Free agent pool full of impact players

By JEREMY SHORT

TAHLEQUAH DAILY PRESS — As I discussed in my column on Friday, the NBA free agency market has hit full stride and some teams have already taken advantage of the strong class.

This group of players is not as strong as the Lebron James and Dwayne Wade class of 2010, but there are several players among the 2009 free agents that can be difference makers for teams.

The biggest impact player in this year’s class is probably Orlando’s Hedo Turkoglu. Turkoglu had a solid regular season with averages of 17 points, five rebounds and five assists, but it was in the postseason where he caught more attention, especially in the series with the Cleveland Cavaliers. In that series he upped his averages to 17 points, seven assists and six rebounds as Orlando surprisingly upset the heavily favored Cavs.

Turkoglu’s biggest strength’s are his shooting and playmaking ability as a forward.

His biggest weaknesses are his inconsistency, especially on defense.

Some of the teams rumored to be interested in Turkoglu are Portland, Detroit, Sacramento and maybe even the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Though the Thunder could use a talent of Turkoglu’s ability, the move would not make a lot of sense since two of the team’s best players, Kevin Durant and Jeff Green play the same position.

I think the best fit for Turkoglu would be in Detroit where he could pair with recently signed Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva as well as Tayshaun Prince, who is one of the few Pistons that remains from the championship team of a few years ago.

Another player who will be valuable this offseason is Lamar Odom of the NBA Champion L.A. Lakers. Odom is one of the key components of the team and has been a solid player in the league for many years.

Though his best choice would probably be to stay with the Lakers, I don’t know if they have the payroll to keep both him and fellow free agent Trevor Ariza.

If I were Mitch Kupchak and running L.A. I would probably elect to keep the proven Odom over Ariza, who was basically just good for half the season last year.

If Odom does decide to go elsewhere, some of the places he would seem likely end up are Phoenix, where coach Alvin Gentry was his coach for three seasons, or San Antonio, where he could pair with Tim Duncan in the Spurs frontcourt.

Perhaps the most coveted point guard in the class is 37-year-old Jason Kidd, who most recently played with the Dallas Mavericks.

Although Kidd is definitely not in the prime of his career any longer, he is still among the top-10 pure point guards in the league.

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has said he is interested in resigning Kidd, but after the way he fell under heavy criticism he will likely be looking for another team.

Immediately, the first team that stands out as a great fit would be the Knicks where Kidd could run Mike D’Antoni’s fast-paced attack.

The only problem is that New York is not likely to pay even close to the $21 million Kidd got paid last season.

Another free agent who could become a solid addition to a team is Rasheed Wallace.

Wallace probably needs to land on a veteran team where he does not have to be the primary focus. Atlanta, Dallas and San Antonio are listed as early suitors for Wallace.

The Spurs, if they don’t acquire Odom or another marquee big man, look like the best fit.

With Wallace’s history of emotional outbursts, Coach Greg Popovich and the veteran Spurs would be a calming influence on him.

Plus, if he does get out on control, the Spurs would not feel inclined to keep Wallace with players like Duncan, Richard Jefferson and Tony Parker already in place.

Although free agency is a crazy and hectic time of year, it is exciting to see some of the biggest names in the sport changing teams. It keeps things interesting from year-to-year.

It also keeps the teams that are willing to spend money evenly distributed with talent and prevents teams from becoming juggernauts.