With the Dwight Howard circus now in our rear view mirrors, NBA teams continue to forge ahead in the quest of bettering their rosters with the best of the rest. Perhaps the second biggest free-agent name available behind Howard was that of Atlanta’s Josh Smith and he wasted no time in making his decision on where to take his talents.
The Detroit Pistons and Joe Dumars have made a bold statement as they have reportedly signed Smith to a four year $56 million deal. While Smith does have a nice offensive game he is best suited for playing the power forward spot not the small forward. Since the Pistons already have Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe up front this either pushes Drummond to the bench or Smith into the three spot.
Smith’s game is at its best when he stays near the hoop, playing in and around the key, posting up guys and knocking down elbow jumpers. Where Smith’s game is exposed is when he steps away from the hoop and becomes content in launching 20-foot jumpers and not attacking the paint. With Drummond and Monroe downlow; Smith is destined to flounder on the perimeter. This signing isn’t nearly as good for the Pistons as it would seem.
Staying with news out of Detroit, Jose Calderon has left the Motor City for Dallas. Calderon has agreed to a four year $29 million deal. Calderon will bring some stability to the point guard spot in Dallas as they have struggled to find a serviceable floor leader capable of running an effective pick-and-roll with Dirk Nowitzki.
In other news emanating out of Dallas; Mark Cuban is said to have legitimate interest in bringing in Andrew Bynum. The Mavericks are understandably moving cautiously here as the risks here are high but a one year guaranteed contract with club options for two or three more years would substantially mitigate the risks involved. It remains to be seen if Cuban will follow through on this investment but it would shore up the inside of the lineup and if Bynum returns healthy and with confidence the Mavs could end up with a steal of a deal.
Over in the bay area, the Golden State Warriors were forced to sacrifice two key reserves from last year’s squad. Both Carl Landry and Jarrett Jack have left as the Warriors were not in a salary cap position to pay them. Landry is headed back to Sacramento on a four year $26 million deal while Jack is headed to Cleveland on a four year $25 million deal. Both Landry and Jack will be significant upgrades to their respective teams second units and both capitalized nicely off their last season’s success.
Being in a similar-like situation of not being able to afford ones own key reserves. The New York Knicks were forced to watch Chris Copeland leave for the hated rivals in Indiana. The Knicks were powerless to do anything as they were restricted by the salary cap and unable to match any offer exceeding $3 million per year. Leave it to the sneaky Pacers as they swooped in with a whopping two year deal worth $6.1 million. Damn that pesky $100 thousand! Copeland will be a huge addition to the woeful Pacers bench as he is a long, athletic guy who can stretch the floor and score from the perimeter.
Sticking with moves to bolster ones bench, the Portland Trailblazers have revamped their second unit and continue to add pieces as today they announced the signing of veteran Dorell Wright. Wright adds depth to the Blazers as well as veteran leadership. Wright doesn’t figure to be a huge contributor but he remains very serviceable and should fit in well for his 17-20 minutes of action a night.
The last piece of NBA free-agency news fell later in the evening as Darren Collison agreed to terms on a two year deal. Collison is yet another solid pickup for the Clips as he can spell off Chris Paul, keep the tempo up and push the pace back down the court. A cheap yet valuable addition to the roster as Paul needs to be healthy and rested come playoff time.
Stay tuned to eDraft for more news and updates as they happen. Anticipate a Monta Ellis deal to be announced soon with Atlanta being rumoured as the potential landing spot and I wouldn’t be surprised if a team rolls the dice on Andrew Bynum here shortly.