Mitch will contact Joe Smith, Shelden Williams.

karacha wrote:And see if OKC is willing to trade Durant for Odom.

VincentTH wrote:

karacha wrote:And see if OKC is willing to trade Durant for Odom.

Given that OKC beat us twice during the regular season, I highly doubt that the Durant for Odom trade would happen

10 Best Available Unrestricted Free Agents

By Aron Phillips

While the prizes on the market are still clearly Allen Iverson, Lamar Odom and Andre Miller, here are the ten best available free agents left:

1. Marquis Daniels - I’m kind of surprised Daniels is still available right now after having the best season of his career. Averaging 13.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, he showed when he could stay healthy (54 games last season), he is a valuable contributor to a team.

2. Flip Murray - After a great year in Atlanta averaging 12.2 points in 25 minutes off the bench, Murray would be a great piece for a team in search of instant offense a la Eddie House. It seems the backcourt is getting crowded in the ATL, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Flip find a team he can get some burn on next season.

3. Von Wafer - While Houston clearly needs a big guy to fill Yao’s void, they’d be crazy to let Wafer walk this summer. Especially with Ron Artest playing for the Lakers, the Rockets can definitely use Wafer’s intensity on both end of the floor.

4. Matt Barnes - Starting 40 games for the Suns last season, Barnes had the best season of his career averaging 10.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game in only 27 minutes a night. Barnes is one of those guys that doesn’t take plays off, and if he can stick with a team for more than two years, he can definitely become a solid contributor.

5. Drew Gooden - With career averages of 12.0 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, Gooden will always find himself on an NBA roster. After signing Antonio McDyess, it appears Gooden has outstayed his welcome in San Antonio.

6. Anthony Carter - Finding a legit point guard in this League is tougher than it seems. And while this year’s NBA Draft was full of aspiring PGs, most coaches like to have a vet around just in case. That’s where AC comes in.

7. Chris Wilcox - Of all these guys, 6-10 Wilcox could be the most intriguing option. A couple years ago during a three-year stretch with the Sonics, Wilcox was averaging around 14 and 8 a game after not getting the minutes to flourish with the Clippers. At only 26 years old, the potential is definitely still there and well worth the limited investment.

8. Ime Udoka - While his numbers weren’t great with the Spurs, Udoka is a modern-day Bruce Bowen. And if San Antonio can’t get Bruce back in town, they should do everything they can keep Udoka.

9. Stephon Marbury - After a tumultuous season to say the least, Marbury can still play. While most teams don’t want to deal with his headaches, he still has to be on this list as one of the best available.

10. Sean May - While May has been irrelevent for quite some time, he’s been busy working out for the Blazers and Kings with plans to work out for the Cavs and Clippers later this week. If he can stay health, the former UNC product could be a steal.

Others available: Alex Acker, Maurice Ager, Morris Almond, Maceo Baston, Keith Bogans, Calvin Booth, Ryan Bowen, Rodney Carney, Jarron Collins, Jason Collins, Ike Diogu, Juan Dixon, Melvin Ely, Adonal Foyle, Thomas Gardner, Joey Graham, Stephen Graham, Gerald Green, Jason Hart, Luther Head, Walter Herrmann, Juwan Howard, Othello Hunter, Royal Ivey, Bobby Jackson, Damon Jones, Fred Jones, Brevin Knight, Rob Kurz, Raef LaFrentz, Tyronn Lue, Jamaal Magloire, Sean Marks, Donyell Marshall, Cartier Martin, Desmond Mason, Rashad McCants, Mikki Moore, Rasho Nesterovic, Kevin Ollie, Johan Petro, Leon Powe, Shavlik Randolph, Theo Ratliff, Jeremy Richardson, Malik Rose, Michael Ruffin, Kareem Rush, Cedric Simmons, Sean Singletary, Brian Skinner, Joe Smith, Robert Swift, Stromile Swift, Wally Szczerbiak, Jacque Vaughn, Jake Voskuhl, Shelden Williams, Lorenzen Wright

Helljumper wrote:Joe Smith > Gooden > Powell.

We need some sort of back up in case LO leaves for the MLE somewhere else. Here's how our plans SHOULD be right now:

A.) Re-sign Lamar.
B.) Sign and trade with Lamar to get back some good players.
C.) Sign someone like Smith, Gooden, Wilcox, or Warrick for the minimum.

432J wrote:both those guys are not that good
joe smith is old, plus he's been a bust since he was drafted #1 overall back in 95
and gooden is overrated

SignPippenNow wrote:

432J wrote:both those guys are not that good
joe smith is old, plus he's been a bust since he was drafted #1 overall back in 95
and gooden is overrated

What exactly do you think LA is going to get for the vet minimum? If not Gooden and Smith, it will be someone similar. They have no money.

karacha wrote:

SignPippenNow wrote:

432J wrote:both those guys are not that good
joe smith is old, plus he's been a bust since he was drafted #1 overall back in 95
and gooden is overrated

What exactly do you think LA is going to get for the vet minimum? If not Gooden and Smith, it will be someone similar. They have no money.

Chris Bosh for the minimum.

SignPippenNow wrote:

432J wrote:both those guys are not that good
joe smith is old, plus he's been a bust since he was drafted #1 overall back in 95
and gooden is overrated

What exactly do you think LA is going to get for the vet minimum? If not Gooden and Smith, it will be someone similar. They have no money.

ShaqDieselLaker wrote:

SignPippenNow wrote:

432J wrote:both those guys are not that good
joe smith is old, plus he's been a bust since he was drafted #1 overall back in 95
and gooden is overrated

What exactly do you think LA is going to get for the vet minimum? If not Gooden and Smith, it will be someone similar. They have no money.

Oh, Lakers have the money, but they simply don't want to overpay. That's reasonable when you are bargaining for a fair price, but it's not smart in terms of ensuring another championship.

ShaqDieselLaker wrote:

SignPippenNow wrote:

432J wrote:both those guys are not that good
joe smith is old, plus he's been a bust since he was drafted #1 overall back in 95
and gooden is overrated

What exactly do you think LA is going to get for the vet minimum? If not Gooden and Smith, it will be someone similar. They have no money.

Oh, Lakers have the money, but they simply don't want to overpay. That's reasonable when you are bargaining for a fair price, but it's not smart in terms of ensuring another championship.

SignPippenNow wrote:The only thing I have been critical of LA about is selling the two draft picks, especially the first and I did that on draft night so it isn't hindsight. I felt then and feel now that was a mistake, but hey that is water under the bridge now.

crazylakerfanforlife wrote:i always liked hakim warrick i think he could become the power forward version of ariza.

GinoDB wrote:

SignPippenNow wrote:The only thing I have been critical of LA about is selling the two draft picks, especially the first and I did that on draft night so it isn't hindsight. I felt then and feel now that was a mistake, but hey that is water under the bridge now.

not me,that was a very weak draft class

karacha wrote:Kupchack.