2005 NBA Eastern Conference Free Agent Preview: lilnemo's take on Free Agency in the Eastern Conference.

2005 NBA Eastern Conference Free Agent Preview

I'm hoping to generate some discussion about the NBA offseason. So be a dear, and let us all know what you think you're favorite team should do in free agency this year. Hell, come back after your team has signed a free agent and gloat, or bitch and moan; as the case may be. Free Agency officially began on July 1, but signings do not become official until July 22. There will be some free agents who will declare their intentions before this column goes up, but I'll be ignoring them until they become official. So what you see is what you get. All rosters are current (post-draft).

Unrestricted free agent identifies a player that can sign with any team. These players will be denoted by SpoFi green.

Restricted free agent identifies a player that can sign an offer sheet that can be matched by his current team. These players will be denoted by red.

Player option players can decide to extend his contract one year. These players will be denoted by blue.

Team option identifies a player whose team has the option to extend his contract one year. These players will be denoted by teal.

Player can terminate identifies a player who can terminate his contract after the 2004-05 season. These players will be denoted by whatever the hell that color is.

I've been harsh in my criticisms of Danny Ainge in the past, but I can admit that he had a solid draft. The question for Danny this off-season becomes "What do you do with Antoine Walker?" There is a large cross-section of Celtic fans who would like for Antoine to make good on the promise he has shown the last few years he's spent in green. But there are also a lot of Celtic fans who would rather see some of the younger players (Kendrick Perkins, Tony Allen) get some burn. With the drafting of Gomes and Green, it appears that Danny has left the door open for Antoine's departure, and there seems to be interest among some teams in need of a passing forward (like the Kings), for the right price of course. And then there is the question of whether or not Paul Pierce is on the trading block. We probably won't know for sure until the '06 season heads into the trading deadline. In any case, the Celtics most dire need this off-season has got to be a point guard. Payton is a free agent who hasn't given any solid indication as to whether he'd be willing to continue to play for the Celtics "under market value". West and Banks are promising, but a guard like Earl Watson would be a smart signing. Having said that, I wouldn't be surprised if the Celtics went into training camp with the roster as it is presently constituted.

Although the 76ers have a number of restricted free agents, they could have quite a fluid roster throughout the year. Billy King and Coach O'Brien could take this team in any number of directions. They could re-sign all of their restricted FA's or they could be picked apart by MAX deals like the Clippers 2 summers ago. It's hard to gauge who is more likely to stay because O'Brien had such erratic lineups throughout the year. I believe that unless someone is willing to drastically overpay, Dalembert and Korver are the most likely to return. Willie Green's playing time was all over the map, and his game, like Iverson's is predicated on creating his own offense. I think he is the most likely to sign elsewhere. Rodney Rogers will always have a job if O'Brien is coaching. Hopefully Mashburn can sign elsewhere after having to sit through a couple injury-riddled seasons for bad teams; he's little more than cap-fodder here. Barnes probably won't be tendered an offer (for cap reasons mostly), and Bradley would be crazy not to opt for another year of sitting the bench at $819,550. But this could all be moot if Billy King does something so insane that it makes sense. Like cutting Chris Webber.

Why do I get the feeling that Scalabrine is on the precipice of signing a contract that will be Koncak-esque in size? There are only 2 important unrestricted FA's on this roster: Best and Robinson. The rest will either catch on to be the 8th or 9th man on another squad in August, or end up in the NBDL. What the Nets really need is a big man who can run the floor and finish, someone in the Amare Stoudamire/Young Shawn Kemp mold, because Jabari Smith, Uncle Cliffy, and Jason Collins seriously hold back the running game. Stromile Swift would be an absolute coup, Udonis Haslem would be slightly less so.

Lets see, Jalen Rose is due about $30 Million over the next 2 years, and Alvin Williams is due about $18 Million over the next 3 (if he doesn't opt out next year). And the Raptors franchise player, Chris Bosh, has the 2nd lowest contract of their currently signed roster. If I'm the Raptors, I cut Jalen Rose, and nag Alvin Williams into retiring. Sign a young shooting guard, say Larry Hughes, or test whether the 76ers really want Willie Green back. The cap savings should be enough to throw a MAX offer at Bosh in '08 who hopefully by then still wants to stay in Toronto.

At this point we're all just waiting to see whether Allan Houston retires or forces Isiah to cut him from the roster. It's a shame really. Allan is a great shooter, and a good person. It's not his fault that the Knicks were signing everyone and anyone to MAX deals. There really isn't much that can be done with this roster, unless a GM of equal or greater incompetence really wants one of these albatross deals for his own. The only drama is whether Isiah cuts Penny if Houston willingly retires. Ugly.

Alright, I'm gonna come right out and say it. I think that Darko could step right in and play Elden Campbell's minutes. And with Larry still twiddling his thumbs, it's a distinct possibility that Dumars may get Darko to see the light of day. The core of this team is pretty much set, there are very few if any "open" roster slots.

Losing Eddy Curry really hurt the Bulls going into the playoffs, I believe that if he is healthy, the Bulls will keep him. Chandler and Pargo should be priorities, as they played important roles in the rotation. Duhon was a pleasant surprise, but I get the impression that unless he is willing to play for a discount, that he will be a cap victim. Skiles will take any defensive help he can get. Bobby Simmons, Raja Bell, Gerald Wallace, and Eddie Griffin all seem to fit Skiles' style but it's doubtful they match Reinsdorf's bottom line.

Looking back at the remnants of the Pacer's long and trying season, a lot of basketball fans believe that Larry Bird should have traded, or now cut Ron Artest. I'm of the opinion that Ron Artest owes his team, his fans, the game, and himself something after how his season ended. I believe that its more likely that Larry cuts Stephen Jackson than Ron Artest. This is a team that is solid from top to bottom, but was completely pried apart by "the incident" and injuries last year. They could use another forward off the bench with some range to help bring Danny Granger along. I think Vladimir Radmanovic would be a good fit here.

This team sorely needs a perimeter scorer. Ray Allen is probably no more than a pipe dream. Michael Redd will most likely cash in at Milwaukee. Larry Hughes is a possibility. But if the Cavs have any cash left, they might consider making a run at Glenn Robinson. He's a proven perimeter scorer, an undervalued rebounder, and scrappy to boot. He'd do well to pick up any slack from the losses of McInnis and Traylor. But so would Donyell Marshall for that matter.

The Bucks have been and will continue to be a perimeter oriented team. They could use a forward who can score down on the box every now and then to keep defenses honest, because quite frankly, Joe Smith doesn't cut it. A name I've yet to see rumored here is Shareef Abdur-Rahim. So I'll start the rumor here. But I find it more likely that Marcus Fizer is re-signed and given a more prominent role.

posted by lilnemo to commentary at 08:34 PM - 0 comments

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