FanHouse Morris Almond

The word is out in the NBA. Oklahoma City might be hiring.

In this tough economy, any job for a player these days is a good one. And there is talk the Thunder, with 14 guaranteed contracts and no worries about the luxury tax, might be a rare team that has no problem with a 15-man roster.

That's why veteran forwards Michael Ruffin and Ryan Bowen will be heading to the Thunder camp on nonguaranteed contracts, looking to earn a job.

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:

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

In this exclusive video we talk to 7-foot center Kyrylo Fesenko of the Utah Jazz. 'Fes' as he is known, is a one-of-a-kind individual whose teammates absolutely love. The reason? He keeps them smiling. We talk to 'Fes' about his creepy-funny Halloween costume, why every big man in the NBA wants to be a point guard and the best big men in the league. We also hear from All-Stars Deron Williams, Andrei Kirilenko and Jarron Collins.

Check out the full video after the jump.

The Utah Jazz didn't advance as far in the playoffs as they did a year ago, but they're still optimistic about their future. Said Deron Williams to Ross Siler of the Salt Lake Tribune as he cleaned out his locker, "If we can keep this team intact, I think we're only going to get better as we play together. I look forward to it."

Even Andrei Kirilenko, a man reduced to tears when talking about his role during the playoffs last year, has seemingly rescinded his desire to be traded: "This is the only team I know in NBA," Kirilenko said. "I know everybody. I love everybody here in the organization."

Maintaining the status quo isn't the recipe for success for most teams ousted in the second round, but the Jazz are so close to a title that I don't want them to change a thing. They could stand to get a few more points out of the two-guard spot, but Ronnie Brewer was extremely efficient this year, shooting a team-high 55.8%. Plus, rookie Morris Almond should be ready to contribute after lighting up the D-League to the tune of 25.6 points per game, including two 50-point performances.

Crystal Ballin' takes a team-by-team look at what should, could, and probably will happen in the June 28th NBA Draft.

Needs: A starting shooting guard or backup small forward.

Best Case Scenario: The Jazz have the 25th overall pick, so it'll be tough for a true impact player to fall all the way into their lap -- certainly if they're looking for a starter to challenge Ronnie Brewer for the starting shooting guard spot next year. But there should still be plenty of talented swingmen that can add depth, and perhaps even start at small forward down the road if/when the team ever find a taker for Andrei Kirilenko. Of the players who just might still be available, Derrick Byars would be a very solid pickup.

More Likely Scenario: Morris Almond wouldn't be a bad selection here. The guy can score from all over the court, plus he has respectable size (6-6) for the shooting guard position, something that was missing when the Jazz went with an all-point-guard backup of Deron Williams (6-3) and Derek Fisher (6-1) last year.