The best, worst and most obscure free agents of 2008

There will be plenty of time to dissect the star-studded free agent class of 2010, not to mention the semi-intriguing class of 2009. The only names we hear are LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh -- all potentially available in two summers -- but there are plenty of other big names that hardly get mentioned: Yao Ming, Amare Stoudemire, Dirk Nowitzki, Manu Ginobili, Joe Johnson, Paul Pierce and Michael Redd in 2010. Plus, Kobe Bryant, Carlos Boozer, and Anderson Varejao in 2009.

New Hornet James Posey finds his offensive numbers up this season. (Getty Images)

When you look at the names that will be available over the next two summers, it only underscores how lame last summer's free-agent class was. By my count, 75 free agents signed contracts with new teams last offseason, and nobody has stood out the way the best of the next two crops will. Aside from important, yet modest contributions from the names at the top of the list, the class of 2008 has been mostly uninspiring. (One signee did attend high school with Brad Pitt, while another went to the same high school as a famous porn star.)

As we flip the calendar and look forward to better free-agent times ahead, it's time to take a look at my five best, five worst, and five most obscure free agents of 2008.

Only players who joined new teams as restricted or unrestricted free agents qualify; that's why you won't find Marc Gasol, J.J. Barea or Goran Dragic on the list.

You will find people named Birdman, Shavlik, and Dahntay, though, and will learn things you didn't think you wanted to know.

Best

1. James Posey, Hornets: A noted defector from the Celtics' championship team, Posey's scoring and three-point shooting numbers are up from a year ago; he's averaging 9.9 points and shooting .441 from beyond the arc after posting 7.4 and .380, respectively, in Boston last season. Posey's impact hasn't been felt on the defensive end as much as you'd expect. New Orleans actually defended the three-point shot better last season (.351) than this year (.382). But once crunch time arrives, Posey's absence in Boston and his presence with the Hornets will be one of the top storylines of the postseason.

2. Roger Mason, Spurs: When Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili were limping through the first month of the season, Mason carried the Spurs' backcourt with four 20-point games and 50 percent three-point shooting in November. Now that Parker and Ginobili are back, Mason is still finding ways to make his presence felt -- such as when Jason Richardson left him alone in the corner for a buzzer-beating 3-pointer that gave San Antonio a 91-90 victory over the Suns on Christmas Day. Mason's impact can also be felt in Washington, where the Wizards sorely miss his blossoming offensive talents.

3. Chris Duhon, Knicks: Known in Chicago for getting benched by Scott Skiles and oversleeping for silly little things like shootarounds and practices, Duhon has been every bit the steady, ball-moving point guard Mike D'Antoni needed to implement his spread-the-floor, up-tempo offense. Some scratched their heads when the Knicks lavished the mid-level exception on Duhon with $20 million-point guard Stephon Marbury already on the roster. But D'Antoni recognized that he couldn't build his offensive foundation with the ball sticking to the hands of a shoot-first point guard. The only problem has been that trading Jamal Crawford and losing Cuttino Mobley to a medical retirement has left Duhon with no capable backup, so he's running out of gas already and it's not even Jan. 1.

4. Dahntay Jones, Nuggets: George Karl has an affinity for minor leaguers, given his CBA background. His openness to finding gems in the D-League gives GM Mark Warkentien a couple of extra clubs in his bag when he's trying to improve the roster. Warkentien is a big believer in D-League talent; he had to be last summer with a directive from above to hold the line on salaries. His hunch and legwork on Jones has paid off. Jones had previously shown promise with Memphis and Sacramento, but really impressed Warkentien in a 10-game stint with the D-League's Fort Wayne Mad Ants last season. In 37 minutes a game, he averaged 24.4 points and shot .333 on three-pointers. Jones has taken over the starting shooting guard job, and is expected to remain there because of his defensive presence.

5. Maurice Evans, Hawks: This was a tough call between Evans and Mickael Pietrus of the Magic. Both have thrived with their new teams in critical reserve roles. Pietrus (11.7 ppg) is scoring a little more than Evans (7.4), but other than that, their offensive stats are startlingly similar in terms of three-point shooting, free-throw shooting, and rebounds. Evans gets the nod at this point simply because he's been healthy, appearing in all 30 of Atlanta's games. Pietrus has missed 10 games with a torn thumb ligament and left Monday night's loss to Detroit in the second quarter after landing hard on his back and aggravating the injured hand. Evans was the perfect fit for Atlanta, as one of his close friends in the league told me. "Good team guy," the player said. "He can play well on a team with unselfish guys. He has some strength and is capable of knocking down jumpers." Which he is.

Worst

1. Corey Maggette, Warriors: A knee-jerk reaction to losing Baron Davis to the Clippers, the Maggette signing has been a huge disappointment. The Warriors (10-23) are headed for the lottery again, and Maggette is sure to make his annual appearance on the list of players most likely to be traded at the deadline. Problem is, how do you trade a one-dimensional player in the first season of a five-year, $48 million deal?