In seven days the frenzy will begin.  Yesterday was the appetizer that we ate as we wait for the main course.  It filled us a little, teased our palate, but left us hungry for something more substantial.

The NBA free agent period opens at 12:01 AM July 1 with main course dishes of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh, among others.  Teams over the past two years frantically scrambled to clear salary cap room in anticipation of luring one, or possibly two of these talented individuals.  The Chicago Bulls pulled off a Draft Day trade of Kirk Hinrich to the Washington Wizards in order to land LeBron plus another free agent to pair with Derrick Rose.  Miami cleared more space to make room for keeping Wade plus adding additional free agents, such as James.

Teams like the Knicks and Nets may be left out in the cold come next Friday.