Is the NBA ready for cataclysmic change? We are on the verge of what could possibly be the craziest few days in league history; the long-awaited start of the 2010 free agency period, an event that people have had marked on their calendars for years given the staggering amount of talent on the open market.

Of course, the big fish is LeBron James, who has managed to work several teams into a cost-cutting frenzy just to have the available cash ready to potentially sign him.

Hell, the Knicks threw away their last three seasons all in preparation for a LeBron deal and are now seen as a long shot to make that happen.

What makes this free agency period different is that there has been a noticable shift of power from the owners/teams to the players themselves. The question isn’t what team will make a splash in free agency, but which players will decide the course of the league’s future.

This is uncharted territory in the world of sports. I’m sure that some players have checked in with their buddies about what they plan on doing with their futures, but we are talking about some of the NBA’s biggest stars – LeBron, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amar’e Stoudamire, Carlos Boozer, Joe Johnson, Dirk Nowitzki and others – working together to determine where they should go.

On one level, this feels like collusion, but when you think of the players as independent contractors, all seeking the best possible employment, it actually seems like smart planning.  

If LeBron really wants to add a title to his resume and feels his best option is to team up with Wade and Bosh, why wouldn’t they discuss which team/situation suits their needs? They can get an idea of how they work together, what kind of coach they’d enjoy playing for, who will play what position, etc.

Even more intriguing to me is that there’s no way James, Wade and Bosh can all receive max salaries and play on the same team, which means that one or all of them would have to take a pay cut in order to make the triumvirate work. Now, salary is probably the least financial concern for these guys, but it would be shocking to see someone take less to make something like this work.

Putting three of the NBA’s best players on one team (with the possible return of Hall of Fame coach Pat Riley) would cause shockwaves throughout the league, but that’s not the only scenario that would be earthshaking.

Let’s say LeBron decides to stick around with Cleveland. That will set off another daisy chain, with teams like the Nets, Knicks and Heat desperately trying to sell two max-level guys to join their franchise and swing the balance of power to them. Remember, LeBron on the Cavs hasn’t resulted in squat just yet, so if he returns, the Eastern Conference teams with cash to spend will still feel like they have a shot.

Expect to see a rash of deals over the next few days, similar to the NBA draft, which was a glorified excuse for teams to clear cap space and position themselves for the upcoming bonanza.

The Nets just dealt Yi Jianlan to the Wizards, who wussed out and decided not to use any of their money on, you know, good players. Teams like the Bulls and Knicks are trying to get as lean as possible, and players like Paul Pierce and Nowitzki have been emboldened by this stockpile of money out there – teams are going to want to spend to show their fans that all this maneuvering was for something.

I’m not sure what it says that the NBA offseason is going to be more exciting than Game 7 of the Finals, but that’s where we are right now. When the clock strikes midnight, get ready for a wild ride.