NBA: The 15 Worst Free Agents Going into the 2011-12 Season

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The NBA offseason is a time for teams to rebuild or even add pieces to become a contender. However, it is also a time period for terrible players to somehow get paid to be bad at basketball.

Professional sports are a lot like gasoline. Supply and demand rules the roost. Thus, middling talents get paid megabucks by teams who have a pressing need to fill at their position.

Maybe call it the Erick Dampier syndrome.

This year we pay homage to these sly athletes.

How they constantly appear on rosters we will never know.  But don't seem surprised when your favorite team signs one of these guys.

While making this list I realized there was a lot of names that could have been mentioned. So if you leave a comment telling me who I should've put on the list, odds are you will have plenty of merit.

Let's check out these players.

15) Hamed Haddadi

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2011 stats per game: 2.4 PTS, 2.2 REB, 0.4 BLK

Marc Gasol isn't the only big man the Memphis Grizzlies could lose this off-season. Let's not forget that Hamad Haddadi is also a restricted free agent.

No he's not the best player in the NBA, but he did have a better PER last year than Brook Lopez, who was a 2008 lottery pick.

Haddadi is not going to make a major splash anywhere, but I'm confident he can find his way onto a team.

14) Erick Dampier

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2011 stats per game: 2.5 PTS, 3.5 REB, 0.9 BLK

Statistically, Erick Dampier might be the star of this list, but anyone that tuned into a Miami Heat game could see how bad he was.

The 36-year-old had some good seasons in the NBA. Now he is pretty much immobile and a liability.

Dampier is one year out of being a solid contributor with Dallas, but a steep drop-off says he should be done.

13) Jason Collins

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2011 stats per game: 2.0 PTS, 2.1 REB, 0.2 BLK

How can someone have an 11-year NBA career with a career average of 4.0 points and 3.9 rebounds keep getting resigned?

Jason Collins doesn't bring much to the table, but he has somehow managed to start a few games over the past few years.

He did hit a three point shot last year if that counts for anything.

Cheers to him for enduring another season as the practice punching back for the team's elite big men.

12) Tony Battie

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2011 stats per game: 2.6 PTS, 2.6 REB, 0.4 BLK

Imagine that, another aging big man makes our list. Seems to be a recurring theme.

Tony Battie never made a big name for himself in the NBA, but often found starting roles at the center position.

With his minutes decreasing over the years, maybe he will get the hint that his time is up.

11) Brian Scalabrine

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2011 stats per game: 1.1 PTS, 0.4 REB, 0.2 BLK

It truly hurts me to put the "white mamba" on the list, but facts are facts. This guy sucks.

He might be the best cheerleader in the NBA, and you gotta hand it to him: he's got a ring to show for it (from his time with the Celtics).

Somehow, he has managed to stay on championship-caliber rosters for the past few years with the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls.

Maybe he's the team's funny guy or a hell of a cook?

Whatever it is, he's making more money than we are.

10) Sasha Pavlovic

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2011 stats per game: 2.5 PTS, 0.5 AST, 1.0 REB

Sasha Pavlovic has mad hopping ability. Not really, but the fact is he gets a world championship ring.

Although Pavlovic played for three teams in 2011, he started out with the Dallas Mavericks.

The sad thing? The ring is most likely worth more than this guy.

9) Brian Cardinal

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2011 stats per game: 2.6 PTS, 1.1 REB, 0.7 AST

Brian Cardinal was pretty nice for Dallas last year. He gave them important minutes when the Mavericks got into foul trouble, and was always a hustle player.

The fact remains that he is still not good.

He's got a pretty solid jump shot, but he's no Dirk Nowitzki.

8) Garrett Temple

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2011 stats per game: 2.4 PTS, 1.3 AST, 1.0 REB

Garrett Temple is just bad.

In 12 games with Charlotte, Temple averaged 1.7 assists in just over 10 minutes a game. Now someone explain to me how he got into games.

It can't be his shooting ability as he shot under 30 percent for the year.

While he is still a young player, he has plenty of time to develop new ways to turn over the ball.

7) Jamaal Magloire

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2011 stats per game: 1.9 PTS, 3.4 REB, 0.1 BLK

Jamaal Magloire played a fair share of minutes for the Miami Heat last season. That's not a compliment, it just shows the lack of depth at the center position for the Heat.

In 18 games, Magloire only managed two measly blocks. Not per game, mind you. Two blocks to show for 18 games.

Miami was one of the best defensive teams in the NBA last season, no thanks to this guy.

6) Malik Allen

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2011 stats per game: 1.3 PTS, 1.8 REB, 0.2 BLK

Malik Allen has played for six teams over the last six years. The question is why have six teams given him a chance?

In the last six years Allen has not even contributed three rebounds a game or even a block. Actually, not even 0.5 blocks.

If you want someone to fill a bench spot, Allen has the size and ability to do so. If you want some productiveness look elsewhere.

5) Hamady Ndiaye

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2011 stats per game: 0.9 PTS, 0.4 REB, 0.3 BLK

Hamady Ndiaye didn't even average a full statistic last year.

Wait, he actually averaged 1.1 fouls per game.

Based on just being 24 years old, he's sadly a better option than most people on this list.

4) Antonio Daniels

2011 stats per game: 1.5 PTS, 0.5 AST, 1.3 REB

Antonio Daniels actually had some nice years as a role player with the Washington Wizards.

However, he only played four games in the NBA this past season with the Philadelphia 76ers.

What was he doing in the meantime? Ballin' outrageously in the D-League of course!

The worst thing about that? He is 36 years old.

When you can tell kids on your D-league team what life was like without cell phones, maybe it's time to contact ESPN for one of their plentiful analyst positions.

3) Theo Ratliff

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2011 stats per game: 0.2 PTS, 1.3 REB, 0.5 BLK

Once upon a time, Theo Ratliff was one of the league's premier shotblockers. He ran the floor with Allen Iverson in Philadelphia.

10 years ago. Iverson was most recently seen getting pulled over for speeding outside Atlanta. Ratliff? Still going strong, getting that paper in the league.

However, he was a victim of the biggest plague on any player: age.

Ratliff was a big factor in helping the 76ers reach the finals years ago, but has since become a typical bench warmer.

2) Joe Smith

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2011 stats per game: 0.5 PTS, 1.3 REB, 0.3 BLK

Hey Joe Smith, remember that one season where you proved you weren't a huge bust?

The former first overall pick in the 1995 draft has always been a middling player in the NBA. Kind of like Tim Thomas, but nowhere near as dynamic.

He saw his best days while with Kevin Garnett on the Timberwolves, but that's pushing seven years ago now.

Just retire man.

How can you actually put up a negative PER? Just ask Joe.

1) Pooh Jeter

I don't care about stats, his name is Pooh. Enough Said.

Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave a comment and let's discuss.