Empty the Bench

Much of the analysis and grades you’ve been reading about the NBA’s free-agent action this summer are fool’s gold. Until these players who’ve changed homes have actually gotten on the court, it’s very difficult to evaluate and predict just how smart or foolish a given signing was (okay, it’s safe to say Orlando wildly overpaid for Rashard Lewis after essentially bidding against themselves).

Instead, ETB takes a momentary break from our NFL coverage to quickly look back at how some of the most noteworthy NBA free-agent acquisitions of 2006 worked out last year. We’re guessing there are probably more than a few cases of buyer’s remorse.

Ben Wallace, C, Chicago Bulls: Four-year, $60 million contracts tend to sway the minds of 32-year-old NBA athletes, no matter what the situation is. Convincing the four-time Defensive Player of the Year to pack his bags and move about 280 miles west was to be the move that finally pushed the Chicago Bulls over the top. GM Jim Paxson overpaid for Wallace’s services, but part of that exorbant sum of cash was spent towards not only strengthening his own club, but also significantly weakening the Bulls’ hated divisional rival in Detroit.

Then came the silly headband issue. And the power struggle with head coach Scott Skiles. And, of course, the weighty expectations that come with such a big contract and huge marketing blitz. Of course, most of the small stuff proved to be just that, and Wallace settled in after awhile and became a leader for the no-longer Baby Bulls.

Unfortunately for Chicago, by season’s end a few things failed to materialize: the team did not win their division (Detroit did, again), the team did not advance to the Conference or NBA Finals (they lost to Detroit in Round Two), and Wallace experienced a statistical decline in every major category–except assists–when compared to the 2005-06 season, when he had already begun showing signs of wear and seemed to have lost a step.

Something tells us that Wallace will not play three more seasons in Chicago, even though he’ll be awfully tough to trade at that pricetag. It’s not that he had an awful season, it’s just that he didn’t consistently provide the kind of defensive and energy boost the team expected. On top of that, he often seemed disinterested with sparring with his former teammates during their playoff series. On the year, Wallace averaged 6.4 points, 10.7 boards, 1.5 steals, and 2 blocks.

Peja Stojakovic, G/F, New Orleans Hornets: Ever wonder what it’s like to flush a little over $10 million down the toilet? Just ask the Hornets’ brass, who signed then 29-year-old Stojakovic to a five-year, $64 million deal in hopes he’d give the team a deadeye from outside the arc for Chris Paul to drive and dish to on a nightly basis. Instead, Peja’s creaky back limited him to just 13 games–the first 13 of the season, actually. For awhile, it looked like he might make a “miraculous” return to the hardwood late in the season during a playoffs push, but the team wisely kept him on the shelf. After all, they’re still on the hook for four more years and over $50 million.

Can Stojakovic come back fully healthy and rekindle the scoring magic of his prime years in Sacramento? We have our doubts, but right now it looks like he’s on schedule to begin the 2007-08 season as the Hornets’ starting small forward. There was of course no way of knowing that Stojakovic would miss that much time, but you have to believe the Hornets would have been much better in saving that money to make a run at Lewis or Gerald Wallace a year later.

Nazr Mohammed, C, Detroit Pistons: Signed shortly after Wallace defected across Lake Michigan to replace the former face of the franchise, Mohammed didn’t seem like a good fit right from the start. Sure, filling Big Ben’s shoes was not an enviable task for a guy who has most excelled when tasked with limited minutes, but that pressure is not what ultimately landed the 6-10 veteran at the very end of Flip Saunders’ bench.

The chemistry with his fellow starters just wasn’t there on either end of the floor, especially with Rasheed Wallace. As good of a teammate as he is, Wallace was visibly frustrated at times with Mohammed’s defensive rotations (or lack thereof) and stick-in-the-mud post presence. The nine-year vet peaked in late December, when he averaged 15.5 points and just over 9 boards over a four-game stretch. It was pretty much all downhill from there, and once Chris Webber was brought onboard the “DNP – Coach’s Decision” began racking up.

For the year, Mohammed ended up averaging 5.6 points, 4.5 boards, and 15 minutes a game. That’s probably not the kind of return GM Joe Dumars was hoping for on his ludicrous five-year, $30 million investment on the journeyman center. If Webber does not resign with the team before training camp, there’s a sporting chance Mohammed could resume his starting duties. Go ahead, Pistons fans: it’s okay to cringe at the thought.

Mike James, G, Minnesota Timberwolves: It made a lot some sense at the time, but this one just didn’t work out for Kevin McHale, a phrase that’s becoming the official T’Wolves mantra when it comes to offseason moves. (For the record, we think the KG trade isn’t as bad for Minny as some do.) Coming off a career year in Toronto, when he averaged about 20 points and 6 assists a night, James inked a four-year deal for $23 million and was thought to be the ‘Wolves answer to the starting point-guard puzzle for awhile. Nuh uh.

The cohesiveness with KG & Co. just wasn’t there, and James eventually pouted his way out of the starting lineup. His numbers dropped across the board, and the bulldog mentality shown during his run with the championship Pistons team of ‘04 was nowhere to be found. To his credit, McHale unloaded James and his contract by dealing him to Houston this summer, where James will compete with Steve Francis for the starting job. Unfortunately, the player acquired was Juwan Howard, who was initially psyched about lining up next to KG, but is now demanding a trade. Ah, that Kevin McHale–always one step ahead of himself.

Jared Jeffries, F, New York Knicks: “You can never have enough forwards with similar skill sets,” thinks Isiah Thomas to himself every morning as he eats a bowl of Apple Jacks and tries to guide CinnaMon through the back-of-the-box nutrition maze. It’s the only possible explanation for bringing in the 6-11 Jeffries to the tune of five years and $30 million, even though they spent their first-round pick on Renaldo Balkman and already employed David Lee, Quentin Richardson, Malik Rose, and Channing Frye.

I understand that Thomas wanted to make his team tougher and more defensive-oriented, but an only decent player like Jeffries couldn’t possibly accomplish that by himself. In fact, he didn’t do much of anything all season, first missing the first 1 1/2 months with a broken hand, then struggling to establish himself in the rotation. On the year, he averaged a paltry 23 minutes a night while “racking up” 4 points, 4 boards, and less than 1 block and 1 steal a game.

With that kind of contract, Jeffries likely isn’t going anywhere (except, perhaps, to the end of the bench with Jerome James). And though Frye was dealt this summer, you can now add Zach Randolph, Randolph Morris, and–you guessed it–another first-round draft pick in Wilson Chandler to the forward mix now. There’s a method to this madness, though, right Isiah?

Tim Thomas, F, LA Clippers: Thomas capitalized on his mini-career resurgence in Phoenix by signing on with Clips, and amazingly enough held up relatively well health-wise, playing in 76 games and putting up 11 points and 5 boards a night. For years the book on Thomas was that he was one of the most gifted players in the league and could be a top contributor if he ever just put his mind to it. After 10 years, it’s clear that’s never going to happen. His near career low in field-goal percentage (41%) was disappointing, but he’s acquitted himself decently the past few seasons and was certainly an able replacement for…

Vladimir Radmanovic, F, LA Lakers: The Lakers are an absolute mess, but at least Slalom Vlade is locked up for at least three more years. A free-agent flop waiting to happen–think Jerome James–Radmanovic endeared himself both to his teammates and fans not only with his gnarly talents on the slopes, but also with his staggering 6.6 points, 3.3 boards, and 1.2 assists/per averages.

John Salmons, G, Sacramento Kings: The Kings were big fans of Salmons’ defensive presence and all-around hustle, and that’s pretty much what he brought during his first year in Sacto as a backup to Kevin Martin. Signed to a modest five-year, $20 million deal after four years in Philly, he averaged career highs in every major statistical category, was a nice ying to Ron Artest’s omnipresent yang, and is a solid, steadying presence off the bench.

Bonzi Wells, G, Houston Rockets: We’re still scratching our head about this one. Wells turned down a lucrative five-year, $38.5 million offer to stay with the Kings to sign a two-year, $5 million contract with Houston, presumably under bad advice from his agent. After battling a nagging groin injury, missing most of training camp, and just plain acting like a fool from time to time, he and then head-coach Jeff Van Gundy never got along. He was dismissed from the team for a spell, came back for a bit only to injure his back, and then excused himself because he felt like he was a distraction to the team.

Wells played in just 21 games and put up the worst numbers of his career. He’ll look for a fresh start under new coach Rick Adelman this year, and the talent is most certainly there, but he’ll have to expunge the demons from his head if he’s to bounce back.

Marcus Banks, G, Phoenix Suns: Yuck. Five years and $21 million to a guy with exactly one decent year on his resume. Brought in to ideally back up Steve Nash, the 6-2 Banks found himself buried at the end of Mike D’Antoni’s bench and played sparingly in only 45 games.

Flip Murray, G, Detroit Pistons: Murray was a square peg being forced into a round hole all season long. Signed to a modest two-year deal (he picked up the option for the upcoming season), Murray is a natural shooting guard asked for most of the year to back up Chauncey Billups at the point. His discomfort with running the offense showed, and he never seemed to get into any kind of consistent groove. He certainly wasn’t as effective as he’s been in the past during stints in Seattle and Cleveland.

It’s unclear if Murray will still be on the Pistons’ opening day roster, though our guess is that he’s moved sometime before then for a trade exception or future draft pick.