NBA Free Agents 2012: Biggest Drawbacks for the Top 10 Still on the Market

It's safe to say we've reached the point in the NBA free agency period when teams are going to have to start scraping the barrels to fill their roster.

Nearly every top-tier free agent has signed. What's left is an eclectic group of enigmatic misfits, perpetual disappointments and simply mediocre talent.  

Granted, there are players left on the market who could step in and have an impact this coming season. Unfortunately, they all come with certain flaws.

Follow along as we count down the top 10 remaining free agents while also warning you of their potential drawbacks.

Shannon Brown, SG

Free Agent Type: Unrestricted

Age: 26

2011-2012 Team: Phoenix Suns

Drawback:  Is He Anything More Than a Novelty Item?

There is no question that Brown is among the most exciting players to watch in the NBA.  I've had the opportunity to see him in person a few times, and just his pregame routine makes the hair on your arm stand at attention.

But realistically speaking, he's not much more than a freakish athlete who defends at an above-average level.  

If you get him at a certain (low) price, he has a place in the NBA.  But he's not a player you need to give a ton of money or minutes on the floor.

Leandro Barbosa, SG

Free Agent Type: Unrestricted

Age: 29

2011-2012 Team: Indiana Pacers

Drawback:  Microwave Guy With Progressively Worse Shooting Splits

During his heyday playing with Steve Nash in Phoenix, Barbosa was arguably the best sixth man in the NBA from 2006-2009.  His elite shooting skills and quickness made him the perfect match for Mike D'Antoni's "seven seconds or less" offense.

But Barbosa's move away from D'Antoni proved troublesome, especially during his short stint with the Indiana Pacers this past season.  Barbosa looked lost offensively, shooting just 39 percent from the field during the regular season and an abhorrent 15 percent from beyond the arc in the playoffs.

Considering Barbosa would have trouble defending you or me, those percentages simply aren't going to cut it.  

Anthony Randolph, PF

Free Agent Type: Unrestricted

Age: 23

2011-2012 Team: Minnesota Timberwolves

Drawback:  Will He Ever Become More Than a "Potential" Guy?

I feel as though I'm one of the few people left on the "Anthony Randloph could be a star in the right situation" bandwagon.

Like every season, Randolph's per-36 minute stats (17.5 RPG, 8.6 RPG, 2.4 BPG) were brilliant this past season, leaving me to wonder why he's never gotten a fair shot at consistent minutes.  

But there has to be a solid explanation because there's no reason that someone with Randolph's talent should be looking for his fifth NBA team in as many seasons.  Perhaps he's a bad teammate or his enigmatic flashes of brilliance frustrate coaches just as much as fans, but there's something there.  

I'm just not sure what.

Antawn Jamison, PF

Free Agent Type: Unrestricted

Age: 36

2011-2012 Team: Cleveland Cavaliers

Drawback:  Age

Even playing at 35 years old, Jamison still managed to put up a commendable 17.1 points per game this past season.

But the 14-year veteran has never been a good defender and his commitment seemed to wane even more than usual as Jamison put up a defensive win share of just 1.0 in 2011-12.

That is usually a tell-tale sign of an older player slowing down, so his best basketball fit would almost certainly be as a veteran's minimum guy who hops aboard a contender for a shot at championship glory.   But the allure of finishing his career in North Carolina for the Charlotte Bobcats with a little extra pocket change may be too much for the former Tar Heel to decline.  

Aaron Brooks, PG

Free Agent Type: Unrestricted

Age: 27

2011-2012 Team: Guangdong Southern Tigers (China)

Drawback:  His Year Away From NBA-Level Competition

How quickly we forget that Brooks' stock was once so high that Rockets general manager Daryl Morey netted newly christened $34 million man Goran Dragic and a first-round pick for the 6' sparkplug.

Unfortunately a year away from the NBA in China hasn't made the heart grow fonder for Brooks' brand of basketball, even after becoming a star in his season abroad.  

But with the point guard market becoming a barren land, Brooks may find himself catching the fancy of multiple teams who lost out on the deepest position of this year's free-agent class.  

Courtney Lee, SG

Free Agent Type: Unrestricted

Age: 26

2011-2012 Team: Houston Rockets

Drawback:  Potential NBA Nomad

In the four years since graduating from Western Kentucky, Lee has played on three NBA teams and will almost assuredly head to his fourth in five years next season.

Considering Lee is an underratedly strong wing defender and good spot-up shooter from beyond the arc, you have to wonder whether there are some underlying red flags lurking.  

But at just 26 years old, Lee also has the potential to blossom with an expanded and consistent role,  much like similarly skilled shooting guard Arron Afflalo has in Denver.  With the Celtics in need of a Ray Allen replacement and reportedly having strong interest, it's a little disconcerting that this marriage hasn't taken place yet.  

Then again, Lee may end up with a better deal in either Minnesota or Phoenix by waiting the process out.  

Carl Landry, PF

Free Agent Type: Unrestricted

Age: 28

2011-2012 Team: New Orleans Hornets

Drawback:  His Chronic Knee Problems

At this point in his NBA journey, we know exactly what to expect from Landry—a solid mid-range jumper, consistent efficiency and solid rebounding numbers.

He's a strong backup power forward for a contender, a sixth man for a bad team and the superstar on the Charlotte Bobcats (I kid).  But what also comes with Landry is a laundry list of knee problems which have marred his reliability going back to his days at Purdue.

With the Golden State Warriors reportedly offering Landry the mid-level exception, you have to wonder whether his injury problems would give the Warriors too many players with an injury-related past.

JaVale McGee, C

Free Agent Type: Restricted

Age: 24

2011-2012 Team: Denver Nuggets

Drawback:  Price to Basketball IQ Ratio

McGee is the ultimate case in duality—a player who is both equal parts potential superstar and potential disaster.  

McGee is such an enigma that Deadspin created a specific tag ("That's So JaVale) for when McGee pulls off his patented brilliant or brilliantly dumb stunts.  

With a reported five-year, $50 million deal on the table from Denver, you have to start wondering where the price cutoff is for someone whose potential ceiling is a top three center and whose floor is "Oh, dear God, why did we do this?"

However, this is the NBA.  And McGee's combination of size, freakish athleticism and defensive tenacity doesn't come along very often.  By the end of his contract, the paper stats may say he's worth $10 million per season.

But trying to rely on McGee every night for the next five years may well take 10 years off the lives of Nuggets fans and management alike.  

Kris Humphries, PF

Free Agent Type: Unrestricted

Age: 27

2011-2012 Team: Brooklyn Nets

Drawback:  Off-Court Celebrity

Humphries is undoubtedly one of the most gifted rebounders in the NBA.  He's ranked fifth in rebounding in each of the past two seasons while being basically the only committed rebounding big man on his roster.  

But, I'm sorry, it's a massive problem when the former Mr. Kardashian's TMZ, Gossip Cop and Radar Online pages show up before his ESPN.com page in the Google results search.

After being a man left on an island during last season's free agency period before being gifted a salary floor-influenced, one-year, $8 million deal, Humphries won't have that problem this year with Brooklyn and Charlotte offering in the $7-8 million per season range.  

At that price, you have to start wondering whether the talent outweighs the paparazzi spotlight.  

O.J. Mayo, SG

Free Agent Type: Unrestricted

Age: 24

2011-2012 Team: Memphis Grizzlies

Drawback:  Will He Ever Put It All Together?

Mayo is a classic case of a player having so much natural talent at a young age that he never developed the necessary work ethic to harness his gifts at the next level.

Throughout his tenure in Memphis, we've seen flashes of absolute brilliance—which were almost always followed by stretches of abject failure and indifference.

Part of this is almost certainly due to Mayo's unhappiness with his sixth man role the past two seasons. But is someone who mentally checked out in Memphis the past two seasons someone you want to sign for $7-10 million per season?

If Mayo ever puts it all together, that answer is "absolutely."  But if he's the same disenchanted figure who has struggled to shoot over 40 percent the past two years, the answer will be instant regret.