The LeBron James watch is making
the 2010 free agentclass more
interesting than 2009 class. |
NBA.com is posting an interesting piece about how the free agent class of 2009 may actually more interesting to watch than the one consisting of Lebron, D-Wade and Chris Bosh et al. in the summer of 2010. There is no dispute that the overall talent in 2010 is better, younger too, but they point out a couple of features that may make this summer's spending session a little more interesting. The first is that while several teams have been supposedly clearing space to make a run at these stars, who are reaching their prime, they are unlikely to leave max (or near max) deals from their former teams on the shelf to hang out in one of the NBA furthest outposts. In all likelihood they are only looking at a few desirable locations. Unfortunately for them, Sacramento and Memphis are not likely to be among them no matter how much cap room they clear. Rightly or wrongly there is still a general consensus that the most glittering stars should be directed towards the largest markets where there are additional revenue opportunities. This is an intriguing point of view given how much cake LeBron has eaten since coming to Cleveland and that nearly all NBA games are broadcast nationally on cable, meaning that it is not as hard as it once was to build a national profile. Further, one might argue that teams are already tanking this season, and possibly next year too, to clear up enough space for the prizes of 2010. If this continues to hold the marquee players available this summer may be had at very good values by the smart teams who recognize they do not really have a chance to add the young guns that are on everyone's watch list. If you look at the list of potential free agents there are more than enough to swing the competitive balance for some astute franchises. A second interesting observation, especially from an NBA.com source, is that NBA owners are cheap. And have been even during the best of times. Like everyone else they may be hesitant to spend more than absolutely necessary given the current economic climate. The article notes that ad sales are down, sponsorship is down and personal fortunes may be really down depending upon which industry owners make their money from. In most cases season ticket renewals go out the preceding February and March so this season will have been relatively unaffected but many teams may find it tough to renew people this spring. If renewals are lagging it could really bring down prices this summer as there just may not be that much money spent on free agents in total. It’s no mystery that most everyone is looking ahead to 2010 to see if LeBron really becomes a Knick and D-Wade a Bull. This summer may prove to be the more interesting challenge as owners are forced to deal with unexpected economic realities and their impact on on-court performance. Those who navigate this period well are likely to be real winners whether they are active in 2010 or not.
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