The NBA off season has been a roller coaster of free agent signings, unexpected amnesties, and sometimes meaningless workouts.
Now the season’s start is within eyesight as Summer turns to Fall, yet a few players are still without a place to display their talents.
Some of these NBA “unemployed” are victims of their own greed, over valuing their current abilities. Some are paying for mistakes both on and off the court as a result of poor judgement or immaturity.
The rest…well the rest are just wily vets looking for a few more seasons in the NBA’s sunshine. Probably looking to gather more stories to tell their loved ones in the coming years of retirement as the game passes them by.
Whatever the reason, they are all in the same boat and looking to reach the shore of a team by October’s training camp closure.
In no particular order here are some of the best and biggest names still available.
|
Player |
Analysis |
Potential Fits |
|
Mickael Pietrus |
Three-point shooting happy forward who can defend. |
Bucks, Hawks |
|
Leandro Barbosa |
Can back up both guard spots, still quick but erratic. |
Lakers, Celtics, T-Wolves, Rockets |
|
Josh Howard |
Has matured but can’t stay healthy. Still a jack of all trades master of none. |
Spurs, Bulls, Jazz |
|
Tracy McGrady |
Plays a smarter floor game and creates for others well. If he were a better locker room guy he would have more of a market. |
Spurs, Knicks, Suns, Lakers |
|
Anthony Tolliver |
Offensively skilled at both forward spots with nice touch from 3. |
Wizards, Pacers, Hawks, Bobcats |
|
Chris Anderson |
Provides energy off the bench but off the court issues have teams pleading the 5th when his agent calls. |
Heat, Hornets, Hawks, Bobcats |
|
Kenyon Martin |
Rugged defensive player without much lift left. |
Mavs, Hawks |
|
Derek Fisher |
More of a locker room leader now than anything else but can still hit open 3’s |
Spurs, Celtics, Heat, Rockets |
|
Michael Redd |
Had some nice moments last year and can help a contender looking for a specialist. |
76ers, Nuggets, Warriors |
|
Ben Wallace |
Probably should retire but the fire still burns and he is providing a voice in the otherwise young Pistons locker room |
Pistons |
|
Mehmet Okur |
As injury prone as they come. Could be effective with spot minutes as a back up and still is an above average shooter for a center. |
T-Wolves, Suns, Pacers |
|
Jamario Moon |
Athletic wing player who can still fill the lane on the break. His defense is not as tenacious as it once was unfortunately. |
Hawks, Bucks |
|
Jason Kapono |
Has been irrelevant for 3 seasons and will need to do a Steve Novak imitation in any situation he lands. |
Spurs,76ers, Pacers, Grizzlies |
|
Jonny Flynn |
Hasn’t found his niche in the league yet and is running out of chances. An overseas gig might be in his immediate future. |
Pistons, Celtics |
|
Hassan Whiteside |
Never developed in Sacramento because they kept drafting similar players. Has to prove he can do more than block shots if given a shot elsewhere. |
Heat, Magic, Bulls, Hornets |
|
Jordan Williams |
Is he a talent or a project? He hasn’t had enough opportunity to show which. Still you can’t teach his height and size. |
Suns, Raptors, Magic, Jazz |
|
Louis Amundson |
Could help a team in need of spot minutes or mop up duty for starting bigs. Has a knack for offensive rebounding and is a good help defender. |
Suns, Hornets |
|
Gilbert Arenas |
His head finally seems to be right but his body just hasn’t responded. Would have to become a specialist from 3 and he has never been that accurate a shooter. |
Bucks, Blazers, Raptors, Cavs, Rockets |
|
Troy Murphy |
Injuries have sapped his desire to rebound consistently and he has lost confidence in his jumper. Probably would be best suited in situation with little pressure on him to perform. |
Spurs, Mavs, Suns, Cavs |
|
Eddy Curry |
Another case of height, size, and non-motivation. |
Mavs, Suns, Nets, 76ers |
|
Yi Jianlian |
Word is he is going back to China but would welcome an NBA role. Could help a team in need of scoring but offers little else. |
Bobcats, Cavs, Blazers |
|
Mike Bibby |
Anybody need a 3rd string point guard? Here is your man. |
Rockets, Celtics, Nets |
Nothing is promised to any of the above mentioned but most should find work before the season is through. That said, the NBA has a funny way of moving on without people…no matter what they did or think they still can do.
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Written by Warren Shaw
I am an avid Basketball fan who has worked for the New York Knicks, Alonzo Mourning Charities and various other sports organizations. Having covered many NBA and various professional sporting events has given me the opportunity to provide insight with an unbiased but flavor driven view. I look forward to providing NBA content and interacting with knowledgeable fans and readers.
Follow me on Twitter @shawsports or Email your questions to me at Warrenshaw@prosportsblogging.com
