Free Agent Frenzy Begins

It might not seem like it, but as we clean up from the 4th of July weekend, the NBA’s offseason is about to heat up like the weather.

The Draft is over, free agency is on, and various summer leagues are about to tip off.

The Cavaliers – and their first round pick, J.J. Hickson – travel once again to Las Vegas, where their summer league runs from July 11th to the 20th. In Orlando, Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley will face off in the exhibition opener, and the team formerly known as the Seattle Sonics will wear generic “NBA-OKC” jerseys when they take on the Pacers on Monday afternoon.

Picking up on the local zeitgeist since June 26, Cavs fans now realize that Hickson at No. 19 was a solid pick by Danny Ferry. And based on the tape we’ve seen of the uber-athletic forward from NC State, those fans will be even happier when they see him in the low post wearing the wine and gold.

Ferry will get a chance to see Hickson and second-rounder, Darnell Jackson, working together for the first time one week from today. In the meantime, like his front office brethren around the league, Ferry will be studying the still-pulsating free agent market to see what pieces he can add to the squad in 2008-09.

Among the four Cavalier free agents, only Devin Brown is unrestricted. Dwayne Jones, Daniel Gibson and Delonte West are all restricted.

Devin Brown’s situation might be the most cloudy, following the perplexing end to a highly productive season. Devin Brown was Coach Mike Brown’s Swiss Army knife all year; his versatility saved the Cavaliers’ bacon during an injury-plagued campaign. But the wily vet wound up in the Coach’s doghouse during the postseason and was limited to six total minutes against Boston.

Of course, Gibson and West will be at the top of the Cavaliers’ priority list.

Gibson’s numbers improved greatly across the board last season. He finished fifth in the league in three-point shooting and was the MVP of the Rookie Challenge. His shoulder injury that sidelined him in the final two games against Boston might have been the difference between the Wine and Gold advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals.

And let’s not underestimate the fact that LeBron considers Boobie his “younger brother.” James has a trust and friendship with Gibson that cannot be overlooked, especially with pressure mounting as LeBron’s contract enters its final two years.

Delonte West proved to be everything Ferry hoped for when he made the big 11-player trade. He was fearless in the paint, took a lot of ball-handling duties off LeBron’s hands, and proved to be a capable shooter – exhibited by his three-point dagger against the Wizards in Game 4 at Washington.

The one thing Cleveland’s front office wants to avoid more than anything is an ugly contract battle with either player like the ones that sullied last summer’s offseason. There can be no doubt that those imbroglios directly affected Anderson Varejao and Sasha Pavlovic’s seasons. Both missed Training Camp and Anderson didn’t join the club until early December. Sasha took a big step backwards after an impressive postseason run in 2006-07.

When the Cavaliers brass does shift their focus outside the city limits, they’ll find a free agent market in flux.

Armed with a mid-level exception, the Cavaliers can consider names like James Posey and Mickael Pietrus. Both would be perfect fits in Mike Brown’s system, and Posey would bring two Rings – along with dogged defense and dead-eye shooting – to his hometown team. (It would be much better watching Posey alongside LeBron instead of guarding him – a job he seems to relish.)

The big name being thrown around recently has been Corey Maggette, and the Cavaliers look to be trying to get into the mix. The former Dukie is on every contenders’ short list – including the Celtics, Spurs, Pistons, Magic and Hornets. The 6-6 swingman is coming off a career year.

Maggette’s Clippers have already made the offseason’s biggest splash, landing Baron Davis hours after the market opened. Golden State is rumored to be in the mix. And Philadelphia, flushed with cash, is also primed to make a push for Brand.

The Sixers, coming off a vastly successful season under Mo Cheeks, seem determined to make a splash. If they fail to get Brand, look for Philly to try and coax J-Smoove or Josh Childress away from Atlanta. A combination of Andre Iguodala and Josh Smith would give the Sixers an explosive young combo heading into the season.

The Eastern Conference, in general, will be getting an overhaul this offseason.

Rumors of the Bucks’ demise were greatly exaggerated as Scott Skiles’ squad acquired Richard Jefferson and No. 8 pick, Joe Alexander, on Draft night. That certainly cools off the Michael Redd rumors as Milwaukee looks to have a “win-now” mentality.

The Nets, who shipped Jefferson, had an excellent Draft. Fretting fans on the “LeBron Watch” will be curious as to what Rod Thorn does with his free agents – Nenad Krstic and Bostjan Nachbar – in the coming days and weeks.

The Bulls extreme makeover is still in its early stages after drafting Derrick Rose with the No. 1 overall pick. With a glut of guards, Chicago will likely ship either Kirk Hinrich or Ben Gordon. Hinrich looked to be the choice, but recent rumors have the Bulls gauging interest on Gordon. Chris Duhon already looks to be headed to the Big Apple.

And finally, there’s the Washington Wizards, who simply re-inked two of their Big Three. Antawn Jamison signed a contract extension to stay in the nation’s capital and Gilbert Arenas left money on the table to remain with the Wiz Kids. These two moves can only mean one thing …

They’ll be traveling to Cleveland to face the Cavaliers in the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs in April of 2009.