Even those betting on World Cup odds will be paying attention to the NBA free-agent class of 2010, arguably the most star-studded class in any major sport of all time, and certainly in recent memory. There are three levels of available players to watch for, and here’s how it breaks down. First Tier There’s really only two players in this class, although we’re adding a third because that person is tied to the first two. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are probably the only two players who deserve max contracts, but Chris Bosh will end up wherever those two go. There were rumors of all three heading to Miami, and that could still happen, but who is the alpha male? James and Wade are both strong personalities, and we’re not sure that would work. Also, this isn’t MLB betting, where money can be splashed around like that. Second Tier Dirk Nowitzki and Paul Pierce are at the top of this list because we think that they’ll stay with their current teams. For one, they’re the faces of their respective franchises (Dallas and Boston), and two, they could be just trying to get a contract under the current CBA, which will be better than the next deal, most think. After that, you have the likes of Joe Johnson and Amare Stoudamire, and Stoudamire may be the key as the next power forward to go after Bosh makes his decision. However, can anyone say with a straight face that either of these two deserve a max contract? These two are complementary pieces, as Johnson showed in his playoff wilting this season, and Stoudamire hasn’t proven that he can do anything without Steve Nash setting the table for him. If this was soccer, neither team would be making their team a World Cup final betting favorite. Third Tier Carlos Boozer, David Lee and Rudy Gay round out this list of free agents, and Boozer will be the next power forward to go after Stoudamire. Lee is interesting because the Knicks may look to get a sign-and-trade for Lee, who put up incredible numbers for his talent level in their system. Most people forgot that Gay was even a free agent in this star-studded class, and he’s going to end up getting way more money than he’s worth in this as he’ll end up on a team that can’t lure anyone else to their squad. None of this trio will end up being with their original teams next year, especially Boozer, who has essentially played all season in Utah knowing that he was going to opt out, but he didn’t count on being pushed down the pecking order by Nowitzki. However it all works out, online betting players should be gearing up for the wildest summers in years.
