Thursday at midnight (that’s Wednesday night to the common folk) will be like Christmas morning with NBA general managers, team owners, frenzied fans and national and local sports media crowding around the decorative Christmas tree.

It will be a sleepless, suspenseful and inquisitive night.

On Thursday, the free agency period begins, and although players can’t sign with teams until July 8 (the end of the moratorium period), there may be hints, clues and widespread speculation about who the “expensive presents” will be “handed to.”

You know there will be confrontation. You know there will be controversy. You know there will be surprise and, most of all, you know there will be profound significance. These will be some of the most alluring gifts that Santa Clause and his helpers will ever give out.

The wrapping paper will be sparkling like a popular high school cheerleader’s textbook covers. There will be glitter spread all over the packaging and obsessive messaging like “I love you LeBron, forever and ever” written all over.

There will be the brats circling around the tree. You just know someone will whine, “Why is his/her present larger than mine? Why does he/she always get what he/she wants? It’s just not fair!!”

I just know I don’t want to be Santa on that night. Some will love him for the rest of eternity, while others will lose faith real fast.

There are many reasons why summer league basketball is awesome.

It’s like when you go to the park to play hoops with your friends. It’s all for fun and gives you the chance to improve your skills while getting a good workout.

It’s like a trip to the mall on a weekday morning when everyone else is at work or school. It’s relaxed, pressure-free and relatively quiet.

It’s like playing a scratch-off lottery ticket (the ones where all of a sudden having a penny on you comes in handy). You never know if you have the “jackpot” ticket, or in basketball terms, the next unexpected future All-Star.

It’s like elementary school recess. You remember: there is the amusing game of kickball, girls playing hopscotch, some troublemakers play-wrestling where none of the teachers can see them, etc. At Summer League, similarly, there is the game of hoops, media standing around arguing about league issues, team scouts analyzing talent and everyone trying to figure out where the food is.

Next week, the Orlando Pro Summer League presented by AirTran Airways gets under way. There is so much to look forward to such as Dante & Galante’s commentary and First Round gems Evan Turner and Derrick Favors competing for the first time in their NBA careers.

I know I am excited. It should be another fantastic and memorable week.

If I had a dime for every NBA trade rumor that is reported, I would be – well, really disgustingly rich I guess.

I am one of the obsessive, addicted NBA fanatics that types “NBA rumors” in Google every five minutes to see if any new report has been published around the web.

I will admit it; I get really entertained by all the speculation. It somehow charges my brain and gets me analyzing various possibilities.

For instance, recently Al Jefferson has been reported to be on the trading block. As a result, I uncontrollably start evaluating what team/s fit him best. Where will he be able to catapult a team to the next level? Does it make sense for the Minnesota Timberwolves to trade him at all?

The fascination we have for sports goes well beyond the game itself. Much of the thrill originates from the architecture of franchises. It’s like the days when I would play one of the NBA Live video games. Rather than play a game necessarily, I would take enjoyment in doing one of those franchise drafts. I found certain elation in creating my own team to see what I can build.

I honestly believe math teachers in grade school should use the NBA offseason as a way to educate. Figuring out how much teams can spend without going over the salary cap or luxury tax and discovering what trades can financially happen is a brilliant way for kids to learn how to calculate numbers.

I hope some teachers are reading this and give this method a try in class next semester.

I started thinking recently; who is the best active power forward in the NBA? And my conclusions are mixed.

Tim Duncan’s basketball IQ remains unprecedented, Pau Gasol is as smooth on the basketball court as John Travolta was on the dance floor in the 1970’s, Chris Bosh is a walking double-double, Amar’e Stoudemire possesses more ferocity than an untamed hurricane and Kevin Garnett is like an intimidating motivational presence.

They are all first-rate power forwards. But who is the best? I think it would fun, and awesome for television, if they decided to do one-on-one tournaments for each position in the NBA.

For instance, how extraordinary would it be to see a bracket that pits Duncan vs. Bosh, Stoudemire vs. Garnett, etc. in one-on-one, play up to 15 games? Of course, this wouldn’t really determine who the premier power forward is since they play a different style, but it would be fun, nonetheless.

Or, similarly, how fascinating would a one-on-one tournament be among the elite point guards? Chris Paul vs. Derrick Rose, Deron Williams vs. Steve Nash, Tony Parker vs. Rajon Rondo, for example.

Someone needs to consider this for All-Star Weekend. It would probably be more exhilarating than the Slam Dunk contest at this point.

Don’t you think?