MORE FREE AGENT SIGNING ANALYSIS August 6, 1999 Otis Thorpe signed a contract with the Miami Heat. Thorpe averaged 11.3 points and 6.8 rebounds in 49 games last season with the Washington Wizards where injuries and a weak team afforded him the opportunity to play over 30 minutes per game for 49 games. In Miami he will not see this amount of playing time as a backup to PJ Brown while also competing with Clarence Weatherspoon. A lack of playing time in combination with his weak shot blocking should give him almost no fantasy value next season. In Washington, Thorpes departure should ensure that Ben Wallace will see extended minutes next season. Last year Wallace averaged 8 rebounds and 2 blocks in 27 mpg. He should improve on these numbers next season and could be a fantasy draft steal if owners don't recognize his potential. Dell Curry has agreed to a three-year, $6 million deal with the Toronto. Curry shot a league-best 47.6 percent from beyond the 3-point line last season with the Milwaukee Bucks. But other than his three point abilities he offers little to his fantasy teams. His addition to the Raptors will reduce the fantasy value of Dee Brown who plays the same position and has a similar game. Last year Dee Brown averaged 2.8 treys per game but scored only 11.2 ppg indicating he rarely did anything but chuck threes. The Sacramento Kings picked up point guard Darrick Martin, a free agent from the Los Angeles Clippers. With the Kings, Martin will have little fantasy value as a backup to Jason Williams. The departure of Martin from the Clippers further sets the stage for Troy Hudson to be a sleeper pick as a potential starter since LA did not use their top pick to draft a point guard. The Los Angeles Clippers acquired guard Derek Anderson and forward Johnny Newman from the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for forward Lamond Murray. Anderson is on the HoopsKlyce Fragile and Avoid List as a result of his injury history dating back to college. Lamond Murray, who fell out of favor with the Clippers last year, should end up as the starting small forward in Cleveland only needing to beat out Cedric Henderson. This should result in a greater fantasy value over last year for Murray. The Boston Celtics signed free-agent small forward Calbert Cheaney from the Washington Wizards. His departure should guarantee that Richard Hamilton gets significant minutes his rookie year in Washington. Hamilton should be able to score but if he can rise above fantasy mediocrity with output in the steal and assist categories remains to be seen. Calbert Cheany will have the opportunity to get the playing time made available from Mercer's departure but his meager statistical output per minute will keep him from being a desirable fantasy player. Clippers free agent Lorenzen Wright agreed to sign a one-year, $2 million deal with the Lakers for the coming season. Wright had the potential to increase his fantasy value by leaving the Clippers since Maurice Taylor appears to be the permanent starter. But with the Lakers Wright probably will split time at power forward with Robert Horry and JR Reid making it doubtful he will have much fantasy value. The Magic acquired Danny Manning, Pat Garrity and two first-round draft picks in exchange for Penny Hardaway. Orlando now has 10 first-round draft picks over the next five years but will be a team similar to what the Bulls were last year in the near future. The Magic will probably be giving significant time to players that would otherwise be reserves on most teams. This can be a formula for fantasy draft steals but the lineup will also be somewhat volatile making the selection of these players in a fantasy draft risky. One player in particular, Corey Magette, may now be worth considering since he should get substantial playing time. Bo Outlaw, who played only 27 mpg last season, should see a substantial increase in playing time and fantasy value. In Phoenix, the addition of Penny should greatly reduce the fantasy value of Rex Chapman since he will be replacing him in the starting lineup. Whether Penny can live up to his potential with the Suns remains to be seen. I am not convinced that simply going to a new team will make him improve his attitude and performance. The San Antonio Spurs added depth in the backcourt by signing veteran free agent Terry Porter. Porter averaged 27 mpg for the Heat last year at the guard position. Who will take over these minutes for the Heat is not clear. It could set the stage for Voshon Lenard to get significant playing time after a season of obscurity due to injury. In San Antonio the addition of Porter will put a halt on the development of Antonio Daniels who had been progressing as a backup to Avery Johnson. To get a complete player rating report with a ranking of players customized to your league categories order The Hoops Klyce Player Rating Report. Previous Article Next Article Copyright © Hoops Klyce 2000 - All Rights Reserved Website Designed by Lelnet Failed to execute script '../cgi-local/ax.cgi': Win32 Error Code = 2