. But the Lakers beating Boston in seven games ended up staving off LeBronmania at least for a bit.

Talk of James and other top free agents definitely overshadowed last week's NBA draft. But nobody has complained too much.

"I think it's great for the game,'' Denver guard Chauncey Billups said of the summer frenzy. "I don't remember a time ever it's been like this. Where there are so many key free agents that have opportunities to go to different teams or to the same team. I've been following it just like a fan.''

Yes, Billups has played in five straight All-Star Games. But he practically gets giddy talking about the fun of following daily rumors.

Even though Billups has been an All-Star or Team USA teammate of all the top free agents, he claims to have no special knowledge of where any of the big names might land. But he would like to give James one bit of advice.

"No doubt, (stay) out of the Western Conference,'' Billups said.

"No doubt, (stay) out of the Western Conference."
- Chauncey Billups' Advice to LeBron james Billups likely will remain happy. Depending on which recent rumor you want to believe, James is most likely to bolt to Chicago or Miami or stay in Cleveland.

Some haven't ruled out LeBron joining the Knicks, and New Jersey, which continues to carve out salary-cap room, remains at least a dark horse. All of those teams are in the East.

The only West team that reportedly has been granted a visit to the King's Castle for a meeting (James won't go on a tour of cities) is the Los Angeles Clippers. But they recently had a parade for James that was attended by fewer than 100 people, so Billups need not sweat much.

The teams in the running have been doing whatever they can to jettison players and create cap room. As of Thursday's midnight deadline -- also the start of the NBA's moratorium, during which teams cannot make moves until July 8 -- the current cap-room leaders are Miami ($43 million), New York ($35 million), New Jersey ($30 million) and Chicago ($29 million).

The thinking by the top contenders has been to create enough room to land two maximum-contract players. Miami has been trying to one-up the field by creating enough room for nearly three, and rumors have run rampant about James and Bosh joining a re-signed Wade with the Heat after ESPN.com reported the three met last weekend in Florida.

"I think all of this is good for the NBA,'' Williams said. "Game 7 (of the Finals) had the best TV rating in 12 years and free agency is going to keep the NBA in the news all summer. You're going to have a three- or four-month period from the playoffs to the draft and into free agency where it's going to be in the news. There's never been a summer like it. The league has to be thrilled what's going on.''

No argument about that has been heard from NBA commissioner David Stern.

"It's fine,'' Stern said earlier this month about any concern over James giving a rare TV interview to Larry King upstaging the Finals. "The same way it's fine to have the president talk to Marv Albert (of TNT during the playoffs) about where LeBron is going or about our game.''

Who knows when James will make his decision? Some believe he might take his time. It's like the masses waiting outside the Vatican for white rather than black smoke, to indicate a new pope has been chosen.

"Is he going to go quick or is going to hold everybody out?'' said Billups, who said a slow James decision would hold up much of free agency as everybody waits for the dominoes to fall. "Will he (draw it out to) stay being the sexiest free agent on the market?''



That and many other questions remain to be answered. Meanwhile, it makes for great TV and Internet fodder about where James might go, and Scott was only too happy to offer his take.

"If he wants to be a true hero, I think he will stay in Cleveland and be like Michael (Jordan with Chicago) and Kobe (Bryant with the Lakers) and Magic (Johnson with the Lakers) and stay with the team that drafted him and they finally win (the championship),'' said Scott, perhaps momentarily forgetting that no finally is needed with Johnson since he won an NBA title as a rookie in 1979-80.

"Or does he want to be the next billionaire. Then I think he goes to New York, which is the largest market. But the place that is the best place to win right way is Chicago. ... And if he wants to hang out on South Beach with superstars and there's no state tax, then (it's Miami).''

At least James taking visitors in Ohio will save plenty of money teams might have spent to woo him had he gone on a circus-like tour. But other top free agents can expect the royal treatment when they head to NBA cities.

Yet Williams stressed that, in the free-agent courting process, it's more important to be "sincere, direct and straight forward'' than to have many too many gimmicks. But being lavish could work if the player has a good-sized ego.

As for Williams in 2000 helping recruit Duncan, who has little ego, the Magic didn't want to overdo it. But doing one's homework remained important.

"We set up a lunch for Tim and we had cold cuts,'' Williams said. "Then we got word that he doesn't like cold cuts, he likes Wendy's. So at the last instance we substituted Wendy's.''

Williams said that might have worked until Duncan's teammate, Navy graduate David Robinson, got wind of Duncan being close to leaving the Spurs while vacationing in Hawaii and quickly returned. Williams said "the Admiral rushed back to save the fleet.''

Is there any way of saving James for Cleveland? There are billboards around town urging him to stay. The same message came in "We Are LeBron,'' which featured local celebrities singing before the camera.

Austin Briggs, a 23-year-old from Cleveland Heights, has co-founded the Website www.pleasedontleave23.com and drives around town in a 1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme (right). It's dubbed the "Witness Mobile,'' based upon an ad campaign about James, and he has people sign the car.

"Obviously, people are concerned,'' Roda said of the prospect James might leave, which would add another chapter to Cleveland's frustrating sports history.

"(James' departure) would rank right up there with all the tough defeats. 'The Drive,' 'The Fumble,' Jose Mesa losing Game 7 (for the Indians in the 1997 World Series), 'The Shot.'... It would be the devastating not only to the sports fans but financially it would hurt the city.''

About the only ones benefiting then would be barbers shaving off the "Beards for Bron.''

Chris Tomasson can be reached at tomasson@fanhouse.com or on Twitter @christomasson