By Craig Neslage

Baron Davis, Alonzo Mourning, Jermaine O’Neal, Gary Payton, Andre Miller, Kenny Anderson, Elden Campbell, Cliff Robinson, Juwan Howard, Scottie Pippen, with Jason Kidd and Tim Duncan having player options. What an amazing class of free agents-at the end of next season. But that is next off-season. Right now, players are suffering from GM’s not wanting to fill up cap space and hurt their chances of reeling in a solid to all-star talent, depending on the amount of cap space.

However, that seems to work out fine because there are no good players out on the market. I mean, Jerome James was heavily sought after, pun intended, by multiple teams before he resigned with Seattle. Has anyone checked out this guy’s numbers? Hey, forget about his numbers. How about his weight? Someone inform this guy that you are supposed to let yourself go after you get the lengthy contract. Since this year’s class is about impressive as Gheorghe Muresan being able to dunk, he got some serious Sacagawea’s (3 years, 15 million.) There are a couple of respectable free agents (not including restricted free agents) led by another Sonic, Rashard Lewis. OK, maybe there is one real turn the team around type talent. While there may be only one all-star, there are plenty of cheap, utility men whose efforts win games. Here is a list of those players. It consists of ten veterans who are not going to wow you very often, aka never, but they will make any team a better team.

I have broken down the list into two sections: those players who can help for a few years and those players who will give you the max for one year at the veteran minimum.

Solid help for long-term (in no particular order):

1) Walter McCarty – We all know that Walter is not as good as Tom Heinsohn says he is. Getting past that, he is decent. He hustles, does not play selfishly, and is not worth any kind of cap-killing dough. He was an unsung hero to the Celtics Eastern Conference Finals romp.

2) Erick Strickland – This guy is tough as nails, fears no man, and can play both guard positions. Mark Cuban was apologetic when he traded him to the Knicks. In a game vs. the Lakers, Shaq was owning the Mavs (hey, their not the only ones), so Strick guarded him. He’s about 6’3", 220 lbs., and he didn’t do that badly. He’s 100% effort 100% of the time.

3) Troy Hudson – Hudson is more notable than these other players, but less coveted than Billups and McInnis. He’s a great player to have on the court late with a lead, as he shot over 87% from the line last year. He has a good handle though he can play out of control. Basically, for a mill or two, he ain’t bad.

4) Monty Williams – Of everyone here, he is the least likely to put up numbers. However, he does what you ask him to. Pester this guy on D, crash the offensive boards, whatever. He’s not as good and he knows it, so he plays well enough to get his twenty minutes every night.

5) Chris Childs – He got unjustly driven out of New York. He won series’ for the Knicks, and then killed them in game 5 in the Garden as a Raptor. Suffocates on D and hits big shots on O. He’s the best player on this list. Plus, I will always have respect for someone who punches Kobe in the face.

6) Tyrone Nesby – Every time I see this guy play he hits shot after shot. The more time you give him the better he plays. Shoots a high percentage (over 43% last year) and hustles, although sometimes it’s when he feels like it. None the less, he would be a nice addition, particularly for those were willing to pay Devean George.

One- year wonders (please note: I WILL make fun of each one’s age):

7) Kevin Willis – K-Will has got to be approaching a trillion years old. The guy’s a fossil but he can still out-muscle guys. Plus, he is seven feet tall. If he goes to the east, he’ll be an all-star for God sake.

8) Derrick McKey – Not as old as Willis, but he ain’t young (he’s about as youthful as Rupert Murdoch.) He is still a 6’10" small forward defensive stopper. His offense is offensive (I don’t think he’s scored since 1995) but can still shackle players on the other end of the court.

9) Dell Curry – The guy is older than Jesus, but JC doesn’t have a jumper this sweet. He’s like Bruce Lee with a basketball-give him one second he’ll knock down three. A great player to have in late, no matter the situation (nasty from three, equally good from the line.)

10) Terry Porter – Give him a job and it gets done. Averaged 18 minutes per last year. The most minutes he played in one game, 32. What did he do in that game? Score 22 points on 50% shooting while leading the team with 6 assists in a victory over Dallas on the road (breath.) Simply put this guy can do anything, even though he continually bores Tony Parker with stories of Normandy.