by James Finneral
The 2014 NBA free agent class is one of the best in recent memory. It features many players who will be large assets to teams as well as a couple of players who teams can build their franchise around. Here is our take on the twenty best in this years class.
1. LeBron James, SF, Miami Heat:
Despite not winning this years Most Valuable Player, LeBron James is still the best basketball player on the face of the earth. He is the most versatile player in the NBA who can play any position on the court. This season James averaged 27 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists which is an accomplishment he has achieved every year in his career except his rookie season. He can go buy and muscle through just about any defender and is virtually impossible to guard in transition. He has been the center point in the back to back championships for the Miami Heat and had become the face of the franchise. Of course every team in the NBA would love to have LeBron on their team, but only few can be in the chase. Teams that have shown interest and have cleared cap space include the Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls and his old team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. If the Heat win another championship there is minimal chance he moves, but other than the Heat the Lakers are the front runners as they have some quality young players and certainly have the dough to sign him. James could bring the Lakers back to their winning ways, but it is hard to see him leaving from Miami.
2. Carmelo Anthony, SF, New York Knicks:
Carmelo Anthony is one of the most pure scorers in the NBA. Finishing second in the league in scoring with 27 points a night is not out of the ordinary for Melo. His smooth outside and mid range game also gets defenders to bite on his pump fake giving him easy looks inside. He uses his big body to overpower and back down other players at his position. His rebounding is adds to his value in the league averaging 8 boards a night. Former Laker coaching legend and the current Head of Basketball Operations in New York, Phil Jackson hopes that Anthony will remain a Knick and lead the franchise. The Houston Rockets have showed great interest in Anthony and may be looking for a trade involving Jeremy Lin and Omar Asik. The Chicago Bulls are obviously another option with plenty of space if they do not sign LeBron. Unlike LeBron, Anthony there is a mediocre chance that he leaves New York. It is still likely that he will stay with the Knicks and be their guy, but the Bulls have a quality team with money to offer him and he would still be the best player on the team for the close future. No matter where he lands he should be able to keep up his all star production.
3. Dwyane Wade, SG, Miami Heat:
Dwyane Wade is still a big time NBA player. Although he has been overshadowed by LeBron, he proved this year that he can still get the job done averaging 19 points 4 rebounds and 4 assists in his 2013-2014 campaign. He is still one of the best shooting guards in the league and has the athleticism to stick with the younger guys coming in. It is hard to believe Wade will end up anywhere other than Miami. He has been the captain of this team and was one of the main contributors in recruiting LeBron and Chris Bosh to join them. There is always an outside chance he goes elsewhere, but that team would need a lot of cap space and the Heat will probably give Wade a nice deal. Most other teams he would go to he would be more effective as an individual player because their is more room for him play well. Wade has proven that he is not a selfish player and will most likely stay in Miami for the remainder of his career.
4. Chris Bosh, PF, Miami Heat:
Chris Bosh gave up his ability to be the number one player on the team when he joined James and Wade in Miami. He has played excellent over his few years as the third guy. Bosh makes nice contributions each night totaling 17 points, 6 rebounds and a block a game this season. He has a great inside out option which is a rarity at the power forward position. He can hurt defenses from anywhere on the floor. With teams game planning for LeBron and Wade, Bosh is left in one on one coverage a lot allowing him to go to work against his opposition. Sometimes the media portrays him as not being important to the Heat's success, but he really was the key factor in many of their great runs in the playoffs. Aside from the Heat the Lakers have shown interest in him. With speculation that Pau Gasol may be sent packing, the Lakers are a legitimate contender for Bosh and would be a nice fit for him. Overall the Big 3 will probably remain together, but if one of them were to leave it would be Bosh.
5. Dirk Nowitzki, PF, Dallas Mavericks:
Dirk Nowitzki proved all of his doubters wrong this year. Many thought he did not have much left in the tank, but Dirk produced one of his more productive seasons in his career. He played his classic Dirk style of basketball averaging nearly 22 points and 6 rebounds per game. Despite this great season Dirk is getting up there in years at 35. He still has a lot to offer a team for another two seasons. He is not as athletic as many power forwards, but his basketball IQ and minty jump shot can still get him a good amount of points. He has been at an athletic disadvantage his entire career, but that has obviously not slowed him down. Much like Wade, Nowitzki will probably stay with the team that he has been with for so many years. He has become the face of the franchise and has been their leading scorer for just about all of his career. Dirk's years may be limited, but he will be a solid performer for the Mavs for at least the next two years.
6. Kyle Lowry, PG, Toronto Raptors:
Kyle Lowry is a guy who is emerging in this league and could very well become a star within the next few years. He is coming off of his best year so far with 18 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds a night. Lowry is quick and shifty and has developed his jump shot over the year. He has been the leader of this Raptors team as their franchise is on the rise. Lowry definitely showed a large interest in returning to Toronto and Toronto is putting him at the top of their signing list. He fits Toronto perfectly because the Raptors already have nice young talent at just about every position from DeMar DeRozan, Jonas Valanciunas and even Lowry's backup, Greivis Vasquez. If Lowry can stay in this system he will continue to develop and will be mentioned with some of the top point guards in the league. He is one of the more underrated players in the league and must prove that he is worthy of a big contract.
7. Tim Duncan, PF, San Antonio Spurs:
Tim Duncan has shown that he is worthy of a future spot in the Hall of Fame. He has built up San Antonio into the franchise that they are today. He also seems to have a timeless quality where he is still able to put up solid numbers year after year. This season he showed off that quality by averaging 15 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks a game. Over the past few years Duncan has lost a step or two, but much like Dirk, he is able to produce because of his through the roof IQ. Duncan will end his career in San Antonio and if he does anywhere else it would be shocking. Duncan has one or two more productive years before his time comes, but he can still be a valuable player to a Spurs team that has been tremendous the past few seasons.
8. Eric Bledsoe, PG, Phoenix Suns:
The Phoenix Suns came onto the scene as a team to be taken seriously this year. One of the roots of their success is when Eric Bledsoe, their newly acquired guard from the Los Angeles Clippers was paired up with Goran Dragic in the backcourt. It was evident that playing behind Chris Paul was beneficial to Bledsoe as he was able to score 17 points grab 5 rebounds and dish out 5 assists per game. Unfortunately his season was reduced when he injured his knee leaving him unable to play for a good portion of the season. He is a huge part of this young Suns organization and will be pivotal in their progress the next few seasons. Bledsoe will most likely be returning to the Suns next year both because he seems to have a desire to play there and other teams with cap room are shooting for Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James. The Suns will turn into playoff contenders in the next two years and Bledsoe will be one of the main contributors.
9. Greg Monroe, PF, Detroit Pistons:
Coming from the Detroit Pistons many people did not get to watch the powerful big man, Greg Monroe go to work. Monrow along with Andre Drummond proved to be one of the most powerful front courts in the NBA. Monroe is coming off his best season averaging 15 points and 9 rebounds. Although he is an asset to the Pistons there is still is a quality chance that he will be leaving Detroit after they signed new head coach Stan Van Gundy. The Bulls and Lakers are contenders to sign Monroe based on their cap space, but a surprising team that could be an option is the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans may not have that much cap space, but having Monroe alongside all star forward Anthony Davis is a very nice thought that could push the Pelicans into playoff contention. Monroe is another young guy that could develop into a premier player in the future.
10. Luol Deng, SF, Cleveland Cavaliers:
Luol Deng has blossomed into one of the most consistently solid small forwards in the game. He has produced nine seasons consisting of at least 14 points and 5 rebounds. Through his years in Chicago Deng has shown that he performs better when Bulls point guard Derrick Rose is injured. It is very normal for a player's production to go downhill when they are not the number one option on the squad. Taking into consideration that Kyrie Irving is the face of the Cavs franchise they cannot expect 19 points a night from Deng this upcoming year. Also with a number one draft pick coming in and two incredible small forwards at the top of that draft class in Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker, Deng may not be an absolute priority to keep around. The Dallas Mavericks hope to sign either LeBron James or Carmelo Anthony, but that scenario is very unlikely so they might as well try and pursue Deng. The Phoenix Suns could also be a nice fit for Deng as they lack a small forward of Deng's quality and have some draft picks they could trade for him. Deng is a great player and if he moves to a different destination his production could rise.
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