Sheridan Column: Five Hidden Gems in Free Agency

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Well, it has become pretty clear that Nene is going to be the No. 1 free agent out there, and somebody is going to give him a max deal. The Nuggets, Nets, Warriors, Rockets, Pacers, Clippers and Trail Blazers were among the teams that contacted his representatives yesterday, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports is reporting.

If you need a pure scorer, Jamal Crawford is the No. 1 option, and here were a LOT of teams impressed by what J.J. Berea brought to the Dallas Mavericks in their championship push.

If you need a rebounder, Kris Humphries is coming off a career year. And if you need a center but cannot afford Nene, the leftovers run the gamut — Tyson Chandler, Samuel Dalembert, Joel Przybilla, Kurt Thomas, Kwame Brown and Aaron Grey.

But what if you want a value buy, someone who will upgrade your team’s talent base without you having to break the bank (something similar to the Memphis Grizzlies signing of Tony Allen prior to last season) in order to get him?

Here are my five hidden gems in the free agent class of 2011.

All will become available beginning Dec. 9, and all are being discussed now that team executives and agents were cleared Wednesday to begin speaking about free agents.

1. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Bucks (Restricted)

Every team needs a defensive stopper, correct? (Yes, even you, Mike D’Antoni). Mbah a Moute is the one guy out there this fall who can bring what Allen brought to the Grizzlies last season, and there is a chance the Bucks will not match because of the investment they have already made in Drew Gooden (four years and $26 million remaining on his contract) and their bigger need for a backup center to play behind Andrew Bogut.

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Talking ’bout Rajon Rondo, the Mavs and Team USA

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I don’t think the Celtics should trade Rajon Rondo. I think the NBA champion Dallas Mavericks are going to have to overpay to keep both Tyson Chandler and J.J. Barea. And I also foresee an epic gold medal game between the United States and Spain at the 2012 London Olympics next summer.

(From our archives is this piece I wrote in September regarding the Spanish team’s chances in the Olympics after covering EuroBasket 2011 in Lithuania, along with this piece on who will represent Team USA).

I discussed all those topics and more last night with Pete Prisco on FOX 930 radio in Jacksonville, Fla. Click here to listen to the interview. (Producer Derrick Allen went to the trouble of bleeping out a certain four-letter word: ESPN).

 

 

 

 

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The Dwight Howard situation is fluid

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NBA Photos; Retouch by @stevesolis

Today’s biggest piece of comes news from Orlando, via the Sentinel’s Josh Robbins, that Magic general manager Otis Smith has not yet received a single trade offer for Dwight Howard.

But he should start getting those calls shortly, especially after saying he will look at all options.

“I think you have to look at everything,” Smith told the Orlando Sentinel when asked if he’d consider dealing Howard to another team. “I don’t think you can take anything out of consideration. I think, one, you have to talk to your player first. We have to figure out where his head is, not where everyone thinks his head is, and just more figure out where he wants to be. And then you have to make the best decision of what’s in the best interests of the franchise. That’s how I’ve always went about it: to make the best decision that’s in the best interests of the Orlando Magic.

The first thing Smith needs to do is sit down with Howard himself to get a reading of what Dwight feels his future holds. And while Smith can speak to Dwight’s agent, he cannot yet speak to Howard himself.

“I think you have to wait and leave all that up in the air. I don’t think you can say you will or you won’t [trade] at this point, because you don’t know what you don’t know. I can speculate based on what I read and hear, but that’s really not fair to Dwight and it’s not fair to us,” Smith told the Sentinel. “So you have to have a conversation with him about what he wants to do, and then you have to make the best decision that’s in the best interests of the franchise, as always.”

Mark Heisler broke the news here Monday that the Lakers are going to make a push for BOTH Howard and Chris Paul, and a number of rumors have popped up in recent days involving other teams.

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Amnesty for Brandon Roy? Not so fast

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I went on the radio in Portland yesterday morning with Chad Doing on KXTG 750 The Game to discuss whether the Trail Blazers should waive Brandon Roy, and my opinion was : What’s the hurry? (Click here to listen to the interview).

You only get to use the amnesty clause once during the 10-year collective bargaining agreement, and it is becoming clear that several teams, such as Washington with Rashard Lewis, would prefer to keep it in their back pocket for use sometime in the future.

Roy was a non-factor in the Blazers’ final two games last postseason when they were ousted from the playoffs in six games in a first-round matchup against the eventual champion Dallas Mavericks. But it should not be forgotten that he was a machine in Portland’s record setting Game 4 victory in that series when he scored 18 fourth-quarter points to lead a comeback from a 23-point fourth-quarter deficit – an NBA playoff record for a fourth-quarter comeback — to tie that series at 2-2.

Portland president Larry Miller came out later in the day and said no decision has been made on what the team will do with Roy, or, for that matter, with their vacant general manager’s position.

From Mike Tokito of the Oregonian: In addition to (columnist John) Canzano, KATU.com and at least one national website reported that the Blazers intended to use the amnesty clause to jettison Roy’s contract from the salary cap.
Miller said interim general manager Chad Buchanan called Roy’s agent at 6 a.m. this morning — the earliest team officials could contact agents — to arrange a meeting with Roy. ”With everything that Brandon has done for this organization, there’s no way we would make a decision like that without having conversation with him, without evaluating where he is,” Miller said.

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Chris Paul: “My heart is in New Orleans”

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Breaking sports news video. MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL highlights and more.

By Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog

NEW YORK — Two years ago, LeBron James teased Knicks fans for an entire season before “The Decision” ultimately brought him to South Beach.

Last year the Carmelo Anthony Sweepstakes dominated the New York headlines until he ultimately landed with the Knicks at the trade deadline.

Now it’s Chris Paul’s turn.

The New Orleans Hornets point guard becomes a free agent next summer, and until then he will continue to answer questions about whether he wants to join Melo and Amar’e Stoudemire in the Big Apple.

“I try not to pay attention to all that different type of stuff,” Paul said Tuesday in Brooklyn at an event at the Boys & Girls Club to support The Carmelo Anthony Foundation. “My heart is in New Orleans and right now the reason I’m here in New York is for ['Melo]…

“I know I’m just happy to be here and be a part of it, to give these boxes out to the needy families and then going over to the [Five-Star Basketball] Clinic and seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces when we show up.”

Paul was a member of the executive committee and was in the meetings during the NBA lockout, but said he doesn’t believe the new deal will necessarily help him achieve his goals going forward.

“This deal was not about one person,” he said. “It’s not about me, it’s not about any one of these guys. It’s about the collective group.

“We’re so excited to be able to come back and play this game. These past few months have been brutal as far as not being able to go out there and do what we love.”

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