Hollinger's under the radar free agent - Marvin

[jerrywest]

Marcin Gortat played in all 11 of the Magic’s games in the Eastern Conference finals and NBA Finals in the 2009 playoffs, and didn’t score more than four points in any of them. He averaged 3.8 points per game in the regular season and has exactly four double-doubles in his two-season career.

So it might be surprising to learn that as free agency opened at 12:01 a.m. ET Wednesday, the Houston Rockets were waiting on his doorstep. And they weren’t just there to check out his seriously souped-up BMW. (He drove slowly past me leaving practice one day during the NBA Finals, and even at 10 mph the thing sounds like a jet engine.)

The Rockets aren’t the only ones, either. Pitches from Dallas, New York, Atlanta and Indiana may follow in the coming hours, as teams step up their pursuit of the restricted free-agent big man.

Why such a furor over a player with such modest accomplishments? Because once one adjusts for the paltry minutes Gortat played behind all-world center Dwight Howard, it quickly becomes apparent just how effective he was this past regular season.

Gortat shot 56.7 percent from the floor and averaged a whopping 14.4 rebounds per 40 minutes last season. His rebound rate of 20.3 ranked sixth in the league — meaning on more than one out of every five missed shot, he got the board — and his offensive rebound rate of 14.0 was better than Howard’s. Gortat also blocked 2.7 shots per 40 minutes, putting him 12th among centers, and while his foul rate was fairly high (5.6 per 40 minutes), it wasn’t off the charts.

Overall, his 17.04 player efficiency rating was 19th among centers. But with the exception of Chris Andersen, everyone ahead of him is either on a rookie contract or making more than $9 million a year.

It doesn’t appear to be a fluke. He had even better numbers in limited minutes the previous season, and his translated numbers from Europe indicate that at worst he’d be a decent backup center. He’s also nimble for his size, making him a good pick-and-roll defender.

Basically, he’s a starting NBA center and he’s only 24. Given those parameters, a midlevel deal for him suddenly looks like pretty good value.

As a result, Gortat heads my list of under-the-radar free agents for this summer. While names like Hedo Turkoglu, Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva, Paul Millsap and David Lee are likely to dominate the discussion over the next few days, I would argue that spending the midlevel exception or less on players such as these are better values than dropping $10 million a season on the aforementioned quintet. Here’s the rest of my 12-man all-undervalued roster:

Sessions

Ramon Sessions (restricted, Milwaukee)

There are a few reasons why the Bucks didn’t give a qualifying offer to Charlie Villanueva, but one is that it’s good poker. By sending a signal to the market that Sessions is the guy they want to keep, the Bucks effectively precluded anyone from making a strong offer to try to wrest him away in free agency and thus almost certainly lowered his final price.

He’s worth it, too. Sessions can’t make 3s and needs the ball in his hands to be successful, but he’s a deft passer who can also score around the rim. Last season, he averaged 18.8 points and 8.3 assists per 40 minutes, and did it efficiently, as he had the ninth-best turnover ratio among point guards. He’s also an effective rebounder (5.0 boards per 40 minutes) and rated 13th among point guards in PER.

Best of all, he’s only 23. Considering all the veteran point guards getting attention this summer despite presenting far greater risk because of their ages (Jason Kidd, Andre Miller), it’s puzzling to see Sessions virtually ignored.

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Williams

Marvin Williams (restricted, Atlanta)

Continuing that age theme: If you’re going to dive into the free agent pool, doesn’t it make more sense to add 23-year-olds than 36-year-olds? Well, Williams is 23 and is coming off a strong season, one in which he ranked 13th among small forwards in PER at 16.04 while becoming the Hawks’ main defensive stopper on the wings.

At 6-9, he has the length to harass opposing small forwards, and he added the 3-pointer to his arsenal last season, hitting 35.5 percent. His tendency to fade into the background can be vexing, but on the right team that’s not necessarily a bad thing. And as his offensive game continues to blossom, he could be the quiet gem in this year’s free-agent class. Not that he’ll come cheaply — Atlanta is likely to match any sane offer — but his restricted status may allow the Hawks to get a great deal on a key building block.

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Wafer

Von Wafer (unrestricted, Rockets)

Another 23-year-old who still has plenty of upside to explore, Wafer is a knockdown shooter who can also put it on the floor and use his athleticism to score at the trim.

While his defense is a work in progress and his passing only a rumor, he averaged 19.9 points per 40 minutes for Houston last season while shooting 39.0 percent on 3s. He’s also an unrestricted free agent and the Rockets are facing luxury tax issues, meaning he might be had for the right price. As a source of bench scoring, you could do plenty worse, especially since he has enough upside to eventually start.

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Warrick

Hakim Warrick (restricted, Memphis)

Power forward is the league’s easiest position to fill right now, but the lack of attention for Warrick is shocking given how productive he’s been for the Grizzlies the past two seasons.

That’s partly because he’s a lousy defender, but Warrick can flat-out score. He averaged 19 points per 40 minutes for the Griz the past two season, and did it fairly efficiently, with modest turnover rates and true shooting marks in the mid-50s. That’s very hard to do on a bad offensive team, and it makes him a strong sixth man candidate for a better club.

Memphis made a qualifying offer, but given its expected pursuit of Lee and draft-day addition of Hasheem Thabeet and their history of parsimony, Warrick can probably be had for a decent price.

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Gooden

Drew Gooden (unrestricted, Spurs)

Yes, he’s a little flighty and doesn’t always run the plays correctly, and that can make him maddening for a coach. On the other hand, he produces. Gooden has averaged a double-double on a per-40 minutes basis for five straight seasons, and last season was the fourth in the past five in which his PER was well above the league average.

And this may be hard to believe for a guy who has been around the block so much, but he’s still only 27. He’ll likely come cheap given how far down the power forward hierarchy he is this summer (Villanueva, Millsap, Lee, Anderson Varejao, Brandon Bass, Lamar Odom and Rasheed Wallace clearly outrank him), but you’d be hard-pressed to find a more effective reserve big man on the market.

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Moon

Jamario Moon (restricted, Miami)

It’s not clear if the Heat are willing to cut into their cap space by re-signing Moon, and if not, it’s a good opportunity for another team to get a quality defender on the cheap.

Moon can be frustrating offensively because of his tendency to take quick 3s, but he’s not chopped liver out there (35.5 percent) and he doesn’t turn the ball over. Additionally, he’s one of the best rebounding 3-guards in the league and is long enough to play the 4 in small-ball arrangements.

Though he’s 29, Moon has been in the NBA for only two seasons, so he may still have some improvement left in him. Teams looking to split their midlevel exception among multiple players and needing a quality wing should have their eye out for him.

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Nesterovic

Rasho Nesterovic (unrestricted, Pacers)

Probably the unsexiest free-agent pickup out there, Nesterovic can’t jump, looks like he’s aiming a rocket launcher when he shoots and has an almost comic ability to avoid drawing fouls. But instead of winning the news conference, he lets you win games.

The 33-year-old 7-footer shot better than 51 percent from the field the past three seasons while using his solid frame to ward off opposing post threats. He’s a good passer who can space the floor and his floor-bound game is likely to lose little to age. While he’s not worth anywhere near the $8.4 million he made a season ago, he’s going to provide somebody with a nice backup center this coming season.

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Carney

Rodney Carney (unrestricted, Timberwolves)

A rotation player who can likely be had at a bargain price since the Wolves didn’t pick up the final year of his contract, making him an unrestricted free agent. Carney offers two things nearly every team is looking for: an athletic wing who can defend and a decent 3-point shooter. He made 35 percent from distance last season while taking more than half his shots from out there.

Carney doesn’t have great offensive instincts, so unless he’s throwing down a highlight-reel jam he’s pretty much a catch-and-shoot guy. But he’s a solid role player and, at 25, still has a chance to get better.

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Frye

Channing Frye (unrestricted, Portland)

Portland opted to turn him loose in a bid for cap space, and Frye has two big items in his favor: He can shoot and he can play center.

He’s not a good defensive player and probably needs to be less ambitious with the shooting, but his numbers have been much better when he’s played the center position (his first and third seasons) rather than power forward (his second and fourth seasons). As a floor-spacing backup 5 who can also play extended minutes at the 4, Frye seems like a good bargain pickup, especially since he’s well-liked in the locker room and is only 26.

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Diogu

Ike Diogu (unrestricted, Kings)

If you’re looking at guys who will be available for the minimum or not much more, Diogu is a good place to start. Let’s start with the negatives: His practice habits and conditioning have been questionable at best, and he’s not a good defender.

But look at the production. Diogu has been in the league four seasons for four different teams, and put up big numbers at every stop. His PER has been above the league average all four seasons, he has averaged more than 22 points per 40 minutes the past two, and he’s done it with reasonably efficiency — a difficult feat when the minutes come in sporadic seven-minute chunks.

As a scoring big man off the bench he can be devastatingly effective, and I’m surprised he hasn’t got the chance to do it more regularly. For a team looking to fill that role, he’ll be available for pennies.

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Othyus Jeffers

My favorite D-League alum that nobody’s heard of, Jeffers was third in the NBDL in PER last season behind James White and Courtney Sims. The latter two got call-ups but he didn’t, even though Jeffers has a lot of promise. Unlike a lot of D-Leaguers, he’s still pretty young — he doesn’t turn 24 til August — and he’s a savage defensive player.

He has some issues that will hurt him in the pros — he’s undersized at 6-3 (his listed height of 6-5 is a joke) and he can’t shoot 3s — but his tenacity should allow him to stick as a defending role player once he gets the chance. If I’m looking at a minimum contract, I’d much rather take a shot on him than on a proven failure.

John Hollinger writes for ESPN Insider. To

[HawkItus]

I think Channing Frye would be a nice pick up for the Hawks if we decide to bring Zaza back. A rotation of Horford, Smith, Zaza and Frye in the front court is not bad.

[mrhonline]

Diogu's per minute stats are unreal for a player that gets no playing time.

[exodus]

Williams

Marvin Williams (restricted, Atlanta)

Continuing that age theme: If you’re going to dive into the free agent pool, doesn’t it make more sense to add 23-year-olds than 36-year-olds? Well, Williams is 23 and is coming off a strong season, one in which he ranked 13th among small forwards in PER at 16.04 while becoming the Hawks’ main defensive stopper on the wings.

Another squawker overrating Marvin's defense. I wonder what username Hollinger has been posting under.

[DrReality]

I think Channing Frye would be a nice pick up for the Hawks if we decide to bring Zaza back. A rotation of Horford, Smith, Zaza and Frye in the front court is not bad.

Frye would be a good addition as long as he is a backup. Not someone I want to rely on too heavily.

[GameTime]

I think Channing Frye would be a nice pick up for the Hawks if we decide to bring Zaza back. A rotation of Horford, Smith, Zaza and Frye in the front court is not bad.

I rather get Diogu for about the same price. We could use a scoring big off the bench.

[MaceCase]

man if we could just get Zaza and Marvin in the fold we could go to war with Frye, Diogu and Carney as our bench. 3 quality bench role players for the price of our MLE and LLE.

[Wurider05]

Another squawker overrating Marvin's defense. I wonder what username Hollinger has been posting under.

That was a good one!!

[Kimsey]

Another squawker overrating Marvin's defense. I wonder what username Hollinger has been posting under.

He's made every player in his list sound good even the d-leaguer.