Free-agent time should be like Christmas for these under-30 former first-round picks. If they had played better, stayed healthy or fulfilled their potential, they would be cashing in on new contracts or contract extensions. Instead they are fighting for their NBA lives, afterthoughts in free-agent time, hoping to find one interested team for another opportunity to stay in the league.
The alternative might be Europe or perhaps even the NBDL. With each NBA team holding on tight to free-agent dollars because of the economy and the 2010 free-agent class, contracts -- especially lucrative ones -- will be difficult to procure. So while names such as Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva, Trevor Ariza and Hedo Turkoglu will fill the offseason newswires, these 10 players will be searching for work in virtual obscurity.
PHOENIX -- Dwight Howard went back to his Superman gimmick from last year but, in the end, Nate Robinson proved to be Howard's Kryptonite, as he leaped over the defending champ in the final round to capture the 2009 Sprite Slam Dunk Championship.
Howard didn't take home the trophy, but he may just have gotten the fans' vote for injecting the most creativity into this year's contest.
Three-quarters of the NBA Slam Dunk Contest field has been set, and the confirmed are familiar faces: reigning champ Dwight Howard, former champ Nate Robinson and underwhelming 2008 competitor Rudy Gay. For the fourth slot, the league is holding a fan vote between three rookies: Joe Alexander, Russell Westbrook and Rudy Fernandez. There is no way Rudy loses this, between his rabid Portland base and the legions of devoted Spanish fans who will pump the vote. And while Joe was born with moon shoes on and Westbrook could be the best point guard dunker in a decade, I'm not mad at a Rudy candidacy. Howard, I suspect, might be.
Yesterday, the venerable Tom Ziller gave us a report highlighting Gerald Green's new focus. There's just something about being booted out of the league that gets young players to focus. Anyhow, in the post Ziller also was nice enough to display video of Gerald making 2nd year big man Spencer Hawes look pretty silly. Well, dunking on cats must be a part of the Gerald Green reclamation project, because he did the same darn thing to Bulls forward Tyrus Thomas on Tuesday:
If he keeps this up, he might get added to his Lil cousin Bentley Green's Mavericks rap. Okay, so maybe they aren't related.
"This is what a lot of people thought he could do," Carlisle said. "No one has ever questioned his offensive ability. He's been consistent in his approach, and he has some dynamic abilities."
The question, of course, orbits around Green's concentration and commitment to work hard off the court as well as on it. He got cut in Houston specifically because he wasn't working in practice. And that was under Rick Adelman, one of the least dictatorial types in the league. Carlisle isn't Avery Johnson, but Green still needs to push himself to at have the appearance of a hard worker. Otherwise, he'll be taking his cupcakes to Europe.
Perhaps "Cupcakes!" could be the new "Onions!", Mr. Raftery? Gerald Green -- and the following dunk -- make me think it's a pretty good idea. (Quality's a touch grainy but it's a pretty nice throwdown.)
It's this sort of business -- getting down with the up-funk and what not -- that make Green such a frustrating player to watch. In the less than full-on NBA Summer League, he can dominate. But his attitude and off court time reading Rashad McCants' poetry have combined to keep him -- so far! -- from actually exploiting his potential. We can only dream.
The Mavericks signed Gerald Green to what is believed to be a one-year deal, thus continuing the tradition of filing their roster with players of questionable talent (like Devean George and Tyronne Lue, for example). Green played for the Timberwolves and (briefly) the Rockets last season, and ultimately finished the year out of the NBA. I'm sure that's just the answer to get Dallas out of the first round of the playoffs.
But let's talk about something important: if Green can stay on the roster until the All-Star break, it means we'll get to see him in the dunk contest! Green took home the trophy in Vegas in 2007, and despite Dwight Howard's Superman winning it last year, Green's Birfday Birthday Cake dunk was by far the talk of the event. Plus, it lead to comments on our event chat like, "Wait, is it even anyone's birthday?" followed by an email of a list of the NBA's birthdays for the day. You just can't buy entertainment like that. Anyway, let's hope the kid makes it to All-Star weekend, so we can see more dunks like this one.
This has to be one of the crazier promotions I have ever seen, if only because it could involve getting season tickets to a professional basketball team for a ridiculously low $43. Yes, that is American dineros. And yes, that is absurd. Of course, if you were to engage in this transaction, you could also end up paying over $200 for those tickets. That's because the Minnesota Timberwolves are basing the ticket price on what spot they land in the lottery. From Randball (via Rovell):
The deal: Your season ticket per game price is equal to whatever pick the Wolves get in the draft. They pick No. 1? $43 for 43 games, or $1 per game. Seriously. $86 for the No. 2 pick. And so on.
As you can see, there are a couple of catches. Also, as Rovell notes in an update, this promotion is only available to the first 500 people that sign up and each person is limited to 10 tickets. Still though, if you live in the greater Minneapolis area, or within three hours of the freaking city limits, how can you pass up this opportunity? 43 bucks for a season of Derrick Rose against 200 something to watch Al Jefferson and a pile of semi-scrubs? Um, yes please. Lock it in if they resign Gerald Green.
The Celtics have the best record in the league, and are likely to wrap up home court advantage throughout the playoffs soon. So the question has come up of whether some of the team's veterans like Paul Pierce will get a few games off to recharge for the post-season. According to Doc Rivers, the answer to that one is "no."
"I don't believe in that a whole bunch," Rivers said of keeping players out. "As a player, I always laughed when they said, 'Hey, you guys are in (the playoffs). How about sitting out two games?'
"We've played 78 games, and I sit two and I'm going to be rested? The notion of that to me is ridiculous. Now, if you have an injury or something like that, then absolutely you sit out. . . .
"... or, you know, if we had no chance of making the playoffs and I was trying to get the most ping pong balls, then you definitely would sit people." Okay, I made that last part up. But seriously, it is funny how the Celtics finished last season by dropping nine of their last eleven games, none of which featured their best player (Paul Pierce) in the lineup. Guys like Gerald Green (who's now out of the league) and Allan Ray (not Ray Allen) were the ones leading the team into the lottery, while Pierce simply got himself an early vacation.
Fans of The Birthday Cake should maybe sit down: Houston waivedGerald Green today to make room for D-League forward Mike Harris. Gerald Green, third year guard, 22 years old ... without a job.
Didn't Green seem like a nice enough piece in the Kevin Garnett sweepstakes just eight or so months ago? Now three teams have given up on him: Boston after two seasons, Minnesota after three months, Houston after three weeks. Not a ringing endorsement on his future chances, is it?
Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle says a lack of drive on the practice court got Green his pink slip from the Rockets.
If Green played, practiced and most of all competed as hard as Harris, he would not be unemployed today. He has a sweet shot and can jump out of the building. Another team will likely take another shot to teach him how to play. ... Teams are not giving him away because they can't see the potential. It's there. But he has not shown that he sees what it will take to bring it out of him.
Green could land with a team this week -- those who might want to sign him this summer could audition him, or get the upper hand. Reading what everyone says about Green, though ... I'm not sure he won't just slink off into the sunset, resolved as ever to watch his career flutter away. After blowing three opportunities in less than three years, why should we expect anything different?
Free-agent time should be like Christmas for these under-30 former first-round picks. If they had played better, stayed healthy or fulfilled their potential, they would be cashing in on new contracts or contract extensions. Instead they are fighting for their NBA lives, afterthoughts in free-agent time, hoping to find one interested team for another opportunity to stay in the league.
Fans of 
