NBA Free Agency: Which Team Is Getting Ready To Explode?

The Fourth of July celebration always brings about a special joy to my household of three boys.  If you are fortunate enough, or unfortunate as the case might be, to live with young boys, you know that they love to see things fly through the air, make noise, as well as occasionally going crash and burn. 

The Fourth of July fireworks celebration with huge colorful loud explosions in the sky is, therefore, a great holiday in my household.

Sometimes even the big kids in our house enjoy seeing the fireworks as well.

This year, all those who love seeing fireworks are in for a special treat, as they get to see more fireworks after the Fourth of July celebration.

Tomorrow, LeBron James is going to announce his free agency plans.

Rumors are circulating that Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh are getting ready to announce their plans.

Every fan knows the very best reasons why James, Wade or Bosh should join their team.  Most fans now are wringing their hands and trying to use every good luck charm they have to bring their squad that little extra bit of luck to push them over the top. 

Several teams are waiting with anxious anticipation. 

Was the gamble to clear cap space a sound investment or did they sell their immediate future for pie in the sky? 

The Chicago Bulls are not going to be completely decimated if they don’t land one of the big three free agents, but that cannot be said for Miami, with only Mario Chalmers and Michael Beasley under contract. 

The New York Knicks appear to have hedged their bets by signing Amar’e Stoudemire, but will the actions of the Knicks be enough if they lose Lee in the process; did the Knicks just once again pay too much to for an aging star player?

Many are also wondering what role family and community will play in the decision making process of James and Wade.

Is the lure of staying home in Akron, Ohio enough to convince James to stay in Cleveland?   

Many believe that James ultimately had no real intention of leaving Cleveland because of his deep feelings for his community.  James, as a Cleveland kid, knows the heartache of losing a franchise to another city, and he would never cause such heartache to his hometown.

How could any kid like LeBron, who grew up in Cleveland, watching the Chicago Bulls Michael Jordan shoot over the Cleveland Cavaliers Craig Ehlo to dash the hopes of the city, seriously give consideration to becoming a Chicago Bull?

Is the answer because he idolized Jordan as a kid to the point of wanting to wear his number?

Which community will Wade ultimately choose?

Will Wade choose Chicago where he grew up, where his kids live, and where his mother is a pastor on the Southside?

Wade is in the process of a tumultuous divorce, and getting custody of his two boys would be made a lot easier if he moved to Chicago.  Wade did just purchase a $1.4 million townhouse in Chicago.

Wade, however, has established roots in Miami and is viewed as a local fixture in the community. While the custody battle might be made more difficult, maybe what Wade feels he needs is to create some separation away from his ex-wife.

Besides didn’t Wade just call out the management of the Bulls for not being loyal to its players just earlier this year?

At the start of free agency, most fans felt that, between Miami, Cleveland, and Toronto, that the team which was most likely to lose its free agent and receive nothing in return was the Toronto Raptors.

The Raptors confirmed what many believed what would occur when several days ago the General Manager of the Raptors drew a line in the sand, saying that he would not negotiate any trade and sign deal for Bosh.

Of course, as was the case with many stories during the free agency period, there was still an opportunity for the final chapter to be rewritten.   

Within 48 hours of saying that they would not negotiate a sign and trade deal for Bosh, several reporters went with stories that the Raptors would be interested in doing a trade and sign deal for Bosh with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Of course, Bosh, who is clearly a player who loves new age media communication, is not thrilled about the prospects of going to Cleveland. How can he establish his brand in Cleveland as second banana to LeBron?

Bosh is likely thinking that, if he is going to partner with James or Wade, he needs to do it in a major media market such as New York, Miami, or Chicago.  However, $30 million in the hand is a lot of money to walk away from in a bad economy.

There will be many reports in the next 24 hours about who is going to sign where, but until I see the player actually make the announcement I will be skeptical. 

Kudos to James, Wade, and Bosh for keep us guessing for so long.

Fireworks are about to go off in the NBA. The noise will be loud, and for some teams it will be an exhilarating time.

Some teams, however, are about to go bang, and not in a good way.