There are still 3 ‘bigs’ available in the free agent market that can impact a team. You have Paul Millsap, David Lee and of course Lamar Odom. All of which began this off season with the goal of getting a contract worth $10 million per. Though at the moment, both Lee and Millsap have somewhat retreated from the high price.

Millsap and Lee fall under a similar category, being the bruising inside player who does the dirty work and grabs rebounds as well as defend. Then you have Odom, the very versatile and athletic big man with skills of a small man. He can basically do it all, though he has teased both NBA teams as well as fans by only showing his brilliance every now and then.

All three had great seasons, which set them up for ‘the’ contract. However, with the slumping economy and looming luxury tax payments that teams so dread. The offers just aren’t there, at least at the price they would’ve wanted.

Nevertheless, it is good to be a big man in the NBA. Notice that there is always a premium paid for quality big men. As recently shown in Andrea Bargnani’s 5-year, $50 million contracts, and Anderson Varejao’s 6-year, up to $50 million deal. And remember the deals Stromile Swift would get just for being athletic, and if you want to go back further you have guys like Jon Koncak who made a lot more money that many starters back then.

There is talk that Utah’s Carlos Boozer may be on his way to the Bulls in a 3-team deal where Kirk Hinrich goes to Portland and Tyrus Thomas to Utah. Although it is still very preliminary at this point, and the teams are still exploring other possible options, the deal would create a very interesting scenario, especially for Portland and possibly Chicago.

Looking at the main proponents this is one trade where all parties, to a certain degree, get what they want. The Blazers have long wanted Hinrich who would give them a good, young point guard that can score, something that Steve Blake is less known for. For Hinrich, it’s a good move as it allows him to get out of Chicago where everyone knows he won’t be able to unseat Derrick Rose. As a result, Portland, with the deal, would put themselves close to the elite teams vying for the championship.

In Chicago’s case, you finally get that front court presence that they have lacked over the years. The bruiser in Boozer, not to mention his potential 20 points and 10 rebounds a game will give them good firepower, which is needed after Ben Gordon’s departure. If all goes well, as the Bulls would hope, they’d have a good foundation on which to build upon with Rose and Boozer.

Utah on the other hand, gets to get rid of Boozer, who has been unhappy there for a while now. Also, they get to save money from Boozers $12 million plus contract next year. In Thomas, they get an athletic, young forward who should be able to work within the Utah system. And who knows, with the money saved up from trading Boozer, coupled by the free agency market’s lack of interest in giving Paul Millsap the contract he desires, we might just see Millsap back in a Utah uniform. This time as a starter, with Thomas as his backup. Definitely intriguing.

There has been a lot of things happening in the NBA as teams negotiate with players as well as other teams to bolster their lineups. Then you have the young guys who are out in Orlando proving to their coaches they belong and furthermore, deserve playing time.

But through it all, LeBron James has gotten his bit of the news. Earlier, Trevor Ariza announced that the King, while in an effort to recruit Ariza to go to Cleveland, mentioned something that he’d be there past the coming season. Though everyone seems to believe that whether or not the Cavs are able to hold on to James will largely depend on how far into the playoffs the team goes.

Then just yesterday, during his Skills Academy camp in Ohio, a college sophomore by the name of Jordan Crawford put on a nasty slam over King James during a pick-up game. Further reports indicate that from there, Nike officials confiscated any possible proof of the event actually happening.

Later on, Nike came out saying that taking video of pros playing pick up games was against the rules. How true this is, I don’t know, I’m not an insider. But it’s possible, given the internet age and the simplicity of posting in youtube, we don’t really see any videos of pro ballers in pick up games.

My take on the whole situation is that, because of the reaction to the what happened, the dunk will grow in stature and stories will be told about it probably to the point where people will exaggerate it.

Tyler Hansbrough to Pacers

Tyler Hansbrough looks to be on a mission to prove all his nay-sayers wrong. Labeling him as ‘not athletic’ enough for the pro game. These same non-believers were quite surprised on draft day as the Indiana Pacers took him a lot earlier than expected. The culprit, another white guy who can’t run fast and can’t jump high by the name of Larry Bird. I guess it takes one to know one, and therefore, have faith in one.

So far, Psycho T has brought his hard work and intensity over to the NBA Summer League along with his Pacer teammates and have registered 3 straight wins in as many games. He seems to fit well and knows how to play the game from a mental point of view. Definitely a result of the well taught UNC basketball program.

Hansbrough has averaged 21.3 points, 4.7 rebounds in slightly 28 minutes a game. Good numbers. He’s shooting 50% from the field and taking just 11 shots, which brings to the forefront the number of free throw he gets. He’s been averaging close to 11 trips to the line a game and making close to 88% of his free throws. Now that’s quality.

However, he needs to get more boards. This is not to say that he isn’t banging the boards and making a presence, in fact, he and front court partner Roy Hibbert have been dominating the lanes down in Orlando. The 14 rebounds over his first 3 games is definitely low. But I’m sure he’s still adjusting at this point.

It’s good to see that his game is translating well so far to the pro game. Knowing him, he’ll be fixing those chinks in no time. As for how he performs during his rookie year, it’s still a toss up. It really depends on how many minutes he plays and how he’ll fit as well as what his role will be in for the Pacers. All in all, I’m with Bird when he said right after drafting Hansbrough that the kid will be fine in the NBA. He may not be a superstar, but I’m guessing that he’d have a good long career averaging around 13 points and 7 rebounds. Let’s see.

Shawn Marion

Shawn Marion will be wearing a Dallas jersey when the season starts November as Dallas and Toronto. The deal is quite complicated considering there are 4 teams involved. Mainly due to Toronto’s unwillingness to take in any salary from the exchange. As a result, the Orlando Magic and Memphis Grizzlies have bee included in the swap.

Also involved in the deal was the much publicized move of Hedo Turkoglu to Toronto. Aside from the 2 main pieces, other notables included was Jerry Stackhouse and his partially guaranteed contract to Memphis and Antoine Wright to Toronto.

Much of the deal, except for Turkoglu and Marion, gave the teams more flexibility financially.

Now Dallas looks like it is trying to join that circle of elite teams vying for the title. Which makes me wonder when Portland will act or if at all.

As for Mavs fans, hopefully Mark Cuban isn’t done yet. The hole in the middle has long been a weak point for Dallas. Hopefully, they’ll find someone to ably fill the position. It would be a shame to see great talents like Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki falter in the playoffs once they meet up with the other western conference teams that have great big men.

Shaquille O'Neal

After failing to reach what was believed to be a realistic goal of making the NBA finals last year, the Cleveland Cavaliers quickly started the off season with the acquisition of Shaquille O’Neal. At that time, it looked as if they had added the missing piece.

Then began a wave of player movement to the different NBA powers which now makes Cleveland’s championship hopes a bit dimmer. Orlando went out and got Vince Carter, the shot creator that they desperately needed during last year’s finals, the Lakers ‘swapped’ Trevor Ariza for Ron Artest, Boston agreed to terms with Rasheed Wallace and San Antonio went out and traded for Richard Jefferson, and may possibly land Antonio McDyess.

One team I have to mention are the Nuggets, who definitely have a great team together after acquiring Chauncey Billups. Though they would need to bring back Dahntay Jones, after signing the Birdman to a 5-year $26 million contract.

This definitely looks like a case wherein the rich are getting richer, talent-wise that is.

With that being said, the off season just begun, you have teams like the Portland Trailblazers and Dallas Mavericks which are just a few steps before they are ready to contend also. And with free agents like Lamar Odom, Paul Millsap, Shawn Marion and David Lee still undecided, there looks to be a lot more wheeling and dealing to come.

This has been one of the more interesting off seasons with tons of free agents that are very willing to move either due to salary considerations or salary cap limitations.

Of course, certain teams look good in paper. Translating that into wins and more importantly wins in the playoffs is a different matter, as we have to see how team chemistry is altered.

With that said, it looks like Cleveland is now out to find extra pieces to counter the movements its competition has made. Maybe a shooter to loosen up the defense, like Anthony Parker or Channing Frye? Or a big like Lee or Marion who will help defend and rebound. We’ll have to wait and see.

And wouldn’t it be nice if Dallas got hold of Shawn Marion’s versatility or David Lee to provide toughness and rebounding. Then you have another player added to the elite 5.