The FA 4 Summit

The Lakers hit a game winner by Ron Artest and Orlando is half way to making history. Quick we need to have a story to trump that says the 2010 free agent class. Well with that being said, news breaks that a meeting of what most consider the top 4 free agents is going to happen. Where it will be? Some place in "Everywhere", which is the current residence of Chris Bosh. Jokes aside, Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Joe Johnson have agreed to sit down and have a meeting. This is big news for people that can't get enough 2010 drama. Could you honestly imagine stars of the past doing this? There is something about this that just turns my stomach. This is in a sense player collusion. Not that it does not make good business sense. There is nothing against the rules for these players to do this. Still there is something about it that just as a fan bothers me. If owners were to do the same it would be against the rules.

All this being said what can this meeting accomplish? I am not really sure to be honest with you. Do any of these guys want to play with each other so badly that they would cost themselves money? The argument against that thinking would be, if you could build a dynasty out of this everyone would make the money they leave on the table back. There are no guarantees of that even if 2 or 3 of these guys would agree to hook up that a dynasty automatically follows. The only guy in this group with a ring is Dwyane Wade. While James, Bosh and Joe Johnson all have failed to find a supporting cast that has been able to get the job done. Wade, Bosh and James came together under the banner of USA Basketball and were able to win a gold medal. They had a ton of talent along for the ride. Including Kobe Bryant who has no time for meetings about the future as he is still playing in the post season.

The pressure on this group of 2 or 3 guys regardless of the landing spot would be intense. If that landing spot is N.Y.C increase that by 10 fold. While the idea of a dynasty sounds good, if it doesn't happen that could do a lot of damage to all involved. There are lots of agendas at play in this high stakes game. Not just the players but the league and television on the national level would all benefit out of this in a way. David Stern went on the record saying he would prefer that James remained in Cleveland thought. This is seeing the bigger picture in this. While one super franchise could be created based on where these guys call home. It could also destroy others and greatly impact on the competitive balance of the league as a whole.

What is great about the legends of the NBA is they for the most part remain a part of the game and care about it's legacy. Is all of this 2010 madness good for the game as a whole? When the playoffs have had to fight for headlines with 2010 Free Agency, something is wrong with that. I admit that I have never been a fan of the rumour mill. However at the end of it all, should we not all agree that the team and players that win a championship should have center stage over 4 guys that have failed to win one. That only makes sense doesn't it?