NBA Free Agents 2011: Ranking the Best Guards on the Open Market

With lethal scorers such as Jamal Crawford and Nick Young available in the 2011 free agency pool, teams have a chance to sign someone who can bolster their backcourt and put them in contention for an NBA championship.

While big men such as Marc Gasol and Nene Hilario may be more highly recruited this summer, the pool of guards is decidedly larger to choose from. 

Therefore, teams should pay more attention to the guards available, since they may be able to sign a game-changing guard for less money than they could a game-changing big man.

20. Patty Mills

Although Patty Mills has been third on the depth chart for the past two years, that may change this season.

Since the Portland Trail Blazers took Nolan Smith in the 2011 NBA Draft, it is possible that Mills will receive more playing time until Smith gets acclimated to playing professional basketball on a new team.

His coaches and teammates love his hustle and drive, and he is likely to return to the Trail Blazers once games resume.

19. Sonny Weems

While he is relatively unknown to casual basketball fans, Sonny Weems has the ability to score the basketball.

At only 25 years old, Weems managed to average 9.2 PPG in 24 minutes of play per game last season.

While those numbers don't jump off the page at you, he still has room to improve and will serve as a solid scoring option off the bench for whichever team decides to sign him.

18. DeShawn Stevenson

While he is viewed as one of the crazier characters in the NBA, DeShawn Stevenson made valuable contributions off the bench to the Dallas Mavericks' championship run.

His solid defensive contributions helped to slow down LeBron James and Dwyane Wade enough to help take the Mavericks past them in the NBA Finals in route to a championship.

Although his arrogance is too much for some teams and fans to bear, his defense and ability to bring some scoring punch off the bench will be welcomed with open arms.

It's likely that the Mavericks will look for him to return, although a number of contending teams would be glad to have his toughness and defense added to their squad.

17. Tracy McGrady

Granted injuries are always a concern with Tracy McGrady, but at 32 years old he still has plenty of game left.

Playing for the Detroit Pistons last season, he was relegated to a bench role averaging 8 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 3.5 APG in just 23 minutes per game.

With a limited salary cap, the Miami Heat should look to McGrady as an option since playing alongside Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh would allow him to make full use of his playmaking skills.

16. Shannon Brown

With incredible athleticism for his small stature, Shannon Brown will be highly recruited by teams looking for some scoring off of their bench.

Playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, Brown also has a wealth of playoff experience in his five-year NBA career.

Brown can cause match-up problems on the offensive end, since his freakish athletic ability allows him to dunk on smaller guards, which makes him that much more valuable.

15. Sasha Vujacic

With much of the attention going toward acquiring Deron Williams and Kris Humphries breakout season, Sasha Vujacic went unnoticed.

While many believed that he would be nothing but a 3-point specialist, Vujacic played with hustle and added some across the board contributions in assists and rebounds as well as scoring 9.8 PPG.

Although he will never be a top-notch scorer, he should continue to bring energy and scoring off the bench for the New Jersey Nets, as they try to find the right pieces to surround Williams and Brook Lopez with to make them winners.

14. Mario Chalmers

Mario Chalmers is specifically known for his defense and does very little scoring. Then again, when you play on a team with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, scoring isn't something you really have to worry about.

Chalmers is one of the best defenders at the point guard position and controls the tempo of the game fairly well.

If he doesn't re-sign with the Miami Heat, he will have to go to another team with solid scoring since his only offensive skills are knocking down the occasional 3 ball and shooting efficiently from the free-throw line.

13. Marco Belinelli

Marco Belinelli has always had solid 3-point shooting ability, but has never really gotten the chance to show it off.

Playing for the New Orleans Hornets in his fourth season, he seems like he has finally found himself a home.

Averaging a career high of 10.5 PPG, Belinelli has seen the benefits of playing alongside the best point guard in the NBA in Chris Paul.

Since Paul is almost a guarantee to leave "the Big Easy" this summer, it will be interesting to see if Belinelli decides to stick around in New Orleans, since his scoring is likely going to be negatively impacted as a result.

12. Reggie Williams

Although Reggie Williams is technically a small forward for the Golden State Warriors at this point, he makes the list since he played both the point guard and shooting guard positions for them when they were plagued with injuries.

Boasting solid shooting percentages from field goal and 3-point range, 47 percent and 43 percent respectively, can be a real asset to a team in need of a role player who can score in bunches and play multiple positions.

As a restricted free agent, the Warriors will likely match any offers for him, since he brings a lot to the table at a very affordable price.

11. Michael Redd

Although he has become a forgotten man in the past few seasons due to injuries, Michael Redd's scoring capabilities are well documented.

From 2003-2009 he averaged over 20 points per game and shot solid percentages from everywhere on the floor, including the free throw line.

Depending upon what kind of money Redd commands, he could be a low risk, high reward option for teams that are desperately in need of fortifying themselves in the scoring department.

10. Caron Butler

Caron Butler has always posted solid numbers in points, rebounds and steals. The problem is that he's rarely on the floor often enough to do it.

Butler has good enough size and defensive skills to guard shooting guards and small forwards, and is a solid scoring threat when healthy as well.

His skills are undeniably rare and valuable, how much interest he gauges from teams on the open market depends upon how well they think his health is going to hold up over the grind of an 82-game regular season, plus playoff games.

9. Aaron Brooks

While the Phoenix Suns seemed to make a clever move by acquiring Aaron Brooks for Goran Dragic, it hasn't panned out the way they probably would have hoped.

With the face of the franchise, Steve Nash, coming toward the end of his NBA career, the Suns were likely acquiring Brooks to groom him as Nash's replacement.

Shooting high percentages from the free-throw line and 3-point line, Brooks seems tailor-made for the Suns run-and-gun system, when he is playing off the ball.

If he is smart, he will do everything he can to learn from Nash and improve his playmaking skills so he can be the main catalyst of the offense when Nash decides to hang up his kicks for good.

8. Jose Juan Barea

During the playoffs, J.J. Barea gave the Dallas Mavericks a mental edge that no other teams had.

From afar, Barea looks like he's four feet tall. While that isn't intimidating, the fact that he was slashing his way through the lane with unabashed fervor laying the basketball in at will simply annihilates your opponents mentally.

It is unlikely that the Mavericks will bring him back, since other contending teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks and Miami Heat will be extremely interested in having him as a lethal scorer off their bench.

7. Rodney Stuckey

Rodney Stuckey's skills have been wasting away on a rebuilding Detroit Pistons team and he will likely be playing somewhere else next season.

His ability to score the ball and use his strength to take advantage of smaller point guards are his best attributes, while his ability to lead a team and initiate the offense needs work.

Stuckey's assists may go up if he is able to land on a team that surrounds him around better talent than he currently has in Detroit.

6. J.R. Smith

Although J.R. Smith will be playing in China with Wilson Chandler, he will be back at some point after his stint in China is over.

Since there is no out-clause for players who sign in China, it will be interesting to see if they happen to drop him because they "no longer need him" once a new collective bargaining agreement is reached.

Smith is one of the streakiest scorers in the NBA, but when he's hitting his shots, he's extremely dangerous.

He has the ability to go for 40 on any given night depending on how his jumper is falling.

The only issue with Smith is his character, as his demeanor is just as inconsistent as his jumper.

Teams in need of scoring off the bench, especially come playoff time will likely look beyond his character flaws and look to bring him in to score in bunches off the bench.

A team like the Chicago Bulls in need of a scoring shooting guard could also be in the mix for someone as unpredictable and experienced as Smith.

5. Jason Richardson

Jason Richardson is one of the most durable guards of the 2011 free agent class.  Unlike many of the other guards available, J-Rich comes with little to no injury risk.

He's become more of a 3-point specialist with the Orlando Magic, but still has the ability to take his opponent off the dribble and get to the basket at times as well.

He is capable of a starting role at shooting guard and is still capable of averaging over 15 PPG for any team in need of scoring at the two guard position.

4. Marcus Thornton

Just when Marcus Thornton's breakout season for the New Orleans Hornets seemed to be fool's gold, they traded him to the Sacramento Kings for Carl Landry.

After arriving in Sacramento, Thornton went back to business as usual averaging 21.3 PPG on 45 percent field goal shooting, 36 percent 3-point shooting and 80 percent from the free-throw line. He even kicked in 1.7 steals per game as well.

Granted it was only over a 27 game span, but it looks like the Kings walked away with the better end of the deal, since they now have three big men anyway and no longer need Landry's efficient services.

Jimmer Fredette is almost certain to cut into some of Thornton's playing time. However, if the two of them are able to play well together, they will form a nice one-two punch at the shooting guard position for the up and coming Kings.

3. Nick Young

While many will argue that Nick Young should likely be higher on this list, I think the three spot is a snug fit for him since he is essentially a one-dimensional player so far in his career.

That being said, he does that one thing extremely well. Averaging 17.4 PPG in just 31 minutes of play, it is highly likely that he is the next high-octane scorer in the NBA.

Playing alongside John Wall will only help his development, although the more well-rounded Jordan Crawford will be waiting in the wings to step into the starting role, should Young not fulfill the high expectations everyone believes he should fill in the upcoming season.

As of right now though, much like J.R. Smith, he can give you 40 on one night and then 12 then next. His ability to become more of a consistent scorer will be the key to his success, as his playmaking skills are basically non-existent and his rebounding skills are decent at best.

2. Arron Afflalo

Unlike Young, Arron Afflalo does everything well, yet isn't spectacular at any one particular skill.

His all-around stat line proves this. Averaging 12.6 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 2.4 APG on extremely efficient shooting numbers Afflalo is the quintessential "glue" guy that every contending team needs.

He is also a very solid defender, although his 0.5 steals per game average is not reflective of that.

The ability he has to consistently contribute on both ends of the floor, makes him an invaluable piece of the intriguing Denver Nuggets young, up-and-coming roster.

1. Jamal Crawford

Crawford's ability to perform on the biggest stage in basketball at Madison Square Garden as a New York Knick, is what helped his popularity skyrocket and had the NBA realizing that he was something special.

However, it wasn't until after landing with the Atlanta Hawks that his scoring abilities would be utilized correctly.

In Atlanta they relegated him to a sixth man role and he immediately flourished.

He turned buzzer-beaters into a hobby of his. Knocking down off-balance shots from uncanny angles with such frequency that you just expected the ball to go in, as long as he got off a clean shot.

His ankle-breaking crossover mesmerized his opponents and turned them into his puppet, having them swaying in whichever direction he wanted them to, until he decided to blast by them for a lay-up or nail another game-winning fade-away, which would has become all too familiar.

Crawford is sure to garner interest from any of the elite teams looking for scoring punch off the bench and experience in closing out games.