HOOPSWORLD
Free Agency: Who's Left?

By: Alex Raskin   Last Updated: 7/23/09 2:04 PM ET | 13506 times read
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With only 70 shopping days left before the start of training camp, NBA free agency is in gridlock.

The situations of Lamar Odom, David Lee and Andre Miller need to play themselves out before Allen Iverson, Nate Robinson and Raymond Felton can find a home. The remaining players are in limbo, but it only takes one or two moves to get the NBA's economy flowing again.

A shrinking salary cap and the 2010 free agent nirvana have been obstacles for player agents. That means the following players could go for less than expected:

Blue Chips

Lamar Odom: Odom and the Lakers are at odds over a fourth year of the proposed deal. For three years, Odom can make $30 million and if a fourth was added it would probably be worth $6 million more.

As Steve Kyler mentioned in his NBA AM piece, the Lakers do not want to guarantee that fourth year. Obviously, paying a 34-year-old Odom $6 million in 2013 may leave a bad taste in Dr. Jerry Buss' mouth.

Dwyane Wade and the HEAT have put on a full-court press with their mid-level exception (a total package worth around $34 million) but that isn't enough leverage to get the Lakers to change their tune. As Kobe Bryant said in a press conference in Singapore this week, expect Odom to be back in Los Angeles next season.

David Lee: One has to wonder what his value really is. Portland's interest is waning and the Knicks aren't being bombarded with sign-and-trade offers for this restricted free agent.

Agent Mark Bartelstein was hoping to get Lee something over $10 million per season, but it's turning out this champion of the double-double is not worth that. And that brings up a major flaw in Bartelstein's argument for Lee.

Lee averaged 11.7 rebounds per game last season to go with 16 points per contest. Yes, those are both impressive numbers, but they also appear a bit inflated. The Knicks didn't have another top rebounder to team with Lee which may have helped boost the former Gator's statistics.

Teams like the Trail Blazers want frontcourt depth—not a $10 million-a-year backup. Don't be surprised to see Lee in a Knicks uniform next year only to hit the 2010 free agent market.

Andre Miller: Philadelphia General Manager Ed Stefanski has made it clear that Miller probably isn't returning. The Portland rumors come and go by the day, but the truth is that Miller is 33 years old, he's made around 20% of his career 3-pointers and his defense slipped last season for the 76ers.

The Knicks have shown interest, but it's hard to see what a lottery team like New York and a veteran like Miller would see in each other.

Perhaps there is another team that could become interested in Miller, but in the meantime, Stefanski is shopping for a veteran to put in front of rookie Jrue Holiday at the PG spot—that signifies the end of Miller's run in Philly.

Raymond Felton:  At the end of June, the Bobcats were feeling confident they could bring back the top half of their point guard tandem, but apparently the two parties are far apart on a contract. That means D.J. Augustin could be the starter next season.

Felton's situation may be held up by Miller, but if that wasn't the case the former Tar Heel might have some leverage. Now that the Portland's interest in Miller and Lee is cooling off, Felton could find himself in the Pacific Northwest next season.

But just as likely, Felton might sign the one-year tender of $5.5 million.

Ramon Sessions: It seems so natural that this young playmaker would find a home in New York.

Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni is known for his work with pass-first point guards and his brother and assistant coach, Dan D'Antoni, coached Sessions in AAU ball.

The Clippers appear to be the Knicks biggest obstacle for Sessions as Milwaukee is not expected to match any offer for this restricted free agent.

Allen Iverson: It's strange that so many people seem to be taking great joy out of Iverson's struggles. After everything he's accomplished in this league, you'd think he is owed respect if not a decent contract.

Regardless, most around the league don't think he has what it takes (at 34) to be a contributor again.

Of course, nobody thought he could bring a team that featured George Lynch and Eric Snow to the NBA Finals and he definitely accomplished that. It's never a good idea to count out Iverson.

That being said, his talents are a rough fit in most places.  If/when Odom re-signs in Los Angeles, Iverson becomes one of the premiere scorers left in free agency. The HEAT, Clippers and perhaps another team are interested, but A.I. will have to accept certain conditions:

1.) Come off the bench
2.) Sign for the mid-level
3.) Practice, Practice, Practice

Nate Robinson: Robinson now says he wants to stay with the Knicks, but that might be because Olympiakos has been his biggest suitor to this point. He might be a good bet for the $2.9 million one-year tender, but this restricted free agent is very frustrating for general managers.

He isn't a true point guard, he shoots at will and his defense suffers because of his frequent gambles and his size.

The Lakers front office supposedly likes him, but they spent their mid-level on Ron Artest. Robinson's ego may be bruised, but he does play hard so there is a good chance his check comes next summer.

Ben Wallace: The Suns bought out Wallace and now the veteran big man is swimming the free agent waters. Even if he is unsure he wants to continue his career, he is the type of player that doesn't need to be in camp to contribute to a team. Don't be shocked to see him sign mid-way through the season just as P.J. Brown did for the Celtics two years ago.

Drew Gooden: Had DeJuan Blair not fallen to the Spurs in the draft, Gooden might still have a home. As it stands, he is in the same boat as Wallace. The good news is he is a hard worker had possesses many qualities of a winner. If the Blazers can't work things out for a backup PF, maybe a one-year deal with Gooden can be signed. The Nets are rumored to be interested, but that doesn't mean a whole lot right now.

Glen Davis: Every time he appears to be out the door in Boston, Danny Ainge pops up and says that he hopes to sign the lumbering power forward. Detroit, New Jersey, Portland and a host of other teams are rumored to be interested, but a sign-and-trade may be the best way to go as Boston doesn't have another option at PF off the bench. One has to wonder, if Leon Powe was healthy, would the Celtics have just re-signed him and let Davis walk?

Ronald Murray: One of the better free agent signings of last summer, Murray is a Bobby Jackson-ish option off the bench. He might be 30, but he played very smart ball for the Hawks last season and could give several teams a scorer for less than the MLE. The Hawks need him for the playoffs, but if Miami strikes out with Iverson and Odom, don't be shocked to see Flip playing with the HEAT.

Stephon Marbury: Whatever happened to all of that Wizards talk?

The Celtics were reasonably happy with Marbury last season, but he also barely cost them anything. It's hard to see anyone spending real money to keep Marbury around.

Like Wallace, if Marbury signs it may be after the season starts.

Joe Smith: Who wants a jump shot, defense and rebounding for cheap?

Cleveland seems committed to their young power forwards (J.J. Hickson and Darnell Jackson) so it would be a surprise to see Smith back with the Cavs.

Teams may not know if they want Smith until they realize if they're a contender or not. If the Celtics lose Davis, Smith could answer their frontcourt problems by teaming with Rasheed Wallace.

Wally Szczerbiak: He may be a good candidate to take less money to stay in Cleveland. This marksman loves the organization (he frequently calls it the best in the NBA) and he doesn't hold as much value for other teams.

Sure, if the Cavs move on there will be a market for anyone that can shoot like Szczerbiak. His days of MLE+ money are over. His future depends on how low his price goes.

Linas Kleiza: George Karl wants Kleiza back, but at what cost? European and NBA teams are interested, but nothing has worked out yet. There were rumors of a sign-and-trade with Houston for Shane Battier, but those proved to be fruitless.

Sacramento, Memphis, Toronto and Atlanta could get in this mix. Don't count out the Charlotte Bobcats either who might have a few more dollars if Felton leaves.

Marvin Williams: He is expected to re-sign with the Hawks.

C.J. Watson: The Warriors might match an offer for Watson (who reportedly turned down a one-year deal from Philadelphia) but the Magic seem to be the front-runner here for this restricted free agent.  

Von Wafer: There were some Orlando rumors concerning Wafer, but a thinned Houston roster might need him back. Wafer averaged a career-high 9.7 ppg last season. He is unrestricted, but there are differing opinions on his value. Some feel he was a revelation while others think he is another example of great Rick Adelman coaching.

Jamaal Tinsley: After getting his release from the Indiana Pacers, Tinsley hopes to kick off the rust and contribute this season. Philadelphia might be interested but only if he is in playing shape. If he isn't close to that now, he may need to take part of the season to get to that point before signing somewhere.

The Rest

Rodney Carney might prove to be a good value for anyone with some extra cap space. If he makes close to the minimum, his 35% accuracy from 3-point range might help a contender. He is a decent athlete and has potential on defense. Unfortunately, Carney has not gotten a chance to show what he can do in the NBA.

The same could be said of Dallas' Gerald Green. This unrestricted free agent is only 23 and still possesses the same athleticism that often draws comparisons to a young Tracy McGrady. For teams with money, patience and roster space (Memphis, Charlotte, New Jersey), Green might have upside.

The remaining restricted free agents include Solomon Jones, Aaron Gray, Ryan Hollins, James Singleton, Steve Novak, Hakim Warrick, and Juan Carlos Navarro.

Meanwhile, the remaining unrestricted free agents include Mikki Moore, Leon Powe, Juwan Howard, Sean Singletary, Lorenzen Wright, Anthony Carter, Jason Hart, Johan Petro, Rob Kurz, Maceo Baston, Stephen Graham, Rasho Nesterovic, Fred Jones, Brian Skinner, Luther Head, Keith Bogans, Damon Jones, Jason Collins, Kevin Ollie, Shelden Williams, Maurice Ager, Ryan Bowen, Melvin Ely, Sean Marks, Desmond Mason, Malik Rose, Robert Swift, Adonal Foyle, Tyronn Lue, Jeremy Richardson, Royal Ivey, Donyell Marshall, Theo Ratliff, Stromile Swift, Shavlik Randolph, Michael Ruffin, Calvin Booth, Ike Diogu, Bobby Jackson, Rashad McCants, Cedric Simmons, Ime Udoka, Jacque Vaughn, Joey Graham, Jake Voskuhl, Morris Almond, Jarron Collins, Brevin Knight, Juan Dixon, Carlos Delfino, and Pops Mensah-Bonsu

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About the Author: ALEX RASKIN
Alex Raskin is HOOPSWORLD's senior Newslines Editor and also covers the New Jersey Nets and New York Knicks for HOOPSWORLD. Alex also serves as a New York Giants Correspondent for CBSsports.com

Comments (21 posted) Post your comment
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posted By Peter, 23 July 2009 12:42:48 PM
"Of course, nobody thought he could bring a team that featured George Lynch and Eric Snow to the NBA Finals and he definitely accomplished that. It's never a good idea to count out Iverson." This is laughable. Larry Brown was responsible for getting that team to the finals. Look at Iverson's playoff track record before and after Larry Brown and tell me different.
posted By Alex Raskin, 23 July 2009 12:57:22 PM
@Kevin: It seems to me that Allen Iverson had a major role in bringing that team to the NBA Finals. Sure, Brown did a great job coaching, but to give him all of the credit for that seems like a bit of an overstatement. Don't you think?
posted By @Peter, 23 July 2009 1:11:05 PM
Who was the one on the court? It for sure as hell wasn't Larry Brown.
posted By B, 23 July 2009 1:26:50 PM
Larry Brown is a great coach, but you cannot give him too much credit for 2001. If you watched their games that season you would have noticed there was not that much playmaking/coaching. The team was mentally strong (credit to Larry) and hard working on defense. Everything on offense went through iverson, so by logic the team's success depended on if AI delivered. And he did. Every game. By the finals they were too beat up to truly compete.
posted By andrew, 23 July 2009 1:37:09 PM
Is it true Knicks are no longer pursuing Sessions ?
posted By andrew, 23 July 2009 1:37:29 PM
Yeah and Phil Jackson got Jordan to the Finals too huh ?
posted By Alex Raskin, 23 July 2009 1:37:33 PM
And I would hate to sound like I'm bashing Snow or Lynch. Both played very well, were tough on defense but neither could be considered a legitimate second scorer. Mutombo and Ratliff (who were traded for each other if I remember correctly) were the second-leading scorers and Aaron McKie was up there as well. Those were tough players and Brown deserves credit for that, but what Iverson did that season was nothing short of amazing. Go to a basketball court sometime, run up and down for 38 minutes, then fall to the floor 10-15 times. That would give you an idea of what his season felt like. And that's why I don't get this resentment towards him. Iverson made the league very interesting during the beginning of the post-Jordan era.
posted By Alex Raskin, 23 July 2009 1:42:40 PM
@Andrew: There seems to be some conflicting rumors at the moment, but there isn't a better deal out there for the Knicks. Signing Miller is a win-now move for a win-later team. Sessions can run an offense and has potential on defense. And for those that think that Miller produced much more last season in Philly: His PER was less than a point better than Sessions during the regular season... Not a huge disparity.
posted By E-ROC, 23 July 2009 2:16:34 PM
I'm a Gerald Green fan. He is still struggling with his basketball IQ which involves shot selection, movement without the ball, and just basic understanding of an offense. Then there is his willingness to play defense. Those are his shortcomings. Yet he is only 23 years old. There is still tons of potential. If anything, he could become Flip Murray this season: a designated chucker off the bench. Any team who lacks scoring punch off the bench use someone like Gerald Green.
posted By Ramon Sessions, 23 July 2009 2:22:18 PM
The Knicks are the Knicks biggest obstacle in acquiring Ramon Sessions. Cheap Donnie Walsh doesn't want to step up and offer a five year MLE deal. It looks like the Clippers want me more...
posted By i get buckets, 23 July 2009 2:30:22 PM
ALEX,you nailed it.there has been alot of writers on here even who has taken great pride in seeing iverson not have a deal yet.i mean it only took 14 season of hearing them say that he's going to start breaking down for it became fact. they would be better off just saying that they don't like him as a person and leave it at that.iverson's problem has a lot more to do with a large ego then talent cause the guy can still play at a high level.he's not the guy who can steal a team some playoff games single handedly anymore but to say that he couldn't help a team is pure bs.
posted By Brandon, 23 July 2009 3:32:25 PM
Why don't the Blazers take a look at Joe Smith for the back up spot? He plays D, rebounds and has a nice mid-range... and would be cheap!!!
posted By Mark @ Peter, 23 July 2009 3:36:38 PM
One of the most ignorant comments I have ever heard. I agree with all the reasons why Iverson is not being recruited now but to down play his accomplishments or talent is just silly. This guy was a one man wrecking crew! In my opinion a top 5 SG ALL TIME! Name me 5 better? You can't and I don't want to hear about Walt Frazer or Sam Jones! MJ, Logo and Kobe are all acceptable answers. I'll discuss D Wade as a current player who has a chance to pass by him in time. AI is a star among stars but the thing about stars is they burn out. His time might come earlier than some because of his attitude but don't fron on the level of impact this guy had on the game.
posted By the soapmaker, 23 July 2009 5:34:10 PM
i love larry brown!! he helped put my pacers on the map, but iverson is a player!!!!
posted By Toolatcrew, 23 July 2009 7:01:20 PM
What does what Iverson did 8 or 9 years ago in his prime as the total focus of an offense have to do with what he can do now? He showed what he can do when he was an unstopable scorer surrounded by guys who winated no shots and played theor guys out on D. He's not that player anymore. You can't put a team of all D no offense guys around him. He's NOT that player anymore. He's never been in that system since and he never will be. What he was has nothing to do with the fact that his role now would be as a 6th man scorer. The only people who think Iverson is still what he was and should be a starter with the offense built around him are his apologists and Iverson. I guess 30 plus NBA GMs are just stupid for not wanting him? They are all just haters right?
posted By Toolatecrew, 23 July 2009 7:41:22 PM
That wade is better than Iverson isn't even a debate in my mind. Iversons BEST season in FG% isn't even as good as Wades wrost. Wade has shot over 49% twice and over 46% every year. Iverson has cracked the 45% barrier WICE his entire career. He's a career 43% shooter. Wade has hit 22 attemps per game once. Iverson 9 times. as much as 27 shots per game. They both get to the line over 9 times a game. Higher FG% less shots, There is absolutley no dobt Wade is much more efficeint even when surounded by lesser talent like last year. Passing? A/TO is comparabble as are assits and turnovers. Difference is Wade plays SG Iverson has played pleanty of PG. Defense PLEASE Wade outrebounds Iverson, is equal or close in steals and blocks 5 times as many shots. Leaving stats aside Wade plays much better D with his bigger stonger body and longer arms on SGs than AI ever did. I verson was one of the biggest ball dominators of all times. He was never very efficient. Even calling him a SG is debatable since he played entire seasons at PG. Name 5 better SGs Jordan, Kobe, Jerry West Wade, Clyde Drexler, that's easy. So what could Iverson do that George Gervin couldn't do? Gervin scored over 29 ppg 3 times and shot over 50% doing every time. Ever hear of Sydney Moncreif ?22 ppg 6 rpg 5 apg over 48% shooting and one of the best defensive SG of all time IMO. Maybe one of the best post up Sgs of all time too. IS he hands down better than IOverson? Debatable but if you value defense, team play as much as crossovers and big numbers its certainly an argument. A prime pre Coke David Thompson is certainly a candidate 27 ppg 5 rpg 4.5 apg over a steal AND 1 block 525 shooting. Iverson was definitley a great player. He did things no small man has done but he's also overatted by many bcuase of his gaudy numbers and flashy style that ignores his inefficiency . He was a great scorer but one of the hardest players in the NBA to play with (not because his teamates disliked him personally) because almost no one fits. Your pg neded to be big to gaurd SGs. He needed to not want the ball in his hands beciase Iverson does move without the ball. Your frontcourt need to be happy doing nothing but rebounding and covering up for his defensive gambles.
posted By Cervelli, 24 July 2009 1:18:34 AM
How about the Mavs going after Drew Gooden?....or getting a shooter like Wally or maybe Kleiza?
posted By AI, 24 July 2009 9:00:05 AM
Where has larry been without AI? And hanging on to MJ's wang doesnt count.
posted By Alex Raskin, 24 July 2009 1:00:23 PM
@Al: I like where your head is at, but Brown did win a title with the Pistons.
posted By PacerBrawlJack1, 24 July 2009 2:50:46 PM
Iverson is better than Mo Williams***Iverson is better than Mike Bibby***Iverson is better than T.J. Ford***Iverson is better than Raja Bell***Iverson is better than Luke Ridnour***Iverson is better than Chris Duhon***Iverson is better than Rodney Suckey***Iverson is better than Mario Chalmers***Iverson is better than Steve Blake***Iverson is better than whomever the Raptors and the Nets plan on starting at the 2
posted By Ana, 26 July 2009 8:50:30 PM
I think AI, would be great in miami! Using him as PG and Wade as SG,= AMAZING backboard action! The heat need to let odom stay in the lakers and have AI and boozer on the heat squad. Shoot if we can have all 3 we will be unstoppable!!! AI+HEAT= Championship! Guaranteed !!



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