NBA: FREE AGENTS 2009 (article in English and Español)

The NBA´s protagonist in recent days is the New York Knicks, because the Madison´s team seems to have decided to forget about the performance of both this and of the next season and it will wait until the summer of 2010 to have a competitive team, since it is possible that players like LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Steve Nash-these 3 players will be free agent in 2010-arrive to New York in 2010. Obviously to see these arrivals, we must wait 2 years and although anything is possible, it seems very probable, since if there is not a good reason, it is very difficult to explain the departure from New York this week of the 2 best scorer of the team this season, Jamal Crawford- the 28 year´s old´s guard with a salary of 8,640,000$, is averaging 19 points per game- and the controversial Zach Randolph –he is 27 year´s old and his numbers are 19 points and 11 rebound and he has a salary of 14,666,667$-.New York signed in these transactions: Tim Thomas-he is 31 year´s old and his numbers are 10 point per game and a salary of 6,049,400$-, Cuttino Mobley-he is 33 year´s old!!! and his numbers are 14 points per game and a salary of 8.925.00$- (both will be free agent in 2010) and Al Harrington-he is 28 year´s old and his numbers are: salary of 9,226,250$ and 14.3 points per game (during his first 3 Knick´s games his FG% was 14-44 .... we will see if he improves during the season).

Well, we will have many time to talk about LeBron James, Knicks and about the major players-Joe Johnson (Atlanta Hawks; 23.4 points per game), Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics;19 points per game), Tracy McGrady (Houston Rockets;15 points per game), Yao Ming (Houston Rockets and 18 points and 9.7 rebounds per game), Dirk Nowitzki (24, 6 points per game), Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat; 27.4 points per game ), Richard Jefferson (Milwaukee Bucks;18.8 points per game), Michael Redd (Milwaukee Bucks;21 per game), Amare Stoudemire (Phoenix Suns; 22 points and 8 rebounds per game) or Manu Ginobili (San Antonio Spurs)-who will be free agent in 2010 and of course they can arrive to the Madison in this year. But as we said, until these movements, we have 2 years and besides the team will have other option before to strengthen the rosters, since there will be many interesting unrestricted free agent next summer 2009 and now we will analyse them.

GUARD

It is clear that there are teams, which need to sign a player for this position in order to be truly competitive in the league, such as Los Angeles Lakers, since we believe that it should strengthen this position because Derek Fisher is a veteran player-34 year´s old-and he can not hold all the competition at 100% and the other team guard, Jordan Farmar, is too young and impulsive to be the play maker of a winning team- it is true that this year he is improving and besides Lakers does not pay a lot of money as salary(1,080,000 $) -. In similar situations, there are teams like Phoenix Suns- if the great Steve Nash is injured, Suns have a problem, since the Nash´s substitute is not a solvent player and in fact, Goran Dragic is a fiasco, which is normal because he only played a good European season-, Toronto-Raptors –the GM did not solve the TJ Ford´s departure last summer and the team has a problem in this position, since although Jose Calderon had a lot of quality and he is qualified to be the in starting lineup of any NBA´s team, his substitutes are not the adequate, since Roko Ukic, as Dragic, has played only a good European season at Lotttomatica Rome and the other, Willie Solomon, is not a playmaker, since he is a shooter and besides he must change his mind, because he was the team´s leader when he played in Europe and now he is simply one more of the roster-, Portland Trail Blazers- this team can be one of the dominant teams during the next years, because the duo Brandon Roy-Greg Oden can be incredible, but if the team wants to be a serious candidate, it needs another guard since Steve Blake is a shooter and he is not a playmaker and Sergio Rodriguez does not have the confidence of Nate McMillan(the coach)and his Portland´s future is uncertain and even it is possible that he have a new team in the next weeks(since Sergio Rodriguez´s agent said that Sergio wants a transfer, he is playing more minutes, ¿why? one reason can be that the other teams have to see Sergio in action more minutes in order to decide if he can be a valid player for them) -.

Well, these teams might interest some of these players: If you have enough money and you are seeking a total player, the player can be Jason Kidd (Dallas Mavericks), who despite his 35 year´s old, this year he is still averaging 10.2 points, 8.4 assist, 7.4 rebounds and 2.5 steals-the problem is his currently salary, since he is earning 21,372,000$ although we think that it will decline substantially since next summer-. If you want a great name and excellent scorer, your options must be players like Allen Iverson-the Detroit Pistons´s player is 33 year´s old and his numbers are 18.5 points, 5.7 assists, 3.4 rebounds this season and his current salary is 20,840,625$ (¿who does not want "The Answer "?)-, Mike Bibby (Atlanta Hawks)-he is 30 year´s old, and the current numbers are15 points, 4.6 assists, 1.4 and 1.4 steal per game and his current salary:14,983,603$ - Ben Gordon (Chicago Bulls)-he is 25 year´s old and the numbers are 20 points, 3.7 assists and with a current salary of 6,404,750 $, which obviously will be increased and he will earn at least around 10-12 million per year-, Jamal Crawford (Golden State Warriors)-he is 28 year´s old and his numbers are 19 points, 4.7 assists and the current salary:8,640,000$ -. However, if you prefer a pure playmaker, you should sign the good Philadelphia 76ers´s guard, Andre Mille-he is 32 year´s old but he continues with his great level and this year is averaging 14 points, 5.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds, with a current salary of 10,333,334 $-, although if you do not want to spend so much money, your option must be a player like Anthony Carter (Denver Nuggets)-he is 33 year´s old and his numbers are 6.7 points, 4.8 assists, 3 rebounds and 1.4 steal and a current salary of 797,581$ -, Travis Diener (Indiana Pacers)-we like this 26 year´s old´s guard since his period Orlando Magic and he can be a good option for any medium team(his current salary is 1,620,000$)-,or the experienced Eddie House (Boston Celtics)-he is 30 year´s old and he has a current salary of 2,650,000$) or Damon Jones (Milwaukee Bucks)-he is 32 years old and he is good 3FG(41%3FG) and his number are this season: 6.5 points and 1.9 assists in 20 minutes, current salary 4,460,186$-. Along with these reliable choices, the free agents´s market has other players whose performance can be a mystery, since these are players who have a big name and it seems they are not very motivated to play. But if there are any brave, it can sign players like Steve Francis (Houston-Rockets)-he is only 31 year´s old but he is far from his best level and now he has poor numbers: only 5 points and 3 assists in 20 minutes of play, with a current salary of 2,634,480$- or the controversial Stephon Marbury (New York Knicks)-this 31 year´s old´s guard (with a salary of 20,840,625$!!!) has decided that he will not play more with Knicks because he has a bad relation with the coach Mike D'Antoni ... .we will see what will be the future of this player who once was a excellent player(he said that he was the best guard of the world), having an averaged during his 12 years in the NBA of 20 points, 8 assists and 3 rebounds per game-, or Ricky Davis (Los Angeles Clippers)-he is 29 year´s old and he is obviously far from his best level but if he can improve his performance, he may be valid for any team (his career´s number are 14.1 points, and 3.4 assists and his current salary is 2,300,000$-.

FORWARD

Of course that in this position, the most important free agent will be Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers), who is 30 year´s old but he is still a wonderful player, being possibly the best player in the league-his numbers this season are 23.7 points, 3.9 assists and 5 rebounds and his current salary: 21,262,500$- and sincerely I think that his team should be Lakers, because it is a great team, a serious aspirant to be the champion of this season and during the next 3-4 year, but it has a good play in the paint (Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, although perhaps Lakers should dispense with players like Chris Mihm (salary:2,500,000$), DJ Mbenga (salary:880,658$), Sun Yue (salary:442,114$), who contribute almost nothing and all this sum of money could be destined to acquire another good player for the “paint”). Besides the Lakers is the ideal team for Kobe, because he is the leader and no one would discuss his role and therefore there will not be any egos´s problem, since all the player know the situation and they respect it. So we believe that there should be no reason to see a Kobe´s departure from Lakers, which should also make an effort with Trevor Ariza, whose contract ends this season too and he is really playing very well, with intensity, concentration and quality -this season his numbers are 9.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.92 steals, with a current salary: 3,100,000$-,showing that he is a player with a lot of present and future and he which should be rewarded with a good contract(around 6-8 million $ per year).

Along with Lakers´s players, we should also pay attention to the future of NBA´s classics such as Wally Szczerbiak (Cleveland Cavaliers)- I do not know if he has any problem playing alongside LeBron James, but the truth is that he is only 31 year´s old and his numbers are bad, because a player with a salary of 13,775,000$ can not offer 7.6 points and 2 rebounds. So, if he wants a good salary for next season, he must improve-,Ron Artest- possibly the Houston Rockets´s player is one of the pleasant surprises of the season and we do not refer to his excellent level ( the number of the 29 year´s old´s forward are 14.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists), since we want to remark his behaviour on the court, since it seems that he want to stop his bad reputation to be a polite player and of course it is very good in order to get a good salary next season(his current salary is 7,400,000$) - Shawn Marion (Miami Heat)-this 30 year´s old forward is not playing well and it is seems that he has a passive attitude and of course the Miami´s fans and GM want more than his 12.4 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, because he has a big and important salary(17,810,000 $)and of course if he continues with this play, perhaps Miami Heat should forget this player and use this salary to acquire a good center to complement Dwyane Wade(if Miami want that the Wade´s continuity after 2010, it must acquire a good center) and promising rookie Michael Beasley-, Quentin Richardson(New-York Knicks)-he is a good player with only 28 year´s old and with numbers of 12 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, and his current salary: 8,685,500$- Hedo Turkoglu (Orlando Magic)-we knew his tremendous quality in Europe and now, with 29 year´s old and in full maturity, we can say that he has "exploited" as an NBA player and he is becoming an important player in the league, as his numbers say: 16.7 points (although we think that he must improve his %FG this year, since he has the adequate quality), 5.1 rebounds and 4, 1 assists and his current salary: 6,864,200$, which will be increased from next season and he will earn around 10-12 million $ per year as minimum. We'll see if he continues at Orlando, which would be his best option, because playing alongside a dominant center as Dwight Howard is always a guarantee for a shooter, because he knows that he can shoot with calmness, knowing that if he mistakes the shoot, the rebound will have an owner, Howard.

In addition we will pay attention to the future of the correct players as Anthony Parker(Toronto Raptors)-33 year´s old, 10.6 points, 3 rebounds and 2.3 assists, current salary: 4,550,000 $ (we do not believe that he move to another team and his salary more or less will be similar to this season)- and the shooter Kyle Korver (Utah Jazz) –he is 27 year´s old with 7.3 points this season and a salary of 4,956,818 $- and the future of one of the positive surprises of this season, Matt Barnes (Phoenix Suns), since this 28 year´s old´s forward is playing very well, meriting a big contract next season, since his numbers(12 points with 47 FG%, 5.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists)merit something more than his current salary of 797,581 $-. So, he is a good player and we think that Phoenix Suns would recompense his season, offering a new contract, as to Grant Hill, whose contract with Suns also finishes this summer and although he is already 36 year´s old and he has suffered many injuries throughout his career and certainly he is not in his best moment, he keeps his tremendous quality and he can play well 20 minutes per game and for example his numbers are this season: 9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game and he has current salary of 1,976,400$.

CENTER-POWER FORWARD

In this position, the focus will be on what will happen with the Utah Jazz´s player and what will happens with Lakers´s player, Lamar Odom.

Firstly, in relation to the Utah Jazz, Jerry Sloan can have a big problem next season if Salt Lake City´s team can not keep the 2 essential player in the Utah´s “paint”, Carlos Boozer-he is 27 year´s old and his numbers are 20.5 points(55 FG%), 11.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists and a current salary of 11593817 $- and Mehmet Okur-he is 29 year´s old and his numbers are 15.9 points (54 FG%), 6.2 rebounds and 1, 7 assistances, and with a current salary of 8,500,000$ - because it is very difficult to find these kind of players: hard, aggressive, with quality and determinant –Okur scored many times the decisive last shot of the game-, so it is not an easy task to replace these player and therefore the , the Energy Solutions Arena´ GM must find a good solution to please the loyal Jazz´s fans-buy the way the Energy Solutions Arena is one the most difficult and complicated arena in the NBA-who want only to see next year these 2 excellent at Utah-we think that the Boozer´s salary should be around 15-17 million $ and Okur´s salary around 12 million$- .
On the other hand, the other important player is Lamar Odom, who will decide whether to continue accepting his new Lakers´s role, because this year with the Bynum´s return, Odom does not play in the starting line up and of course he does not like this situation, since he thinks that his age-29 year´old- and his quality-he plays less minutes this season, but his numbers are good: 10.5 points (53 FG%), 5.8 rebounds and 2 assists-. He must decide if he wants to continue with this role in an important team or if he prefers to be a determinant player in a medium team. He has the last word and although we believe that his continuity would be good for the Lakers, we must also bear in mind that his departure would mean that the Lakers could spend the Odom´s big salary ( 14,148,596 $) in a player with more projection, and future.

In addition we will see the movements of other important players and we will if some of them arrive to Miami Heat, which could be the destination of Zydrunas Ilgauskas (Cleveland Cavaliers)-he is 33 year´s old (maybe it is his big problem), 14.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.2 blocks, 85 FT% and a current salary:10,841, 615 $-the controversial and hard Rasheed Wallace (Detroit Pistons)-he is 34 year´s old, 13.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks, salary: 13,930,000 $(much level !!)-, Drew Gooden (Chicago Bulls)-good player, he is 27 year´s old and his numbers this season are 13 points, 8.7 rebounds and his current salary is 7,151,183$-,Eddy Curry (New York Knicks)-he is 25 year´s old, 13.5 points, 5.4 rebounds during his career-Jermaine O'Neal ( Toronto Raptors)- he is 30 year´s old, 12 4 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, 82 FT% and a current salary: 21,372,000 $(he would be a good asset for Miami); finally we will indicate that alongside these big names, the teams may also find profiles of players with less name and cheaper, although of course being very professional in the commended task. Players with this profile are Zaza Pachulia (Atlanta Hawks)-he is 24 year´s old and his current numbers are 5 points and 6 rebounds, current salary:4,000,000 $- the hard Anderson Varejao (Cleveland Cavaliers) –he is 26 year´s old and his currents numbers are 8 points and 6 rebounds; current salary: 5,784,480$- or Rasho Nesterovic (Indiana Pacers)-he is 32 year´s old and he can offer a lot of experience and he is a synonym of professional player, since for example this year his numbers are 10, 4 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.2 blocks, 85% in FT; current salary:8,400,000$ -.

We'll see the future of all of them,

Other recent article about NBA:

NBA: GOOD GAME AT BOSTON GARDEN (article available in English and Español)

NBA:SPAIN AND ROOKIES (This article is available in English and Español)

Cheers,

J&F