So it Begins

For more than a year, the entire focus of the NBA has been on the summer of 2010. More specifically, the focus has been on where LeBron James will hang his hat.

Since he was in high school, James has been a mega force in the world of professional basketball. When he was drafted straight after high school, James was viewed as the savior for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Of course, seven years later, James has brought the Cavs a certain level of success but a title has eluded them. Now he's at a crossroads.

James is the marquee free agent this summer. And in a year packed with high-profile players looking to bounce around the league like chess pieces for hire, the balance of the entire professional league could shift. And few in the media have forgotten that.

There was an added degree of tension to these NBA playoffs and when, predictably, James' team fell short of the NBA title, the speculation about his future leapt into overdrive. Many saw the Boston Celtics game six win over the Cavs that eliminated James from the playoffs as, potentially, the day professional basketball died in Cleveland.

Rewind to the summer of 2009. There were three teams that made escalating moves that were supposed to lead to a championship showdown. The Cavs traded for Shaq, giving James a stronger supporting cast that was supposed to push him to the NBA Finals. The Orlando Magic traded for Vince Carter, a scorer that was supposed to keep them on top in the East. And the Los Angeles Lakers picked up Ron Artest, a mercurial defender, that they hoped would lead them to a second title.

Come June, the Cavs and Magic got knocked out by a veteran Celtic team and the vaunted LeBron-Kobe Bryant match up in the NBA Finals wasn't to be for a third straight year. All this with James on the cusp of the biggest decision of his life.

There have been a lot of seemingly unending stories that have dominated the sports landscape. Tiger's follies, Brett Farve's constant wavering about returning to the field, etc. Yet all those stories eventually beat the public down because they never go away.

James' free agency is the story that won't go away this summer, but the interest doesn't seem to be dying down either. Though I'm tired of having endless stories of speculation about his future, I can't turn away either. And, if nothing else, it's provided high drama.

Conspiracy theories abound. It seems between a half and two-thirds of the league's teams are in the running for his services and the wild rumors about his courting include celebrities, cultural icons, sports icons, and politicians, including President Barak Obama who purportedly wants James to lead his hometown Chicago Bulls to the NBA Finals.

And the real drama begins tonight at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time as free agency begins. Between now and July 8, when free agents can officially sign, the balance of power in the NBA hangs in the balance. And I, for one, will be glued to the TV set to see where the chips fall.

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