August 21, 2008

Sports Look

NBA Top 20 Free Agents: Week of August 18^th

Jannero Pargo received all the free agent buzz this week with his choice to go overseas to play than stay in America.  He had the Spurs pursuing him as well as the Hornets interested in bringing him back.  It appears that the deal he received was for $3.5 million which should net him about $2 million overall than what he would have received in America.  He’s just the latest in a long line of bench players that have chosen overseas money over NBA money.

Theo Ratiliff could be heading back to the 76ers.  This isn’t all that surprising and would be good for the 76ers to have a veteran big in the rotation. 

Alonzo Mourning wants to be back in the NBA by December, at the latest the All Star Break in February.  Mourning would be a big upgrade for the Heat with what they have right now at Center and he could choose to go to a team making a push for the finals.  Whatever his decision is, look for him to be back in the NBA early next year. 

The Suns got their man.  After weeks of negotiations the Suns are going to sign Point Guard Goran Dragic to a four year contract.  The Suns had Dragic ranked second at the PG position in this past draft and were willing to do everything they could to get their hands on him.  The Suns view him as a perfect backup fro Steve Nash and eventual replacement.  The Suns were flirting with Damon Stoudamire if they couldn’t get Dragic to the US this year.

1:  Ben Gordon does not want to be a Bull but wants to get paid at the same time.  His best bet might be to take the one year tender offer from the Bulls and become a free agent next season.

2:  JR Smith isn’t going to leave Denver and other teams know it, that’s why nothing has been happening with him.  Look for the Nuggets to eventually get a deal done with him. 

3:  Devean George is the best unrestricted SF on the market and falls to the third tier SF behind Corey Maggette and James Posey.  He provides defense and can hit threes at times.  He has slowed down a lot but could still be a good reserve defensive stopper off the bench.

4:  Shaun Livingston could be a steal for a team willing to take a risk on him coming back healthy.  It’s a big risk, high reward sort of situation because if he blooms, he could really help a team. 

5:  Sam Cassell is likely to sign with a team like the Suns or Nuggets.  He is a coach on the floor but can kill an offense from his constant dribbling at the top of the key.  His minutes should be limited but is a nice insurance policy.

6:  Devin Brown is an experienced SG that is an instant offence type of player off of the bench.  He has been around the league and knows how to fit in with teams.

7: PJ Brown is most likely going to retire but could be picked up mid way through the season just as he did with the Celtics this past season.  He is still an asset to a team in limited minutes.

8:  Alonzo Mourning is still saying he is going to play this season.  He is out for another 4-6 months but hopes to make it back around the All-Star break.  If healthy, Mourning can help any team he is on.  He is still a great defensive stopper and can score inside.  Miami appears to be the place he wants to be and would be a great lift for the Heat for the final stretch of the season. 

9: Carl Landry is most likely to resign with Houston.  The money and years is the sticking point right now.

10: Robert Swift is said to be wanted back by Oklahoma.  Swift has tons of potential but has been injured most of his time with the Sonics.  He will most likely get a two year deal in which time he has to prove that he can actually play the game. 

11: Delonte West should be returning to the Cavs but could be included in a sign and trade if they are not able to reach a deal that works for both sides.

12: Dorell Wright played decently with the Heat and has improved each year he has been in the league.  The question that NBA GM’s want to know is if he has improved enough?

13:  Luke Jackson is finally healthy and should be able to contribute on a team in a ‘shooter off the bench’ sort of role.  Jackson is actually athletic and can get to the basket, it will be up to a team to utilize this.

14: Robert Horry will have a hard time finding a new contract and could be a mid year signing.  He didn’t play a lot with the Spurs this past season and the Spurs are looking to fill his roster spot with a younger player. 

15:  Dikembe Mutombo might be closer to 50 than 40 but he can still fill in adequately on limited minutes for a team.  It’s unsure if he will resign with the Rockets or just retire. 

16:  DJ MBenga had the best of luck last season.  He got cut by the Mavericks in order for them to sign Juwan Howard and then was picked up by the Lakers and made it to the Finals.  MBenga is a good third Center on a team and can be a second in certain situations. 

17:  Theo Ratliff still has some left in the tank as he showed at the end of last season with Detroit.  Ratliff should be signed as a third center on a team and could be given more minutes depending on the situation. 

18:  Damon Stoudamire should be finding a home soon.  He was waiting for the Suns to make their decision on him and now he’s going to have to find another spot to play.  Damon has a better chance of finding playing time overseas but Stoudamire doesn’t appear to be the type that wants to head overseas to play. 

19: Bonzi Wells has really fallen off of the planet the last two seasons.  He was an instrumental piece of the Kings three seasons ago and then struggled with his first year in Houston.  This past season he split time with Houston and the Hornets but didn’t do anything to stand out positively or negatively.  Look for him to get some form of deal in the US as he has the skills to be a good player, it’s just if he is mentally prepared to show them.

20: Kirk Snyder is another player that has hurt his career because of immaturity.  Snyder has a scorer’s mentality and can help a team needing some bench scoring.  The problem is if he can stay out of a coach’s doghouse long enough to show what he is capable of. 

Top 5 by position

PG

1. Shaun Livingston
2. Sam Cassell
3. Damon Stoudamire
4. Kevin Ollie
5. Anthony Carter

SG

1. Ben Gordon
2. JR Smith
3. Devin Brown
4. Delonte West
5. Gordan Giricek

SF

1. Devean George
2. Dorell Wright
3. Luke Jackson
4. Ira Newble
5. Darious Miles

PF

1. PJ Brown
2. Carl Landry
3. Robert Horry
4. Juwan Howard
5. Austin Croshere

C

1. Alonzo Mourning
2. Robert Swift
3. Dikembe Mutombo
4. DJ MBenga
5. Theo Ratliff

Recently signed players:

Antawn Jamison re-signed with the Wizards

Baron Davis signed with the Clippers

Gilbert Arenas re-signed with the Wizards

Jose Calderon re-signed with the Raptors

DeSagana Diop re-signed with the Mavericks

Beno Udrih re-signed with the Kings

Chris Duhon signed with the Knicks

Gerald Green signed with the Mavericks

Elton Brand signed with the 76ers

Corey Maggette signed with the Warriors

Mickael Pietrus singed with the Magic

James Jones signed with the Heat

Ronnie Turiaf signed with the Warriors

Roger Mason signed with the Spurs

Brent Barry has signed with the Rockets

Patrick O’Bryant has singed with the Celtics

Jarvis Hays has signed with the Nets

Antoine Wright, Keith McLeod and James Singleton all signed with the Mavericks

Dee Brown signed with the Wizards

Eduardo Najera signed with the Nets

James Posey singed with the Hornets

Tyrone Lue singed with the Bucks

Daniel Gibson re-signed with the Cavs

Kelena Azubuike had had his offer sheet matched by the Warriors

Craig Smith has re-singed with the Timberwolves 

CJ Miles singed an offer sheet with Oklahoma and the Jazz matched it.

Keyon Dooling was signed and traded to the Nets

Rodney White signed with Maccebi Elite and joins former NBA players Marcus Fizer and Esteban Batista there.

Juan Carlos Navarro signed with Barcelona

Carlos Delfino signed with Khimki BC in Russia

Jorge Garbajosa signed with Khimki BC in Russia

Malik Allen signed with the Bucks

Boston Nachbar signed with Dynamo Moscow in Russia

Matt Barnes signed with the Suns

Tony Allen and Eddie House resigned with the Celtics

Primoz Brezec signed with Virtus Roma in Rome

Josh Childress singed with Olympiakos in Greece

Kurt Thomas resigned with the Spurs

Sebastan Telfair resigned with the Timberwolves

Maurice Evans singed with the Hawks

Loren Woods signed with Zalgiris Kaunas of Euroleague

Royal Ivey signed with the 76ers

Chris Anderson signed with the Nuggets 

Monta Ellis resigned with the Warriors

Dahntay Jones signed with Denver

Andris Biendrins resigned with the Warriors

Sasha Vujacic resigned with the Lakers

Ryan Hollins resigned with the Bobcats

Ricky Davis singed with the CLippers

Emeka Okafor resigned with the Bobcats

Nenad Krstic singed with Triumph Moscow

Kwame Brown singed with the Pistons

Kareem Rush singed with the 76ers

Ryan Gomes resigned with the Timberwolves

Randolph Morris has singed with the Hawks

Loul Deng resigned with the Bulls

Louis Williams resigned with the 76ers

Brian Skinner signed with the Clippers

Adonal Foyle resigned with the Magic

Carlos Arroyo signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv

Walter Herrmann resigned with the Pistons

Earl Boykins signed with Virtus Bologna

Bobby Jones signed with Miami

Shannon Brown signed with the Bobcats

Jason Williams singed with the Clippers

Francisco Elson signed with the Bucks

Yakhouba Diawara signed with Miami

Ryan Bowen resigned with the Hornets

Josh Smith resigned with the Hawks

Ronald Murray singed with the Hawks

Andre Iguodala resigned with the 76ers

Dan Dickau signed with Avellino of Euroleague

Josh Powell singed with the Lakers

Jannero Pargo signed with the Russian club Dynamo Moscow

Michael Finley resigned with the Spurs

Scott Church has been an NBA freelance writer for more than six years.  He resides in Utah and you can contact him at Scottshoops@yahoo.com. 

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