NBA Free Agent Frenzy

Ok, everyone breathe. Now that the flurry of NBA free agents has somewhat halted (though word of Grant Hill going to New York is currently swirling), let's assess the damage. I'm going to evaluate several moves made this offseason, but only free agency moves. Trades (Jefferson, Carter, O'Neal, Randolph) will not be addressed.

Ron Artest to Los Angeles Lakers - This one has yet to be confirmed because they're still discussing the details of the contract, but he's going to LA. I don't like this move at all for the Lakers, quite honestly. Yes, everyone talks about Artest's ferocious defense and physical offensive game, which is true on both counts. However, they forget that he single-handedly shot Houston out of the Western Conference semifinals against the Lakers. When Yao went down, the Rockets won when Aaron Brooks was running circles around Derek Fisher and facilitating the offense. They lost when Ron Artest started hoisting jumpers and trying to be the alpha male of the series. No really, look it up. Notice the drop off after Yao went out after Game 3. I'm not trying to sandbag Artest, I think he's a good player. However, his combustible attitude combined with his selfish nature do not bode well for his role in Los Angeles. They should've taken his money and given it to Trevor Ariza, someone who knew his role on the team and didn't deviate from it. Speaking of...

Trevor Ariza to Houston Rockets - Obviously, this signing is somewhat of a moot point considering that Yao Ming is injured for the foreseeable future. However, I like that Houston went out and got someone similar to Artest (at least in terms of style, if not stature) to fill his void. Ariza is a good defender on the perimeter and hits open 3s with regularity. The only problem here is that he's unable to defend bigger guys like Artest, which will not alleviate any pressure from Houston's thin frontcourt. Remember, Dikembe Mutombo is also gone this year, so it'll be up to Carl Landry, Luis Scola, Chuck Hayes, and whomever they sign to fill Yao's place to defend down low. Not a bad signing by Houston, but it doesn't make them any better.

Hedo Turkoglu to Toronto Raptors - Now here's a signing I like a lot. Boosted by the wishes of Turkoglu's wife (who preferred living in Toronto to Portland), the Raptors nabbed a guy who can instantly springboard them back into the playoff race. Andrea Bargnani really came of age last season, Jose Calderon continued to be remarkably efficient, and Chris Bosh is Chris Bosh. By adding Turkoglu to the mix, they have a guy who can get his own shot and take the offense to the next level. Imagine Bargnani hitting open jumpers off Turk's penetration. Remember all of those open dunks that Dwight Howard got in Orlando? Chris Bosh should get a percentage of those now that one of the Magic's best distributors is now in Toronto. Calderon's drive-and-kicks will be much more effective with someone of Turkoglu's caliber shooting the treys. The only drawback here is the 5-year length of the contract. Hedo will start showing some slippage around year 3, and may not be a valuable asset in the latter two years. But for now, it's a great move.

Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva to Detroit Pistons - What is Joe Dumars doing, exactly? I like both of these moves, but before I get into why, I want to know his thought process. He gets rid of Chauncey for Iverson, but then fires his coach when the move blows up in his face. Now he signs an enigmatic 2-guard (Gordon) who doesn't like coming off the bench in Chicago...to come off the bench behind Richard Hamilton, whom Dumars re-upped to a weird extension after the Billups trade. Really, this guy confuses me. Anyway, I like that Detroit has figured out that the team wasn't good and instead of trying to lure a big fish in 2010, decided to get better now. Villanueva had a very good year for Milwaukee and is seen as a rising talent in the League. Gordon showed his chops in the playoffs with Chicago and may be ready to become the consistent scoring threat we all want him to be. With a starting five of Rodney Stuckey, Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Charlie Villanueva, and whomever they decide to sign at center, with Gordon, Jason Maxiell, and draftees DaJuan Summers and Austin Daye coming off the bench, Detroit should be better than last season. Granted, they'll still only be about 6th best in the East, but at least they've added youth and talent, two things missing from last year's team.

Rasheed Wallace to Boston Celtics - Umm, I don't really get this one. Boston, with the aging Kevin Garnett, really needed to find someone to rebound and defend alongside Kendrick Perkins. Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Rajon Rondo will handle the scoring. As evidenced by the series against Orlando, they didn't have enough depth down low. But Lank, 'Sheed plays down low, you're saying to yourself. That's true, but he doesn't actually play down low any more. Watch any Pistons game from the last two season and you'll notice the tall guy on the outside shooting contested jumpers and fadeaways. That's Wallace. Also, you'll notice the guy standing around while the big bodies are banging for rebounds and loose balls. Wallace, again. The contract is only a reported 2-year deal, so it's not like they're investing a ton in him. But I really don't see the upside here. The Celtics needed rebounding and defensive help (again, Garnett cannot be counted on to play 82 games any more), but instead got a soft big man who shoots jumpers. Not a good idea.

Jason Kidd to Dallas Mavericks - At the end of the day, Kidd decided not to go anywhere. Not surprising, considering he enjoyed his time there and enjoyed relative success. But if you're Dallas, why are you giving a 36-year-old past-his-prime-and-it's-obvious point guard a 3-year deal for $25 million GUARANTEED? I mean, really, what's the logic here? Is the Erick(a) Dampier contract not debilitating enough for you? Is having Jason Terry signed through 2012 not enough of an investment in old guys? I just don't understand. Dallas isn't going anywhere any time soon. They have a ceiling with this core group of guys, as evidenced by being outclassed in the Denver series last year and the New Orleans series two years ago, both of which occurred under Kidd's direction at point guard. San Antonio is better now than they were last season, Los Angeles is just as good, Denver is just as good, Portland is just as good, Utah will be better; so what exactly is Dallas hoping for with keeping the old gang together? This just baffles me.

So there's my two cents on the big free agent moves of the offseason thus far. Nothing completely reprehensible or indefensible, but also nothing earth-shattering or power-structure-tilting. However, we may be looking back on these moves in a few seasons if they don't work out, because the teams that took gambles may be ruing the day they did.

~~ Lank