Wild free agent summer hooks casual fan

Don’t get used to any hard-hitting NBA analysis here, but what’s most intriguing about the “Association” these days is the off-the-court news (mostly because the stuff on the court has been a yawn-fest), which has brought in non-traditional fans.
To grab a non-NBA fan like myself into the big storylines means The LeBron Story is mainstream on many levels. The Summer of ’10, the much ballyhooed season of never-before-seen NBA free agency, has hooked a guy who usually only tunes in for the playoffs, and mostly the Finals.
(IMHO, the Association could get my attention on a more regular basis if it put it shot clock to at least 30 seconds. And eliminated the rule where you can call a timeout to advance the ball to midcourt. Those two rule changes would do wonders for the tired and weak argument from the casual fan that the league “doesn’t play defense.”)
The LeBron Story is intriguing mainly because James has elevated himself above the usual pro sport free agent: someone who goes for the biggest payday. Because of his overflowing endorsement checks, not to mention his hefty regular paycheck, LeBron has said he’ll choose which team he plays for next season based on its chances of winning championships. Like most all-time greats, LeBron realizes he’ll only be measured by championships, and entering his eighth season, he needs to start collecting some jewelry. No matter if he could be one of the first billion dollar athletes.
Several teams have positioned their salary cap to make a move to hook LeBron and other top free agents, knowing that he, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, among others, likely won’t sign with a team without a quality supporting cast.
One twist unique to the NBA is something called the "Larry Bird rights" which basically means the player's current team (Cleveland) can pay him the most money. Or exceed the salary cap to pay their own players. The Boston Celtics were the first team permitted to exceed the salary cap to re-sign one of their own players, Larry Bird.
What also appears unique is LeBron’s entourage of high school buddies, “the Fab Five,” other friends, agents and managers that influence his decisions on some level. People like the infamous Worldwide Wes, who has extended the plot twists to include Kentucky coach John Calipari.
Because LeBron has reached out to such financial power brokers as Warren Buffett, he’s not the typical megastar. That’s why this summer will be so intriguing, because it won’t be dictated by the usual big wallet teams. The team that gets LeBron, and others, will be one with a shrewd general manager, and front office, that figured out a way to budget for the max contract, and still afford the rest of the starting lineup.