The free-agent crop is getting pretty thin at this point.
But that doesn't mean there aren't some bargains out there.
I call them my "Second Draft Guys," players who were - for the most part - high draft picks because they have talent, but have yet to put it all together.
Some of them have shown flashes but not the consistency. For some players it takes some time to find their niche and play effectively enough to stay on the court. Some players never quite get it. And then for some it just clicks and they suddenly understand what they're supposed to do and how to be successful in the NBA.
There are so many variables in finding that right fit, sometimes it's the coach, their role, staying healthy or maturity - it could be a lot of things that keeps a player from reaching his potential.
But when they figure it out, they can become productive players.
In fact, I was traded for a player like that in my career. In 1984, I was traded by the Denver Nuggets to the Portland Trail Blazers for Wayne Cooper, Fat Lever, Calvin Natt and two draft picks. Lever, who averaged 8.8 points after being selected 11th in the 1982 draft, was close to being cut by the Blazers. But the change of scenary revitalized his career, as Lever became a two-time All-Star averaging 17.0 points and 7.6 rebounds from 1984-90.
He just needed the right situation.
The 2004 NBA champion Detroit Pistons had a number of players who had bounce-back careers.
The core of that roster was filled with second-chance guys. Chauncey Billups. Richard 'Rip' Hamilton. Rasheed Wallace. Ben Wallace. Think about it. Billups was a first-round pick (third overall) in 1997 and played for Boston, Toronto, Denver and Minnesota before settling in with Detroit in 2002. Hamilton was selected in the first round, seventh overall, in 1999, and was traded to Detroit in 2002 when Michael Jordan's Washington Wizards added All-Star Jerry Stackhouse. Rasheed Wallace -- chosen fourth overall in 1995 -- made a name for himself in Portland before wearing out his welcome and landing with the Pistons, where he became a valuable front court scorer from 2004-09. The other Wallace is the lone exception, however, going undrafted, but his freakish athleticism earned him a spot on Washington's roster in 1996. He was traded to Orlando before finding a home in Detroit.
With the Pistons, those second (sometimes third) chance players combined for 12 All-Star appearances and four Defensive Player of the Year titles from 2002-09, forming a dynasty in the East, advancing to two NBA Finals - with one championship - and playing in six consecutive Eastern Conference finals.
That Detroit team is a good example of bringing together talented players who weren't successful at their previous stops. There are always these high-risk, high-reward players who haven't found their niche.
So here is my High Risk/High Reward team of remaining free agents:
C: Darko Milicic
PF: Jeff Green and Andray Blatche
SF: Martell Webster, Terrence Williams, CJ Miles and Josh Howard
SG: Leandro Barbosa and Sam Young
PG: Jonny Flynn
There's little to choose from at center. You've got Darko Milicic, who was the No. 2 pick of the 2003 NBA Draft, infamously before Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. He has played for five teams and has never reached his potential. At this point, he can provide size off the bench. He needs a team that spread the court a little bit. The Miami Heat might be a good fit. Milicic has had some good games, but he has never really shown the consistency that his talent suggested.
There are two free-agent power forwards that are of interest -- Jeff Green and Andray Blatche. They are both high-risk players but for different reasons. Green has a lot of talent (was selected fifth overall in 2007) and is still young (25). The Celtics traded their starting center Kendrick Perkins to acquire Green's services. With OKC he averaged 15 points per game, but has played in just 26 games with Boston, averaging just less than 10 points per game. He is coming off heart surgery, and has to prove that he can regain the form he had with the Thunder. The Celtics have indicated they want to keep him and I don't think he wants to go anywhere.
The other power forward I think is really interesting is Blatche, whose attitude wore out his welcome in Washington. Blatche, 25, averaged 16 points and nine rebounds in his career as a 24-year old in 2010-11, but struggled last year scoring just 8.5 in 26 games. The second-round pick in 2005 out of high school has had off-court issues, attitude and fitness problems in Washington. But some team is going to take a gamble on him, and I think if he ever gets it, that team will get a steal. But I don't know if he'll ever overcome some of the issues he had in Washington.
At small forward, there are four players who intrigue me: Martell Webster, Terrence Williams, CJ Miles and Josh Howard. Webster hasn't found his niche since being the sixth pick in the 2005 NBA Draft out of high school. He averaged double figures as a 20-year-old in 2007-08, then missed all but five minutes of the 2008-09 season with a foot injury and was later dealt to Minnesota, where he also did not meet expectations. Williams is also a player who hasn't found his niche, but has shown flashes - his career-high 27-point, 13-rebound, 10-assist triple-double his rookie year (April 10, 2010: New Jersey 127, Chicago 116 2OT) comes to mind. He was the 11th pick of the 2009 NBA Draft and already has played for New Jersey, Houston and Sacramento. He's just 25 years old.
Miles is another player drafted out of high school, picked in the second round (34th overall) in 2005. He has played seven seasons for Utah, plays a combo wing and has been a bit of an enigma. He's got tremendous talent and can really have some great games, but he has never been consistent. Thus far his NBA career has been a tease. And then for a totally different reason you could get really lucky with Howard if he returns to form and stays healthy. Howard is a former All-Star, but injuries have hindered his career at this point. He averaged 15.3 points from 2003-10 with the Mavs after being Dallas' first-round pick (29th overall) in 2003. He has played in just 65 games since 2010, averaging 10.1 points per game. At this point, he is kind of a hit-or-miss player, but if he can resemble the player from his days with the Mavericks, he'd really help a team.
The best player out there at shooting guard is Leandro Barbosa. He played with the Pacers last season and I think both he and the Pacers were both a little disappointed in his production (8.9 points per game in just 22 games). What he has to look for is a team that runs. He's a player who gets up and down the court, he's really quick and very streaky and is much more of a combo guard than a shooting guard. Barbosa is talented enough to play on any team and if he gets in the right situation I think he could be really interesting and provide points in bunches off the bench. He had some really solid years for the Suns, who took him in the first round in 2003, coming off the bench, winning a Sixth Man of the Year Award in 2006-07. If I were looking for a combo guard that could come in and get points right away, he would be a perfect fit and a good bargain for somebody on a one-year deal.
Sam Young is another player who could help a team. He was playing a little in Memphis, who took him with the 36th pick in 2009, and then got traded to Philly, where he lost playing time. But he's a great defender and a very tough competitor. It's hard to call him a shooting guard because he doesn't shoot very well (44 percent for his career) and he's not quite able to handle the point, but he's shown enough athleticism to be intriguing.
Point guard is probably the thinnest position in terms of remaining free agents. Gilbert Arenas and Baron Davis are shells of their former selves, Derek Fisher is on his last legs and then there is Jonny Flynn. He was a big star in college, was drafted very highly by the Timberwolves (sixth overall pick in 2009), but just hasn't quite found it. He has never gotten on track and found his spot. He's undersized and may end up a backup in this league, but there's a lot of potential there for him. He showed flashes as a rookie - averaging 13.5 points and 4.4 assists in Minnesota - but since then has started just 10 games with the Wolves, Rockets and Blazers. But he has upside, if the situation is right.
So that's my list.
Is the next Fat Lever out there? Or the next Chauncey Billups?
The team that takes that chance and things break right, could just be the next Detroit Pistons.
