benaikey

With free agency now upon us, deals made this year will strongly impact next year’s highly publicized free agency. There are some solid players available this year, and some teams need to be in desperation mode to sign them to keep their star players from leaving next year. Here’s a look at some players that could have the biggest impact.

Shawn Marion – I think “The Matrix” is the best available free agent this year, as well as the possible impact he could have. Marion has played for 3 different teams the last 2 seasons and should be looking to play for a title contender. He’s made the All-Star team 4 times since 2003, and I think the team that needs to step up and pay him is the Cleveland Cavaliers. With all this talk about LeBron James possibly leaving next summer for the Knicks (which I think is absolute rubbish – but that’s another rant for another time), Cleveland needs to give him a high-profile teammate so King James doesn’t have to carry the load by himself. Say what you want about how well his teammates work together, Cleveland is still a one man team. Adding Marion to play alongside LeBron gives Cleveland as strong of a one-two punch as Kobe and Lamar Odom for the Lakers. And correct me if I’m wrong, but they just won the NBA title. Cavaliers management, sign this guy.

Lamar Odom – I expect the Lakers will re-sign him. They’d be foolish not to, and he’d be equally foolish for not wanting to keep playing with Kobe. I know it was a team effort with the Lakers, with great teamwork between Kobe, Odom, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, and Derek Fisher. Re-sign Odom, keep that starting lineup together, and you’ll have a good chance of winning a few more titles before it’s all said and done.

Ron Artest – Say what you want about his attitude, the man can play some defense. The Rockets need him desperately considering the possible severity of Yao Ming’s injury and the possible departure next year of Tracy McGrady. He’s unpredictable though, so I can’t really make an estimate on where I think he’ll end up. Personally, I’d like to see him here in Charlotte. The Bobcats are a team on the rise and Larry Brown is known for being able to control troubled players. Look at what he did his first year with Rasheed Wallace in Detroit. He could add some depth to the Bobcats and possibly help them reach the playoffs for the first time in franchise history next year.

Ben Gordon – As well as he played during the playoffs, nearly upsetting the Celtics, Gordon has become one of the hot names on the market. Every team can use a good outside shooter, and at a career 41.5% from downtown and 18.5 points per game, he could be a major difference-maker. I’m going to make an unorthodox pick and say his best fit is with the Los Angeles Clippers. Think about it for a minute. They have a solid point guard in Baron Davis and just drafted Blake Griffin, one of the most anticipated, can’t-miss rookies in recent memory. If he signs with them, in spite of how hard the Western Conference is, the Clippers will have a solid 1-2-3 combination.

Now, the dead weight of this year’s class. Not all free agents out there are as good as advertised. Here are the guys I see being over-valued or possibly not even getting signed.

Jason Kidd - As much as I like his style and demeanor, Jason Kidd isn’t worth as much as people think he is. Sure, he never gets injured and he’s a great team player. I just think at age 36, he’s not worth the money most people are going to offer him.

Sean May - Let’s face it, the guy is a bust. Larry Brown refused to play the guy because he wasn’t in good enough shape. I don’t see anyone wanting to sign him.

Allen Iverson - I’ve never liked this guy because let’s face it, he’s got a bad attitude. He’s not a team player, only cares about himself, and I don’t think anyone wants to put up with that. At 34 years old, he’s at a possible retirement age, and if nobody wants to take a chance on an aging point guard, he could be forced into early retirement.

Rasheed Wallace - I think the same applies to him as it does for Iverson.. He’s an aging big man that gets a lot of technical fouls for running his mouth, and I don’t think he can really help many teams. All the title contenders are pretty well set with their big men (the Celtics with Kevin Garnett, Cavaliers with Shaq, Lakers with Gasol, Magic with Dwight Howard, etc). If he goes to a title contender, I don’t see him starting. If he wants to start, it won’t be with a title contender. I think he needs to stay with Detroit, but there’s not a lot of hope in that.

Charlie Villanueva – This one isn’t quite as easy. He’s a solid player, averaging 13.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game over the course of his career. He’s stayed healthy for the most part, and I think he could step in and play well for someone. The problem is how much money he’ll be paid. I don’t really think he’s earned the right to make All-Star money just yet.

So those are my thoughts on some key free agents. I know there’s bound to be people that disagree with me, and they’ve got all right to. Regardless of your opinions, try to keep it respectful when posting comments.

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