Stoudemire

Once July 1 rolled round, it seemed the NBA free agent feeding frenzy was going to begin.

Teams could begin talking to free agents on that date and can sign them starting Thursday.

Well, the flurry of interviews, meetings, and speculation began to fly, but as of today, we still we know nothing about LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, the three biggest free agents in this year's market.

After leaving town for two-plus days and being out of the loop for almost three — no TV, Internet, cell phone — I expected to come back and find most of these guys signed.

They had met with every conceivable team and owner, had cities pour out their undying love, but nothing really happened. I could have watched days of nothing happening.

Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas) and Paul Pierce (Boston) appear to be staying with their respective teams, taking less money by staying put than making more elsewhere.

For example, Nowitzki could have signed for $16 million more over a four-year deal by signing with another team, but he wanted to save Dallas some money so it could sign more players.

The only top-five free agent to come to terms was Amare Stoudemire, who has agreed in principal with the New York Knicks for about five years for $100 million.

I wonder if the Knicks didn't think they could land James and/or Bosh and/or Wade, so they landed a really good player who gets to play on a huge stage in New York.

Stoudemire, who is reunited with former Phoenix coach Mike D'Antonio, overcame a major knee injury in 2005 and a detached retina in 2008-09. He averaged 23.1 points and 8.9 rebounds last season.

At least the Knicks realized they couldn't sit back and wait for this ongoing debacle of superstar athletes enjoying the adulation of fans and teams.

Somebody had to make the first move. Whoever is the first to sign of James, Wade and Bosh, the dominoes will begin to fall.

But the big question is will two of them be together. The Knicks, to their credit, weren't going to be shut out. They spent two years clearing cap space in hopes that James would come, but that might not be happening, so the team took the offensive.

The Knicks could see the writing on the wall. This could still be a long, drawn-out ordeal lasting for another two weeks. They're not waiting.

You see, it's not about which player will be the last one standing. It's about which team will be left empty-handed.

Sam Tallarico is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.