Countdown to the start of NBA free agency

By The Associated Press
A look at the countdown to the start of the July 1 NBA free agency period, when stars such as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and others are expected to hit the market:

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DAYS REMAINING: 13.

BOSH ANXIOUS: Chris Bosh won't wait for LeBron James, Dwyane Wade or anyone else to make their free-agent decisions before choosing where he'll play for the next few seasons. Bosh tells SNY television, "I can't just sit around and wait. I have to be proactive with my choices and what's going to make me happy. And I just have to make sure that I take my time and make the right decision." Further, Bosh reaffirmed what Wade has said, that there won't be a "free agent summit" or anything of the sort. And his recent dinner with Wade? Bosh says it was just two pals and former Olympic teammates hanging out, with no talk of business.

DRAFT HINTS: The thinking among plenty of free agents or free-agents-to-be is that draft night will provide some hints as far as what teams are thinking heading into July 1. The Heat, for example, have four draft picks, three of them in the second round, and could be looking to make deals. "I think a lot might happen on draft night, so we'll see," Wade says.

(DON'T) GO FISH: The Lakers have some free agent issues to deal with this summer, specifically the chance that Derek Fisher could go elsewhere. Kobe Bryant says that won't happen. "He's not going anywhere," Bryant insists. The Lakers will likely be a player in the free agent sweepstakes, especially if Bosh becomes available through sign-and-trade options. And the idea of facing a Wade-James or Bosh-James combination in the 2011 NBA finals was something Bryant didn't want to think about Thursday. "Man, I don't want to think about that," he groaned.

TWEET OF THE DAY: Early Friday morning, Wade went on strike. Twitter strike. "From ths moment on I'm on twttr hiatus until after Free agency is ova," was Wade's tweet. Typos not withstanding, the message is clear it's time to get serious about the summer.

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