David Kahn says he plans to call two agents at 11 o'clock Wednesday, when the NBA's free-agency negotiation period begins. I hear from a good league source that one of those two guys is Memphis forward Rudy Gay.I texted David Kahn for a confirmation or denial Monday evening and he did not respond.

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HoopsVibe's Very Quick Call: This makes sense.

The lowly Minnesota Timberwolves should target Rudy Gay, the athletic swing with the Memphis Grizzlies. While young and talented, Gay has been overlooked because this year`s free agent class features superstars Chris Bosh, LeBron James, Joe Johnson, Amar`e Stoudemire, and Dwyane Wade.

But Gay has the explosiveness to become an All-Star. And the Wolves are desperate for a small forward to complement their bevy of point guards and power forwards.

Best of all, Gay is ripe for the picking because Minnesota - which has just $25 million in committed salary for 2011 - can afford to float a big ticket offer, while small market Memphis may lack the resources to match.

So perhaps the Wolves make a splash in this summer`s free agent market.

Got thoughts?

Donnie Walsh and Mike D'Antoni are seeking to arrange a meeting with Atlanta free agent Joe Johnson in Los Angeles Wednesday at midnight -- or 9 p.m. California time -- before flying to Ohio for the LeBron James' pow-wow. Even crazier, the Knicks are trying to fit in Amare' Stoudemire that evening, too, in either LA or Phoenix.

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HoopsVibe's Very Quick Call: Not for a New York second.

Joe Johnson and Amar’e Stoudemire won’t satisfy hungry Knick fans who are thirsting for free agents Chris Bosh and LeBron James to turn Madison Square Garden into a contender starting in October of 2010.

Consider Knick-nation’s plight: former prodigal son Stephon Marbury imploded before their very eyes; GM and coach Isiah Thomas shamed the organization with his dysfunctional ways and irresponsible spending; and for too long owner James Dolan did nothing, content to count his profits.

Donnie Walsh and Mike D’Antoni were hired to turn things around, but - instead of immediately competing for the playoffs – they purged the roster of big ticket salaries, so they could sign James and other free agents this summer.

That decision was made years ago. And the Knicks have intentionally tanked it ever since.

Management got fans to buy-in by selling hope, specifically the hope that they’d ink James – one of the game’s greatest stars – to a multi-year contract.

Cap space alone won’t secure James’ services. The King wants to win, and rumour has it he likes the Chicago Bulls’ supporting cast of point guard Derrick Rose and big Joakim Noah better than the Knicks’ depleted roster.

Bosh, who also wants to win now, has allegedly decided to follow the two-time MVP and serve as his co-star in The Windy City.

Walsh isn’t stupid. He sees how the free agent dominoes are aligning. He gets that the club will likely have to settle for Johnson and Stoudemire.

This won’t cut it in New York, where some of the NBA’s most educated fans reside. After all, Johnson and Stoudemire are good, but Bosh and James are great.

Unless Walsh and D’Antoni deliver great this July, fans will wonder why they suffered through the pain, torture, and punishment.

Got thoughts?

To listen to World Wide Wes, LeBron will never look back on Cleveland. “He’s up out of there,” is the way he tells it to people, but LeBron’s Akron crew has to tsk-tsk such public talk because they all live in Northeast Ohio, and maybe always will. "We're going to Chicago," WIlliam Wesley tells people," "and Chris Bosh is coming, too." 

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HoopsVibe's Very Quick Call: 'World Wide Wes', one of the NBA's great power brokers, believes the Chicago Bulls are poised for a big off-season. And he's right.

After dealing Kirk Hinrich and their 17th pick in Thursday's draft and getting nothing but cap space back, the Bulls have the financial flexibility to tender two max' contracts.

So The Windy City could sign LeBron James and bring in Chris Bosh, too. 

Other clubs - the Miami Heat and New York Knicks - can also offer a pair of max contracts, but the Bulls distinguish themselves by already having a star point guard in Derrick Rose and an established four-man with Joakim Noah.

Such a supporting cast may be enough for James to turn his back on the Cleveland Cavaliers -even though they can offer the most money, longest term, and he grew up in nearby Akron, Ohio.  

Even if James gets sentimental and re-signs with the Cavaliers, the Bulls could turn to superstar Joe Johnson, which isn't a bad plan-B.

Bottom line: Chicago is the team to watch this summer. 

Got thoughts?

"Steve Kerr says he won't return as general manager of the Phoenix Suns despite building a team that made a surprising run to the Western Conference finals.

Kerr told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the decision was solely his and not the result of any disagreements with owner Robert Sarver. He said he is "exploring a couple of possibilities" to return to television work."

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HoopsVibe's Very Quick Call: Publicly, Steve Kerr is saying the right things. Privately, the former sharpshooter was probably concerned owner Robert Sarver wouldn't dig into his pockets to re-sign posts Amar'e Stoudemire and Channing Frye.

After all, Sarver is about business. Always has been. He was the one who felt Joe Johnson wasn't worth a big ticket. And he was the one who instructed management to trade Rajon Rondo and Rudy Fernandez because he didn't want to pay their rookie salaries.

Of course, that was before The Great Recession hit. And make no mistake about it, Sarver's real estate and bank holdings were certainly hit by the economic downturn.

Now Sarver - a guy who loves the publicity and headlines - is likely in charge of negotiations with superstar free agent Stoudemire. Unlike teammate Steve Nash, STAT won't give the Suns a significant hometown discount. And Frye, even in this buyer's market, deserves a raise.      

Much is at stake in Phoenix. And the wrong guy, Sarver, will be making the key decisions.

Got thoughts on this?

The Atlanta Hawks will hire Larry Drew as their next head coach, a league source told ESPN's Ric Bucher.

Drew and the Hawks have agreed to a three-year, $5 million deal, according to the source. Those figures are slightly less than the three-year, $6.5 million deal Boston Celtics assistant Tom Thibodeau received from the Chicago Bulls. In both cases, only two years are guaranteed.

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HoopsVibe's Very Quick Call: It's not official, but it might as well be.

Joe Johnson, the superstar who resurrected the sorry Atlanta Hawks, will surely leave the team as an unrestricted free agent on July 1st, in part, because of Larry Drew's hiring.

While the on-court product has improved by leaps and bounds in Atlanta, the off-court operation hasn't improved. Ownership remains a dysfunctional and divided group of partners; the only thing they share is the desire to cut costs and save cash.

For instance, instead of rewarding talented sideline boss Mike Woodson with an extension for his efforts, they let him languish as a lame-duck coach in the final year of his contract and promptly let him go in May.

The Hawks' owners apparently fired Woodson because they wanted a fresh start. Yet, they promote Drew, Woodson's long-time right-hand man, because he's cheap. 

Drew, a respected assistant coach, could prove to be competent, but being frugal isn't a good look for Atlanta.

The end result will be simple: Johnson, a terrific player, will again see the Hawks as dysfunctional and cheap. And he'll leave as an unrestricted free agent.

Will Johnson leave The ATL because of Drew? What do you think?                   

The New Jersey Nets and ESPN analyst Avery Johnson have reached a verbal agreement to hire Johnson as the Nets' new coach.

Johnson is expected to be introduced on Thursday, said a person who spoke to The Associated Press on Wednesday on the condition of anonymity because the team has yet to announce the deal.

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HoopsVibe's Very Quick Call: For a coach, credibility is everything.

Most NBA players earn more money than their coach. And player contracts are usually guaranteed for several years, while the typical coach's contract has a far shorter term.

So, players, especially stars, hold leverage over the man who, in theory, is their boss. With such a dysfunctional arrangement, players won't follow a coach they don't respect or believe in.

Fortunately, for the New Jersey Nets, Johnson has credibility to burn. He holds the all time best winning percentage for a sideline boss and led the Dallas Mavericks to the sixth game of the 2006 NBA Finals. 

The current ESPN analyst will have the attention of the Nets' young core mostly because of his run with the San Antonio Spurs. Johnson may have been a role player, but The Little General's enthusiasm and leadership was key to the Spurs winning two NBA Titles.

Of course, this will be attractive to the summer's free agent class. Chris Bosh, LeBron James, Joe Johnson, and Dwyane Wade know of - and appreciate - Johnson's championship pedigree. So do second tier free agents like Carlos Boozer and Amar'e Stoudemire.

Expect the Nets to improve in 2010. And Johnson's credibility will be a big part of the turnaround.  

Is Johnson the right hire for New Jersey?

There are all kinds of people in that conversation. LeBron James has said he is the ringleader. Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Joe Johnson ... it's a who's who of this year's free agent class. In terms of having a lot at stake, those players are at the top of the list with the owners, staffs and fans of the various teams.

But there is another interested party no one has mentioned: Nike, and its affiliated Jordan brand.

That is a giant corporation with a lot of branding tied up in basketball, and specifically the footwear of the best basketball players in the world, including James, Bosh, Wade and Johnson as well as Amare Stoudemire, Dirk Nowitzki and dozens more who could change teams this year. Where they all end up will not just determine the fortunes of various NBA teams, but also the abilities of those players to inspire fans to buy shoes.

Link to article by Henry Abbott on ESPN Truehoop

HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: While furthering The Swoosh may not be priority one, it will be a major priority.

Players like Chris Bosh, LeBron James, and Dwyane Wade view themselves as brands and value their lucrative relationships with Nike.

These players have people whose job is to figure out the impact playing for a certain team will have on sponsors. For instance, fact or fiction, much has been speculated about Nike wanting James in the world’s largest media market, New York City.

Clearly, The Great Free Agent Chase of 2010 is about the business of basketball, and not so much the game of basketball. 

Got thoughts on Nike’s role in the free agent summit?

Last week, Wade told the Chicago Tribune that he planned to talk with fellow free agents LeBron James and Joe Johnson before making a decision on where he would sign this summer. A source told ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard that Bosh also would be part of those talks, and Amar'e Stoudemire, who is likely to opt out of the final year of his current contract with the Phoenix Suns, told AOL Fanhouse that he planned to be part of those talks, too.

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HoopsVibe's Quick Call:  Rumor has it journeyman Brian Cardinal wants in. Darko Milicic also plans on attending. And Adam Morrison, the dude permanently attached to the Los Angeles Lakers' bench, may also show - if the purple-and-gold don't offer the restricted free agent a one year deal for the minimum before free agency hits.

Seriously.

Jokes aside, this summit, or whatever it's called, is getting bizarre. Sure, Chris Bosh, LeBron James, Joe Johnson, Amar'e Stoudemire, Dwyane Wade, and Mother Teresa can meet and discuss their future or anything else they like. 

However, James and Wade are wasting their incredible leverage. As the game's best players, they should pick where they want to play, who they want to play with, who they want to play for, and then make the team they selected meet their demands.

Nothing else should be considered. After all, this is pro sports, not friends running together on the playground.

James and Wade have supposedly waited years for this summer. Instead of wasting time and energy consulting others, they should figure out exactly what they want and get it. 

What do you think of the free agent summit? Get at us in the comment box below with thoughts.

Dwyane Wade has a big decision to make on where he'll sign this offseason. And before he makes his choice, he said he'll talk it over with fellow big-ticket free agents LeBron James and Joe Johnson.

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HoopsVibe's Call: It was reported to be the sitdown of all sitdowns. Like the five families of New York meeting in the 1960's to split up their various interests. Yet, nobody knew if The Dons of the 2010 free agent class were really going to meet before deciding where to sign.

Until now.      

Chris Bosh, LeBron James, Joe Johnson, and Dwyane Wade will connect, chat, pick their destinations, and, ultimately, decide the landscape of the NBA for years to come. 

This foursome will discuss how to to partner-up and avoid undercutting each other on the open market. Look for Bosh and Wade to possibly sign as a package because they share the same agent, power-player Henry Thomas.

Of course, anything and everything can happen, so we'll just have to wait until July 1st. 

What do you think of Bosh, James, Johnson, and Wade's sitdown? Get at us in the comment box below.