NBA Free Agency is set to begin in less than two hours, and although there may be a few surprises here and there, the people that will really get things going are Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James (and by association Wade and Bosh).
Has my mind been changed on what will happen over the next couple of days?
Nope. Short of a miraculous desire to win above financial security and comfort for his family, combined with the opportunity to win, I do not see a future where Melo decides to sign with the Bulls this off-season. All of the talk has been, and will continue to be, geared toward FUD. He'll maximize his leverage and ("agonizingly") choose to stay loyal to New York and a close to maximum salary. Or perhaps one of these other non-Chicago teams will come up with an interesting package to allow him to maintain his desired narrative of trying to win, despite bailing on his former teams as soon as things became challenging. Unfortunately fans, Chicago is another means to an end.
For Chicago, I'm ultimately not worried since this time they're not putting all of their eggs in one basket. Doug McDermott (Dougie McBuckets!), the potential arrival of Nikola Mirotic, and some other minor moves may not sound very exciting in the off-season, but I'll take my chances with that team than striking out miserably begging recruiting players to join the Bulls.
James? I think he rejoins the Heat and finally gets to be the highest paid player on his team. That being said, should be a fun couple of days following the coverage.
-- wake.eat.sleep.