Guards
Larry Hughes
Larry Hughes had a huge year, and it's surprising that his name isn't being kicked around as much as the two guys listed above, although the fact he's probably not going anywhere has something to do with it. Twenty-two points, six boards, five assists and three steals per game is nothing to sneeze at, and Hughes will enjoy a huge pay raise accordingly. The Wizards have no intention of losing him and are prepared to pay his price, and Hughes seems to enjoy playing alongside Gilbert Arenas in Washington.
Prediction: Stays with Washington and is worth an early second-round fantasy pick. Could be taken late in the first round if you think he'll stay healthy.
Damon Stoudamire
Mighty Mouse is on the downside of his career, but he still had a nice season last year (16 and six) and is one of the best three-point threats in the league. There's not much of a chance he'll end up back in Portland, but there's also not really any real guess as to where he'll end up.
Prediction: I'm guessing he could be the starter in Atlanta or Houston this year, or back up Jamaal Tinsley for the Pacers. With the injury history of Tinsley, he may end up having some solid value if he goes to the Pacers. If he's not a starter, he'll still be worth a late-round selection regardless of where he goes if your league counts threes.
Earl Watson
How many years have I been telling you that "Earl Watson will end up starting in Memphis this season"? Several. While the Grizzlies are reportedly trying to get rid of Jason Williams, that's not going to be easy to do. And because J-Will will probably be there again this year, Watson is very likely moving on. He wants (and needs) to be a starter and someone will give him shot. The possibilities are endless, with Atlanta, Milwaukee, Portland, Cleveland, Houston and Orlando are all rumored to be interested.
Prediction: I think he would be a great choice to run the Hawks offense, so I'm guessing he signs with Atlanta and will then be worth a fourth or fifth-round fantasy pick as a starting point guard.
Bonzi Wells
Bonzi, Bonzi, Bonzi. He still claims he doesn't have any idea why Mike Fratello banned him from the arena last season and threatened to have him arrested if he showed up to a game or practice. We're guessing it was more than just rubbing his coach the wrong way. Portland's got to be glad they were able to get rid of him when they did, as they have enough problems to deal with as it is. But, Bonzi has talent and, despite the personal baggage he brings, won't have trouble finding a team to play for.
Prediction: Bonzi finds a new home in New Orleans to back up J.R. Smith and teach the kids about street fighting. He's worth a mid to late-round pick in your fantasy draft wherever he ends up.
Free agent Bobby Simmons averaged a career high 16.4 points with the Clippers last year. (Gregory Shamus/NBAE / Getty Images)
Antonio Daniels
Daniels will likely leave Seattle because he, like Watson, is ready to be a starting point guard. He almost won the Sixth Man Award last year and has proven to be a stud in the fourth quarter when the game is on the line, which won't go unnoticed.
Prediction: Seems to me to be a perfect fit in Cleveland as their starting point guard. A starting five of LeBron, Redd, Daniels, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Drew Gooden would make Cleveland fans pretty happy. Could also end up as a backup in Dallas.
Unrestricted Free Agents
Forwards and Centers
Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Big Z appeared to be on his way out of Cleveland, but then Danny Ferry signed on to run the show from behind the magic curtain. The Knicks want him so badly that Isiah Thomas has trouble getting Z's at night due to Z. But they are so far over the cap there is really no hope of it happening.
Prediction: Big Z stays right where he is, his feet stay healthy and he anchors a potent Cleveland offense next year that does some damage in the playoffs. Z is worth (as usual) a third to fifth-round fantasy pick.
Shareef Abdur-Rahim
I'm pretty sure he's not going back to Portland and the Blazers are pretty sure they don't want him back. The Nets have made ‘Reef they're top priority, and the facts that Jason Kidd and he were teammates at Cal and he went to coach Lawrence Frank's wedding sure aren't going to hurt either.
Prediction: Signs with the Nets, who have an opening-day lineup of Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson, Abdur-Rahim and Nenad Krstic. That is downright scary.
Stromile Swift
Year after year I write about how good Stro is going to be when he's a starter. Well, if it doesn't happen this year, he may as well give up. He is a shot-blocking specialist and loves to get out and run the floor. I doubt he's ever going to be a truly offensive force, but he is hungry and wants (and deserves) to get a full time job in the NBA.
Prediction: The Knicks have to try to land a center this summer, and Swift will be one of the guys on their list, along with Kwame Brown. Stro should be worth about a fifth-rounder in fantasy drafts, unless he definitely locks in a starting role somewhere like New York. Then he becomes a solid third-rounder.
Bobby Simmons
Bobby Simmons had a breakout year last season and is going to get paid for it. Rumors are swirling that he's been seen hanging out with Clippers owner Donald Sterling, which is a good sign he'll be back. However, money talks and if a team like the Bobcats or Hornets throws some serious cash on the table, there's nothing that says the Clips will match it.
Prediction: The bottom line is he wants to stay with the Clippers. The other bottom line is he can probably make more money by leaving. I'm going to say the Hornets seem like a nice fit, as he could send Lee Nailon back to the bench, where he probably belongs. As a starter for the Clippers or Hornets, he's worth a fifth-round pick.
Antoine Walker
Is 'Toine returning to Boston? The Celtics were a completely different team once Walker entered the fray last year, and it almost seems like bad karma to let him go again. However, the Celts didn't do much in the playoffs and Walker's numbers with the Hawks weren't as impressive as you would have expected based on who he was playing with.
Prediction: Isiah wants Walker badly as well, and it will be interesting to see what Walker does. He's not going to get the money he wants from anyone, so it may come down to where he wants to play. While I think there's a chance he goes to New York (or somewhere else), I'm still thinking he goes back to Boston. Feel free to take him in the fourth or fifth round if you can live with the poor FG percentage and less threes than you think.
Donyell Marshall
If the Nets can't land Abdur-Rahim, Marshall is the next guy on their list. If the Nets get their man, teams like the Sixers and Rockets will target Marshall, who has to be thrilled about escaping Toronto. Wherever he lands, you can pretty much be sure it won't be Toronto.
Prediction: I'm thinking he fits in perfectly with the Heat if Udonis Haslem is gone. He can teach Wayne Simien the ropes and have a chance to win a championship. If the Heat lose Damon Jones (they shouldn't), then Marshall takes over from behind the arc. If he is going to start somewhere, don't use last year's numbers as a reference to what he'll do. He'll be a more productive fantasy player who does almost everything, including hitting threes and blocking shots. I'm saying the fifth round sounds about right.
Restricted Free Agents
Joe Johnson, who averaged a career high 17.1 points last year, is likely to return to Phoenix. (Barry Gossage/NBAE / Getty Images)
Guards
Joe Johnson
Had Joe Johnson not gotten hurt in the playoffs, the Suns may be the World Champions right now. They know how much they need Johnson and Johnson knows how much they need him. Quentin Richardson is gone and that even cleared a little cap room in the process. There's almost no chance Johnson is going anywhere, except to the playoffs with Phoenix.
Prediction: Staying in Phoenix and his numbers could be even bigger this year without Q around. Because of his three-point prowess, he's worth a late third or early fourth-round pick this year in fantasy land.
Marko Jaric
My biggest concern with Jaric is last year's foot problems. It seems to me they could linger for the rest of his career, but I could be wrong. Not really a true point guard, but a nice source of steals and does a little bit of everything. He wants to return to the Clips and they would like for him to be Shaun Livingston's backup. He could land in Boston or Orlando as a starter, but they would have to offer him a fair amount of coin for that to happen.
Prediction: Stays with the Clippers and is worth a 10th-round pick as a backup point guard. If he ends up starting somewhere, you won't want him to be your No. 1 PG, but he's worth picking up around the sixth round or later.
Flip Murray
If this guy ever gets a starting gig he could be a steal. As I'm sure most of you remember, he went OFF in Seattle a couple years ago when Ray Allen went down. He's still got it in him, although he has never really played like he did during that stretch, even when getting the occasional start. Still, he's a talented scorer and is going to get out of Seattle in hopes of starting somewhere.
Prediction: Bobcats or Hornets make sense, and he's worth a fifth or sixth-rounder if he's a starter.
Restricted Free Agents
Centers and Forwards
Samuel Dalembert
As a Georgia resident and lifelong Hawks fan, I hope the Hawks step up and steal him from the Sixers. The talented center was a mess last year trying to play defense the Jim O'Brien way and it killed his fantasy value. Wherever he goes, he's going to be used to his strengths and should go back to late 2003 form, when he was a dominant shot blocker and rebounder. In the last two weeks of that season he averaged 13 points, 11 boards and five blocks per game.
Prediction: The Hawks find a way to land him and they have their first legitimate center. If Dalembert goes to the Hawks, he's worth a third-round pick. In fact, no matter where he goes he's worth that if starting.
Tyson Chandler
He's on this list, but the Bulls aren't going to let the defensive specialist get away. I'd like to see him score more, but offense is not what the Bulls need from him.
Prediction: The Bulls have said they'll match any offers for Chandler, and I believe them. He's worth a fourth to sixth-round pick for your fantasy team, especially if you find yourself hurting for blocks after your first three or four picks.
Eddy Curry
This is a big one. His heart problem is raising so many questions about what's going to happen to him that it's almost impossible to predict. The Bulls would like to keep him, but, like all other teams, are going to be scared to sign him to a long-term deal as his future is somewhat up in the air. You also have to wonder how much weight he's gained and how out of shape he's become during this layoff.
Prediction: Chances are he'll end up back in Chicago, but the Hawks will likely make a hard charge for him if they don't get Dalembert (or another center). Either way, he's worth a fifth or sixth rounder if he proves he's healthy later on this summer.
Dramatic themes often include current issues,
societal ills, and problems, concerns or injustices, such as racial
prejudice, religious intolerance (such as anti-Semitism), drug
addiction, poverty, political unrest, the corruption of power,
alcoholism, class divisions, sexual inequality, mental illness,
corrupt societal institutions, violence toward women or other
explosive issues of the times.
These films have successfully drawn
attention to the issues by taking advantage of the topical interest of
the subject. Although dramatic films have often dealt frankly and
realistically with social problems, the tendency has been for
Hollywood, especially during earlier times of censorship, to exonerate
society and institutions and to blame problems on an individual, who
more often than not, would be punished for his/her transgressions.
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