Get out your wallet NBA owners, because there is a chance you and your GM can be a hero for the upcoming season in the National Basketball Association. Your current coaches, players, and fans will love you to death, if you can capture one or two of these big names that will be floating around today. The first day of this month has been marked on the calendar for a lot of NBA employees and NBA fans. July 1st is the official start to the NBA free agency season and a lot of big names are out there for the taking.

The one question that everyone wants to know is; where will Lebron James being playing in the 2010/2011 NBA season? It will take more than a big billboard on a downtown Cleveland building to keep the King home, as a number of teams will be throwing their self into the Lebron James lottery. The Cleveland Cavaliers do have a good shot at keeping Lebron in Ohio, since James would earn the most money with them and it’s also the place where is friends and family call home.

The first team today was the New Jersey Nets; who would get the ball rolling for the services of Lebron James. They have a new super rich owner with deep pockets, a new head coach in Avery Johnson, and their partial owner Jay Z were all there to welcome LeBron in for his interview with the league’s worse record last year. LeBron James and one more big name could find their way to Jersey and make the Nets an 8th seeded team in the East. James would make a lot of money off the court in New Jersey and this is why they have a shot to get him.

The next stop was in New York and it’s obviously the marketing capital of the World. No other team in the league would offer more dollars to Lebron James for off the court endorsements and advertising; than the Knicks could do next year. If it’s all about the money; then LBJ will be a Knickerbocker next season in the NBA.

The Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls are two other teams that have a shot. For some reason a lot of public figures in Chicago think the Bulls have the best young team in the NBA. Perhaps they should look at other young teams and realize they are not the best young team. Lebron in Chicago would not even be a top 5 seed in the East next year and this is assuming another big time free agent joins him there. The Heat have Dwayne Wade, who is also a free agent, but would make the most basketball sense for Lebron to choose. James, Wade, and 1 more big free agent name would put the Heat as one of the top 4 teams in the East. The Celtics, Magic, and Hawks are currently the top 3, with a Cavs team that doesn’t have number 23 or 6 on their roster. Not sure if the Heat would be better than any 3 of these teams, but a solid 4th in the East. Chicago would not win multiple championships if Lebron comes their way, because they could only strut out a starting 5 and would have no one on the bench to play championship basketball. It takes starters and a bench to win a championship in the NBA; unless you have the best player in the league, who is Kobe Bryant and not LBJ.

A lot of folks forgot that Cleveland had the best record in the NBA last year. Funny how that little piece of news doesn’t get talked about, since the Cavs lost in the 2nd round of the playoffs this year. If Lebron wants to win a championship as soon as possible, then the Cavaliers offer that. If it’s about money, it would be with the Knicks. The Heat would be a possibility in 2 to 3 years with a Wade and James combination in South Florida, but not as likely as the current cast and crew for the Cleveland Cavaliers. I don’t think the Nets or Bulls have much of a shot, because neither team can offer the money that N.Y. can and their current talent is way below the poverty line.

Pat Riley offered Amare Stoudamire a deal with the Heat and included the James and Wade combination. If Stoudamrie, Wade, and James play in Florida next year. I think the Heat will be a 3 seed in the East and will be 2nd round losers in the NBA playoffs next year. No bench in Miami and not enough time to gel as a team for an NBA Championship. In two years from now, it would be possible. So the Heat do have a 20 percent chance of landing Lebron James. Players don’t often have the patience of waiting to win and if Lebron wants the instant NBA ring. He will stay in Cleveland and I will give the Cavaliers a 30 percent chance of getting the big fella. They all say they want to win, but we really know it’s about the money. The most money would be in New York, but I feel N.Y. didn’t bring enough to the table on day 1 of the free agency, so I’m only going to give their odds at less than 10 percent. The Nets are almost NY and will be in Brooklyn if Jay Z has anything to do with it. The Brooklyn Nets will offer King James the most money in 2012 and be close enough now, for Lebron to take home an almost NY paycheck, so the Nets odds come in at 40 percent.

ODDS FOR GETTING LEBRON JAMES

1. New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets – 40%

2. Cleveland Cavaliers – 30%

3. Miami Heat – 20%

4. New York Knicks – 9%

5. All Other NBA Teams – 1%

They will be some big losers in the Lebron James frenzy. The Heat, Bulls, and Knicks all made bad trades and gave other teams value, with their attempts to clear space for LBJ. One could possibly win, but at least 2 will surely lose. So get ready NBA fans. We are gonna get a good laugh at the expense of at least 2 NBA franchises. If Lebron picks any NBA team outside of the Cavaliers or Heat; then he clearly based his decision on money and everyone will know what the King really stands for. He must be wearing a Heat or Cavs Jersey next season for him to truly care about winning.

Other NBA free agent names you may have heard about include the very over rated Joe Johnson, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudamire, Dwayne Wade, Dirk Nowitzki, Carlos Boozer, John Salmons, Rudy Gay, and Mr. Lee from the Big Apple in New York.