The King's Grand Finale

It all comes down to this. At 9pm EST, July 8th, 2010 on ESPN, Lebron James will announce to the world where he'll play for the immediate future. He opened a Twitter account, which has over 276,000 followers in 48 hours. He revived his website which had been dormant for months. He's done an impeccable job of leveraging the media while at the same time keeping his ultimate plan tightly sealed.

While the media has been watching his every move, he's also pissing people off for making such a big deal out of a decision he could announce in 5 seconds or less. Kevin Durant and Dirk Nowitzki got paid the quiet way, why can't Lebron do that? Even more will be angry after his decision is announced and their favorite teams are left "superstar-less." Regardless, whatever James decides will shake the foundation of the NBA.

Hate him or love him, the way free agency is playing out has turned James' decision into a media frenzy. The Knicks, Heat, and Bulls have all made huge signings to make their destinations more enticing. The Cavs have hometown appeal and would probably make him the GM if he asked just to keep him. The Nets are the victim in all of this as their inability to sign any of the big free agents has eliminated them from contention in the Bron Bron Sweepstakes. (Sorry Jay Z)

My initial thoughts when Bosh and Wade committed to play for the Heat was that Lebron was the victim of a squeeze play. He was taking his time to make a decision, while Wade and Bosh were conspiring behind his back to play together. It seemed like Lebron would be left to rot in Cleveland while trying to finagle a sign and trade for Carlos Boozer or David Lee. Chicago was still an option, but not really that enticing unless Lee or Boozer came along.

Many thought the key signing in free agency was Bosh's signing with Miami. I beg to differ. Although Bosh and Wade's decisions were huge, the real key for Lebron was Boozer's decision to join the Bulls. The Bulls were reported to be losing ground in the chase and most experts had narrowed Lebron's choices down to the Cavs and Heat. However, Boozer's signing gave James exactly what he wanted, a crystal clear picture

Now James is Tiger Woods in a room full of home-wreckers. Every scenario he imagined and hoped for is sitting right in front of him unclothed. Whatever Lebron was thinking going into this process, there is a scenario that matches perfectly with it. If Lebron was thinking:

"I want to be the man and I want to win right now, but I need some help. MoGotti, Jamison and Co., ain't cutting it."

Solution: Sign with Chicago

The Boozer signing makes this potential roster ridiculous. If you are another GM, you need to be praying that James doesn't head to Chi-town. Rose, Noah, Deng, Lebron, Boozer, with a serviceable Taj Gibson and a young James Johnson. Youth. Athleticism. Potential.

Boozer and Noah are perfect compliments for each other; Boozer the bruising, rebounding, post threat with a nice mid range game, and Noah an athletic, energetic, defensive minded team player. Deng is the "asset," a trade chip with solid production and a reasonable contract to fill any hole on the Bulls roster. Lebron fits like a glove. Add a shooter and it's checkmate my friends.

"I want to be the man in a huge marketplace and I want to win but it doesn't have to be immediately. Oh and I want a sidekick."

Solution: Sign with the Knicks

Signing Amare Stoudemire kept the Knicks "hanging on a string." Stoudemire and James on the break in D'Antoni's offense is a nightmare of the Elm Street variety. Add a Mike Miller, Luke Ridnour, or another shooter and these guys are going to run teams out of the gym. They probably wouldn't be ready to win it all in year one, but with Eddy Curry's monstrosity of a contract coming off the books after this season, the Knicks could make even more strides in year two with this team.

Can you see Carmelo Anthony or perhaps even Chris Paul with this group? Melo has expressed a desire to play in NY, and Paul has already mentioned he be open to a trade. Paul is probably drooling seeing all his Olympic buds landing in dream scenarios while he is slowly leaking oil in New Orleans. Whether either of these scenarios is realistic, the Knicks may be in a position to add another near max player with the expiration of Curry's deal.

"I want to be the man, I want to make as much money as possible, and I don't want to abandon my home town. Oh, and it doesn't hurt that I can call the shots."

Solution: Stay in Cleveland

I'm going to be Lebron hater #1 if this happens. Given, he has the right to do whatever he wants. It's worth $30 million guaranteed to him to stay (not really, as he could resign and recoup most of that at the age of 31). I'm going to be tuned in at 9pm tomorrow regardless. But if he has taken us all through the ringer and setup an unprecedented hour long feature on ESPN just to tell us he's staying in Cleveland, I'm going into full hater rage mode.

There is no excuse. He's planned for the opportunity to move into a perfect situation to maximize his chances at being an all-time great and to win championships. You've got two teams that are setup perfectly for you to win multiple championships, and you don't want to leave home? He will go down in history (at least my history) as the greatest basement dweller in the history of mankind (The grown dude that still lives with mommy). I'm going to hope he never wins a playoff series again. Do Lebron and his advisers actually think anyone wants to watch an hour show about him if he decides to stay in Cleveland? That's not news, that's the ultimate buzz kill. I have a feeling he's smarter than that.

"I want to win championships, Bill Russell style. I want to average a triple double and I want to be apart of a dynasty. Money is not an issue, I'm going to get mine, winning is first and foremost."

Solution: Sign with the Heat

Bosh, Wade and James would be the greatest threesome in NBA history. Unprecedented. With the right pieces they will shut it down. From day one after filling their roster out, they will be the favorites in the Eastern Conference and be a strong contender to unseat the Lakers.

The big issue with this team is how do they fill out their roster? Is a team with these three and minimum salaried players good enough to win it all? It depends. What is out there for them to sign? If history is any indicator, veterans will be more than willing to step in and sign to play with these guys. Players like Juwan Howard and Tracy McGrady who've already made their millions and have never won anything meaningful. They brought in young bodies in the 2nd round, including Da'Sean Butler, who was a torn ACL away from being a first rounder. If they can find a way to add a bruising big and a shooter via trades game's over.

Even if they aren't good enough to win in year one, they'd be a mid-level guy and one good draft pick away from the promised land.

Make no mistake, Lebron's decision is one of if not the biggest free agent choices in NBA history. Joining the Bulls or Heat would turn the league on its side and put Lebron in position to win multiple championships. Joining the Knicks wouldn't have as big an impact on the balance of power, but it would revitalize a major market team that has been clawing to become relevant again for years.

Resigning with the Cavs would be the biggest free agent mistake in NBA history. More importantly, after the hoopla and suspense created by this ordeal, a return to the Cavs will catapult James to public enemy #1 on my most hated athletes list and jump start my Kevin Durant campaign for greatness. Choose wisely Bron Bron … choose wisely.