Hey, there's more. Let's rock.
h/t Peachtree Hoops for the hard data.
Kris Humphries - Nets - 1 yr. $8M
Grade: A-
This might explain why K-Hump has gone so long without resigning. Based on last year's production, $8M per year is a solid value. but is this the kind of guy you trust to replicate a contract year season? If he was looking for, say 4y/$40M, do you give that to arguably the league's most unpopular player? For the Nets, one year is a risk worth taking, that it took this long makes more sense now.
Steve Novak - Knicks - 1 yr. Vet. Minimum
Grade: A
What's irritating about this signing is they wanted James Posey. So the Knicks get measurably better pretty much by accident. Hard not to like a 40% 3P shooter in D'Antoni's offense.
Sam Dalembert - Rockets - 2 yrs. $14M
Grade: C+
This seems like a frustration signing to me. They are overpaying for Dalembert when there are any number of serviceable bigs going for much cheaper. He isn't going to improve the offense with last year's 51% TS, but he is a strong defender. Based on his per-minute production, he'll need to go beyond the 25 mpg to which he has become accustomed for this contract to make sense.
Baron Davis - Knicks - 1 yr. $2.5M
Grade: C+
Not the worst idea ever. When motivated, Davis is a solid enough player, and they aren't teeming with solutions at the point. If he can shoot efficiently enough, he is a strong enough defender to at least be a stopgap solution until the Knicks get Chris Paul somebody solid at the point. On the other hand, if things go south, a knife fight between him and Carmelo Anthony is quite possible. So, win-win.
Reggie Wiliams - Bobcats 2 yrs. $5M
Grade:B
In theory, this is a great signing. Williams is a very efficient offensive player, inexperienced enough there might be room to improve, and comes at a bargain. In reality, his defense will almost certainly keep him on the bench.
Tracy McGrady - Hawks 1 yr. Vet. Minimum
Grade: B+
Remains a solid end-of-rotation player who doesn't hurt you at either end of the floor. At a certain point, you have to wonder if he's going to remain excited about having a small role. Easily worth the minimum to have him around, though.
Vince Carter - Mavericks - 3 yrs. $9M
Grade: C
Carter showed major signs of slowing down, and the Mavs are going to need to fill in the gaps with small contracts down the road if they are going to keep their window open. Most troubling is his underrated defense slipped during his stint with the Suns. He'll be replacing Caron Butler, so he won't cost the Mavs any wins, but they'll be paying him when he's 37.
Carl Landry - Hornets - 1 yr. $9M
Grade: B-
Landry, who looked like a star in the making a couple of seasons ago, has floundered since he was traded from the Rockets two seasons ago. Once an extremely efficient shooter and rebounder, Landry has regressed into a modestly dependable scorer. Still, overpaying for bigs, especially bigs with a recent history of being top performers, isn't the worst thing you can do, and it's only one season, during which Landry will certainly be angling for a long term deal.
Grant Hill - Suns - 1 yr. $6.5M
Grade:C
From a purely basketball perspective, this is simply overpaying. If they are looking to take back more salary in a potential Nash deal, or maybe land some talent in a sign and trade with a contender, this deal makes sense. I wonder, though, if they were sweetening the deal in order to dissuade Hill from retiring.
Nick Young - Wizards - 1 yr. $3.7M
Grade: C+
Young was apparently demanding $8-10M per year. This, of course, is ridiculous, but it is perhaps a sign of some new restraint he didn't get his wish. A few seasons ago, teams would have been clamoring for a 26 y.o. fresh of a 17 ppg campaign. Now, the market is a bit more muted. He's basically a poor-man's J.R. Smith, so this isn't the worst deal in the world, but I'm not going to get excited about it.
Arron Afflalo - Nuggets - 5 yrs. $43M
Grade: B
Spellcheck's reputation is that off defensive stopper, but his defensive rating was the worst on the Nuggets last season, while his offensive rating was 2nd to Nene (and 6th in the league, and 95th all-time). Of course, his offensive efficiency alone is reason enough to lock him down, and the defensive metrics seem to be missing a bit of what he brings to the table. The Nuggets overpaid, but Afflalo was a hot commodity, and the Nuggets need him if they are going to compete the next three seasons.
Shannon Brown - Suns - 1 yr. $3.5M
Grade: B+
This deal would have made more sense for the Lakers than for the Suns, who adorably think they are in win-now mode. Brown can't shoot at all, but he's a good defender who has "journeymen" written all over him. Some day, 11 years from now, we'll be watching some second round playoff game, and Shannon Brown will enter the game, and we'll be all like, didn't he used to play for the Spartans?
Jeff Green - Celtics - 1 yr. $9M
Grade: F
I wish Green the best, but I'm grading this contract even if the Celtics aren't on the hook for it. I do not understand their infatuation with this guy.
Marquis Daniels - Celtics - 1 yr. vet. Minimum
Jeff Green in five years.
Daequan Cook - Thunder - 2 yrs. - $6.4M
Grade: A-
It's not often a player comes along who can shoot threes this well and (see below) this prolifically. Cook shot one every four minutes, and did so at a 42% clip. Considering the team's other personnel, he doesn't need to do much more, and it's certainly enough to earn his modest contract.
Jamaal Magloire - Raptors - 1 yr. Vet. Min.
Grade: F
Enough with this guy, already.
Vladimir Radmanovic - Hawks - 1 yr. Vet. Minimum
Grade: B
If they can persuade him to do nothing but shoot three pointers, this might be a steal. If not, he'll be the 12th man right quick.
Jason Collins - Hawks - 1 yr. Vet Minimum
Grade: C
Allegedly necessary to stop Dwight Howard. Dunno if that's worth a roster spot, but the price is right.
Delonte West - Lowes - $11.75 hr.
Grade: B+
Based on a small sample size, to be certain, but there's no denying Delonte's performance in flooring and he brings strong customer service skills to the table. Nice low risk move for Lowes. Home Depot has already offset replaced West's output with Gus Terwilliger, who used to be the assistant manager at the old K-Mart down the street. Gus was a bit down on his luck, but has really gotten his life together, and everybody whose worked with him says he's a really hard worker. He has a dog now, named freckles and he's renting a townhouse over on 7th, so transportation isn't an issue.
Shane Battier - Heat - 3 yrs. $9M
Grade: B+
The Heat need a guy who can play efficiently off the ball and knock down threes, and Battier can do that. He isn't the lockdown defender he once was, but they aren't paying lockdown defender prices. One has to imagine Battier will find ways to be effective as he ages, but the Heat need to look outside the "aging role players" box if they want to be the best in the NBA.
Shelden Williams - Nets - 1 yr. Vet. Minimum
Grade: B
Soild "rounding out the rotation" guy. The Nets were hurting for depth last year, but the trio of Williams, Humphries and Okur should be solid enough that if they can get production 4-9, they'll be in good shape. This is a good signing toward that end.
Shawne Williams - Nets - 2 yrs. $5M
Grade: B-
Same as the above, but with more upside/downside.
Marco Belinelli - Hornets - 1 yr. $3.3M
Grade: B
Dunno that the Hornets should be in "let's round out the roster with a three-point specialist" mode. Also, I'm not sure any team should be in that mode. Truth is, these guys are almost never content to do what they are good at, and you their percentages are unreliable because of sample size. End rant.
Luc Mbah etc... - Bucks - 4 yrs. $19M
Grade: A
Basketball math. Elite defenders cost about 60% as much as shooting guards who cannot shoot, but do so a lot. In the NBA, it is a better idea to eschew defense, and simply shoot contested 18 foot fadeaways.
Aaron Gray - Raptors - 1 yr. Vet min.
Grade: B
He's seven feet tall and does things seven-feet-tall people do sometimes. In other words, he is the best defender in the history of the Toronto Raptors
James Jones - Heat - 3 yrs. $4.5M
Grade: A
A three point specialist who is content to shoot threes? Perfect. Also, congrats to the Heat on basically inking a player to a multi-year contract for the veteran minimum. You don't see that very often.
Mario Chalmers - Heat - 3 yrs. - $12M
Grade: C
He's a solid defender, but he can't shoot, and the Heat desperately need a point guard who can. Not sure who they were bidding against at this price.
Mike Bibby - Knicks - Doesn't matter
Grade: D
a) He can no longer string together a full season, so he'll be burnt out come playoff time. b) I'll bet any amount of money he's the Knicks starting point guard in the playoffs.
Earl Watson - Jazz - Vet. Minimum
Grade: D
Why is this guy still in the league? He wasn't even good in college.
Jason Kapono - Lakers - Vet. Minimum
Grade: F
This is what happens when three-point specialists refuse to shoot three pointers. You could've been Jon Barry, dude, or even Brent Barry. Instead, you're a poor man's Vladimir Radmanovic.
Kurt Thomas - Blazers - 2 yrs. Cheap
Grade: A
Seems to be one of those players that can get it done into his early 40s. I have no mathematical analysis to back that up. Even so, the risk is low and he's an effective player, so why not?