NBA Free Agency 2011: 5 Things David West Brings to the Table

David West will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and should receive plenty of attention from teams who are in need of scoring and veteran leadership.

Considering other big men like Marc Gasol and DeAndre Jordan will be restricted free agents makes West that much more of an attractive option, since it will be his choice who he signs with, instead of his team being able to match any offer thrown out for him.

Granted West has played with Chris Paul for the duration of his NBA career, so that has certainly helped his productivity. However, there is no discounting the fact that West has talent and can bring a ton to the table in terms of leadership, scoring and even some rebounding.

While it will be interesting to see if going elsewhere and not playing with Paul effects his numbers, I think he will be just fine since his efficient shooting numbers for his eight year career suggest that wherever he goes he will likely be an offensive force to be reckoned with. 

5. Veteran Leadership

The leadership skills that West brings to the table would almost be deemed as leadership by osmosis.

What I mean by that is when you play with players like Chris Paul, Tyson Chandler and Emeka Okafor who have all held leadership roles on teams throughout their careers, it's logical to think that some of those qualities would rub off on West as well.

Since Paul has ultimately been the player to run the team and lead the New Orleans Hornets, it will be interesting to see how West's combination of experience and leadership culminate if he lands on a young team. 

Maybe one such as the Indiana Pacer perhaps?

4. Help Rebounding the Ball

West's rebounding averages are never stellar but averaging over 7 RPG for your entire career suggests that their is certainly some ability to help clean up the glass.

He also had one season in 2008-2009 where he was able to pull in 8.9 RPG.

Teams interested in signing him should reflect on that season and the two others where he topped pulling down 8 RPG, as proof that he has room to grow and improve in this area.

Playing with Okafor and Chandler also suggests that his rebounding numbers may be skewed a bit, since both of the aforementioned big men can rebound with the best of them as well.

3. Solid Free Throw Shooting

This is one of West's specialty areas, although he barely shot over 80 percent from the line last season, he usually hovers somewhere in the mid 80's, as evidenced by his career average of shooting 83.9 percent from the free throw line.

Having a big man who can knock down clutch free throws at the end of the game is crucial for playoff teams, since it completely changes the way teams have to defend you at the end of the game. 

Being able to keep him on the floor at the end of games and realize he is an asset if he gets fouled, rather than a liability is a nice luxury for a coach to have.

2. Efficient Shooting from Field Goal Range

West has the ability to step out and knock down the mid-range jumper against opponents, which is what makes him such a match-up nightmare.

He has been known to hit all the way out to 18 feet as well with deadly accuracy, so leaving him open is a big mistake.

His ability to knock down this shot is what separates him from the average power forward who is just known for having a back to the basket kind of game. 

The fact that he has Paul to throw him crisp passes whenever he's open is certainly a nice luxury to have. However, I believe that wherever he goes and whoever is passing the ball to him, that he will continue to knock this shot down at an efficient clip.

1. Scoring

While West certainly has the ability to step out and knock down the mid-range jumper, which seems to be getting more range by the day, he can also mix it up and pour some points in close to the basket as well.

He has hovered around 20 PPG for his past four seasons, so any team signing him is guaranteed to get an offensive weapon who will be a match-up nightmare for anyone's defense. 

If he is able to stay healthy, he will be one of the free agents that will command a sizable paycheck, but will be worth every penny.