Ira Winderman

Imagine plunking down $50, $100, perhaps even $1,000 or more for an NBA ticket, only to see a curtain displaying the mere silhouette of a player at center court.

Imagine the public-address announcer enhancing the tease by proclaiming, "Fans, behind that curtain could be LeBron James! … Or Kobe Bryant! … Or Dwyane Wade!

Then, in one of those barely-audible, car-financing tones, the disclaimer is added, "… of course, you'll have to wait 21 months for that, so please sit patiently, and remember, those season-ticket invoices are in the mail."

The undercurrent of the 2008-09 and 2009-10 NBA seasons is the seduction.

It could turn into the ultimate pro sports bait-and-switch.

On both sides of the Hudson, from South Beach to southern Michigan and parts beyond, the present moment has been traded in for a future that comes with no guarantee.

All the while, patience is being preached.

In New Jersey, the Nets have surrounded Vince Carter with a supporting cast that helps explain the stench emanating from the Meadowlands. Of course, if there's anyone willing to take Carter in a deal, well, the Nets would gladly pack his bags, as well.

In New York, the Knicks refuse to inject any additional salary-cap funds into the 2010-11 ledger. That means making David Lee wait for a deserved extension, as well as simultaneously showcasing and shopping scoring leader Zach Randolph.

In Miami, the Heat has requested ultimate patience from Wade, while surrounding him with a bench as shaky as anything he's experienced since entering Richards High.

And in Detroit, Joe Dumars sold his all-for-one soul to take on Allen Iverson in a trade that was struck with the goal of freeing enough cap space to entice an A-list free agent in 2009, or, more likely, in 2010.

In each market, short-term expectations have been muted by management.

No, Detroit might not make it a seventh consecutive season in the Eastern Conference finals.

No, Wade's playoff return might not come after merely a one-year hiatus.

No, the Knicks might not be running Mike D'Antoni's seven-seconds-or-less into May.

And no, the Nets aren't going anywhere.

Why?

Because 2010 is the year some of most visible franchises plan to reinvent themselves.

On one hand, who can blame them?

There has never been such a free-agent convergence.

LeBron. Kobe. Wade. Bosh. Amare. Nowitzki. Joe Johnson.

All, and many more in that stratosphere, could be free agents that summer.

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It is why this past summer so few teams were willing to offer contracts that extend more than two seasons. And it is why next summer, plenty of free agents will be offered huge deals, with the caveat being that they're only going to be one-year deals.

Further, it is why players with more than two seasons remaining on their contracts have become pariahs on the trade market.

In some cases, it can be understood. No matter the contract length, no one is knocking down the door to secure Eddy Curry (if, indeed, the Knicks center could even fit through the door).

In other cases, it is shocking how much trouble the Bobcats are having in moving Gerald Wallace, or how little interest the Clippers might find with Chris Kaman, if, indeed, he is put up for bid. Each has four years left on his contract.

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