LeBron James: this decision far more important

And.....we wait. The NBA free agency period officially began on July 1st, but let's be honest, it doesn't really start until LeBron James makes his decision. The league's balance of power is once again in LeBron's pre game powder filled palms.

And for good reason.

Prior to James' arrival in Cleveland in 2003, the Cavs were an NBA wasteland. Overnight, they became the darlings of the ABC game of the week. They also routinely won division titles and made the playoffs. Prior to James' arrival in Miami in 2010, the Heat were a "where are they now" franchise. Now, they could potentially go to five straight NBA Finals. Oh, and they both made money. Lots and lots of money.

So it's easy to see why fans, mostly in Miami and Cleveland, are sitting on pins and needles until LeBron breaks his silence. A player of his caliber could change the fortune of your team for years to come. NBA owners are even more interested in LeBron's decision.

And it has nothing to do with on the court fortunes.

The Big 3's decision in 2010 was the perfect ammunition the owners needed to lock the players out the following summer. The owners wanted a bigger piece of the annual revenue pie, and a harsher luxury tax for exceeding the salary cap. It's message was framed under the "competitive balance" mantra, but it was really an attempt to bring spending down around the league....at the player's expense.

Which brings us back to LeBron, and his "post lock out" decision.

As the best player in the world, and the face and voice of the league, it's imperative that James understands the impact his decision will have on not just future free agents, but the next collective bargaining agreement as well. There's a lot more at stake than who wins next year's title this time.

If James, let's say, decides to take a massive pay cut to team up with other stars...who also take massive pay cuts,...then score a huge win for the owners. That's what the lock out was intended for....for the cost cutting to come at the expense of the players.

Players who already negotiated to give away 6% of their revenue to continue playing.

For high profile players with tremendous earning opportunities off the court, it's easy to shave four, five million dollars off your annual salary. For the hundreds of other players, that's not so easy to ask. Plus their capacity to seek max deals would be hindered over time. Not to mention the fact that it would totally cripple any leverage the players union would have when time to negotiate a new deal.

If James, let's say, makes good on his demands to only accept a max deal for his services, while putting the pressure on the owner to pony up on the luxury tax to acquire the necessary pieces, then score a huge victory for the players union.

In 2010, the Big 3 basically did Miami a solid. LeBron, in his thirst for a title, gave up money for the ring, And it worked. But last season the Heat fired the first shot, letting veteran Mike Miller go in a cost cutting move. His services were sorely missed in the Finals.

Lebron must have been thinking..."so I'm giving up money and you're (Miami) not?"

James isn't ignorant to the fact that a franchise that only has one division title in it's history sold for 2 billion dollars this year. He also knows that a new TV deal is on the horizon, so the money is there. Most importantly, LeBron knows there is an owner out there thirsty enough to meet his demands...to pay the necessary tax for everyone to get their money. That is...if that owner wants to "win".

Lebron can send a statement, he can tell the NBA owners that a title will cost you this time. He's the only player in the league powerful enough to do it.

Regardless of his decision, his new destination, I hope LeBron remembers that the guy on the end of the bench was locked out too.