Post by donatello2424 on Jun 21, 2010 12:17:11 GMT -5
This free agent class reads like a who’s who on uoslr. You have vets who can still produce, players in the prime, and several players coming off their rookie contracts. This free agent class has the potential to be very, very good. There are 39 players who I have considered to be the top people in the class. However, this could drastically change depending on how resigns, and also who retires. We are in for a very bumpy ride the next could of days. SF's, SG's, and PG's will be up soon.
270 Martynas Andriuskevicius C 26 7'2'' 242 C+ C D+ A- A- C
Marty was part of a mid-season trade as we watched the Cavs blow their team up. He was shipped off to Boston where he has continued to produce. He is the standard rebounding/shot blocking big man. While his rebounding numbers aren’t amazing (10 rpg this year, around 11 previously), his real value comes from his shot blocking. Shot blocking is key, and anytime you can add a top 10 bpg player, you pay the market value. He is going to get overpayed because of the niche he fills. He isn’t an offensive threat and turns it over a lot compared to how little he handles the basketball. But 3 bpg is still 3 bpg.
536 Joel Pryzbilla C 32 7'1'' 266 C+ C- C- A- B C
Przy bailed on the Nets to sign with the Bullets and then was shipped back to the Nets. Przy, like Marty, fills that role of a defensive force. He isn’t a rebounder, though he will do decently enough. Instead, eh is your shot blocker. He is gonna get you around 9 rpg and 3 bpg max, but rebounding is in such high demanded that he gets paid around the mle to do that. Once again, simple economics tells you that when demand is high and supply is low, prices go up.
486 Brook Lopez C 23 7'0'' 260 A- C C- B+ B B
Another casualty of the styro blowing his time team, Brook was actually sent to the Cavs in return for Okafor. Brook hasn’t quite develop into the full out stud that everyone had hoped, but he is still a very good player. He is almost a 20 ppg scorer. He can rebound decently and is an average shot blocker. He is going to get a max because of the chance he improves. If he could bring his rebounding up to even a B+ and his defense to an A-, he could be a very solid 20/11/2 type of big man.
505 Darko Milicic C 27 7'1'' 265 B C- C A+ A- C
Darko is the prize piece of this center class. Darko is showing this year he can do it all. He used to be only considered a rebounder and blocker, but this year he has added an offensive touch to his game. 16/12 is great for a big man, but add in that he can block around 4 shots a game, and his value skyrockets. Darko’s greed is low so if he resigns it will be for a cheap contract, however on the open market I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets max offers.
515 Eddy Curry C 29 7'0'' 310 A- C- D- B+ B+ C
What is it with saga and huge big men? It seems that average big men come to the Raptors and blow up. Curry isn’t exactly one of those since he made a name for himself on the Suns averaging around 20 ppg and 10 rpg, but he went fairly unnoticed. With the Raptors he has taken his game to a whole new level. 24 ppg/11 rpg, and around a steal and a block per game is great. I am not sure what he will get though via free agency since he is a certain type of player that only certain teams can use to their fullest. He isn’t a shot blocker so that hurts his value some, but if a team wants a big offensive weapon in the post, Curry is your man.
523 Kevin Love C 23 6'9'' 260 B C B- C+ A- B
Love has had a rocky career. He never quite develop into the player people hoped and he has jumped around between teams. Love is really only a rebounder. He can’t play a lick of defense and while he looks like he could be a decent scorer, his percentages are way down. I think Love is a future reward type player. If a team could get him fairly cheap, write articles and pump his inside and rebounding, he could possibly be a 20/12 type of big man. Good reward.
452 Hasheem Thabeet C 25 7'3'' 282 C+ D D+ A C+ B
Defense and rebounding. That is all you are going to get from Thabeet. He isn’t a rebounder and he isn’t a scorer, so he is very 1-dimensional. I am not sure about him as a starter. He could be a very good backup big man since he can block shots and his lack of rebounding won’t kill you there. However, I think his blocking will be too much for teams to look past. They will likely start him and hope his rebounding improves.
445 Derrick Favors PF 21 6'11'' 256 A- D C- A A- A
Favors is probably the most talked about free agent yet. It really isn’t due to his production, which while he has amazing ratings, his production is only mediocre. 19/11 with around 1 bpg. Not superstar worthy, especially with his percentages. I think Favors gets a lot of buzz because of the fact that his ratings look so beastly, he still has A scouted, and the situation is eerily similar to the Al Jeff situation. He is a young big man who can produce. The big question is whether or not he will come back to the Nets. He is going to get max deals from every team with enough cap space. If broph loses Favors, he will probably cry.
645 Tim Duncan PF 36 7'0'' 252 B+ C- C B+ A F
Timmy has been a recent addition to the 76ers and is already showing what he can do. 22 ppg with 12 rpg and 1.5 bpg. There is no doubt Duncan is a great player, however what type of contract should he get? He is 36 and there is a chance he retires after this season. If not is a team willing to give him a max contract with the hope that he retires soon? He could be like Bron in uosl2 and live on until he is 42ish. That could then make a max deal look a bit hesitant. However, I do believe someone will gamble and give one to him.
199 Etienne Preira PF 39 6'7'' 216 C+ A- B+ B C- F
Speaking of old farts, here is EP. He has fallen some from his prime days but there is no doubt he can still produce. He is basically filling the role of super sub for the Bulls, filling in wherever they need him. While his ratings have taken a hit, he is still great. 16 ppg, 5 apg, 5 rpg, 2 spg, 2 bpg, and under 2 topg. He can play multiple positions as he is showing, but I think I like him either at the point or the small forward. The point for his low tos (he could easily average 10 apg with under 3 topg) and SF for his defensive skills. Like Duncan it will be interesting to see the contract he demands. It will likely be a max since he will probably only stay a year or so. Then again he could always retire.
500 Emeka Okafor PF 29 6'10'' 256 B+ C- C A A B
I see Okafor as being very similar to Darko. Both are rebounders who can block shots and can get you around 15 ppg. Okafor is going into his 2nd big contract, so what he gets is up in the air. I doubt he gets offered the max because of the limits of his game. He isn’t an offensive threat so you are paying for basically his rebounding and blocking. I think it is a bit of a risk. If he starts to go down and you could be paying 20+ million to a backup. I can see him getting the max for less years though.
639 Jermaine O'Neal PF 33 6'11'' 229 B C C A- A- C
Continuing the trend of older players is JO. Unlike Darko and Okafor, JO is mainly a rebounder. He can block shots occasionally, but he isn’t a top 10 bpg type of player. He can score some, but not on great percentages. With that being said, I think JO is going to get paid. People want players who can play in the post and while JO isn’t a top one, someone will pay for his services. When I say paid, I don’t mean a max. I think someone might offer him a 10 to 12 million dollar contract for around 3 years. That gives them just enough insurance without the long term contract that could be a cancer later on.
163 Dirk Nowitzki PF 34 7'0'' 253 B- A C+ A- A- D
Oh Dirk. Dirk is the player who has the skills, yet not a position. He looks like he could be a PF with his defense and rebounding, but can also be a SF with his outside shot. Dirk is getting up there in age but he is still a very good player. I think I like him better as a SF in an outside offense, but that’s just me. I think he is equally as good as a PF since he can rebound the ball. Portland has a big offseason ahead of them. Dirk and Josh Howard are both free agents. Do they risk a max contract with Dirk or try and bring him back for the max for lesser years? Can be risky either way.
508 Anderson Varejao PF 29 6'10'' 234 B D+ D A B+ C
I am not sure what to make of Varejao. He has decent ratings, but his production is lacking. He really isn’t a scorer. He isn’t a shot blocker nor is he a rebounder. Maybe he has high post defense? I don’t know. I can see him getting MLE to 6 million a year type money. He is just solid, not great but solid. I'm not sure if he is a starter or not. His skill set says possibly, but his production says definitely not. I like him as a backup pf/c though, and around the mle/6 million a year is about what you are gonna spend for that.
