Post by RManske2 on Feb 12, 2011 23:40:04 GMT -5
While the regular season is not over at this point, it is never too early for teams to start looking forward to one of the most exciting, and nervous, times of the year in free agency. It should be noted that this discussion is based on potential free agents since some of these players may resign with their respective teams and not even test the market. With that said, we'll start with the potential point guard class.
As things currently stand, the point guard class of free agents has the potential to be a very deep class. Whether a team is looking to pay some big money for a starter to run their squad or need a quality backup, this is your class to choose from. In addition, I would not be surprised to see a few of these players pick up some contracts that could leave some general managers surprised and wondering if certain players were overpaid. With that said, here is a look at some of the big names that will command a lot of attention if they hit the market.
Leandrinho Barbosa - Detroit Pistons
Current Stats: 23.8 points, 9.3 assists, and 2.5 steals[/b]
If I had to rank the point guard class I would put Barbosa at the top of the list. The stats above speak loud and clear as he is posting career highs in points, assists, and steals while even shooting a career best percentage from the field and beyond the arc. The 24-year old has shown improvement each year in the league and will be gearing up to hit his prime and lead a team for years to come. Barbosa can do everything a point guard is suppose to do as shown by his A- rating in the categories of outside scoring, handling, and defense.
The one time 22nd pick in the draft will get a max contract if he tests the market whether it is the 7-year max from his current team, the Detroit Pistons, or a 6-year max deal from any team with the cap space to offer him one. The good news for Detroit is that they will enter the offseason with plenty of cap space so there will be no worries about having to deal with the hard cap in keeping their best player in town. However, the Pistons would be even more excited if Barbosa resigned before even testing the market since if the star was to leave Motown it would be a crushing blow for a rebuilding Pistons squad.
Beno Udrih - Dallas Mavericks
Current Stats: 13.1 points, 7.6 assists, and 1.6 steals[/b]
Next up on the list is current Dallas Mavericks point guard Beno Udrih. While I am not sure if I would rank Udrih as the second best point guard to potentially be available, he will get some big money from a team out there. Similar to Barbosa, Udrih is also only 24 but has taken a much different path to get to where he is now. Udrih was a second round selection and after spending his first two years in the D-League, he has been called up and is putting up solid numbers in his "rookie" campaign as shown above. Unlike Barbosa though, there is no past performance to compare to see how he is progressing.
Based on this fact, teams will have to determine if Udrih will continue to improve his game and numbers (even though he already has A- ratings in outside scoring, handling, and defense) or if he will plateau due to his time in the D-League. Either way, look for the Mavericks or some other team to throw a lot of money at the point guard with a multi-year contract.
Kirk Hinrich - Vancouver Grizzlies
Current Stats: 12.0 points, 7.1 assists, and 1.8 steals[/b]
Following Barbosa and Udrih, there is another point guard finishing up his rookie contract in Vancouver's Kirk Hinrich. Once upon a time, the former University of Kansas star was a lottery pick and has moved around a bit before finding a home with the Grizzlies for over the last season or two. The question is whether Hinrich fits into the Grizzlies' long term plans and that will be answered this offseason.
While maybe not spetacular, Hinrich's career numbers have been fairly consistent and it would appear that a team would know what they are getting with him. However, if a team is looking for a big time player Hinrich may not be the best fit since he appears to be more of a solid starter but not a superstar calibur player. As a point guard, Hinrich has the outside shot and defensive skill to possibly move over and play some shooting guard as well. Perhaps the knock on Hinrich is that rating wise he does not appear to be as good of a ball handler as the other two players discussed since he only has a B- rating in this category. Either way, I don't expect Hinrich to get a max deal but look for him to cash in on a 5 to 6 year deal worth a nice amount of money to follow up his rookie contract.
In addition to the three names mentioned above, here are some other players to keep an eye on if they hit the free agent market this coming offseason:
Steve Blake - Minnesota Timberwolves
Luke Ridnour - Cleveland Cavaliers
Dan Dickau - Orlando Magic
Andre Miller - Houston Rockets
As stated earlier in the article, this has the potential to be a very deep and talented point guard class and I would expect some of these players to cash in on some big contracts and cause some shakeup around the league for next season and beyond.
As things currently stand, the point guard class of free agents has the potential to be a very deep class. Whether a team is looking to pay some big money for a starter to run their squad or need a quality backup, this is your class to choose from. In addition, I would not be surprised to see a few of these players pick up some contracts that could leave some general managers surprised and wondering if certain players were overpaid. With that said, here is a look at some of the big names that will command a lot of attention if they hit the market.
Leandrinho Barbosa - Detroit Pistons
Current Stats: 23.8 points, 9.3 assists, and 2.5 steals[/b]
If I had to rank the point guard class I would put Barbosa at the top of the list. The stats above speak loud and clear as he is posting career highs in points, assists, and steals while even shooting a career best percentage from the field and beyond the arc. The 24-year old has shown improvement each year in the league and will be gearing up to hit his prime and lead a team for years to come. Barbosa can do everything a point guard is suppose to do as shown by his A- rating in the categories of outside scoring, handling, and defense.
The one time 22nd pick in the draft will get a max contract if he tests the market whether it is the 7-year max from his current team, the Detroit Pistons, or a 6-year max deal from any team with the cap space to offer him one. The good news for Detroit is that they will enter the offseason with plenty of cap space so there will be no worries about having to deal with the hard cap in keeping their best player in town. However, the Pistons would be even more excited if Barbosa resigned before even testing the market since if the star was to leave Motown it would be a crushing blow for a rebuilding Pistons squad.
Beno Udrih - Dallas Mavericks
Current Stats: 13.1 points, 7.6 assists, and 1.6 steals[/b]
Next up on the list is current Dallas Mavericks point guard Beno Udrih. While I am not sure if I would rank Udrih as the second best point guard to potentially be available, he will get some big money from a team out there. Similar to Barbosa, Udrih is also only 24 but has taken a much different path to get to where he is now. Udrih was a second round selection and after spending his first two years in the D-League, he has been called up and is putting up solid numbers in his "rookie" campaign as shown above. Unlike Barbosa though, there is no past performance to compare to see how he is progressing.
Based on this fact, teams will have to determine if Udrih will continue to improve his game and numbers (even though he already has A- ratings in outside scoring, handling, and defense) or if he will plateau due to his time in the D-League. Either way, look for the Mavericks or some other team to throw a lot of money at the point guard with a multi-year contract.
Kirk Hinrich - Vancouver Grizzlies
Current Stats: 12.0 points, 7.1 assists, and 1.8 steals[/b]
Following Barbosa and Udrih, there is another point guard finishing up his rookie contract in Vancouver's Kirk Hinrich. Once upon a time, the former University of Kansas star was a lottery pick and has moved around a bit before finding a home with the Grizzlies for over the last season or two. The question is whether Hinrich fits into the Grizzlies' long term plans and that will be answered this offseason.
While maybe not spetacular, Hinrich's career numbers have been fairly consistent and it would appear that a team would know what they are getting with him. However, if a team is looking for a big time player Hinrich may not be the best fit since he appears to be more of a solid starter but not a superstar calibur player. As a point guard, Hinrich has the outside shot and defensive skill to possibly move over and play some shooting guard as well. Perhaps the knock on Hinrich is that rating wise he does not appear to be as good of a ball handler as the other two players discussed since he only has a B- rating in this category. Either way, I don't expect Hinrich to get a max deal but look for him to cash in on a 5 to 6 year deal worth a nice amount of money to follow up his rookie contract.
In addition to the three names mentioned above, here are some other players to keep an eye on if they hit the free agent market this coming offseason:
Steve Blake - Minnesota Timberwolves
Luke Ridnour - Cleveland Cavaliers
Dan Dickau - Orlando Magic
Andre Miller - Houston Rockets
As stated earlier in the article, this has the potential to be a very deep and talented point guard class and I would expect some of these players to cash in on some big contracts and cause some shakeup around the league for next season and beyond.
