NBA Free Agents 2011: Predicting Which Teams Will Strike Gold

It is official.  The 2011-2012 NBA season is currently suspended and in the midst of a lockout.  Multiple weeks have already been canceled with more likely to come in the near future. 

Unfortunately, because it looks like it is becoming more serious between owners and the union, fans can expect no more high flying dunks by LeBron James, monster blocks from Dwight Howard or buzzer beaters by Kobe Bryant.  The basketball community is yearning for a renewed contract between the players and owners so they can finally get back to watching the sport they love.

Even with the fans, players and owners hurting from this ordeal, coaches and management are thinking of ways to better their team for when the new contract is finalized.  There are some huge potential free agents on the list for this potential upcoming season that can help those borderline teams make a huge splash.  There are even big-name teams that can make their way into the free agent market such as the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat.

These potential pickups are speculative but depending on contract negotiations do have some plausibility.

The Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers had a disappointing finish last season after getting swept by the Dallas Mavericks in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs. 

One of the many flaws that the Lakers saw was the deteriorating play from the point guard position.  Younger teams constantly exploited the slower play at which Derek Fisher played which put the rest of the team in a help situation on defense. 

In the first round, all-star point guard Chris Paul nearly averaged a triple-double against the Lakers.  The year before, they almost lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder when point guard Russell Westbrook essentially scored at will with Fisher on him.  This depletion at that position is not a recent occurrence but a recurring one.

Unfortunately the high flying Shannon Brown was more suited to play the shooting guard spot as opposed to the point guard position.  This led to the insertion of Steve Blake who did close to nothing for the Lakers last season.

An option for the Lakers is picking up a quick point guard that wants to pass and play defense.  Two potential options are acquiring Acie Law from the Golden State Warriors or Mike Bibby from the Miami Heat.

Bibby is a better defender than Fisher and a bigger scoring threat.  He is a veteran who understands the role of a point guard, and on a team stacked with scoring threats, his main role would be to play defense and make the occasional three.

Acie Law brings youth, quickness and drive.  Playing in a conference with point guards such as Deron Williams, Chris Paul, Tony Parker and Westbrook, having speed is going to be vital.

The Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies are the real deal.  Anybody who watched their play last year will have a hard time disputing that they have a solid group of players and can make a serious run next year if they re-sign their players from last year.

Zach Randolph played like he was the best power forward in the NBA during the 2011 playoffs.  He averaged 22 points and 11 rebounds along with making some clutch shots to keep his opposition at bay.  What made him so effective was not only the numbers he was putting up but the fact that he was shooting at a 45 percent shooting efficiency.

Marc Gasol also made a name for himself and started to pull himself out of his brother’s (Pau Gasol) shadow.  He averaged 15 points and 11 rebounds while shooting more than 50 percent from the field.  Having a down low presence with both Randolph and Gasol made for a tough interior for any team to play against.

Now moving onto the guards, Mike Conley and O.J. Mayo had excellent series as well.  Both had averaged double-digit points, and Conley ended up averaging close to six assists per game.  The stellar play from this entire team helped prove why they were better than the eighth seed they were originally given heading into the playoffs.

Shane Battier was also an unsung hero of their stellar run through the playoffs.  Although his stats did not show it, his defense played a crucial role in the success of the team.  Any elite player who has faced Battier would attest to his talent and hard work on the defensive side of the ball.

However, with the league changing players every year due to free agency, some key pickups would greatly benefit this team and push them over the top making them legitimate contenders. Like many teams, the depth of their secondary squad had some flaws.  Picking up a free agent like Jamal Crawford or even J.R. Smith could help them have a solid starting five along with an equally talented bench. 

Crawford and Smith can both shoot threes at an alarming rate and both are athletic enough to play solid defense.  Adding them to the secondary and having those high scorers off the bench would give the starting five enough time to rest without having to rush back onto the court.  If the Grizzlies can re-sign the guys from last year while adding Smith or Crawford, this team is going to be on a mission to make it to the finals.  

The Portland Trailblazers

The Trailblazers are a solid team, and they even got better as the year went on.  With a great head coach and a talented team, they have the pieces to make a playoff run.

A team with a healthy Brandon Roy, Gerald Wallace, LaMarcus Aldridge, Wesley Matthews, Andre Miller, and Marcus Camby almost seems like a fantasy team that a fan created online. 

Aldridge played like a man on a mission and scored 21 points a game at a 46 percent shooting efficiency.  He also chipped in eight rebounds a game.  He is developing into a huge talent that ultimately could prove to be one of the best players on the floor at any given time.

Wallace who is a newcomer to this team started off sluggish but found his groove and played hard with a defense-first mentality.  Despite being a guard, he averaged the second most rebounds for the team during the playoffs only behind center Marcus Camby.  If Wallace continues to play at this pace, it will be tough to stop him and Roy on the wing.

Roy has proven that he can make the big shots which is something that most teams are lacking and that all championship teams have.  If Roy can get back to 100 percent health, the Trailblazers are going to be an extremely talented team that nobody is going to want to face in the playoffs.

One thing that seems to be missing is another big man to help out Camby down low.  Picking up Samuel Dalembert can greatly increase the size on that defense.  Dalembert is a proven shot blocker and a decent shot maker as well.

If the Trailblazers can pick him up as a free agent, teams would have to face Camby and Dalembert down low while trying to keep up with the athleticism of Wallace, Miller, Roy and Fernandez coming off the bench.

The Denver Nuggets

Last year, the Nuggets were involved in a blockbuster trade that sent superstar Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups to the New York Knicks.  However, the pieces they received from the Knicks were not anything to be ashamed of.

If someone wanted to see a team that loved to run and shoot, this would be that team.  With a squad stacked with shooters and high fliers such as J.R. Smith, it was tough to match up with this team on the perimeter. 

Smith shot lights out from beyond the three-point line and when he was in a groove, he could shoot anywhere anytime, and it was most likely going right through the iron. 

Raymond Felton was also playing at an all-star caliber level on the Knicks before he got traded over to Denver.  Unfortunately it looked like it had changed how he was playing with the personnel around him. But he still put up decent numbers, averaging 12 points and five assists a game during the playoffs. 

Al Harrington and Danilo Gallinari are both big men who are nimble enough to shoot and drive.  They create plenty of matchup problems with defenders that are either too slow to close out or too small to play post defense. 

Nene, Chris Anderson and Kenyon Martin manned the post and put up a solid defense last season.  However, something was lacking for them.

Picking up a solid defensive-minded player with no ego would benefit them greatly.  Although they could score 120 points a night, at times it looked like they would be fine giving up 150.  Shane Battier comes to mind in terms of who’s available during the 2011 free agency.  He would help guard some of the better guards that they would face taking off some pressure from players like Smith and Arron Afflalo, and giving them more opportunities to take over the game on the offensive side of the ball.

Picking up Dalembert would also help this team on the defensive end with rebounding.  Dalembert is a player that does not need to touch the ball every possession.  He does his work on the rebounds which would definitely help out the rest of the team.

The New Orleans Hornets

The Hornets put up a good fight against the L.A. Lakers last year in the playoffs.  They seemed at times to be playing even better than the two-time reigning champions.  They hustled on defense, and Chris Paul was a maestro on the court. 

If Paul had averaged a solid triple-double per game, the Lakers would not have made it past them.  He averaged 22 points, seven rebounds and 12 assists per game during the playoffs.  At the time, he was easily the best point guard playing in the playoffs.

Unfortunately they were playing with a depleted team with David West out to injury.  Even without West, it looked like they could make it to the second round. 

The rest of the team consisted of Emeka Okafor in the post, Trevor Ariza, Marco Belinelli and Carl Landry. 

Ariza and Belinelli were good shooters, and Ariza played stellar defense.  This starting five had a solid group that could keep pace with any team when Paul was leading the way.  However, they just did not have enough talent and players to match up with a championship contending team.

By adding more talent in general they could achieve a great goal in the playoffs. 

One of Paul’s strengths is his ability to run the pick-and-roll to perfection.  Adding a player like Tyson Chandler could change the whole complexity of the game.  If the Hornets could somehow steal Chandler away from the Mavericks, the tandem of Paul and Chandler would be a force to be reckoned with. 

Along with Chandler, adding a player like Jamal Crawford would fortify their bench and give them a legitimate scoring threat when Paul is out of the game.  Keeping the points going is crucial when Paul is out.  During the playoffs it seemed as if the offense turned off whenever Paul was subbed out.  

The Chicago Bulls

The Bulls have one of the most electrifying players in the history of the NBA in Derrick Rose.  From his high flying dunks, blocks and body contorting layups, he has proven over and over again why he is up there with some of the best point guards in history. 

Rose averaged 27 points, four rebounds and seven assists during the playoffs.  These stats may be a bit skewed due to the fact that he did most of his damage in the earlier rounds. 

In his second year, head coach Tom Thibodeau will continue to stress to his team the importance of defense, which he did an excellent job at last year.  Players like Carlos Boozer, Luol Deng, Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson will continue to grow on all aspects of their game. 

However, Rose was basically their only scoring threat.  Frankly put, he was overused.  In the later rounds of the playoffs when facing solid defensive teams like Boston and Miami, he was depleted and could not be as spectacular as we have all come to expect him to be.

Adding some scorers to this team is key.  Jamal Crawford, Jason Richardson, Caron Butler and J.R. Smith would all be viable candidates for the team.  Each one of them, with the exception of Butler, was seen to have played pretty good defense and the ability to put up 20-plus points on any given night.

Having these players added to the offensive side of the Bulls attack would greatly relieve some scoring stress that was put on Rose.

If any one of these players makes their way into Chicago’s lineup, we would most likely end up seeing a decrease in Rose’s points per game and an increase in both his field goal percentage and assists.  Considering Rose is a competitor who wants to win above all else, having his point production slightly slip is something he would gladly accept if that meant making it further in the playoffs.  

The Miami Heat

Let's face it, the Heat were probably the most hated team still left in the playoffs last year.  After LeBron’s announcement and leaving of Cleveland, almost everyone wanted to see them fail.  With a team that basically only had James, Wade and Bosh, they still managed to make it all the way to the NBA finals. 

James and Wade put up nearly identical stats during the playoffs both average roughly 24 points a game, five assists and eight rebounds.  Having two players put up these kinds of numbers is almost mind-blowing.  It prevents havoc against the opposition who probably only has one defender who can match up with this firepower. 

The post was basically non existent with the exception of Chris Bosh who also is mainly a player who will shoot from the elbow or try to face up and drive.  Aside from the substantial lack of depth in the secondary, the ability to score when those two were not on the court was almost impossible.  

Some key free agents that could make their way into the Heat lineup would include Jason Richardson, Acie Law, Jason Kapono, Tayshaun Prince and Samuel Dalembert.

With all that attention on Wade and James, that leaves huge amounts of the floor open for spot-up shooters such as Kapono and Richardson. 

Adding Dalembert would jump up the defensive stats of an already impressive defensive team.  Trying to drive past James and Wade is tough, but then having to face a lanky seven-footer does not help either.  The rebounding numbers would jump up which would allow for more fast breaks—the bread and butter of the Heat offense.

Prince is still a solid player that could not have shined through the declining Detroit Pistons team.  Prince a is lanky and crafty shooter who can drive, dribble penetrate and shoot the mid-range efficiently.  If the Heat can add two or three of the mentioned players, there is no doubt in my mind that they would have a solid chance at the championship trophy.  

The New York Knicks

The Knicks are so close to becoming a legitimate contender again that the fans are watering at the mouth for next season to begin. 

After the blockbuster trade with the Denver Nuggets, the Knicks acquired Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups.  Paired with the also recently acquired Amar’e Stoudemire, these three have an opportunity to put the Knicks back on the map.

It was evident that the team had the talent but not the cohesion that is necessary for a team to survive in the long and grueling playoffs.  What is needed is a solid defense, a deep bench, and the will to work hard and put in the time during practice.

What is one of the most pressing needs, however, is strengthening up the lackluster defense of the Knicks.  Without a doubt, Anthony, Billups and Stoudemire could put up 20-plus points each on any given night.  The issue is not only that those three are the main, and basically only, scorers on the team, but Stoudemire does not want to play defense down low. 

Stoudemire is not a solid down low presence on defense.  He is a great help defender that can come from the weak side and block a few shots.  However, a solid post player such as Samuel Dalembert would help this team out both on defense and offense by giving Stoudemire more energy on the offensive side of the ball. 

Acquiring a player like Shane Battier from free agency would strengthen up that defense and put in a three-point shooting threat on the wing.  Having a lineup of Anthony, Stoudemire, Billups, Battier and Dalembert would make them a solid playoff team that could make a deep run if enough work was put into it.   

The Atlanta Hawks

This Hawks team is solid from the top down.  Joe Johnson is one of the leagues elite scorers and Al Horford with Josh Smith make a tough duo to score against.  The defense of Hinrich, Horford, Smith and Johnson make this one of the toughest defensive teams in the league.

This team probably has some of the most talented players on the roster but something does not fit with the team's chemistry.

Hinrich is a solid point guard that averaged around 10 points, three assists and two rebounds a game during the playoffs.  Jonson averaged 19 points, three assists and five rebounds a game.  Smith and Horford both were a few rebounds shy of averaging a double-double during the playoffs.

Crawford was in the running for sixth man of the year, making him a solid free agent this year.  However, if the Hawks cannot re-sign him, that is going to be a huge hit for this team.

Two players that can really help the Hawks would be Acie Law and Samuel Dalembert.  With all the talent on the Hawks side of the ball, one of the few deficiencies is in the center position.  Currently the centers for the Hawks are Horford (center/forward) and Zaza Pachulia.  Pachulia does not bring much to the table, only averaging around five rebounds a game.  Adding a long center in Dalembert will help the rest of the team out.

Acie Law is also a quick point guard that will be able to keep up with the fast-paced offense that the Hawks are capable of running with Smith and Johnson.  Hinrich is a great point guard who can play defense while Law is more of an explosive guard who can dribble penetrate.

The Boston Celtics

The Celtics are back in the elite caliber mainly due to the play of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo.  About three years ago, this was probably the best four on the court together.  However, now Pierce and Garnett are aging, and it is showing on the court with the slowing down of production.

Rondo is really the main guy for the Celtics now.  He is basically a triple-double threat every night.  During the playoffs he averaged six rebounds 14 points and 10 assists per game.  He is the future of the franchise.

Although those players carried the team, the weakest part was mainly the play of the big guys and the bench in general.  Unless it was a home game, the bench really was not productive.  The team needs to think about this going into the next year.

Stacking up their bench along with strengthening their post presence will determine if this team can make the finals once again.

Some players to think about include Jamal Crawford, Shane Battier, Jason Richardson, and once again, Samuel Dalembert.

Getting Crawford allows the Celtics to have a legitimate 20-plus scoring player off the bench.  Although he is not necessarily known for his defense, scoring the way he does can help balance out in that category.

Battier is one of the leagues toughest defenders.  He has been guarding Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant and some of the leagues elite scorers throughout his career.  He fits in line with the Celtics defense-first mentality, and he can also shoot the ball which is great for Rondo who loves to dribble penetrate and kick out.  Battier would also relieve some pressure off of Ray Allen who typically is put on defensive assignment against the opponent's No. 1.

Richardson would probably be somewhere between Crawford and Battier.  He can score better than Battier and plays better defense than Crawford.  Adding him to the Celtics lineup can really help them manage the wear and tear on the bodies of some of its veterans.

Dalembert is big and can offer up huge rebounding nights which would help Garnett rest some more minutes.  Garnett is aging and is not the same player he used to be.  His scoring is down along with rebounding and shooting efficiency.  He gets injured more frequently, and it looks like his body just cannot keep up.  Dalembert would help alleviate most of that stress giving Garnett the opportunity to play around 30 minutes a game instead of the 37 he averaged in the playoffs last year.