Post by Tigertecz on Mar 4, 2009 13:33:57 GMT -8
OK, so this year’s free agency pool doesn’t seem too enticing. Having said that, couple the minimum salary obligation with the fact that there are a lot of rebuilding teams in the league with massive amounts of cap room to spend, it looks like the players on this list will go for inflated prices. There’s a lot of money to be spent, proving that PWW may be the only place to avoid the credit crunch! Woohoo!
Here’s the best of bunch in FA land…
1. Kobe Bryant SG 6'6'' 220 31 A- A- B A C C
He can jump over an Aston Martin DB9 while it’s moving. Surely that’s reason enough to sign him? If it’s not, then just look at his ratings and look at his hands for a nice new PWW Championship ring and that Playoff MVP trophy he’s holding. He led the Knicks to the first PWW title, averaging 31.1ppg (joint first with LeBron James) in the post-season, having averaged 30.9ppg in the regular season - good for second place behind Dwyane Wade, but Wade didn’t have to share the ball with Vince Carter. Kobe is still a premier defender, as well as being one of, if not the, best scorer in the league, despite his horrible turnovers. It’s likely he’ll re-sign with New York, but he’ll still get max offers from every team who has the money. Rightly so too.
2. Marvin Williams SF 6'9'' 232 24 B C+ C- B- C+ A[/u]
Marvin Williams is the most desirable youngster in the FA pool. With all the rebuilding teams in the league having cap space, he is likely to be of major interest. He has a good core skillset and looks like he has lots of potential to develop those skills further. His former team (Minnesota) landed the top pick in the 2009 draft, bringing in the highly rated Blake Griffin. They have the money to throw at Williams, so I would guess their GM will do what it takes to bring him back to Minnesota. Be prepared to really overpay in order to pry him away from the Wolves.
3. Ron Artest SF 6'7'' 260 29 B B- C A+ C B
The multi-talented rapping bad boy of the league is looking for a team with balls to compensate for the lack of them with his dog above. He is still a defensive powerhouse (5th amongst playoff leaders with 2spg, 6th best in the regular season with 1.9spg), while possessing enough skills in offense to be a useful second or third option for any team. With Phoenix looking to stay competitive, it is likely they will be offering him a large contract, meaning any other team interested in him will have to overpay for his services. Unlikely to be worth it for rebuilding teams out there, but teams looking to compete should try their luck if they have the money.
4. David Lee PF 6'9'' 249 25 B C C B- A- B[/u]
According to the numbers, he is the 7th best rebounder in the league, averaging 11.1rpg during the regular season. Lee isn’t a bad passer for a big man and has a solid offensive game to go with his good rebounding ability. He is still young and seems to have some potential left in the tank to hopefully develop his weak defense. Nonetheless, he is a talented big who probably isn’t max-worthy, but with the lack of talent in this FA class, you never know, he could get some big money offers.
5. Shawn Marion SF 6'7'' 215 31 B C+ C- A- B+ C[/u]
Sure, Marion’s not the force he once was, but he’s still a very talented veteran who can play both the 3 and 4 with good skills at both ends of the floor. He played a decent part with the rest of the more “experienced“ Lakers, and would fit in well with any competing team. I doubt many rebuilding teams would want him, but he’d be good trade bait seeing as many competing teams don’t have the cap space to sign him outright.
6. Carlos Boozer PF 6'9'' 258 28 A- C- C C B+ B[/u]
He crashes the boards and scores inside very well, so for any team needing an offensive threat in the paint, you can’t get much better than Boozer. His defense is poor but even at his age, he seems to have some potential left. Like with Marion, I don’t think many rebuilding teams would want him for anything other than trade bait, because he could certainly help push any contending team over the top.
7. Allen Iverson SG 6'0'' 165 34 B+ B+ B+ C+ C- D[/u]
The Answer can still ball at the tender age of 34. He’s still a lethal scorer who can play both guard positions, and it will probably take quite a large offer to land him. He’s the second Phoenix player on this list and like his former team-mate, he’ll help any contending team with their push for a title. He’ll definitely be good trade bait if a rebuilding team lands him, although if the contract he gets is too large, may end up being too difficult to trade. It’ll be interesting to see how large an offer he’ll get.
8. Jason Kidd PG 6'4'' 212 35 C C+ A A C+ D
Easily the best PG in this FA class, it may be worth splashing out on him to get a shot of that ^^. At 35 years of age, his best days are surely behind him, but he may get a few large bids. His age will scare most away though, meaning someone may be able to sneak him in on the cheap if they’re lucky.
9. Mike Bibby PG 6'2'' 190 31 C+ A- B+ C+ C- C[/u]
Another veteran ex-Laker on the list, Mike Bibby is still a good contributor and a great floor general, good for 9apg (top ten during the regular season as well as the post-season), and he has a great shot from outside. He’s much better, offensively, than J-Kidd, but his suspect D may scare off teams looking for the prototypical defensive passing PG. He won’t need a huge offer, but may be a steal for a team as the main focus will be on the players higher up on this list.
10. Andre Miller PG 6'2'' 200 32 B C A- B C- C[/u]
Dre Miller is a solid point guard who would probably garner a bit of interest for teams lacking a decent starter at the 1, but he is very unlikely to get any large offers. He’s good enough to start on many teams, but would be a perfect back up for any playoff team for sure. In a stronger class, the MLE would probably be enough to nab him, but in this class you may need to spend much more to get him.
The next five make up my “honourable mention” list – all players that could get some large offers if they don’t slip under the radar:
Ben Gordon SG 6'3'' 200 26 B- A- C C+ D+ B
Lamar Odom PF 6'10'' 230 30 B C+ C+ B- B C
Carl Landry PF 6'8'' 248 25 B- D+ D+ B- B- B
Jamario Moon SF 6'8'' 205 29 B- C C- A- C+ B
Chris Wilcox PF 6'10'' 229 27 B C- C- B B- C
Here’s the best of bunch in FA land…
1. Kobe Bryant SG 6'6'' 220 31 A- A- B A C C
He can jump over an Aston Martin DB9 while it’s moving. Surely that’s reason enough to sign him? If it’s not, then just look at his ratings and look at his hands for a nice new PWW Championship ring and that Playoff MVP trophy he’s holding. He led the Knicks to the first PWW title, averaging 31.1ppg (joint first with LeBron James) in the post-season, having averaged 30.9ppg in the regular season - good for second place behind Dwyane Wade, but Wade didn’t have to share the ball with Vince Carter. Kobe is still a premier defender, as well as being one of, if not the, best scorer in the league, despite his horrible turnovers. It’s likely he’ll re-sign with New York, but he’ll still get max offers from every team who has the money. Rightly so too.
2. Marvin Williams SF 6'9'' 232 24 B C+ C- B- C+ A[/u]
Marvin Williams is the most desirable youngster in the FA pool. With all the rebuilding teams in the league having cap space, he is likely to be of major interest. He has a good core skillset and looks like he has lots of potential to develop those skills further. His former team (Minnesota) landed the top pick in the 2009 draft, bringing in the highly rated Blake Griffin. They have the money to throw at Williams, so I would guess their GM will do what it takes to bring him back to Minnesota. Be prepared to really overpay in order to pry him away from the Wolves.
3. Ron Artest SF 6'7'' 260 29 B B- C A+ C B
The multi-talented rapping bad boy of the league is looking for a team with balls to compensate for the lack of them with his dog above. He is still a defensive powerhouse (5th amongst playoff leaders with 2spg, 6th best in the regular season with 1.9spg), while possessing enough skills in offense to be a useful second or third option for any team. With Phoenix looking to stay competitive, it is likely they will be offering him a large contract, meaning any other team interested in him will have to overpay for his services. Unlikely to be worth it for rebuilding teams out there, but teams looking to compete should try their luck if they have the money.
4. David Lee PF 6'9'' 249 25 B C C B- A- B[/u]
According to the numbers, he is the 7th best rebounder in the league, averaging 11.1rpg during the regular season. Lee isn’t a bad passer for a big man and has a solid offensive game to go with his good rebounding ability. He is still young and seems to have some potential left in the tank to hopefully develop his weak defense. Nonetheless, he is a talented big who probably isn’t max-worthy, but with the lack of talent in this FA class, you never know, he could get some big money offers.
5. Shawn Marion SF 6'7'' 215 31 B C+ C- A- B+ C[/u]
Sure, Marion’s not the force he once was, but he’s still a very talented veteran who can play both the 3 and 4 with good skills at both ends of the floor. He played a decent part with the rest of the more “experienced“ Lakers, and would fit in well with any competing team. I doubt many rebuilding teams would want him, but he’d be good trade bait seeing as many competing teams don’t have the cap space to sign him outright.
6. Carlos Boozer PF 6'9'' 258 28 A- C- C C B+ B[/u]
He crashes the boards and scores inside very well, so for any team needing an offensive threat in the paint, you can’t get much better than Boozer. His defense is poor but even at his age, he seems to have some potential left. Like with Marion, I don’t think many rebuilding teams would want him for anything other than trade bait, because he could certainly help push any contending team over the top.
7. Allen Iverson SG 6'0'' 165 34 B+ B+ B+ C+ C- D[/u]
The Answer can still ball at the tender age of 34. He’s still a lethal scorer who can play both guard positions, and it will probably take quite a large offer to land him. He’s the second Phoenix player on this list and like his former team-mate, he’ll help any contending team with their push for a title. He’ll definitely be good trade bait if a rebuilding team lands him, although if the contract he gets is too large, may end up being too difficult to trade. It’ll be interesting to see how large an offer he’ll get.
8. Jason Kidd PG 6'4'' 212 35 C C+ A A C+ D
Easily the best PG in this FA class, it may be worth splashing out on him to get a shot of that ^^. At 35 years of age, his best days are surely behind him, but he may get a few large bids. His age will scare most away though, meaning someone may be able to sneak him in on the cheap if they’re lucky.
9. Mike Bibby PG 6'2'' 190 31 C+ A- B+ C+ C- C[/u]
Another veteran ex-Laker on the list, Mike Bibby is still a good contributor and a great floor general, good for 9apg (top ten during the regular season as well as the post-season), and he has a great shot from outside. He’s much better, offensively, than J-Kidd, but his suspect D may scare off teams looking for the prototypical defensive passing PG. He won’t need a huge offer, but may be a steal for a team as the main focus will be on the players higher up on this list.
10. Andre Miller PG 6'2'' 200 32 B C A- B C- C[/u]
Dre Miller is a solid point guard who would probably garner a bit of interest for teams lacking a decent starter at the 1, but he is very unlikely to get any large offers. He’s good enough to start on many teams, but would be a perfect back up for any playoff team for sure. In a stronger class, the MLE would probably be enough to nab him, but in this class you may need to spend much more to get him.
The next five make up my “honourable mention” list – all players that could get some large offers if they don’t slip under the radar:
Ben Gordon SG 6'3'' 200 26 B- A- C C+ D+ B
Lamar Odom PF 6'10'' 230 30 B C+ C+ B- B C
Carl Landry PF 6'8'' 248 25 B- D+ D+ B- B- B
Jamario Moon SF 6'8'' 205 29 B- C C- A- C+ B
Chris Wilcox PF 6'10'' 229 27 B C- C- B B- C
