 | Ben Wallace failed to make the All-Star team for the first time since 2002. John Biever/SI |
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The NBA season is in the home stretch, which means it's time for a lot of teams to start looking ahead to 2007-08. For those that will have room under the salary cap, that means thinking about possible top-tier free agents. Vince Carter, Chauncey Billups and Rashard Lewis are just a few of the big names expected to be available on the open market this summer.
But is spending a lot of dough on a marquee name the best way to go? If this season is any indication, it might not be. So far last summer's free-agent crop has been largely a bust in terms of the big names. Here's how those players have fared so far:
Ben Wallace, Bulls
Contract: four years, $60 million
The skinny: Big Ben is averaging 6.1 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.2 blocks, but he has not been nearly the force he was in Motown. He's even found himself on the bench a few times at the end of games when Chicago needed a defensive stop -- something that never happened in Detroit. It's far too early to write him off. Wallace is a proven playoff performer who could be pacing himself, but so far he hasn't looked like a $60 million man. It also doesn't help that Tyson Chandler, whom the Bulls traded to make way for Wallace, has been tearing it up for the Hornets.
Peja Stojakovic, Hornets
Contract: five years, $63 million
The skinny: Hornets GM Jeff Bower raised eyebrows when he bestowed such a hefty contract on Stojakovic, who was coming off a disappointing season split between Sacramento and Indiana. While Bower's other summer moves worked out nicely, this one backfired when the 29-year-old sharpshooter went down with a back injury three weeks into the season. The Hornets are hoping Stojakovic can return and help them make the playoffs, but so far they have not received any payoff on this signing.
Nene, Nuggets
Contract: six years, $60 million
The skinny: For a while this season it appeared the Brazilian forward, who got a huge deal despite missing all but one game last season with a knee injury, would join teammate Kenyon Martin as Denver salary-cap albatrosses. Fortunately for the Nuggets, Nene's early struggles appear to have been more a result of working his way back into shape as opposed to any long-term health issues. Since returning to the starting lineup on Feb. 2, the 6-11 forward is averaging 16.6 points (on 58.1 percent shooting) and seven rebounds in 33 minutes per game. Given his massive contract, the Nuggets can only hope his turnaround is for good.
