↵The Opening Pitch: One year from today: July 1, 2010. ↵
↵↵Has there been a bigger single day in NBA history? I would argue there hasn't. LeBron enters free agency. With Dwyane Wade. And Chris Bosh. And scores of others. The balance of power in the NBA, the fortunes of franchises -- even entire cities -- hangs in the balance. And the countdown starts today: One year to go. ↵
↵↵The speculation will be even more non-stop than over the past year: ↵
↵↵• Will LeBron bolt the Cavs for the Knicks? Or for Jay-Z and the Nets? What if the Cavs win a title with LeBron and Shaq? Will that change his mind -- or seal the deal for New York? ↵
↵↵• And will Chris Bosh join LeBron in a duo destined to rack up titles? Or will Bosh -- less leading man than uber-complementary player -- join forces with Dwyane Wade? The recruiting will be as intense between LeBron and Wade for Bosh's partnership than any team looking for LeBron and Wade. ↵
↵↵• Or will it be anti-climactic, with LeBron feeling the tug of home and Wade feeling the love in Miami, both players staying put? ↵
↵↵Regardless, a dozen teams are clearing cap room for a run at the top-tier free agents; only 2 or 3 will come out of it as "winners" -- the rest will have a choice: Use their salary room to claim second-tier free agents for a run at the title ... ↵
↵↵... Or maybe horde their cash for the next version of 2010 -- 2012, when Kevin Durant is the next LeBron James. The next Must-Have Free Agent. ↵
↵↵2009? That's so last year. The countdown to 2010 is on. Only 364 days to go. ↵ ↵
↵↵Know who isn't a FA in 2009? Carlos Boozer, who took the cash-in-hand ($12.7M) to play for the Jazz for another year. But is one more year of speculation and distraction about Boozer possibly leaving all the team going to get? ↵
↵↵Shocker!!! Kobe NOT opting out of his deal with the Lakers! Moving on ... ↵
↵↵That leaves Jason Kidd as the biggest "name" left on the board. And it sounds like the Knicks want him, presumably as the stop-gap between now and when LeBron arrives. Or Ricky Rubio arrives. But Shoals makes the case that the biggest catch of '09 is Trevor Ariza (ironically, a former Knick). ↵
↵↵More NBA Free Agency: If I was Charlie Villanueva, I would take the mid-level exception to play one year for the Magic, whose style fits CV31's unique big-man-shoots-3s abilities; win a title; then cash in in 2010 when all those teams have money they won't know how to spend when they don't get LeBron. (Forgoing cash to try to win a title? It just doesn't happen in the NBA. Villanueva would be a folk hero. With a ring.) ↵
↵↵CV31 is part of a solid FA crop of previously undervalued PFs -- David Lee, Paul Millsap, Chris Andersen -- who can play valuable roles: Put Lee or Millsap in the starting lineup of the athletic Thunder. Put Andersen as an energy guy on a contender. Even put Rasheed Wallace on the Magic, like I suggest for Villanueva, as a matchup-nightmare big who can fling 3s. The only issue: Teams don't want to pay, so these guys go from undervalued to underpaid. ↵
↵↵(Speaking of previously undervalued, it looks like the Yao-less Rockets are going to go after Magic backup C Marcin Gortat, who proved to be a rugged banger during Orlando's playoff run. He seems like precisely the kind of player Houston GM Daryl Morey's league-leading analytics would sniff out as someone worth pursuing.) ↵
↵↵MLB Talking Points What a collapse by Boston! ↵
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↵• BoSox Stunner: Epic choke.*
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↵(* - Largest comeback ever by last-place team over 1st-place team.)
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↵• Pujols bashes HR 29, 30: 2nd-half storyline: 62? ↵
↵↵• 10 Ws for Marquis: CG 2H SO vs. LA. Wow. ↵
↵↵• Rays keep rolling: 7 straight Ws for MLB's hottest. ↵
↵↵• AL Beast: Yankees win 6th straight. ↵
↵↵• Lesson here: Listen to the fans. ↵
↵↵• Fantasy Stud: Ross Ohlendorf (7 IP, 0 ER, 8 K, W). ↵
↵↵MLB All-Star Voting: AL. Just two days left to vote, and the most drama involves the right side of the Red Sox infield: Kevin Youkilis has moved back ahead over rival Mark Teixeira, and Dustin Pedroia has closed within 7,000 votes of 2B leader Ian Kinsler. I expect Red Sox Nation will rally to put both over the top -- in Kinsler's case, that would be a shame; the fewer Red Sox and Yankees starters, the better. (Jason Bay already has a lock on an OF spot; the intrigue is whether Torii Hunter can pass the injured fan fave Josh Hamilton.) In a refreshing rout, Evan Longoria will hold off A-Rod at 3B. ↵
↵↵2010 NFL Mock Draft: Too early? Never! Your No. 1 overall pick (to the Lions, naturally): Nebraska DT Ndamukong Suh. And, yes, that would be TIM TEBOW GOING NO. 13, to the Redskins. I guess the new over-under on Tebow's draft position is where Tyler Hansbrough went in last week's NBA Draft. ↵
↵↵CBB Recruiting: Lance Stephenson is going to Cincinnati. What is this, 1992? The Bearcats are back! (To recruiting sketchy super-talents!) As Mike Decourcy points out, Stephenson may be the most talented player in the country -- will that matter if he sucks the soul out of the team in the process? ↵
↵↵Xavier Henry is still going to Kansas: Although when you read between the lines of this story, it really sounds like it's not something he's that enthusiastic about -- that he'd rather be in the NBA right now. He's certainly talented enough. Which begs the question: Why wouldn't he just go to the D-League for his "one-and-done" year, where he could get pro development, sign a shoe deal ... and NOT have to go to class. ↵
↵↵NBA Coaching Carousel: Michael Curry out in Detroit. That puts the Pistons in full-on rebuilding mode: They need to remake their roster. They need a new coach. They need to position themselves for the summer of 2010. (Sorry: Ben Gordon ain't a fix by himself.) ↵
↵↵NHL Free Agency: Starts today. ↵
↵↵CFB Countdown: No. 66 Baylor and Robert Griffin, who -- in a conference loaded with superstars -- might be the most exciting player of them all. Yes, that's right: Baylor is must-see. ↵
↵↵Vick Watch: In a smart move, both for marketing and his ability to get out of the heat this summer, Vick will swap jobs from construction to working with the local Boys & Girls Club. Awww ... he's thinking of the children! How can you deny THAT guy a place in the NFL, Mr. Commissioner? ↵
↵↵Must-Read: Spencer Hall, fresh from his Vegas table-tennis adventure, on the NFL's overtime rules. ↵
↵↵Video Games: One of these days, a judge is going to agree with these college players (or ex-college players) who are a little peeved that their likeness is used in video games without any compensation to the players themselves. Now, are the players just looking for a quick settlement check? Maybe. But let's not confuse the issue: Realism is the core attribute of the game experience. "If It's In The Game, It's In The Game" is the freaking motto. Case closed. ↵
↵↵The Last Word: "I'm not going to the Lakers." -- Coach K on his future. But you have to wonder if he will always wonder what it would have been like to coach in the NBA, particularly coaching a once-in-a-generation talent like Kobe. Still, K was decisive: "I will never leave Duke until I leave coaching." ↵
↵↵Dan Shanoff writes The Wake-Up Call every weekday morning for SportingNews.com and blogs daily at DanShanoff.com. Got any comments, questions or feedback? Email Dan at shanofftsn-[at]-gmail-[dot]-com. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/danshanoff. ↵
↵This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.