First, the NBA in general...
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TONS of player movement right now, even moreso than usual. Also, because of an impending lockout, players are trying to get paid now, including extensions of existing contracts, because nobody wants to be sitting at home NOT collecting a check for doing nothing.
With that in mind...
(Remaining) Free Agents:
- Shaq: Heh. He'll either re-sign with Cleveland for more money than he'd get elsewhere, or he'll go to Dallas or Atlanta. In Dallas, he'll be another over-paid big man, and in Atlanta, he'll kill them in their transition defense and offense. If they're revamping things to make up for over-paying Joe Johnson, great, but changing the system to suit him won't help the rest of your (equally, if not more-) talented players get along. Bringing Shaq in will only then limit their ability to run the floor...
...something that the Mavs don't do a heck of a lot anyway... and why should they, with their best player well into his 30's and their starting point guard well into his 50's? Shaq would help bolster scoring for their second unit by slowing the game down even more, and given that both Haywood and Chandler are defensive-minded players, his defensive weaknesses wouldn't be readily apparent until late in the playoffs, most likely. If they can get him for $3 mil or less, they'll probably make the offer.
Luis Scola: Don't you do it, *sshole. Don't you leave this team now. Not in free agency. Not for NOTHING. C'mon, Morey, don't fail us now. The Nets are lame, and drafted a player at your position anyway, and the Raptors are even more lame. Calderon can't be THAT big of a draw for you, can he? Especially since he's in Charlotte now...
Richard Jefferson: Opted out of $16 million from the Spurs to become a free agent. Genius. Whatever they're teaching kids at Arizona, I guess pulling your head out of your *ss is an upper-division class, and R-Jeff (lolz) left school a little too early. Good luck, man. He'll go anywhere that pays him with multiple years. Maybe the Knicks or Nets, if those bridges aren't burned. (With Thorn gone, they're probably not...) Cleveland may make a run, too.
Kyle Lowry: Get off of our freakin' Kool-Aid, teams, geez. I mean, sure, with Brooks playing really well, Lowry is a back-up, no question... but he's also a much better defender than Brooks, and he's a great fit in Houston. The Cavs signed him to an offer sheet, but if it's doable, Houston will match it. They'd better. Grrr...
Josh Howard: Chances are the Wizards will keep him around. With him coming off of surgery and being an out-of-the-closet pothead, but not as good a rebounder as Robert Parish, he'll be too hard to shop around; at least until after the season starts. Then, if he's playing well, it's wide-open. The Bulls and Cavs are also interested.
Tracy McGrady: There's talk of him going to Miami for the veteran's minimum; maybe even signing late so they don't have to pay him for a full season. If there is a God, Dexter Morgan is real, and he'll have words with T-Mac for killing Houston's cap number for all of those years... But please note, if he goes to Miami, he's washed-up and it's for a ring. If he goes to Chicago, it's because he still feels like he can play, play. Maybe they keep him in NYC; pair him with Amare. That'd be awesome. Two straight-from-H.S., no-defense-playin' skinny kids with bad knees and stuff. Jay-Z was right. New York is what dreams are made of.
Brad Miller: He wants to help a team win a ring. Miami or Boston are the short list, if the Bulls try to short him on their offer.
Mighty Mouse: He'll re-sign in green. Between losing Allen and being veteran-friendly, it's a good fit.
Shannon Brown: He has two rings. It's "get paid" time. If he stays, it'll be because they'll allow him to compete with Steve Blake for the starting job. I say that, 'cause, if they KEEP starting Fisher, it's sad. Sad that a team that's normally so well-run will just keep ridiculously ignoring their need for a replacement for Fisher's "my age" *ss. (36.)
Earl Watson: A team that desperately needs a point guard is allowing him to go. Smells fishy to me.
Kwame Brown: Good luck, teams. He'll be in the corner, crying, if you need him. Apparently Jordan did such a good job of hurting his feelings a decade ago that he never stopped sucking...
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More later, including where the guys who have signed have gone, and how all of this ties into the Thunder and their Quest for the West, 2010. (Trademark...)