Ranking the NBA's nine best unrestricted free agents

[the MVP]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Ranking-the-NBA-s-eight-best-restricted-free-age;_ylt=AselRRANldvv0xjv6r6w_Aa8vLYF?urn=nba,178000

 

비제한적 FA는 몇일전 기사입니다.

A rambunctious July has but a week and a half left, and most of the free agent action has passed. Of course, that doesn't mean that there isn't a select group of unrestricted free agents still available, ready to help teams and earn their keep. Here's our humbled list of the best of the rest.

(Restricted free agents to follow on Wednesday ...)

1. Lamar Odom(notes)

We've been over why we think so highly of Odom. He's a stat machine whose best contributions often aren't picked up by the typical box score. Odom led the Lakers in plus/minus last year, not Kobe Bryant(notes). He scores, he rebounds at a high rate, he defends all comers, he runs an offense that many have trouble picking up. He might be 30, and the Lakers could win it all without him, but that doesn't take away from the fact that he is a special, special player.

The solution? The Lakers stop trying to act like tough guys, and give it up for the player who gave up big numbers last year to come off the bench and contribute to a championship.

2. Andre Miller(notes)

We've also been over where Andre Miller went wrong. He put up great stats in 2008-09, during a contract year, but his attitude wasn't always the best — whether the Philadelphia 76ers deserved his scorn or not. Miller turned 33 last spring, and though his 2008-09 averages of 16 points, 6.5 assists (to just 2.4 turnovers) and 5.5 rebounds are nothing to scoff at, there is a fear that he could drop off at any point.

The solution? Go safe, take the money from New York. And, if there's gas in Miller's tank, he can try the whole "act the good soldier in a contract year" bit with the Knicks, while working on a one-year contract.

3. Ike Diogu(notes)

Diogu at three? Is that a sign of just how slim the free agent pickings have gotten?

Hardly. This guy can play, he's just been stuck on a series of teams with a series of coaches that would prefer to value image (too small, too thick) over actual production (you know, the things you actually do on the court?). Unless you're a Michael Sweetney(notes) or an Oliver Miller, the overwhelming majority of NBA players' per-minute stats hold up, no matter the minutes. Diogu doesn't remind of Jack LaLanne, but he's hardly the type whose frame wouldn't hold up to 33 minutes. Pay, and then finally play, the man.

The solution? Chicago? Stop being cheap, offer the guy a minimum deal even if it creeps you closer to the luxury tax, and let Diogu and Tyrus Thomas(notes) fill out the holes in one's head with the bumps in another's. This involves the Chicago ownership, front office, and coaching staff making a sound move, all at once. Too much to ask, probably.

4. Von Wafer(notes)

He was undoubtedly a bit of a headcase toward the end of 2008-09, feuding with Rockets coach Rick Adelman, and this is probably why Wafer hasn't been re-signed by Houston. And with other free agent wings taking up residence in Cleveland, Boston, and Orlando (you got your Moons, your Marquis, your Barnes), Wafer's staunch refusal to take a deal above the minimum hurts his chances.

He averaged almost 10 points per game last year. He's not a minimum player. But when you walk out on your coach on national TV, in this economy? Deal with what you can get, Von Wafer.

The soluton? To Minnesota, for the minimum, to play nice and take dozens of shots on a team that entirely made up of point guards, power forwards, and Quentin Richardson's expiring contract.

5. Drew Gooden(notes)

He takes inefficient jumpers, his rebounding goes from tremendous to awful in the course of a week, he probably won't remember all the assistant coaches' names, and he doesn't play defense.

But Drew Gooden can score, he'll come cheap, and he's a good locker room guy to have around. And, if your starting power forward goes down with injury, Gooden can put up 12 and 7 in his sleep. And he sleeps a lot.

The solution? To Phoenix, who could use a player to start fast breaks, run a screen and roll, and play big forward with Amar'e Stoudemire(notes) at center.

6. Rasho Nesterovic(notes)

He was once a punch line, but the man delivering the punch line has now turned into a punch line, and doesn't really have a gig delivering punch lines about the NBA anymore.

Rasho will have a gig next year, because he deserves one. He's a damn good defender, something some NBA analysts would fail to realize when they decide to only look up blocks per game on their Blackberries, rather than watch the actual games. He can score with the floater, and would be a very good backup at a pretty cheap price.

The solution? To Houston. The Rockets can talk all they want about running and weaving in Yao Ming's(notes) absence, but they'll also need someone to defend the pivot, and not act like a Collins twin once the ball meets the center's hands on offense.

7. Leon Powe(notes)

Players usually don't come back from a second or third ACL tear very quickly, but I'm standing by my pronouncement that whatever team picks up Powe's medical bills right now will be very surprised with the beast they get next March. Powe should be back on the court well before then, he'll take a while to round into shape; and if the new team has a coach worth shouting about, then the Celtics will be very, very upset they didn't tender this guy the qualifying offer.

The solution? New York, you need scorers? You want someone to put up points for a year half a year before 2010? This is your guy.

8. Joe Smith(notes)

Same as it ever was. Defends, scores with either hand, hits jumpers, sets good screens, rebounds enough to deserve minutes. New team, every year, same professionalism.

The solution? I'm tempted to say Los Angeles, Orlando, Boston or Cleveland; so that Smith can finally grab a ring. Cleveland actually works, though, as the Cavs will need someone to work the baseline with Shaquille O'Neal(notes) in town.

7235. Allen Iverson(notes)

Doesn't want to come off the bench. Doesn't want to stop shooting. Doesn't defend. Doesn't work well with others. Doesn't want conform in any meaningful way (play with your jewelry on, for all I care, just stop taking 18-footers in transition). Doesn't want to take less money to play for a winner.

The solution? Congress, naturally.

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http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Ranking-the-NBA-s-eight-best-restricted-free-age;_ylt=AselRRANldvv0xjv6r6w_Aa8vLYF?urn=nba,178000

Ranking the NBA's eight best restricted free agents

Restricted free agents, I'm sorry, but they're a pain.

Every summer, players that aren't huge knockout stars tend to get shafted as restricted free agents. Coming out of their rookie contracts, these semi-stars usually have to fruitlessly flirt with other teams, signing offer sheets that may or may not be matched, only to usually come back to their original team after an odd, potentially chemistry-killing, summer.

Sure, the owners make it up to the players by wildly overpaying them at age 30 a few years later, but what about right now? And what will it take for the incumbent teams to let these guys go free, assuming they sign an offer sheet with another team? Here's our guesses, along with the top eight restricted free agents.

1. David Lee(notes)

He's a system guy! His stats were trumped up because the Knicks ran so much! He's useless away from Mike D'Antoni, I say, I say!

No, he's a double-double guy. He's been great since his rookie year, he just didn't get minutes until he was given a real coach (are you honestly going to call Larry Brown's 2005-06 tank job "real" coaching?), and this is why we use per-minute, pace-adjusted stats. John Hollinger's PER, which is a catch-all stat that takes into consideration the pace of a team compared to the pace of the league, had Lee at 19 last season. Up from 18, the season before, and down from 20 the year before that.

In other words, right where he's been all along.

What will it take for New York to decline a match? That's tough, as the Knicks still fancy themselves 2010 contenders, the cap is dropping, and the team is not going to be able to find a way to dump Eddy Curry(notes). It's not the size of the contract, it's the length. I could very well see New York passing on even a great talent like Lee if his new deal ran after 2009-10.

2. Marvin Williams(notes)

No, he's not Chris Paul(notes). He's not Deron Williams(notes), and he's probably not the all-world scorer/slasher Hawks fans had in mind when Atlanta drafted Marvin ahead of Paul and Deron back in 2005.

But he is a sound defender and efficient scorer who, at age 23, will only get better. Seriously, this guy can defend damn well, and he's a perfect fit on a team with lots of hungry mouths to feed and not enough basketballs to go around. He gets to the line, too. Gives Mike Bibby(notes) a chance to adjust his calf sleeve.

What will it take for Atlanta to decline a match? Quite a bit. Williams' qualifying offer is up over $7.3 million, he's probably worth a little more, and I bet the Hawks (a team far away from the luxury tax, looking to win now) would even venture into eight figures in Williams' first year. Not that they'll have to. Though Marvin would be a fabulous fit in Portland.

3. Nate Robinson(notes)

Now, Nate's pace-adjusted stats did bump up a notch in D'Antoni's system, but I think this is a perfectly explainable small jump (from a 15 PER to 18) considering his age and abilities. That's a long way of saying, "yes, I think Nate can keep it up on a Trail Blazers team that walks it up the floor."

Not that Nate should join the Blazers.

What will it take for New York to decline a match? Not much. Robinson kept the Knicks in a ton of games last year with his all-around play, but don't you get the feeling that his rather effervescent personality wore on Mike D'Antoni a smidge? You could probably get this guy for an MLE starting salary. I do think he's worth it, Robinson's rep as a team-killing player really isn't deserved.

4. Ramon Sessions(notes)

I'm glad people are coming around on Ramon Sessions, it was obvious the guy was a starting-quality guard down the stretch of the 2007-08 season, and all the talk of full MLE money (to the Clippers, most recently) is deserved.

But he's also a guy who struggles to shoot three-pointers, and isn't going to put a great team over the top. The only sort of team he would put over the top would already have a no good point man in place, and Sessions would make things better by way of his sheer competency.

What will it take to get Milwaukee to decline to match? Bucks GM John Hammond hasn't tipped his hand, but you get the feeling (with Brandon Jennings(notes) on board, and Luke Ridnour(notes) around to just sort of hold serve quite below-averagely) he's thinking "Ramon is nice and all, but [Scott] Skiles doesn't like him, and do I really want him making seven million a year in 2013, with Jennings on board?"

5. Glen Davis(notes)

Davis runs the risk of being overrated because of his time spent on national TV this season, but he also runs the risk of being underrated if you purely look at his 2008-09 stats. Davis was nowhere near the same player in the second half of the season and the playoffs as he was in the first half, and in a good way.

Still, heaps of minutes pumped up his numbers in the playoffs, and his rebounding remains awful.

What will it take to get Boston to decline to match? I think Boston matches past the MLE. Seriously, Davis was rumored to go to a number of teams even earlier this month, but interest in his services fell by a ton when Boston started poking around and throwing out hints that they'd match. It's an arms race between Boston, Orlando, and Cleveland; and Danny Ainge doesn't want to lose Glen's chubby, kid-pushing wings.

6. Linas Kleiza(notes)

The Missouri product has shopped around. Cleveland showed interest, among others, and he's a fair player who would do quite well as a ninth man on a great team, or a first forward off the bench on a so-so outfit.

He's just two years removed from dropping 41 in a game, and if you could put this guy on a team where the coach would implore to drive more, you could have something. Linas Kleiza, driving more, more specifically.

What will it take to get Denver to decline to match? The Nuggets are right at the luxury tax line, so any contract to bring Kleiza back would nearly cost twice as much. He's good mates with the owner's son, but that's a tough call to make for a franchise that has paid quite a bit for first round flameouts before 2009.

7. Hakim Warrick(notes)

The prototypical fourth forward, Warrick could really use a change of scenery. Stuck on a team full of me-first types, playing for one of league's more debt-ridden owners, you think he wants to guard Zach Randolph(notes) (reeking of last night's vodka/cranberry) in practice every morning from October until April?

What will it take to get Memphis to decline to match? Probably MLE money. They have the cap space to absorb things, but the Griz are still looking to do things on the cheap. That's my hope, for Hakim, at least.

8. Josh McRoberts(notes)

McRoberts was last on the Pacers in scoring per game last year, at 2.4 a contest. And he picked up a pretty bad rep in his rookie year as a Trail Blazer/NBDL denizen. As though he were slumming in the minor leagues, and didn't need the seasoning.

In Indiana, though, things are different. Boy howdy, are they different. McRoberts grew a beard, starting having fun again, and would come off the Pacer bench to showcase an athletic, rebound-heavy game that could really work if he doubled or event tripled his minutes. And at age 22, he'll only get better.

What will it take to get Indiana to decline to match? Well, McRoberts looks like he's in My Morning Jacket, Larry Bird seems to be pretty into that, so in upwards of three or four million.

[아우구스투스]

7235은 뭔가요?

[스팰딩]

AI에 대해 악담만 늘어놓았군요. 기자가 안티인듯하네요. 7235는 또 뭔지;;

[UN4GETTABLE]

FA선수들의 가치중 7235위라는 뜻이죠. 한마디로 아이버슨 까는거네요. 내용도 완전 아이버슨까군요;;

[카멜로 앤쏘희]

기자가 안티인가....기사를 이렇게 노골적으로 쓸수있다는것도 놀랍네요...7235..이건 거의 조롱수준인데요....

[Amaré]

대놓고 굴욕주는 수준인데요

[폭풍간지내쉬]

벤치롤을 원치 않는다. 슛을(난사를) 멈추길 원치 않는다. 수비를 하지 않는다. 다른 선수들과 잘 어울리지 못한다. 모든 중요한 상황에서 모범적인 방식을 원치 않는다. (속공상황에서 18푸터를 쏜다던가...어쩌고저쩌고?) 승리를 위해 적은 돈을 받기를 원치 않는다.(다른 좋은 선수를 살 샐러리를 얻기 위한...)

[폭풍간지내쉬]

아이버슨이 어쩌다 이렇게 동네북이 된건가요? 어이가 없네여...

[리틀궁]

쇼를해라님 정체가 야후에 글쓰는 기자분이셨었나 ..

[코비전설]

잔혹한 현실이지만 앤써의 가치를 그대로 들어낸 대목이죠. 앤써의 지금 현재 실력으론 벤치플래이어거나 아니면 주전이라도 자신이 가진 롤을 제한시킨 선수여야 하는데.. 그의 존재이유만으로도 팀의 케미가 저해될수`도` 있으니..아주 약체팀이 아닌이상 그를 영입하고 싶은 팀이 없을수밖에 없죠.

[20-10빅맨랜돌프]

존재이유만으로도 팀 캐미가 왜 저해됩니까? 그냥 아이버슨 시러하시면 시러한다고 하세요.참 댓글 수준 역겹네요.

[번슨이]

소설은 개인 블로그에 적어 주세요.

[#1 Witness]

참 어이가 없군요. - - "Doesn't want to stop shooting." 에서는 정말 열받네요.

[Bernie]

무릅부상 입은 리온 포우가 7위라는게 참 놀랍군요.... 그리고 앤써 피어싱 한채로 농구하나요?