NBA Free Agency: Breaking Down The Deals, Part 3

While Kevin Garnett has drawn most of the attention, a number of other important players have changed teams or been re-signed in the last few weeks. Here are the most notable ones:


Matt Barnes—Golden State  

Barnes is a dynamic scorer who can slick his way into the lane and hit three balls from the Great Beyond. He excels on the break, but would rather play one-on-one than five on-five, and has no interest in defense.

Then again, neither of those things are priorities in Golden State's game plan.

Barnes won’t help the Warriors against the most disciplined teams, but he’ll be a main weapon as the Warriors blitzkreig offensively impatient and defensively deficient ball clubs.

 
Derek Fisher—Los Angeles Lakers

Forget Fisher's on-court impact in Utah—his community activism and leadership in the clubhouse (especially his nurturing of superstar Deron Williams) were reason enough for Jazz fans to embrace him.

Throw in the heart-wrenching story of his ill daughter and his courageous clutch play against Golden State in the playoffs, and it's easy to see why Fisher is universally respected in NBA circles. 

Utah GM Kevin O’ Connor became teary-eyed when discussing Fisher’s request to leave for a city with specific medical care for his daughter. That’s his foremost priority in coming to Los Angeles.

On the court, Fisher will be comfortable operating in the triangle, and should pay immediate dividends for the Lakers offense. He immediately becomes, at worst, the second-best defender on the team (to Kobe) and the second option down the stretch (to Kobe).

Fisher will also be an invaluable mentor to Jarvis Crittenton and Jordan Farmar—and may even be able to coax his old friend KB to tone down the ego and play team-oriented basketball.

If he can do that, Fisher will be the premier pickup of the offseason.

Steve Francis—Houston

Stevie Franchise was an NBA malcontent even before he was drafted. Still, it’s shocking how quickly his game has eroded.

Back in the day, Francis could blow by anybody with a lethal crossover. He had good range on his three-pointers and as pretty a pull-up jumper as anyone in the league. He was also an incredible rebounder given his size, and while he never could guard his own man, he was excellent at filling passing lanes to create steals.

Now, though, Francis lacks that extra burst, limiting his effectiveness off the dribble. His decisions with the ball are questionable at best, and he has always had a tendency to overhandle instead of letting an offense run efficiently. He also still has no idea how to guard his man, and gets lost in any zone.

That said, the Francis signing isn't an awful one for the Rockets. Neither Mike James nor Rafer Alston is an accomplished distributor or defender. For all his faults, Francis produces more points, draws more fouls, and plays better D than either of them.

If Franics can recapture some of his youthful quicks, he may turn out to be a decent pickup. If he fails to impress coach Rick Adelman, on the other hand, he may find himself complaining about playing time from the bench.

And with Francis pushing 30 and battling chronic knee problems, it may not be long before he changes his moniker from Stevie Franchise to Stevie Retirement.

Eddie House—Boston

House is a one-trick pony. He can shoot, and when he's hot, his perimeter scoring ability makes up for his lack of defense.

He’s a decent signing for the Celtics for the simple reason that anybody would be a decent signing for the Celtics, given their thinness off the bench. For a team that fancies itself a contender in the East, though, a rugged defender like Ruben Patterson would’ve been a better pickup.

Desmond Mason—Milwaukee

Mason’s jumper is still suspect, but he can slash to the paint with power, is adept at running the baseline, and is a very hungry defender.

His poor shooting will be offset by the accuracy of Mo Williams and Michael Redd. A nice pickup by the Bucks.

Chris Mihm—Los Angeles Lakers

Mihm is a fairly athletic big man who can run the floor, hit short jumpers, and exploit holes in defenses.

He's also a soft rebounder and defender who will give up his share of offensive boards and layups.

Mihm’s penchant for finding defensive soft spots makes him a useful piece in the triangle. Until Andrew Bynum refines his defensive skills and Kwame Brown improves his hands and his geometry, Mihm may be the most effective big man on the Lakers roster.

Travis Outlaw—Portland

Outlaw has the athleticism to succeed in the NBA, but is still too raw to make an immediate impact.

With Portland intent on stockpiling young talent, Outlaw should get his chance over the next few years. One thing that may hold him back is the fact that the brainless Darius Miles still has a roster spot.

Travis can be developed, but Miles should definitely be outlawed in Portland.

Smush Parker—Miami

Parker has decent quickness, good open-floor skills, and a serviceable jumper.

He also can’t run a set, feuded with Phil Jackson over playing time, is a turnover waiting to happen, and constantly gets, well, smushed by opposing guards on defense.

The only reason this deal isn’t a complete failure is that the Heat desperately need any NBA-caliber point guard they can get.

Kurt Thomas—Seattle

This deal helps Seattle less than it hurts Phoenix.

Thomas was never a good fit in the Phoenix run 'n gun, but he can set solid screens and fade for baseline jumpers in a half-court set. More importantly, he was the Suns' best (read: only) defensive option against Tim Duncan, Yao Ming, and, to a lesser extent, Dirk Nowitzki and Carlos Boozer.

If the Suns believe themselves to have a prayer of winning the Western Conference with Shawn Marion at the four (where he's an effective defender, but bound for foul trouble), they are foolish. If they believe that having Boris Diaw defending opposing power forwards, will solve their problems, they are even more foolish.

Expect more regular season fireworks in Phoenix...but remember that fireworks are merely for show. Phoenix doesn’t have the artillery—the rockets, the grenades—to survive the Western Conference wars.

As for Seattle—Thomas will do the dirty work while the kids get their on-the-job training. He'll be a great tutor for Robert Swift and a role model in the clubhouse.

Ironic as it sounds, the 35-year-old Thomas may do wonders for the Sonics' youth movement.

Mo Williams—Milwaukee

Williams can come off screens for pull-up jumpers, run the break effectively, and light up the scoreboard in a hurry.

Milwaukee had a host of problems last season, but depending on Mo wasn’t one of them. Re-signing him falls in the "If ain't broke, don't fix it" category.

Losing Williams would’ve been very damaging to a team that's already struggling. As it stands, Williams, Redd, and Mason will give the Bucks enough scoring punch to be competitive...but the playoffs are still miles away.