NBA Lockout: Grant Hill and 5 Free Agents Who Want This Lockout to End

The 2011 NBA lockout is slowly killing me. A summer without free agency and trades is bad enough, but with no Collective Bargaining Agreement in place, we can't even have educated speculation over possible transactions.

That means all articles regarding potential Dwight Howard/Chris Paul trades or normally exciting free agency gossip are completely pointless because nobody has any idea what the new CBA will look like.

Until the NBA establishes its new fiscal policies, we won't have anything fun to talk about.

Which means you get treated to articles headlined by 38 year old small forwards—exhilarating, I know.

Here are five older free agents that need the lockout to end so they can finish out their careers.

Brian Scalabrine

The 33 year old Scalabrine has been the NBA's best 12th man for a few years now. Every team needs a smart, inspirational guy who sits on the bench, waves towels, dishes out high fives, and never complains about his role.

Nobody has been better at this over the past few seasons than the 10 year veteran out of USC. He's only averaged 13.5 minutes per game for his career and played in just 18 games for the Bulls last season. But he's the perfect guy to have in the locker room, a mature presence that young players can learn from.

Scalabrine is one of the lowest paid players in the league ($854,389 last season) and will likely head overseas if it appears the lockout will last awhile.

Scalabrine is very self-aware and realizes that he only has a couple years of basketball left in him. But it would be a shame to see him finish out his career in a league other than our own.

Erick Dampier

Dampier, a 35 year old center out of Mississippi State, desperately needs the lockout to end so teams have less time to realize just how bad he is.

He played in 51 games for the much-maligned Miami Heat last season, averaging 2.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in 16 minutes per game.

However, by the time the playoffs rolled around, Dampier was out of the rotation and didn't play a single postseason minute.

The earlier the lockout ends, the sooner Dampier can convince a team that they need his "talents" and go back to making money.

Michael Redd

It's crazy to think about, but Michael Redd has been in the NBA for 11 years now.

We can add Redd to the list of incredibly talented players whose career was ruined by knee injuries. He's played in just a combined 61 games over the past three seasons and desperately needs a fresh start.

It's unclear what the market will be for the sharpshooting 2-guard, but hopefully he can finally have another healthy and productive season once the lockout ends.

Jason Richardson

Similarly to Redd, it's very odd for me to describe Richardson as a "ten year veteran"—it seems like it was just yesterday that he was blowing minds in the dunk contest with this, and this, and this.

Richardson is still a very productive player (15.6 points in 33.9 minutes per game last season) and will be an excellent addition to a top-tier team whenever the lockout ends.

He's been to the conference finals as a member of the Phoenix Suns, but an ever-elusive championship ring would cap off his career. He still has a few years left in the tank, but the sooner the lockout is over, the sooner he can pursue a title.

Grant Hill

Grant Hill, once considered the heir apparent to Michael Jordan's throne, had his career tragically altered by injuries.

Miraculously, he has been able to maintain his health the past few years and last season he was one of the most productive older players in league history. He was just the sixth player ever to average at least 13 points per game at the age of 38 or older.

Hill was a great fit in Phoenix next to Steve Nash, but he undoubtedly wants to win a title before he retires, and it's not happening in Arizona.

As soon as the lockout ends, Hill will sign with a title contender to pursue a championship. Unfortunately, if the lockout lasts the entire season, which is unlikely but certainly possible, we may have seen the last of Grant Hill in an NBA uniform.