Wade looks good, but not tested yet

There has been a lot made of the revival of Dwayne Wade.

The 6-foot-4 Miami Heat guard has played in the Olympics and looked every bit the part of the player who was an NBA finals MVP in 2006. He’s been athletic. He’s played defense. He’s driven to the hoop. He’s dunked. When he’s not dunking, he’s hitting mid-range jumpers or getting fouled. He’s looked like the old Dwayne Wade.

If anything, it’s been so long since the old D. Wade has been in display that a lot of us forgot what he looked like. Then this lightening quick, muscular shooting guard with a clean-shaven dome shows up looking unstoppable against international competition and word goes out Wade is back.

He might be, but there still another hurdle to cross to say that he’s, indeed, back. It’s obvious he’s healthy for the first time in two years. But what he’s doing, he’s doing against international competition, which unlike other sports is a step down in competition from the US.

Most of these players that play for these Olympic teams are nothing more than reserves in the NBA. Most of these games that the US is playing in the Olympics, the other guys are so severely overmatched that it’s difficult for them to guard Wade seriously.

Wade won’t truly be tested until he steps on the court for the Miami Heat in an NBA game. Any one of the championship contenders in the NBA is capable of winning the gold medal at the Olympics and in the NBA, players don’t care as much about sportsmanship. Money is on the line, something more motivating that pride.

When Wade drives the lane in the NBA, he’s going to get hit. At times they’ll be players in the game whose sole purpose is to lay the wood to Wade. In the Olympics, taking out Wade doesn’t improve a team’s chances of winning. They’ll just bring in Kobe back in.

In the NBA, taking out Wade means taking out Miami’s chance at winning. It’s going to be the easiest path to victory over the Heat next season. He hasn’t held up in the past. Teams are going to test whether or not he can take the pounding.

Sure, he’s healthy now, but he’s going to get beat up.

One thing has become clear in Olympic basketball. The Americans are as dominant on the world stage as they’ve ever been. What happened in 2004 was an aberration. There were too many superstars and at that time there was no prestige attached to the Olympics. If a superstar is going to spend his summer overseas playing with the Olympic team, he wants to play. All we heard about last time was about the superstars that were sitting the bench and how much that affected the team’s chemistry.

The best move the USA basketball committee did was filling out the roster with specialists. Tayshaun Prince, Carlos Boozer and Michael Redd might want to complain about not playing, but to say they should be playing over Lebron, Kobe, D.Wade or Chris Paul is an argument with no legs.

Rockets now in championship mode

The Rockets are looking to welcome the mercurial Ron Artest to their locker room as soon as they can get the trade finalized, which has been reported to be happening Aug. 15.

When the 6-foot-6 forward arrives in Houston, he will bring with him an expectation that will have the franchise looking to bypass the next step.

A lot has been said and written about Tracy McGrady never making it out of the first round of the playoffs, including the last four seasons with Houston, but for him to simply do that next season with the addition of Artest won’t be enough for the fans and media to be content.

Artest gives the Rockets a trio of stars that rivals any other team in the NBA, Boston included. They now have three players capable of averaging more than 20 points per game, and Artest is tough defender that is stronger on the boards than most power forwards and better at getting steals.

The Rockets are getting a top-five small forward in the league. The only one that’s clearly better is Lebron James. After that he could be the next best one, or at least it’s up for debate.

Then you add in factors like Yao Ming, who is arguably the best center in the league, certainly the most complete offensively and McGrady, who might only trail Kobe Bryant as the league’s best shooting guard. This is a star studded team.

Even with all that offense, over 60-points per game’s worth, tt’s going to be tough for the other team’s swingmen to score on the Rockets next season. When Artest comes out of the game, coach Rick Adelman can turn to Shane Battier, who has earned a reputation in the league for his defensive pressure.

Only making it to the second round of the playoffs is no longer a viable goal for the Rockets. Maybe before it would have been an acceptable, viewed as another step in the evolution of Yao Ming, but the Rockets are on another level now.

They are in championship mode. Expectation starts with getting to the second round.

A big question is how Rafer Alston’s game is going to vibe with Artest’s addition. He’s a point guard that was the third scoring option on the team last season. Now he’ll be the fourth option on a team that really doesn’t need him to score anymore. The Rockets might be better suited finding a pass first point guard if they want to go all the way.

That’s the next step now.

The Rockets should be right up there with the Lakers, Jazz, Spurs and Hornets, but off the court is going to be what decides if the Rockets join ranks with those other teams, which were working harmoniously last summer. That’s where Adelman comes into play most.

His style on the court stresses the value of team play.

His off-court style is going to have to do the same thing.

Artest sinks teams like a rock

How are the Sacramento Kings going to get rid of Ron Artest?

Certainly it’s the right thing to do right now.

When the Kings brought him in as value for trading away Peja Stojakovic, it was another step away from the team that had pushed the Lakers dynasty to the brink of elimination.

The trade signified a switch. They had enough offense to win, but they needed defense and a little toughness — something that wouldn’t fail them in crunch time.

Peja was a major part of a team that had peaked, but when the pressure tightened, so did his shooting wrist. On the court it was a coup for the Kings. Here they were able to land a player who could score regularly enough to lead the team on some nights and there were able to add one of the leagues premiere defensive players along with it.

But off the court it couldn’t have been any worse.

One of the reasons the Pacers wanted to get rid of him anyway was his leading role in the Motown basketball riot of 2004. He had also asked management for some time off at the beginning of the season in order to promote his record label. He wanted to take a month off.

The move out to Sacramento put him closer to prime destination for his entertainment business interests and he seemed to fit in well with the Maloof brothers, the owners of the Kings, who had entertainment interests of their own to worry about outside of the NBA franchise they owned. If anyone would understand what Artest has to go through to promote his record label, it would be those two.

It also made sense because with the way the Western Conference was headed there was no way the Kings were going to be a team that could make it to the NBA Finals by outscoring teams like the Mavs and Kings. They would need someone to beat them up. With Artest and Brad Miller, two of the hottest heads in the league, the Kings weren’t going to get pushed around.

Three seasons later the Kings have failed to win as many games in a season as they did without Artest and now people are starting to realize the 6-7 small forward from New York City is infected with the same thing that Stephon Marbury. It neutralizes their talent on the court and makes their team struggle to win games.

The Kings were 50-32 the year before Artest showed up. They won 44 games in Artest’s first year with the team, and that number dropped to 33 the next year. Last year Sacramento won 38 games and the it was enough for them to venture further away from win-now mode by trading veteran point guard Mike Bibby.

Artest is the next player that needs to go. A youth movement is ready to start in Sacramento. This is Kevin Martin’s team and the young kid from rural eastern Ohio, doesn’t need the boy from New York City flexing his East Coast attitude.

The Kings are in need of a point guard and, with Artest’s departure, a small forward. They have a couple of tough guys at power forward and center and have third-year pro Shelden Williams to groom.

That’s why a deal to the Pistons makes sense for them. Ron Artest for Tayshaun Prince and Chancey Billups. The Detroit Free Press reports that Detroit is interested.

He would give Detroit a psychopath to guard Lebron James.

But it’s not worth it.

Anyone that takes in Ron Artest is destined for failure.

Bulls shouldn't penalize Deng and Gordon for bad season

Before the start of last season it was all good in Chicago.

General Manager John Paxson and the rest of the front office thought they had something special -- and they did. The Bulls were coming off a season in which they swept the defending champion Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs and then gave Detroit a serious scare after falling behind 3-0 in the series.

“We’re close,” the Bulls thought. “Next year is our year.”

Knowing that two of their key pieces, small forward Luol Deng and reserve guard Ben Gordon, would soon be unrestricted free agents, the Bulls offered them both five year contracts. Over that five years they wanted to pay Deng $57 million and Gordon $50 million.

Deng was shaping up to be a top five small forward in the league. He had averaged a little over 18 points per game and seven rebounds during the regular season, and he had upped his averages in both categories in the playoffs. Against the Heat and Pistons, teams that were coming off Eastern Conference final appearances, Deng raised his averages to over 22 points and eight rebounds. With his bulk, Detroit’s Tayshaun Prince didn’t appear to phase him. This, the Bulls thought, was something they could use. They would be one of the few teams that had a player that could play well against Prince.

Gordon was instant offense. In a sixth-man role he averaged 20 points per game during the regular season and 18 points in the playoffs. Sure, he was short, too short to start, but he could score. As long as the Bulls had a player like Gordon to come off the bench they wouldn’t have to worry about an extended scoring drought.

“Here you go,” the Bulls said. “We want you guys around for awhile.”

The Bulls had already locked up point guard Kirk Hinrich and had brought in Ben Wallace to anchor the defense and be the enforcer. Wallace appeared to still have a few good years left. A young power forward in Tyrus Thomas added athleticism and more rebounding. If he didn’t work out, rookie Joakim Noah provided insurance, a young version of energy.

But Deng and Gordon didn’t sign their offers, and who could blame them? Another season like the one they had and teams would be knocking down the door to sign them.

They didn’t the disastrous season on the horizon.

The Bulls fired coach Scott Skiles 25 games into the season. Noah started spouting off at the mouth. The veterans spouted back. Reserve guard Chris Duhon started pouting over playing time. Wallace left in a trade to Cleveland. There was a different starting lineup nearly every night. The record fell into the gutter. No one respected lame duck interim coach Jim Boylan.

And now Deng and Gordon have to pay for it.

They still have the talent and Gordon is only 25. Deng is 23. They can still be part of a bright Bulls future, which includes No. 1 overall pick in Derrick Rose, a Chicago native. The Bulls are not a better team without Deng and Gordon.

A smart move for the Bulls would be to extend Gordon and Deng the same offer they did a year ago. Let bygones be bygones and don’t penalize them for what happened last year.

That would be a sign of fairness. All people want from their employer is to be treated fairly.

With a satisfied Deng and Gordon, along with the nice mix of young players and veterans, the Bulls will have something special to work with once again.

SIxers follow Detroit model with Brand signing

There’s hope in Philadelphia again thanks to an $82 million part.

Who knew trading away Allen Iverson and Kyle Korver would do so much good?

Those moves allowed Philadelphia to sign highly sought after Elton Brand, who had been the Clippers' franchise forward, and now the Sixers have their best big man since the Round Mound of Rebound left town before the 1992-93 season.

Don’t be mistaken into thinking this is a Sixers team that will be dominated by the lethal one-two punch of Brand and Andre Iguodala, assuming he resigns.

Iguodala and Brand are both good players, all-star caliber players, but where do they fit in with in the pantheon of duos in the league? Not that high really. They aren’t as good as TMac and Yao. Kobe and Lamar are better too. Parker and Duncan…Not even close. What about the Eastern Conference? The only combination of the Boston’s big three that they might compare to is Allen and Pierce only because Brand might be better than Allen at this point -- might. Brand, after all, missed most of last season. What about Cleveland? LeBron and Z? Brand might be better than Z. It’s insulting to put (name deliberately left out) in the same sentence as either of Philly’s two stars.

Then why is there so much hope in Philadelphia? As good of an addition Brand is to a team that already had Igudola, there are a dozen teams that could put two players together and claim they have more talent than the Sixers top duo.

Simply put, the Sixers are built in the mold of the Pistons, who won a championship without the help of a future Hall of Fame player. They are the only team to win a championship without such a player in…..well….possibly ever.

The Sixers might not have individual standouts, but together they should be very good. They have a steady journeyman point guard, in Andre Miller, who isn’t easily rattled -- like the Pistons. They have a dominant power forward, in Brand who will be the catalyst for the offense. Sound familiar? Samuel Dalembert is one of the better shot blocking forces in the league. Think back to the real Ben Wallace. Thaddeus Young was a power forward in college and now he’s been moved to small forward. He creates matchup problems with other team’s small forwards because of his size. Tayshaun Prince has long arms. Young has big muscles. Igudola is as consistent of a scorer as it gets at shooting guard as long as he can get into the lane. The same can be said about Rip Hamilton and coming free off of screens.

The year before Detroit traded for Wallace, their offense sputtered in the playoffs without the presence of a low post scorer. Philly’s offense did the same thing against Detroit. Like when the Pistons added Wallace, now the Sixers have someone that can give them spacing only they won’t have to worry about Brand chucking it from the 3-point line.

The Sixers have hope, but it shouldn’t be from Brand’s singular dominance. They now have a chance to have a team, like Detroit, that’s better than the sum of its parts.

Even though one of those parts cost $82 million.

Already 3-team race for final spot in West

With the signing of Baron Davis and the trade for Marcus Camby, the Los Angeles Clippers should be considered the favorites for the final playoff spot next year, a spot Denver vacated after it traded Camby for nothing.

Denver was lucky to get to the playoffs anyway. The only reason the Nuggets took the eighth seed and not Golden State was an injury to Golden State center Andris Biedrins that took him out of action for a big chunk of March. The Warriors were so desperate that they dusted off Chris Webber and put him in the starting lineup.

That experiment worked about as well as it should have and C-Web left out the door faster than when he entered.

He didn’t leave as fast as Davis did through. Davis opted out of his Golden State contract and then signed a max contract the following day with the Clippers. The deal was so quick it appeared to have gone down sight unseen unless the Clippers and Davis already had the principles of the deal ironed out before he opted out. But that’s a story for another day.

Today the topic is the Clippers and how the addition of Davis and Camby has shifted the balance of mediocre power by adding to the Clippers all-star level scoring and rebounding and playmaking ability.

They’ll have a front line of Camby, Kaman, and Al Thornton, one that should be tougher than most Western Conference teams. Camby, who said this week he’s going to be motivated by Denver’s giving him away, will be able to move to power forward, the position that most suits his skill set.

The Clippers main question now is shooting guard. They have undersized veteran Cutino Mobley or Quinton Ross. All they need there is someone who can man-up on defense and can hit an open jump shot.

Golden State tried to cover the loss of Davis by signing Corey Maggette. He will help. He’ll cancel out Davis in the scoring department, but he’s hasn’t shown he has Davis’ moxy. Davis will often lead the team in scoring, but he also rebounds like a forward and assists like a guard. In any game, he is a threat to post a triple-double.

Maggette will score 25 points, but have four rebounds and two assists. His slashing game should thrive in Don Nelson’s open court style, and his free throw numbers should go up, increasing his scoring average. Ultimately the Warriors won’t win unless they can find a true point guard. Perhaps it’s Monta Ellis, who they finally signed to a long-term deal yesterday.

Monta Ellis, Stephen Jackson and Corey Maggette sounds like a pretty good guard/forward tandem and with Andris Biedrins and All Harrington there as big men, they should be all right.

The Trailblazers are in the conversation because Brandon Roy sometimes looks like Chris Paul with the ball in his hands. He’s the wildcard in Portland’s ascension next season. He looks like he’d going to be a top point guard in the league for a long time. But it’s going to be Greg Oden’s first season. Roy’s wizardry is going to have to make up for Oden’s mistakes.

The biggest growth curve for the 7-0 center from Ohio State is going to be how he handles the double team in the NBA. His first task will be forcing the double-team, second will be learning how to take it and third will be passing out of it. Only the best master the fourth -- turning away from it to score.

Jordan legacy tied to Okafor decision

As a player Michael Jordan didn’t want Isaiah Thomas on the Dream Team. The two were giants of the late 80s and early 90s and found it difficult to fit their personas in the same room. The thing that made them winners also repelled them from each other.

It might also be the thing that has made them both front office failures. One-on-one and even in small groups it must be hard to say no to either Jordan or Thomas after watching them make so many right decisions on the court. In the front office though, their decision-making might not be as flawless, but it's difficult to separate the two. Thomas has turned into an abject failure as a front-office man, certainly he made some bad decisions. Jordan might not be too far behind.

But Jordan still has another chance.

He and the Charlotte Bobcats are facing their biggest decision to date. What are they going to do with Emeka Okafor? When Charlotte drafted the 6-foot-10 forward from Connecticut in 2004, he was supposed to become the face of the franchise. That year they surrounded him with fresh young talent. With seven years in the league apiece, point guard Brevin Knight and forward Corey Alexander were the team’s elder statesmen. Bobcats management seemed content letting a young team grow together and they hired a coach in Bernie Bickerstaff, that hadn’t had great success as a coach, but he’d been around the block a few times and his knowledge was thought to be good for a young team. If anything, the Bobcats at least had a plan.

Then after three seasons Charlotte fired Bickerstaff and replaced him with Sam Vincent, who had no coaching experience, but he had Jordan as a reference The two played together in Chicago and he was hired a year after Jordan's deal to own a piece of the team was finalized. Majority owner Bob Johnson hardly had a choice. No one but Jordan's high school basketball coach had ever said no to Jordan in North Carolina, and you see what people think of that coach. Dumbest decision ever, right? Plus, Charlotte has already sent one team packing.

Before Bickerstaff’s final season the team's direction started to seem uncertain. They brought in journeyman Othella Harrington and he couldn’t stay healthy. Then last year they traded Brendan Wright, at young prospect a power forward for Jason Richardson, a great scorer that had lost some explosiveness since he had come into the league. There’s no doubt Richardson is a better player than Wright, but adding him from the Warriors -- a team that made it to the second round of the playoffs in 2007 -- it seemed to put the Bobcats in a win-now mode. In their fourth year of existence, they were going with veterans now instead of developing rookies.

They were looking for a winner -- like, today. No team whose front office has associated with Michael Jordan has had a winning record and he can't like that. But it's a fact.

Jordan was in the front office of the Wizards from 2000-02 before he decided to come back to play for two seasons. They once won 19 games and never won more than 37 games in a season. He drafted Kwame Brown out of high school with the first overall pick in 2001. He traded Rip Hamilton for fellow North Carolina alum Jerry Stackhouse in 2002. When Jordan thought Brown wasn’t developing fast enough, he called him out in the media.

After two losing seasons with the Bobcats, Jordan is starting to look no better than Thomas when it comes to making basketball decisions in the front office, but still, when Jordan talks, people listen -- for good or ill.

Perhaps that’s why ownership forced him out of Washington, not offering him a share of the team when he retired again. With Jordan out of the way, the Wizards eventually acquired Gilbert Arenas, Antwan Jamison and Caron Butler. They have been winners since Jordan left, making the playoffs in three of the four year’s he’s been gone.

Now if Jordan is going to be part of a winner, he’s going to have to help the team make the right decision with Okafor, a player that’s not spectacular but effective. He’s a lot better than most big men teams have. Going into his fifth year in the league, his peak is still ahead of him. He’s not Nazr Mohammed and he’s not Kwame Brown. In both cases that is a good thing.

He’s not the Bobcats’ only big man. They have other players there, veteran players, and they could use a veteran point guard. Okafor wants around $12 million per year, yet isn’t an offensive threat. But he can rebound. He was a dominant shot-blocker in college although he's only been over the two-blocks per game plateau once in this three healthy seasons.

The decision Jordan and company are going to have to make is are they willing to go with Mohammed at center in exchange for a veteran point guard, assuming a sign-and-trade with Okafor, or are they willing to stick with Okafor at center and a rookie at point guard.

Pay Okafor the money, and the Bobcats already have a center and a developing point guard. Trade Okafor and they buy time for their point guard, but they may never have as capable of a center.

The safe bet is keep Okafor and let the rookie develop. But it’s up to Jordan.

When he talks, people listen.

It’s his legacy on the line.

Hawks really don't need the pioneer Childress

Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Childress laid down his ace of spades this week — an all expenses paid trip to Greece. All he has to do is agree to play basketball for Olympiakos a Greek team in the Euroleague, and they will pay him $20 million tax free over three years.

Childress would be the biggest American name in to say no to an NBA contract and take one overseas instead. We can call Childress a pioneer if he makes the move. It would give others like him a new magazine of ammo and international teams that play in countries with western cultures will know NBA players can be had. Not just the rejects, but bona the fide stars. David Stern has been obsessed with the globalization of the game. But for the most part it’s been a one-way pipeline. We show them the game is cool and in turn they send us their best players.

That notion is changing. The dollar isn’t the powerhouse it once was and neither is NBA basketball. There are a lot of rich team owners abroad too, rich enough to shell out American dollars, or even better, tax-free Euros.

Right now the NBA still has prestige on its side, the big stars are still going to sell Nikes. But if Childress goes abroad and finds that its not so bad out there, companies won’t be far behind him. Interested in globalization? Well, this is part of it. The United States is just one of many countries in the world, andif there’s going to be globalization, we’re going to be one of the biggest forces behind it. That doesn’t just mean us benefiting from them. They're also going to benefit from us. For Olympiakos that means getting a 25-year-old swingman that has helped turnaround the once decrepit Hawks by averaging 11 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.

Atlanta just has to hope that Childress is not a pioneer. They have to hope that he doesn’t want to go that far away from home, even for nearly $7 million tax-free dollars a year. They have to hope he doesn’t want to etch his name in history.

Even though he’s already been to South Africa with the NBA Without Boarders program, even though he’s been a mentor with the Young Black Scholars and even though he left Stanford early but enrolled in Georgia State upon coming to town, they have to hope they were wrong about him being a leader.

It looks like the NBA is on the verge of a paradigm shift.

But wait…Maybe the truth is Childress is just more valuable to Olympiakos than he would be to the Hawks. Maybe blazing a trail has nothing to do with it. Childress grew up learning about a free-market economy right? Maybe this is nothing but pure economic force. Simple supply and demand. The Hawks are in supply of swingmen, Olympiakos is demanding one. International teams have been giving the NBA big men for years. They’re in short supply over here. Atlanta needs one now.

If they played tomorrow, without Childress, but had Josh Smith, Mike Bibby would be at the point and Joe Johnson at the two. Marvin Williams can play the three. Not bad. Where the real problem comes in is Josh Smith and Al Horford are both power forwards and one of them is going to have to play center. That’s Atlanta’s real problem.

So, good luck in Greece Josh, the pioneer. But remember one thing. Atlanta has your rights if you end up wanting to come back after this year or the next.

OKC has ingredients to overcome moving day

Oklahoma City is going to have a basketball now. The Oklahoma City Five. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Welcome Kevin Durant to your permanent home. It’s cattle country, hope you don’t mind. Free agents might, but that’s why you’re here.

Free agents? We don't need no stinkin' free agents.

Moving is a real pain, the packing, the saying good-bye. A player like Durant has probably become used to it. Oklahoma City is going to be the fourth city in as many years that has housed his home court. He should be used to it, as should fellow rookie Jeff Green. Those two just moved to Seattle anyway. Breaking up with friends after a year isn’t that hard.

But for almost everyone else, moving to a new town will be harder. Oklahoma City will play in front of sellout home crowds next year, and the players will need that energy to offset a lack of their own. When you’re moving, free time gets cut down. That or work time. A veteran might already be chalking up this next year a lost cause, a moving year. There isn’t enough time in the day to workout, relocate and relax. Something has to give. For a veteran with a guaranteed contract, work is going to pay anyway. There’s no way to avoid the moving pain and free time is the most important time.

The last five teams to switch cities in the NBA have done well just to maintain the record they’ve had the previous season.

Of the last five teams to relocate from a year before -- Memphis (2004), New Orleans (2002), Sacramento (1985), Los Angeles Clippers (1984) and Utah (1979) -- Sacramento made the biggest improvement from one year to the next, six games. The Kings won 31 games in their final year in Kansas City in 1984-85 and upped that total to 36 wins the next season. On the other hand Utah did the worst after moving from New Orleans following the 1978-79 season and that was only a two-game difference. The Jazz too also had little firepower. They won 26 games the year before moving to Utah.

For the most part teams stay even. The Hornets won 44 games and then 46 games. The Clippers won 30 games and improved to 31. The Grizzles didn’t do any better, winning 23 games their last year in Vancouver and their first year in Memphis.

The more telling sign is when can these teams expect a winner. In most cases that depends on what kind of young prospect they can develop. The Kings and Clippers have been bad for most of their existence in their new cities. It took Sacramento 14 years before it made the playoffs and the Clippers eight. But that one playoff year for the Clippers in 1991-92 was an aberration.

The main component to getting good in a new city is drafting a good young player that can grow with the team. The turmoil that surrounds these franchises when they move doesn’t exactly make them free agent magnets and Oklahoma City isn’t going to carry the same cache as New Orleans or Los Angeles. It’s Oklahoma City, there’s not a professional sports franchise around for a far as the eye can see. What can that mean? Ask Utah. The only players that make a difference there are players they force there through the draft.

Drafting John Stockton was the reason it only took the Jazz four seasons to get into the playoffs. For Memphis, who needed three seasons, it was the development of Pau Gasol, who gave the Grizzles a center when most teams didn’t have one. New Orleans was a playoff team when they left Charlotte and made the playoffs in their first season in the Crescent City. But then Baron Davis left and things fell apart. Then a great storm wrecked the city. They spent time in the doldrums until Chris Paul pulled them out. New Orleans is a situation that will be forever unique. At least the Hornets will be able to get free agents to New Orleans.

As for Oklahoma City, at least they’re coming to town with a little meat on their bones because that’s all they could have to eat for awhile.

George steps into Posey's place in FA market

With James Posey moving to New Orleans, there is going to be a renewed interest in Mavericks free agent, Devean George, who is basically the same type of player, one who can come in as a backup small forward or shooting guard. He’s won championships with the Lakers and has played in more big games with Dallas. It should be a priority that Dallas keep him, but after the younger Antoine Wright as a swingman with the idea of adding depth, there might not be the money left in Dallas to feed into that position. George will have some higher value with other teams as someone that can come in and be the seventh or eighth man. There is not reason that all the teams that were seriously in play for Posey shouldn’t be lining up for George — and they can probably get him at a reduced rate.

Barry should be Rockets' secret weapon

The Rockets pick up of Brent Barry will give them someone they can look to in the playoffs to knock down shots. Coach Rick Adelman will have to monitor his minutes this year. Put him in there enough to learn the offense, but they don’t want to be in a situation where they are counting on him to play in heavy rotation to win games. He’s the type of player that it would be good if they won without him during the regular season and then brought him in as a secret weapon heading into the playoffs. They should treat him like Detroit treated Lindsey Hunter last year. The Rockets could have been the Western Conference representatives in the Finals last season had Yao Ming stayed healthy. He's the best center in the league right now and was playing at the highest level he'd been at since joining the NBA as a no-English speaking rookie. They are very close. It's going to be players like Barry that are going to push them over the top. He can make the shots that Posey made for the Celtics during their title run.

Camby loss makes weak defensive team weaker

For the last two years, the Nuggets couldn’t make it out of the first round in the playoffs. They basically needed win out during a grueling end-of-season run saturated for two months with must-win games. They made it to the playoffs, but for most of the season looked like the ninth-best team in the Western Conference. If Andris Biedrins hadn’t been hurt for the Warriors, the Nuggets would have been sitting at home for the playoffs. Besides the fact that Denver traded Camby for potential rights to a second round pick, the Nuggets also let go of their best defensive player. The Nuggets had no interest in playing defense last year, which was the major reason they weren’t serious title contenders. Not kind of defense, yet they had the reigning defensive MVP patrolling the paint. What is going to happen to Denver now that Camby’s gone? Will the Nuggets be able to stop anyone? Who is going to play center? Right now they have Steven Hunger and Nene. Looks like its time for the Brazilian to earn the right to be called by one name in America.

Gibson a nice fit for Cavs bench

The Cavaliers solidified their bench today with Boobie Gibson’s signing. For the next five years, he can play that role as a knockdown shooter that teams need to come in the game when it’s established the other team is double-teaming the star. If Gibson was 15-20 pounds heavier and an inch taller, he might be a starter. As it stands now, his body is too frail to play good enough defense for an entire game against some of the point guards on the better teams in the Eastern Conference. It was a good signing, and it will further allow the Cavaliers to let the core group Danny Ferry put together in the middle of the season last year mature. They never really learned how to play with each other well enough to do some damage last year. That should change by opening tip in November.

Peterson might be key to Posey deal working

James Posey is a nice player, the best of the remaining unrestricted free agents. The Hornets were willing to meet two demands in order to land the 6-foot-8 small forward. They gave him the four-year contract he wanted and they also paid him more than just the mid-level exception of $5.8 million per year. They overpaid for him. Not because of his market value. He might be worth that kind of money to another team, but where is he going to fit in with the Hornets? They desperately needed a shooting guard last season and now they’ll most likely have a starting lineup that will include two small forwards, Posey and Peja, two players that like to hover around the 3-point line. They might be able to make it work defensively with they way Posey can play on defense, but he’s going to go from playing on other teams top scorer for a handful of minutes to a player that will be counted on to shut down an opposing team’s best player for an entire game. He had the chance to start in Houston and was one of the reasons the Rockets didn’t make it out of the first round. The thought was they needed an upgrade there. Posey would make a great sixth-man for the Hornets. Unfortunately they won’t be able to play him in that role unless they start getting something out of Morris Peterson, last year’s starting shooting guard.

Spurs ready for infusion of new talent

The Spurs are old. They could stand to get younger, but it's not the age or the skill set that they have to be worried about during the course of a game. The problem is the older they get, the less likely players are going to be around for a deep postseason run. If they’re healthy, that’s fine. But getting them to late May injury free is going to keep getting trickier. Not only do the Spurs have aging players in the starting five, the players they bring off the bench are equally old. The problem is the players they already have in the starting lineup are incredibly skilled. It’s going to be hard to bring in a young player at any position without sacraficing in the short term. There’s not going to be a young player brought in through the draft that is going to have the skill set of Bruce Bowen or Tim Duncan. At 26 and 30 respectively, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli can’t be considered old yet, although many games last year 35-year-old Michael Finley started. San Antonio has also been hurt by being out of the lottery nearly every year. They played in the Western Conference finals last season, beating an up-and-coming Hornets team in seven games, but the Hornets are on the rise. What are the Spurs? No way they’re better an infusion of new talent.

Artest for Odom is a rip-off

Other than the fact that Ron Artest is set to make about half the money that Lamar Odom will make next year, it’s curious to see the reports that the Lakers would be willing to part with Odom for a perennial firestorm in Artest. No doubt Artest would bring toughness to the Lakers, but he will also pack a wild card everywhere he goes. This is a person that once wanted to take a few months off during the season in order to promote his rap label. How distracted would he be in Los Angeles? The Lakers made it to the Finals last year and they weren’t 100-percent. They’ll still have arguably the best player in the world on their team and it’s not clear that any of the other Western Conference teams will be any better than they were last year. Bringing in Artest could upset last year’s chemistry, especially if the team doesn’t win right away. In the best case scenario the Lakers would be getting a motivated Artest that gives the Lakers scoring and rebounding and quickly learns Phil Jackson’s triangle offense. Scoring and rebounding should be a given with Artest. Motivation and learning the offense? That’s another issue all together. Odom can dribble, shoot, pass, rebound and won’t fly of the handle at any given time. Odom for Artest is a steal for the Kings.

Brand exit makes Clippers major player for UFAs

After losing both Elton Brand and Corey Maggette the Clippers appear to be a wild card that is left in this free agency period. Along with Golden State, they appear to have the financial resources now to be able to put a package together that any free agent, restricted or otherwise would have to seriously think about. Andre Iguodala should stay in Philly, but the Clippers can put an offer out there he would have to consider. Until today, his name hasn’t been brought up, but after the Clippers watched Brand and Maggette out the door, they’re getting a little desperate to find someone to pair with Baron Davis. There are some impact players still out there as restricted free agents:

Josh Smith (ATL)
Josh Childress (ATL)
Emeka Okafor (CHA)
Luol Deng (CHI)
Ben Gordon (CHI)
Andris Biedrins (GS)
Monta Ellis (GS)
Nenad Krstic (NJ)
Andre Iguodala (PHI)

Magic management decisions questionable

The Magic are content to let a promising team fall into the tank. They’re offering Kenyon Dooling a little more than have the money he made last year as Nelson’s backup. Obviously they’re willing to wait and take a backup point guard that they can pay the least amount of money to. They paid Michael Pietrus, but have failed to find a complement to Dwight Howard, they’re most important player. They still have Rashard Lewis playing out of position at the power forward spot and without Dooling, there is not point guard coming off the bench. The Magic had something good started last season. Whether management is going to mess it up is the lone question now. The answer could go either way.

Pargo’s demands are going to have to wait

Hornets reserve guard Jannero Pargo isn’t going to find a better situation that the one he’s at in New Orleans. Anywhere he goes, he will be a backup and there has to be some value to playing with Chris Paul and being part of a situation that could turn out to be something special in the next five years. The only problem is he’s looking for a three year deal and although he’s a nice player, there are a lot of backup guards out there. The Hornets are really going to have to be happy with a bench whose top player is Pargo if they give him the three-year deal now. That’s not exactly a bench that is going to strike fear in the opposition. They’ll still need somebody else. That’s why they’re going to have to find their main guy first before they can think about what kind of backup point guard they want. There are probably a few veteran backups out there that would love to play with Paul -- Tyronn Lue comes to mind. He and Pargo are virtually the same player and are both shopping themselves elsewhere. The Hornets could take the one with the least financial burden after finding a big gun to come off the bench, which, actually, they already have in Bonzi Wells.

Pacers now have hope, direction

The Pacers are going to lose a lot of games next season, but they definitely have some pieces in place now that can at least give fans a hope. A true back to the basket center with the skill that Roy Hibbert has is definitely going to something interesting to watch. He’s a rare breed in today’s NBA. It shouldn’t take him long before he’s able to force double teams and he has the potential to become a very good offensively player. Though slow, he already seems to posses post moves and appears to be used to his long body. Players that are 7-2 with the skill that Hibbert has shown don’t tend to stay in college as long as he did and that might have been the best move of his career so far. The addition of T.J. Ford at point guard gives the team someone that can handle the load of playing the one spot right away, but Jarett Jack isn’t a just a throw-in. He’s a physical point guard that, with time, could present matchup problems with his physical nature. He’s in the mold of Chauncey Billiups. The Pacers have a future.