Breaking Down the NBA's Free-Agent Deals: Third Edition

The summer is slowly winding down, and the diminishing daylight in the evening hours reflects the dwindling number of impact free agents. Let’s look at what the latest NBAers to change addresses will bring to their new teams:

Maurice Evans—Atlanta Hawks

Signed primarily as a replacement for Josh Childress, Evans brings an entirely different skillset to Atlanta. Evans is a stronger defender than Childress against the NBA’s power penetrators, but is a mite less athletic, and isn’t the shot blocker or steal generator Childress is.

On offense, Evans won’t be able to soar like Childress among his high-flying Hawks’ teammates, but his three-point marksmanship is a plus.

While Evans is a completely different player than Childress is, he’ll add toughness and three-point shooting to a team bereft of both.

Grade: B

Randolph Morris—Atlanta Hawks

In his brief time in the NBA, Morris has shown only one NBA move—a mechanical right hook from the right box. Morris lacks the awareness and the explosion to play at the next level, and won’t be the quality center Atlanta desperately needs.

Grade: F

Royal Ivey—Philadelphia 76ers

The Sixers will employ Ivey’s length, quick hands, and quicker feet as a backcourt defensive specialist. He’ll also provide quality insurance as a third point guard, and can allow Lou Williams to play the two in some lineups.

Grade: B

Kareem Rush—Philadelphia 76ers

There’s no doubt Kareem Rush can be a quality scorer in the NBA. However, Rush has always been extremely selfish, ignores his offensive and defensive responsibilities, and only wants to shoot whenever he touches the ball.

Defense? Not an option. Practicing? Not worth it.

Why else would such a talented athlete be ignored by every NBA franchise two years ago, forcing Rush to migrate to Lithuania to find a team who wanted him? Why else would the Bobcats extirpate Rush from their roster in 2006 ten days before the end of the season?

Rush is only marginally more talented and consistent than Willie Green, and is a potential cancer to Philadelphia’s harmonious, hard-working, overachieving basketball team. Philly can still use a potent two-guard, but Rush isn’t worth the risk.

Grade: F

Yakhouba Diawara—Miami Heat

Diawara’s a marginally-talented athlete whose stock-in-trade is defense. If anything, he’ll make less mistakes than Daequan Cook as a backup shooting guard.

Grade: C-

Kwame Brown—Detroit Pistons

If you ignore Brown’s ignominious reputation, you’ll come to find that despite his concrete hands, his leaden feet, and his fragile personality, Brown is a quality rebounder and an exceptional post defender.

Detroit has had trouble finding size and toughness in their frontcourt the past few seasons—Jason Maxiell is too short, Amir Johnson too raw, Theo Ratliff and Chris Webber were too decrepit—and Brown fills their need for an exceptional banger and defender off the bench.

Plus, Brown can score a little bit in the post against slower, shorter defenders, which is a nice boost. Another underappreciated, yet savvy pickup by Joe Dumars.

Grade: A-

Renaldo Balkman—Denver Nuggets

Balkman will defend straight up, menace passing lanes, block shots, jump, run, and flourish in Denver’s get-up-and-go game plan. He has no halfcourt offense to speak of, but he’ll cut hard along the baseline and receive passes from Iverson for layups—and Denver has AI and ‘Melo to handle the majority of the scoring anyway.

Grade: A

Ricky Davis—Los Angeles Clippers

Davis is the perfect player for the Clippers in their quest to replace Denver and Golden State as the chic, all-fast-break, no-discipline team in the Western Conference. Davis can score from anywhere, will pass and defend only when the mood suits him, and is an upgrade over Cuttino Mobley as a threat to score in transition. He won’t help the Clippers win a playoff series, but he he’ll help them nonetheless.

Grade: B+

Brian Skinner— Los Angeles Clippers

Skinner isn’t an offensive threat, but he’s surprisingly athletic, a functional jump shooter, and able to start or finish a fast break. He also has a reputation as a poor locker room guy—which can be a huge problem with egos like Baron Davis', Ricky Davis', and Tim Thomas' on the roster.

Grade: B-

Steve Novak—Los Angeles Clippers

The only reason why Novak is still in the NBA is because he’s 6'10" and has range beyond the three-point line. He’s deficient in every other area, and won’t be able to keep up with his faster, more athletic teammates.

Grade: D-

Jason Williams—Los Angeles Clippers

Williams no longer has the legs to turn the corner on screen/rolls, his shooting has always been incredibly streaky, and nobody‘s ever accused him of playing defense or making accurate entry passes.

Williams can be a useful playmaker off the bench, but it’s more than likely that with all his injuries, he’s on his very last NBA legs.

Grade: D