Free agency is sorta kinda officially underway (free agents can't sign until 7/8). Already, some teams have made their moves with terrible signings, some teams have convinced their stars to stay home, but all of the big fish are still left in the pond... even that LeBron guy. So what do we make of the Summer of 2010 so far? Y2 and I will go back and forth and analyze the deals, rumors, and possibilities of NBA free agency!
3 Stars Who Stayed Put
1) Paul Pierce - Boston - 4 yrs $61 Million
Y2: Pierce, the Celtic captain, reupping with Boston was the biggest slam dunk of the offseason feeding frenzy. For a player who has matured into one of the great Celtics in their rich history, Pierce deserves saluted for recognizing his historical importance with this franchise. Would Bird or McHale or Cowens or Havlicek left the Celtics to sign with the Nets for more money? Of course not. Pierce knows this team has one more run left in them and that his resigning with the Celtics cements his legacy as one of the greats.
2) Dirk Nowitzki - Dallas - 4 yrs $80 Million
Y1: Nowitzki, like Pierce, gave his team somewhat of a discount to stay in Dallas. Dirk was really never going to leave and at his age (32), it was unlikely that a marriage with the Nets or Knciks to rebuild around an old star would work. And, let's face it, a Nowitzki-Wade/Lebron marriage was never happening. So, Dirk will continue to be loved in Dallas... and continue to not win a title.
3) Joe Johnson - Atlanta - 6 yrs $119 Million
-Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. On both parts! Atlanta gave a max deal and tied their franchise to a guy that was 17/57 and averaged 10 points per game in the 4 game sweep at the hands of Orlando. You know, the one where the Hawks lost by 25 points per game!!! The one where Joe Johnson bashed the fans of Atlanta while his team was playing like dogs! The Joe Johnson Hawks have clearly maxed out and extending the marriage for 6 years will only drive the both of them further to mediocrity. Johnson would have been much better served joining Amare, Bosh, or heck even Amir Johnson than going back to Atlanta for more playoff beatdowns.
3 Worst Deals
1) Amir Johnson - Tornto - 5 yrs $34 Million
Give the Toronto Raptors credit for being so determined... determined to be the big losers in the Summer of 2010. They've already got a head case on the books in Hedo Turkoglu for years to come. They may let Chris Bosh walk away for nothing. And now, the Raptors sign... Amir Johnson? A player who has averaged 4 PPG and 4 RPG in his illustrious 5 year career. While Johnson has decent athleticism, he is not a player worthy of such a commitment. He's had his chances (playing at least 60 games his last 3 years), but hasn't made a noticeable impact for either Detroit or Toronto. This type of signing is typical of the desperate nature some teams feel this time of year.2) Darko Milicic - Minnesota - 4 yrs $20 Million
-Darko! How did one of the most infamous draft picks of our lifetime just get a $20 Million contract? Oh, that's right... David Kahn is still the GM of the Timberwolves. Apparently, he finally found a team in Minnesota where he felt at home and let him blossom into a star. Oh, what numbers did he produce for the 15-67 TWolves? 8.3 PPG and 5.5 RPG in 24 games and 18 starts. Don't worry, that's way above his career average of 5.6/4.1. Shrewd signing Kahn, shrewd.
3) Drew Gooden & John Salmons - Milwaukee - 5 yrs $32 Million & 5 yrs $39 Million
-Some will support what the Bucks have done, locking up two solid players to play alongside Brandon Jennings and Andrew Bogut. But, for a young team with real potential, it would have been nice to see them follow the OKC model of patience building around young talent. Instead, they reached for the lowest-hanging fruit, resigning Salmons, and giving Drew Gooden the opportunity to play for his 45th team. Not exactly the way to break into the Eastern conference elite.
3 Headscratchers
1) Richard Jefferson Leaves The Spurs... and $15 Million
-Richard Jefferson might be the greatest poker player the world has ever known, walking away from $15 millioin and the Spurs. Sure, his agent probably told him it was a great idea to cash in before the next collective bargaining agreement, but would any GM commit to RJ for any length of time after his game regressed so clearly this past season? Wait, this is the NBA, where teams give money away to fledgling talent.
2) The Suns Build Around... Channing Frye and Hakim Warrick?
-The Suns evidently could not reach an agreement with Amare Stoudemire - so they went to Plan B. Channing Frye (already on the Suns bench and nothing more than a 3 point specialist) and Hakim Warrick. Yes, I loved Warrick at Syracuse and he would be a good energy guy off the bench. But, he's never going to be Amare Stoudemire. Good luck Alvin Gentry, you'll need it.
3) Chris Bosh Being Chris Bosh
-By far the most confusing player in this entire drama is Chris Bosh and his impending divorce with the Raptors. First, Toronto makes waves that they won't help Bosh leave by participating in a sign-and-trade. Next, Bosh pins his free agency to the coattails of Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, basically insisting he'll follow them like a lapdog wherever they want. But, when reports surface today that the Raptors will relent and unite Bosh with James in Cleveland via a trade, "sources" intimate Bosh doesn't want to play in Cleveland.
Can someone please make up Chris Bosh's mind? He wants to play with a contender, but he wants a max deal, which he can only get through a sign-and-trade. He wants to play with LeBron, then he wants to play with Wade, then he wants to play with both. Never has a player inflated his own standing as a "superstar" so completely without any on-court achievements. Sure, Bosh is a nice player, but is he as good as Pau Gasol? I don't think he is. And with this diva act he's pulling this offseason (refusing to communicate with Toronto, wishing to play with another big man who can do the "dirty work", perhaps milking his decision for a documentary) it really makes me wonder if the team who doesn't end up with Chris Bosh might be the big winner in all of this hoopla.
Star Watch
*Amare Stoudemire
-The best fit for Amare was always going to be New York, where he signed a 5 year deal for $100 Million range. Umm... not exactly the guy that you tanked two years to get. Yipes. Now the pressure is really on the Knicks to find another piece to pair with Amare. Amare thinks that if he doesn't get LBJ this Summer that he'll get Carmelo Anthony and Tony Parker next Summer? Well Knicks fans, there's always the Summer of 2015 when John Wall becomes a free agent!
*Dwyane Wade
-Wade was thought to be the one sure bet amongst the big 3 targets. But, his flirtation with his hometwon Bulls may throw a monkey wrench into Pat Riley's plans for a troika of stars in South Beach. Expect Wade to be tempted by joining the Bulls with Bosh, but its more likely he stays loyal to Riles and tries to recruit players to add to Miami's 2 man roster.
*Chris Bosh
-Y2 is right, Chris Bosh is starting to annoy me. His constant twittering and pandering to the media is getting on my nerves (and evidently that of Toronto). Evidently, he's making a movie/documentary about the whole free agency process too, great. He seems more concerned with making a name for himself off the court than anything else. He wants to ride the coattails of Wade and LeBron to fame and championships. Bosh has shown up with Wade more than a few times (they share the same agent, although maybe he just finds Wade by coincidence during these meetings with teams) so it looks like that he'll join up with him in either Chicago or Miami. Right now, I would lean towards Chicago as the destination for both.
*LeBron James
-LeBron has heard all of the suitors come and go like it was some bizzare cross of the Bachelor and a series of congressional hearings. Two teams seem to have played themselves out, the Clippers because they're the Clippers, and the Knicks, with or without Amare. That leaves the Nets, Bulls, Heat, and Cavs. By all accounts, the Cavs Family Guy-style cartoon pitch hit close to the King's heart. But, with every passing day, all of Ohio grows more and more nervous. A quick decision would seem to favor sticking with the Cavs. But, it seems James is going to be deliberate as always, waiting to get a sense of where Bosh and Wade will land to make a decision. One thing is for sure, the Cavs could follow James around for the next week with planted fans and signs, but it won't make the King's decision for him. If anything, it comes off as desperate and tacky. Watch where James goes this next week. If he leaves Cleveland, I mean physically leaves the city, then he's gone. Maybe Dan Gilbert should just build a fence around all of NE Ohio. But, the sense that LeBron is trying to recruit Bosh to Cleveland might be the most convincing sign yet as to where LeBron will go.
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