Jeremy Lin and Most Overrated NBA Free Agents of 2012 Class

NBA Free Agency has begun and a whirlwind of rumors have started to surface.

Most of these rumors, however, are rather shocking in terms of dollars and sense for each team offering to top free agents of the 2012 class. Another interesting tidbit in the action thus far on the open market is teams signing restricted free agents to lucrative contract sheets early on.

Except, most of the players that already have offers, and a few who are still searching, are highly overvalued in today's free agent market.

Some of these potential contract offers are absurd in the face of it, mostly because of the players who are gaining those offers.

Here are the free agents who are the most highly overrated in the 2012 class.

Omer Asik

Chicago Bulls restricted free agent Omer Asik has already garnered some massive attention in the open market. Quite the accomplishment for a man who has made a short career for being tall.

Asik has a 4-year, $25.1 million offer sheet from the Houston Rockets. In order to retain Asik, the Bulls must match the Rockets offer or watch him leave. However, with Derrick Rose, Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah taking up most of its payroll, Chicago may be forced to let Asik walk away without much of a fight.

Actually, the Bulls should be more than willing to let Asik walk away.

Having a defensive presence in the paint such as Asik is a nice piece to have, but it is not the end of the world if the Bulls do not match the offer. Asik's 2011-12 stats: 3.1 points and 5.3 rebounds in 14 minutes per game. Because Omer stands over 7-feet tall, those numbers are far lower than they should be in order to justify such a loaded deal.

With his height, having Asik is a nice asset that can help keep any offense honest, but his stats should be so much better than they really are. When was the last time you heard somebody being offered $25 million dollars to play defense and stand in the paint?

Ben Wallace of the Detroit Pistons certainly comes to mind, and he was a multiple-time Defensive Player of the Year award-winner, and consistently averaged over 10 rebounds per game. Asik is nowhere near this level, providing further evidence of his being overvalued by the Rockets.

Brandon Roy

After years of dominating the NBA with his smooth-style of play, Brandon Roy is making like the Backstreet Boys and attempting a comeback. Much like the famous boy band of the 90's, his won't work out very well, either.

Roy retired prior to the 2011-12 season due to multiple knee injuries. He is is now trying to give it another try in the NBA. Roy is now being courted by a number of teams including the Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks.

While having Roy could make for some great scoring options on any team, he is not the same player that he use to be, nor should he be expected to produce as if he were.

Knees are a tricky and sometimes cruel mistress. Roy has the knees of a 45-year old man who likes to ball with the younger guys at his local YMCA. Sadly, he isn't even 30-years old yet.

Whichever team is able to bring in Roy should be using him for his expertise and veteran leadership, making him a perfect fit for the Timberwolves. However, teams such as the Mavericks and Lakers would expect him to produce at a high level. Roy may have a few tricks up his sleeve just yet, but he is not the same player he use to be.

Brandon Roy was once a great player in this league. While I hope he can succeed in his second stint in the NBA, don't expect him to be who he was once.

Ray Allen

Ray Allen has had an outstanding career with Milwaukee, Seattle and Boston. He already has his name in the NBA record books by hitting the most three-point shots in history and will go down as one of the best pure shooters to ever play the game.

Unfortunately, his prime is well in the past. Allen's knees started to show great weakness during the playoff series against the Heat and he even had to convince coach Doc Rivers not to sit him for a game.

When Allen first hit the free agent market, it was thought Boston would be willing to let him go and build their franchise with the guard pairing of Rajon Rondo and Avery Bradley. However, it would now appear that not only are the Celtics interested in retaining Allen, but a number of other teams are looking into his services.

While Allen's career accolades make him deserve this sort of attention, his age and declining strength provide a heavy burden for whichever team he ends up with. Boston makes the most sense, but only from a nostalgia standpoint. Allen could stay a Celtic and help Bradley hone his game and teach him some tools of the trade.

If Allen decided to bolt to the Timberwolves or LA Clippers, he, much like Roy mentioned before, would be expected produce high numbers. Being a scoring machine is no longer an option for Allen. He would be better suited for a roll similar to Mike Miller in Miami, but with more playing time. A great shooting option off the bench and solid player to help spell the starters.

Ray Allen will go down in the history books as a great player. That is not the case right now. Passing on Allen may be the best option for teams interested in him.

Michael Beasley

Before there was Perry Jones for people to rag upon for failing to live up to his potential, we had Michael Beasley.

The former second overall pick, Beasley, is more known for his emotional breakdowns and high-strung attitude than he is for his stellar play. However, Beasley has shown some flashes of brilliance throughout his short career. His high potential sparks up solid interest around the league, especially now that he is on the open market.

While Beasley possesses the skills needed to be successful in the NBA, he has yet to reach that potential. His talents aren't the question. His drive, desire and focus are, though. His tenure in Miami was less than remarkable and Minnesota utilized the threat of Beasley more than they used his actual abilities.

Beasley has the potential to be great, but hasn't done anything to prove he deserves that sort of respect. It will be very intriguing to see where he goes and how much money he will make. Teams should be wary, though, as his track record speaks for itself.

Jeremy Lin

One hit wonders always seem to have a lasting impact. Whether it's a song we once jammed out to or a TV show that ran for less than two seasons we loved, having a stellar performance one time can make you a lot of money.

Jeremy Lin is the latest one hit wonder in the world of sports and is expected to turn it into a big payday on the free agent market. In less than one-half of one-half of a season (considering Lin missed most of the second half of the already shortened 2011-12 season), Lin created a global phenomenon that was called "Linsanity."

From undrafted free agent to a worldwide sensation, Lin now has the league at his beckon call as many teams will be looking to capture him in the free agent market.

Here's where the tricky part is for Lin: He played, maybe, one quarter of an actual season. During that time, he did average over 14 points per game and went on an incredible run for the New York Knicks.

However, that run alone is not enough to offer Lin the type of money teams such as New York and Toronto are talking about offering him. Can either team really justify paying Lin $15 million dollars in each of the last two seasons of a four-year deal?

Quite frankly, paying out that sort of money to Lin based on that one-time performance is banking a lot. If you want to have another Robyn on your hands, go ahead and pay Lin that sort of money. It's far too early to say whether he is worth it or not.

For your sake, hopefully you're right. But I doubt you won't be kicking yourself a few years from now after signing Lin to that sort of deal.