FanHouse Luther Head

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.

Here is the list and their stories:

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It's not like Chris Wilcox got demoted, technically. It is just that Nick Collison fits the role of center better. But Wilcox, for whatever reason, stopped starting. And Collison played very well. And the Sonics lost 14 straight games. Wilcox started last night at forward, and the Sonics beat the defending champion Spurs, while the ex-Terp recorded 16 points and 10 boards in 31 minutes. If the Sonics are winning when he is out there, he will play, and his value will take a big boost. If you have a discontent owner looking to move him, take a flier for cheap.

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I know, I know. Leon Powe should have made the headline because I will not get another chance. I actually really like Powe, but he is not going to see any run with the "Big 3" around, barring a major injury. So unless you are in a daily league (in which case you should consider him for the C's next game) you can ignore his 25 and 11. It is nice to see Tony Allen back and scoring well already though, I must admit. And actually Allen, who would fill in for Ray Allen, is a better free agent option if you need to add someone.

Nate Robinson continued to be a monster, racking up 22 points with nine assists in 36 minutes off the bench Tuesday night. Robinson, averaging nearly 20 points and seven assists over his last three, should be starting for all teams while he is hot.

B-Ball, B-Fast is a weekdaily look at last night's NBA action from a fantasy perspective. Bookmark it and visit often.

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Or perhaps you prefer "nighthorse"? Either way, Kevin Durant leaving in the third quarter because of an ankle sprain is bad. Kevin Durant not returning to the game because of an ankle sprain is worse. Worstest of alls? That's he has dealt with this injury most of the season and will deal with the rest of the way home. Yes, the Sonics are phoning in their season, but Durant looked primed for a monster 2008, coming out hot with 23.5 points per game after a mildly disappointing December. I don't want to tell you to trade the next big thing, but if you can convince someone to give you full value on a guy who does not seem intent (as we originally thought) on raising his field goal percentage and who is dealing with an ankle injury, well ... go for it. Just don't do anything all crazy like.

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Don't look now but one of my favorite players and erstwhile mancrushes, Charlie Bell, has ripped off two straight 20 point games. Michael Redd, not coincidentally, missed his third straight game with a bruised thigh. Redd could miss a few more, so Bell is a superb play for the near future in daily leagues. If Mo Williams or Redd miss any significant time, snatch Bell up immediately.

B-Ball, B-Fast is a look at last night's NBA action from a fantasy perspective. Bookmark it and visit often.
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Yao Ming owners have mixed emotions about Tracy McGrady being injured. On the one hand, you get games from Yao like last night, where he puts up 26 points, 19 rebounds and two blocks. On the other hand, you get games from Yao like last night, where he shoots nine of 22 from the field. (And props to Sarge from First and 10 Inches for noting this in the comments previously.) When you are 7'6", you should not be missing half your shots on a ten foot goal. Under any circumstances. Still, these are the facts. Yao's raw numbers will go up and his percentages will go down for as long as T-Mac is hurt. If you're worried about your percentages and have enough boards and blocks, sell high after his next monster game. If you can take the hit but need the big man cats, hold onto and hope he can figure out how to score more efficiently (it should have happened at this point).

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While we're on the Rockets, I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that Luther Head got the starting nod and 45 minutes of playing time last night. Bonzi Wells, the usual favorite ride in Adelman-land, saw 30 coming off the bench. I'm chalking it up to the Allen Iverson-at-the-two matchup that Houston was dealing with; Head is better equipped to defend the speedy Iverson there than Wells. Don't go dropping Bonzi but definitely add Head if he's available and your league is deep enough -- his three point shooting prowess alone makes him valuable if he's getting PT. T-Mac is still "questionable" or "day-to-day" for Saturday, depending on who you listen to, so both are decent to strong plays.

Kind of like my boy Josh Boone. Boone got another start at center for the Nets, and I'm going to call 11 points, eight boards and two blocks in 33 minutes against Shaquille O'Neal a pretty nice outing, regardless of how old he is. If you're just "keeping an eye on" Boone, you're probably not doing enough.

Just like Dywane Wade. What does he think? That a 41/5/6/3/3 line is enough to get a team a win? Come on! Just plain lazy. Don't be surprised to see Miami try and make a move on the trading market soon -- he needs some help, badly. Especially when his starting point guard, Chris Quinn, goes down. 13 minutes, three dimes and no points wasn't a result of Jason Williams being young and pressing him for time. The roles will be funky all season long based on whose healthy and getting White Chocolate some rest, but J-Dub should still see the lion's share of minutes and stats.

Spicy little dub-dub for Anderson Varejao, picking up 11 points and 15 boards in 30 plus minutes. Zydrunas Ilgauskas got a shade under 30 and did much less, only recording five boards. Varejao is younger and Big Z was worn down last year so there could be a shift in the minutes coming. Or the Cavs could just go big when they face teams that are stronger in the paint. Either way, Varejao should be rostered in deeper leagues and at least considered in shallow ones.

At last count, there were five of them on the roster: Mike James, Rafer Alston, John Lucas, Steve Francis, and Aaron Brooks. Plus there's Luther Head, capable of manning the point, and Bob Sura, still under contract. What's even more astonishing--James, Francis and Brooks were all brought in this summer. Common sense said that someone had to go, most like Alston after his brushes with the law.

But according to the Rockets themselves, there's no problem whatsoever. For one thing, it's still training camp, and there's no such thing as real minutes yet. More importantly, though, is that in Rick Adelman's offense this might not be a problem. From The Houston Chronicle:

For much of the practice time, Adelman has had two point guards playing together. Even if someone is designated the point guard, the duties of both guards in the halfcourt sets are usually interchangeable. In the open floor, either could receive an outlet pass and direct the offense.

Rafer took it one step further:

"I think our offense, as long as you're making hard cuts and good picks, anybody can handle the ball, anybody can come off scoring

Houston has one of the league's best big men and is thinking title. They're not going to trot out some four-guard experiment, nor are these the guard to do that with. But as James points out, all these guys are good, and good player are good players. Why not make talent work for you instead of looking for excuses to run it out of town?

Previously on FanHouse
On Rick Adelman's Task