Aside from Felton, Who’s the Best Free Agent Available?

Steve Martin

I’ve got to write this quick before Olympiakos signs another one. Linas Klieza and Von Wafer were good free agent grabs until they decided to go overseas for big money.

I thought Leon Powe was intriguing, even if you had to wait until the All-Star break to get him following a torn ACL. Cleveland thinks the same thing and the Cavs are on the verge of signing him for the veteran’s minimum.

Klieza should have accepted Denver’s offer of four years and 25 million before the 2008-09 season started. He’s getting that money but he’ll be across the pond, and because he’s a restricted free agent, Denver holds his hall pass back to the NBA.

The RFA (Restricted Free Agent) pool has an impressive group still unsigned, such as the Bobcats own Raymond Felton. But because they all have qualifying offers from their teams, they really aren’t totally free. So I’ll confine my thoughts to the UFA (Unrestricted Free Agent) pool.

This group contains the biggest name of all – Allen Iverson. It also has Joe Smith, Jamaal Tinsley, Rodney Carney, Wally Szczerbiak. Flip Murray and Jerry Stackhouse, among others.

My pick?

Flip Murray. Hands down. For teams that need a splasher from the perimeter, Murray fits the bill. He’s never been solid starter material but has filled that role as a stand-in very well. He came to life in that fashion for Seattle when Ray Allen was out with an injury for half the season. Murray just completed a one-season rental with the Atlanta Hawks and responded with his third best campaign at 12.2 points per game. On a team challenged for guards behind Mike Bibby, Murray capably filled the point and two-guard spots.

Allen Iverson is a toxic chemical, as he proved in Detroit. Why get someone who handcuffs his coach by insisting on starting? Trouble finds Jamaal Tinsley too easily. Always be careful about a player who is known more for his off-court exploits. In addition, Tinsley has missed 31 percent of the 574 games he could have played in because of injury.

Now let’s bring in our redheaded radio guy-Scott Lauer for his pick.

Scott Lauer

Yes, now to the broadcaster who is not follicly challenged… yet. The restricted free-agent list is still ripe with talent, including our own Raymond Felton, Ramon Sessions and David Lee. Sign-and-trades are still distinct possibilities for a few of them.

The unrestricted group continues to thin, losing Leon Powe to Cleveland. Another strong move by the Cavs, corralling a 25-year-old who performed well for Boston before his knee injury. He’s another upgrade when he returns from the ailment later in the season.

While Flip Murray is a worthy choice by Steve to head up the list as the most attractive unrestricted free agents remaining, my lever in the voting booth gets pulled for Allen Iverson.

Practice??!! Yes he will – with pleasure.

The antagonists will say that he’s aging and a bad seed. I view the risk/reward ratio as an appealing one. He’s likely going to get a mere one-year deal for less than $6 million at 34 years of age. Coming off his worst year in the league, playing for Denver and Detroit, his competitive drive will act as the catalyst to finish his career with pride. For the first time in years, Iverson has something to prove. Reports indicate that he’s been working out diligently this offseason for that very reason.

He averaged 17 points with Detroit last year; 10 fewer than his career average. He shot 42 percent from the field. Obviously he’s not the all-star caliber player that he once was. However, if he can channel that frustration into a positive environment, he can provide scoring and determination off of some team’s bench and the risk is minimal for the organization. He can be “The Answer” to a team’s need for scoring off the bench. Will he allow himself to contribute in that role? I believe so, because he’ll likely understand his status before signing with a team, unlike the murky situation in Detroit.