The best, worst and most obscure free agents of 2008
2. Elton Brand, 76ers: It pains me to put Brand on this list, because I -- like everyone else -- thought this was a home-run signing by Sixers president Ed Stefanski. The Sixers had no low-post scorer and haven't had a player with star power since Allen Iverson was traded. What could go wrong? Everything. Brand clearly isn't all the way back from the Achilles injury that kept him out for almost all of 2007-08, and Maurice Cheeks got fired for failing to incorporate Brand into the offense without losing the Sixers' transition edge. Now Brand is on the shelf for at least a month with a dislocated right shoulder.
3. Ricky Davis, Clippers: When L.A. signed Davis to a one-year, $2.3 million deal, it was no sure thing that he'd fit in any better with the Clippers than he did with Miami. But at least the Clippers knew Davis wouldn't get hurt -- he hadn't missed more than four games in a season over the past four years. Woops. Silly me. These are the Clippers we're talking about. Davis hasn't played since Nov. 22 due to a sore knee. I don't know how shooting 2-for-19 over three games makes your knee sore, but whatever. Now, Davis has been suspended five games for violating the league's substance abuse policy. At least Donald Sterling doesn't have to pay Davis for those games.
4. Kwame Brown, Pistons: Detroit really had nothing to lose in signing Brown, the former No. 1 overall pick -- except $8.1 million over two years! Brown couldn't even stay in the rotation before the Pistons re-signed Antonio McDyess, who was dealt to Denver in the Iverson trade and then released. Now that McDyess is back, Brown is back to the bench -- essentially for good. It's hard to envision a role for him, much less one in which he could actually earn $4 million this season. I don't know about you, but every time I hear the words "Kwame Brown," it reminds me that Michael Jordan -- perhaps the best player in NBA history -- actually thought Brown was the best player available in the 2001 draft. It says in Brown's bio that he's one of eight children. Jordan would've been better off taking one of the other seven.
5. Rob Kurz, Warriors: It's hard to argue when a team signs a hard-working, smooth-shooting, undrafted rookie and gives him a chance. But when his minutes should be going to Brandan Wright and Anthony Randolph -- first-round picks in the past two drafts -- it just shows how dysfunctional the Warriors are. Don Nelson insists on playing Kurz and doesn't seem interested in developing Randolph or Wright. Not to say Kurz hasn't responded -- the 6-9 forward is contributing 5.2 points in 13 minutes a game and shooting .455 on 3-pointers. Good for him. Bad signing for the Warriors, who have two first-round picks spending most nights languishing on the bench.
Most Obscure
1. Shavlik Randolph, Trail Blazers: Obscurity runs in the family. When Randolph played in Philadelphia, he was involved in the following exchange with local reporter/historian, Jack Scheurer:
"I have a question for you," Scheurer said. "Who's the all-time leading rebounder in N.C. State history?"
"I have no idea," Randolph said.
"Ronnie Shavlik," Scheurer fired back. "Your grandfather."
His full name is Ronald Shavlik Randolph, and the 6-10 forward signed with Portland after three nondescript seasons with the 76ers during which he appeared in 79 games. Although he's healthy, Randolph hasn't logged a single minute this season with his new team. His hometown paper, the Raleigh News & Observer, recently wrote a melancholy update on Randolph's NBA "career," pointing out that Randolph is clothed in a Sixers jersey in his profile on NBA.com and that he isn't included in the Blazers' interactive player roster. Now that's obscure.
2. Royal Ivey, 76ers: Not only is Ivey obscure on the list of 2008 free agents, he's obscure on his own high school's list of prominent alumni. When you're a backup point guard playing on your third NBA team in five years, it's hard to get any pub coming out of Cardozo High School in Queens, N.Y., whose list of prominent alums includes Rockets point guard Rafer Alston, former CIA director George Tenet, and the biggest one of all -- at least in terms of how they're listed in the Cardozo alumni guide -- Ron Jeremy, the adult film star. After averaging 5.6 points and 2.1 assists last year with Milwaukee (75 games, 20 starts) in what could loosely be termed a breakout season, Ivey has been a useful reserve for the Sixers.
3. Anthony Tolliver, Spurs: If you think Tolliver feels obscure now, imagine how he would've felt if he'd attended Kickapoo High School in Springfield, Mo., at the same time as Angelina Jolie's husband. (Suffice it to say they were several years apart.) The Spurs signed the former Creighton standout after he'd spent time with Cleveland in the 2007 preseason and Iowa Energy of the D-League. Tolliver, a 6-8 forward, played with the Spurs in the Vegas summer league and the Nets in the Orlando summer league. He's actually logged at least 18 minutes five times this season -- when he hasn't been bouncing between San Antonio and the Spurs' D-League affiliate in Austin. On the day he learned he'd made the Spurs' roster, Tolliver also received devastating news -- his mother, Donna Lewis, had died of an apparent heart attack at age 56. The last time Tolliver spoke with her, she reassured him that he was on his way to making it in the NBA after a so-so performance in a October preseason game.
4. Chris "Birdman" Andersen, Nuggets: Remember him? Birdman was the first-ever D-League callup by the Nuggets in 2001, and he introduced himself to the viewing public with high-flying performances at the 2004 and '05 slam dunk contests. The 6-10 forward was in the first year of a four-year, $13 million contract with the Hornets when he was suspended for violating the league's substance abuse policy in January 2006. It made him the first player kicked out of the league for a drug violation since Stanley Roberts in 1999. Andersen appeared in five games for New Orleans last season before re-signing with Denver in July. He missed nine games with a broken rib, but is beginning to make an impact. Birdman had three points and six rebounds in 32 minutes Monday night against Atlanta, getting the start for injured forward Nene.
5. Tarence Kinsey, Cavaliers: In 2005, Kinsey hit the game-winning shot at the buzzer to send South Carolina to a 60-57 victory over St. Joseph's in the NIT championship game. With two years, he was splitting time between the Memphis Grizzlies and Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul of the Turkish League. Cavs GM Danny Ferry liked Kinsey's shooting ability enough to sign him in August. Fortunately for him, he's on a team that regularly wins by double-digits. Thus, lots of garbage minutes. Kinsey had 11 points in mop-up time during a 117-82 blowout of Oklahoma City last month.
Happy 2009.
