“So try not to laugh when someone says these are the world's greatest athletes, despite a paucity of blacks that makes the Winter Games look like a GOP convention.”– Bryant Gumbel, HBO's Real Sports, Feb. 7, 2006. Gumbel said this a while ago and the firestorm, especially on the FAN590 here in Toronto continues…so here are my thoughts:

I can't recall when anyone claimed that athletes in Winter Games were: “the world's greatest athletes". However, did you see the Beckie Scott pictures when she was changing her shirt and just standing there in a sports bra? Her muscle definition is out of this world…anyway, I think what you hear most often is that the athletes in these sports are the best in the world in their sports…

Gumbel's remarks remind us that when it comes to discussions about race in sports, people tend to be hypersensitive…

Gumbel seemed to indicate that because he was black and because the Olympic athletes competing for the medals at the Winter Games were almost exclusively not black, he would not be watching since he’s sure that the greatest athletes in the world are as a rule black. Huh? In that case, what’s his opinion of the Tour de France? By his logic, if only there was a black cyclist, he would definitely be better than Lance Armstrong…

Does he means that the great athletes in American sports such as football and basketball, who are by and large black athletes, were to focus on Winter Olympic sports they would dominate? Really? I’m a firm believer that a tremendous athlete can work himself into any sport, regardless of their color…

Or does he mean that he can’t watch sports without black athletes in them…in that case, he must have only recently started to watch golf…seeing as the tour really only has one black player (half a player by Gumbel’s exacting race-stimation I’m sure) of any significance in Tiger Woods…

Maybe he means that American blacks are not drawn to winter sports necessarily…well the truly great thing about the US and Canada is that we get exposed to all sorts of sports, both in person and on TV…and we’re free to pursue whichever ones we want…now of course there is going to be some sort of regional bias…like football and baseball in the south because you can play it all year round, skiing and snowboarding in the north, because, heck we’ve got mountains and snow…Unlike the Summer Games, which has athlete representation from around 200 nations from all over the world, the Winter Olympics has only 87 nations participating…leaving 57 percent of the world’s countries left out in the cold...actually, most of them are left out in the warm…because realistically, you’d expect countries with cold climates to have the best athletes in the Winter sports…because, well it’s actually cold…

Regardless of how you slice it, Gumbel has managed to achieve only 1 thing: claiming racial superiority is embarrassing to yourself and those that look like you, regardless of what you look like…

Watch out for the Cavaliers who stole SG Ronald "Flip" Murray from the Seattle for PG Mike Wilks and cash…Flip has been buried behind Ray Allen, and rightly so for a few years, but dude can score and with LeBron James facilitating, he will…

Lastly, did you see Rashweed Wallace last night? He ended up with 28 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks and 3 steals in the Pistons 88-83 win over the Pacers, but the best part is he gets a technical early in the 4th quarter and then reels off 11 points in the next 97 seconds as the Pistons surged to a 28 point 4th quarter for the win…

1) Kelly Dwyer of Si.com with the duds of the season:

Leaving a lot to be desired - Recognizing the most dubious figures of the first half

The NBA's All-Star Weekend was a lovely experience, full of dunks and swishes and Beyonce and Kelly Rowland and that other girl. But it's time to get back into the swing of the regular season, and what better way to kick off the second half of the 2005-06 campaign than by looking at some of the more distressing and depressing exploits of the men in shorts before the break?

Worst Performance(s) by a Player, Single Game - In compiling this list, we tried our hardest to give Antoine Walker a pass. He's kept quiet down in Miami, trying to fit into the team's offense while making nary a peep about coming off the bench for 45 of his team's 53 games. Yes, he's a well-compensated good soldier, but that hardly seems to hinder half of this league's haranguers, so give the man his props. But Walker being Walker, he just couldn't keep his hands off the hardware, grabbing it from the likes of Ricky Davis, who had no points in 45 minutes one night. On Nov. 25, Walker missed 12 of 13 shots in 21 minutes against the Mavs, scoring two points while dishing exactly zero assists, ripping down two rebounds and fouling four times. Two weeks later, against the Clippers, he missed all 10 of his shots in 18 minutes, including six from three-point range, again fouling four times and adding one assist with four rebounds. Combined, Antoine shot a fiendish 1 of 23 in 39 minutes, with two points, six rebounds, two assists and eight fouls. Suffice to say, the Heat lost both games.

Worst Performance by a Player, Season - One of the guys Walker backs up, seventh-year forward James Posey, has been pretty dismal himself this season. More than any other variable, Posey's potential for all-around play could have put the Heat over the top this season. Yes, he's stuck on a team with a lot of mouths to feed, and yes, his forte basically is outside shooting and defense, but his defense has been substandard all season, and his 7.7 points in a little more than 31 minutes a game doesn't help. Out West, Houston's David Wesley has also had a rough go of things this year. We've always liked Wesley; he's a tough competitor who came out of nowhere to start as a 6-foot-1 shooting guard for several playoff teams. But he shouldn't be averaging as many minutes (35) as he is years old. And though the veteran is usually counted on to lead in times of peril, we've caught Wesley making far too many mistakes this season. Quick 3s in transition, being caught watching the ball on defense and ineffective rebounding (height aside, if you play 35 minutes, you have to bring down more than 2.7 boards a game) knock his reputation down a notch. And Damon Jones? You also lucked out, and showing up to the Dunk Contest looking like a member of the Romantics didn't help your cause.

Worst Coaching Performance of the First Half - The logical choice here would be Larry Brown, who has needlessly utilized 30 starting lineups in coaching his Knicks to a 15-37 record while also submarining both player and front office alike with his postgame observations. And though we expected the Knicks to at least fight for a lower-rung playoff spot, this was only because we expected Brown to force his mismatched team into overachieving. The Sacramento Kings, however, should be on pace for 45-50 wins just by playing to their talent level. Yet at one point in late January they were 18-26 and stuck at the bottom of a division they once ruled. Rick Adelman was given several disparate new parts to work with before the season, and he has essentially had to face his first season as Kings coach without Chris Webber (in Philly) or Peja Stojakovic (uninterested until he was traded to Indiana), but this doesn't excuse the way he has coached the team. Though Bonzi Wells was this team's best all-around player in the first few months of the season, starting him alongside the like-minded Shareef Abdur-Rahim didn't make any sense. Wells is a role player, a strong scorer who doesn't need the ball much to efficiently put up points, but his scoring services are best served coming off the pine. On the other hand, the Kings are 11-1 when second-year guard Kevin Martin scores 20 points, yet Adelman waited until a few days before Christmas (and an injury to Wells) before starting him. Granted, Mike Bibby hasn't helped, with his inconsistent effort or his hair-trigger shooting hand. But the Kings have a roster that goes 11 deep, which makes it all the more puzzling that two or three players a night receive DNP-CDs. The Kings are 24-29 now, 6-5 since Ron Artest donned number 93. Still, they're just two and a half games out of the last playoff spot in the West. Not bad, but they shouldn't have started this poorly.

Most Overrated Player - Most fans are well aware of Damon Jones' struggles by now. How he's struggled to graze the rim most of the year with his jumpers, how he's become one of the worst big-minute players at defending his position and how his eccentricities and played-out braggadocio leave him ripe for ridicule. We're not ripping Jones because he's a loudmouth. That's too easy, and as someone who can spot insecurity from three states away, we kind of understand. What we do miss, however, is the Damon Jones we used to know. That guy used to know how to ball. He attacked the rim, never turned the ball over (4.6 assists for every cough-up in '03-04) and shot the trey to set up his drive. The Cavs desperately needed three-point shooting heading into this season, but nobody needs it badly enough to put up with this entire package. Seventy-five percent of this guy's shots come from behind the arc, and Jones is making about 36 percent of his looks. That's about all he offers at this point, aside from fewer than two assists in 26.6 minutes per game, a 2.6 assist-to-turnover ratio and atrocious defense on fellow point guards. Jones has become so-so at defending shooting guards, but he isn't a good enough shooter at this point to warrant big minutes at the two, so that hardly helps. No, Damon might not be as overrated as he was last summer, but his sense of self-worth has gotten well out of hand, and it pains us to see this guy forget what got him in the league in the first place.

Worst Performance by a Team - This wasn't even close. Though the Hawks, Bobcats and Trail Blazers have struggled mightily this season, their issues were expected -- and encouraged by forward-thinking front offices. Those teams have plenty of youngsters to work with and loads of cap space and lottery selections to anticipate. And if you add up the respective player payrolls of Atlanta, Portland and Charlotte, you get a number that approximates what the New York Knicks (including their coach, Larry Brown) will collectively pay its staff and coaches this season. The Knicks have been a dreary, dreadful bunch since November, sniping and griping and looking as if a home matinee against the Minnesota Timberwolves was the most excruciating thing they've ever been forced to endure. No defense, inconsistent offense and drama, drama, drama. Please, end it.

The Benoit Benjamin Award - Jerome James takes home the hardware. The sadist in us is looking forward to a five-year run that lasts the duration of the $30 million contract Isiah Thomas signed James to, one that will last until 2010. With James out of shape, out of sorts and altogether uninterested in earning a fraction of what he's guaranteed, it must be beyond frustrating for Knicks fans to watch this waste of a player offer five points and rebounds, combined (and one foul for every 4.1 minutes he plays), in token minutes ahead of the promising Jackie Butler in the New York pivot.

Least Impressive Second-Year Player - Perhaps '04-05's most impressive rookie, in spite of his limited minutes and injury-plagued season, Shaun Livingston has had a frustrating run in '05-06. Though his Clippers have surprised, running out to a 30-21 record and looking like a lock for the fifth or sixth seed in the West, Livingston has struggled to find his L.A. groove, averaging 5.2 points and 4.4 assists in just over 25 minutes a game. Perhaps unrealistic expectations are clouding our view of the 20-year-old guard, but stats aside, the youngster has shown himself to be hesitant and unsure of himself in the big minutes he's played. He has had trouble meshing his playmaking instincts alongside dominant players like Elton Brand and dominant personalities like Sam Cassell. Livingston thinks too damn much, looking over his shoulder at the bench and acquiescing to his veteran teammates at every turn. Too often we've seen Livingston corral a rebound and start to break for the opposite end, only to stop short as walk-it-up guys like Cuttino Mobley and Cassell demand a slower pace. Please, basketball gods, make this a one-year detour.

Least Impressive Rookie - Based upon projections, lottery status, scoring opportunities and that vaunted "wow" factor that means absolutely nothing, we're going to have to give it to the Hawks' Marvin Williams. He's improved quite a bit over the last five or six weeks -- that three-point stroke came out of nowhere -- but he just hasn't shown much this season. In 22.7 minutes per game, the No. 2 pick in the draft has averaged 6.9 points and 4.5 rebounds -- solid stats for a 19-year-old, but he's yet to really distinguish himself on the court. And blaming the Hawks' roster (littered with a bevy of like-minded forwards) only excuses so much. Beyond that, many of the prep-to-pros off guards (Martell Webster, Gerald Green) have made a few pretty plays but otherwise have contributed next to nothing. As usual with players this young, the proof of their pudding is years away.

Worst Move of the Season - Isiah Thomas' signing of Jerome James was laughable the day it happened, mainly because all the pieces were in place for hilarity: an out-of-shape big man with two weeks of strong play to his credit, money to burn, 7-footer envy -- the whole package. But since James "only" makes around $6 million a year, he can still be included as a throw-in to a trade (though we're reaching there). Even if he stays with the Knicks, he'll probably be bought out by the time his deal is half over. Still, the trade that Isiah put together to bring Eddy Curry to New York has done the most damage to the Knicks. Curry's a good guy and a fine scorer, but his work is best appreciated on a tough-nosed defensive team that needs his low-post scoring -- a team heady enough to absorb the impact of his obvious faults (no defense, 13 turnovers for every assist). The Knicks are no such club, and giving Curry franchise-player money for his role-playing talents was absurd. Compounding the pain is that Thomas gave the Bulls two draft picks, giving Chicago New York's unprotected first-round selection and allowing the Bulls to select the better of theirs or New York's first-round pick in '07. As things stand now, the statistical probabilities indicate that Chicago will get the second pick in the '06 draft. While Chicago banished its trade throw-in (the superfluous Tim Thomas) to his New Jersey home, letting his contract expire while preparing to utilize some newfound cap space, Thomas sent Antonio Davis' expiring contract to Toronto for Jalen Rose and his two-year deal (and a lower-rung pick). No, the Knicks wouldn't have been under the cap had Davis stayed in New York, but who's to say Thomas won't turn around and deal Rose for an even bigger deal by next February?

Quoted, Unfortunately - Some of the more memorable utterings from the season's first half:

"No." -- Bulls coach Scott Skiles, when asked if Chris Paul (coming off a 25-point, 13-assist, three-steal effort) was "doing the same things you used to do"

"It was so amazing -- wow -- because all the best players on every team were calling me. I got a call from Garnett. I was like, Garnett wants to play with me! Wow. Then I'm going to Minnesota. I got a call from Kobe. Oh, my goodness, Kobe wants me to play with him! And then I'm going to the Lakers. Then I get a call from Elton. Then I'm going to the Clippers. Then 'Melo. I didn't think I was that good." -- Ron Artest, happy like a child at Christmas

"He's a turnover waiting to happen." -- Larry Brown, caught by TV mikes in the midst of a game, on Lakers guard Smush Parker

"He's a really talented kid who can defend. He's athletic, and Phil [Jackson] likes big guards. He'll flourish in that system." -- Larry Brown, postgame, on Parker, to the assembled throng of media

"I'm smart enough not to ever get into that situation. My moon is aligned very closely with [Tim Duncan's]. I'm waiting for his retirement announcement, because mine will be 30 seconds after it. I have no need to prove this, that or the other by going to this, that or the other city, [so critics can say] 'Oh, he did it again, so he's for real.' 'For real' can kiss my ass." -- Gregg Popovich. I'm glad somebody finally called "for real" out. For real, yo.

"I don't know how to be scared by anybody. I don't know how to run from nobody. I'm from the old school, old school New York guys. Just keep hammerin' the nails in, baby." -- Mark Blount, crazy man

"I got calls from Vegas, St. Louis, Kansas City, Anaheim, San Diego, Tampa, just all over. But David Stern and I were talking, and David suggested Oklahoma City. And I said, 'Oklahoma where?'" -- Hornets owner and obvious geography major George Shinn. Way to endear yourself to those OKC faithful.

"I told him his shorts were too short. He had those Huggies on." -- Hornets forward J.R. Smith, trash-talking Bulls guard Ben Gordon. Yeah, screw him for actually wearing shorts that fit.

"I like our fans, but honestly, half of them don't know basketball." -- Jerome James. Wow.

"Yeah, they're booing me now, but they'll cheer me later. The same thing happened in Seattle. They booed me there, too. Now they're praying to have me back." -- Jerome James. Wow.

"If Jeff Van Gundy supplies [Stromile] Swift with minutes, he'll put up big numbers without needing the ball much and wrap up the Most Improved Player award by the All-Star break." -- Kelly Dwyer

"He really is like trying to push on an oak tree. The problem is, the oak tree's moving. And the oak tree's pretty good." -- Shane Battier, on guarding Ron Artest

"I woke up this morning and it just kind of fell out." -- Tim Duncan, on his then-newish short hairdo. Sounds like something George Costanza would say to a tenant board while trying to get a new apartment.

"I'm telling you, Darko is a Serbian gangster. Darko's got some bodies back there [in Serbia-Montenegro]. He can go psycho on guys." -- Rasheed Wallace, on Darko Milicic. You hear that, Pat Garrity?

"Great! Why don't we bring all of them in? Who else is in Miami? [Rony] Seikaly? [John] Crotty?" -- Pat Riley, after hearing Tim Hardaway outright beg for a contract with the Heat. Anything for a John Crotty reference.

"Who will be the biggest surprise of the season? The Detroit Pistons. The '04 champs will surprise initially by boasting a .500 record after the season's first two months, and they'll surprise again when spring comes along by zoning their way to a third-straight Finals appearance. When all is said and done, most players would rather wear a coat and tie to work than try to have to score on that frontline." -- Kelly Dwyer. By ".500 record" I of course meant they'd win 89 percent of their first 45 games.

"My reputation has been destroyed by Jerry Colangelo and Peter Vecsey from the New York Post, as simple as that. Ever since they went out and talked about me, my life sucks and my career and I blame them." -- Danny Fortson. I'd bust out a pigtail joke, but he'd either push me or sue me.

2) Chad Ford of ESPN.com reports on what’s next:

Looking ahead to what's next in the NBA

We expected an unprecedented flurry of player movement at the trade deadline Thursday and were left instead with Steve Francis, Earl Watson and the splinter patrol changing places. What did (and maybe more importantly, what didn't) go down in the past few weeks will have ramifications not only on the playoff race but also on what could be an equally snoozy offseason. With a fairly weak draft (at least in terms of star power) and an even weaker free-agent crop (you know you're in trouble when Al Harrington and Vladimir Radmanovic are considered among the prizes), the good are likely to stay good, and the bad … That's what makes it all the more surprising that many of the NBA's worst teams weren't active at the deadline. They may come to regret it later. Now that the trade deadline hangover has subsided, Insider breaks down what it all means and how it should affect a number of teams' plans for this summer.

THE FALL GUYS - Before we get into exactly what teams are planning to do this summer, it's probably appropriate to start at the top, where a number of changes in the front office and coaching staff could go down when the season is over. Two high-profile GMs look like they're poised to move this summer, if not earlier. Suns GM Bryan Colangelo has already had serious negotiations with the Raptors about their head position. The Raptors are going all out for Colangelo, offering him a deal that is reportedly worth three times what he makes in Phoenix. That makes sense for the Raptors. They have no organizational credibility. As much as they need talent, they have to change their culture at the top first. Wayne Embry's done a nice job restoring order in Toronto, but he's in it for the short term. It's time to let a heavy hitter like Colangelo take them the rest of the way. The Suns won't stop him if he wants to go. While Suns owner Robert Sarver is trying to work an extension for Colangelo, it's been rumored for more than a year that he'd really like Steve Kerr to take the reins in Phoenix. Kerr is ideally suited for the job, has a close relationship with Sarver and would make an ideal replacement for Colangelo. Nuggets president Kiki Vandeweghe's contract is up in Denver. Owner Stan Kroenke refused to give Vandeweghe an extension or pay raise last summer, meaning he's as good as gone. The Blazers will probably make a big run at him, and don't count out the Lakers -- Vandeweghe has a great relationship with Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant. Don't expect the Nuggets job to open up this summer, however. The word on the street is that director of player personnel Mark Warkentien -- a close associate with George Karl and Kroenke's main confidant, Bret Bearup -- will take over and do the bidding of Karl and company. Timberwolves VP Kevin McHale could be out of a job if the Wolves continue to falter. Then again, we've been saying that for years. McHale's inability to get a better trade done before the deadline (the acquisition of Ricky Davis, Marcus Banks and Mark Blount has yet to pay dividends) and Kevin Garnett's growing surliness could do in McHale. Everyone in the league wonders how Hawks GM Billy Knight still has a job. His missteps in Atlanta have been legendary. This year has been especially tough. First he passed on Chris Paul in the draft. Marvin Williams will be great someday, but he'll never be a point guard or a center, the two things the Hawks still desperately need. Then, he overpaid Joe Johnson. Johnson has played great, but when you consider what Knight gave up -- the contract, the draft picks and Boris Diaw -- to bring Johnson to Atlanta, it was too much. Knight's failure to move Harrington before the deadline is his latest stumble. The Hawks will have to either overpay to keep Harrington this summer or watch him walk away for nothing. Neither is appealing if you are a Hawks fan. If Knight selects another small forward in this year's draft, his fate is sealed … right? Maybe. Remember, the remaining owners of the Hawks went to court to back this guy. Firing him a year later may be a little more than their egos can handle. Two spots everyone thought would open up, with the Magic and Hornets, probably won't now. Both Otis Smith of Orlando and Jeff Bowers of New Orleans/Oklahoma City have done great jobs this season managing the payrolls and team assets. Suddenly, two of the NBA laughingstocks look like they are heading in the right direction. Of course, there's still one NBA team that seems to dig a deeper and deeper hole every year. Knicks fans are so worked up about Isiah Thomas that they're now sending e-mails pleading with David Stern to invoke the Ted Stepien rule on the Knicks. Remember, Stepien was such a terrible owner (he traded away just about every asset the team had, especially draft picks) that the league stepped in and offered the Cavs some compensatory draft picks to keep them alive. That's not happening this time, Knicks fans. But if Isiah's latest gamble on Francis blows up in his face the way everything else he's touched has, how can owner James Dolan stick with him? There are too many talented young executives in the league right now to let Isiah keep playing demolition derby with one of the league's most elite franchises. Possible new GMs? Put Indiana Pacers VP David Morway at the top of the list this year. He almost got the job in Cleveland last summer before Larry Brown entered the picture. Nurtured at Donnie "The Don" Walsh's side the past six years, he's got a lot going for him: youth, a great leadership style, cap knowledge and a keen eye for talent. "He has the background; he's paid the dues," Walsh told Insider last year just before the Cavs interviewed for their head job. "I think he's ready. When you're talking about a GM, you're talking about an executive. The job is more multidimensional than just scouting. That person has to know the finances, the cap, has to have experience assembling a team, has to know how to lead. It isn't just, can that guy play basketball? I think David fits the bill." As for coaches in jeopardy, there will be plenty: Rick Adelman's contract with the Kings is up this summer. Doc Rivers has never seemed like a great fit in Boston, though Danny Ainge has been pretty loyal to him. Mike Woodson's position in Atlanta has been tenuous all year. There's been talk that Bernie Bickerstaff may step down as coach this summer to focus on his front office duties with Charlotte. The Warriors' Mike Montgomery could be in deep water if Golden State's playoff drought continues. If Brian Hill doesn't get with the rebuilding program in Orlando soon, he could be looking for work. The Sonics might want to replace Bob Hill, depending on what he does the last third of the season. And it's tough to see what Sam Mitchell is bringing to the table in Toronto. If a new GM takes over there, Mitchell could be kicked to the curb. Who's out there to replace them? Jim O'Brien has had the whole season off to recharge. Many GMs are very high on Grizzlies assistant Eric Musselman. He's been the only guy in the last decade to give the Warriors a fighting chance to make the playoffs and he did it with less talent than they have right now. And don't be surprised if Stan Van Gundy gets some love somewhere. His version of the Heat was arguably better than the one that Pat Riley produced.

THE DRAFT - A number of teams have two first-round picks this summer. The Bulls have the best two (their own and the Knicks'). Other teams with multiple first-round picks: The Blazers (their own and the Pistons'), the Knicks (the Nuggets' and the Spurs'), the Hornets (their own and the Bucks'), the Nets (their own and the Clippers') and the Suns (their own and possibly the Lakers'). It looks as though five teams -- the Bobcats, Bulls (via the Knicks), Hawks, Blazers, and Magic -- will battle it out for the best chance at the top pick in the draft. This year's draft lacks star power at the top. Texas' LaMarcus Aldridge, UConn's Rudy Gay and Gonzaga's Adam Morrison are the only three prospects that scouts agree are indisputably worthy of a top-five pick in the draft. So who's No. 1? It really may depend on the team. The early indications I've received are that the Bulls and Hawks would lean toward Aldridge based on need. The Blazers and Magic are high on Morrison. The Bobcats, I'm told, like Gay. With high school players now banned from the draft and a thin crop of international players (only Andrea Bargnani, Tiago Splitter and Rudy Fernandez are considered locks for the first round), college players will be in the spotlight this year. The good news for NBA teams drafting later in the first round is that while there isn't much star power at the top, scouts feel the draft has excellent depth. "This is going to be one of those drafts where the difference between the eighth player in the draft and 31st player in the draft isn't going to be very wide at all," one veteran NBA scout told Insider. "There will be some dramatic mistakes at the top and some great steals at the bottom." The most interesting subplot of the draft may center on Duke's J.J. Redick. Typically, undersized shooting guards without great athleticism don't find homes in the first round. But Redick may be different. He's been so outstanding this season that scouts are now beginning to waffle just a bit on their low projections of Redick. While most GMs and scouts Insider has spoken with have him in the mid teens or early 20s on their draft boards, one NBA GM told me he thought Redick would be a top-10 pick, maybe even a top-5 pick, on draft night. The thinking goes that teams need what Redick delivers -- great shooting, toughness and a winning attitude. Whether he has the physical tools to become a star in the NBA may not be as important in this case.

THE SUMMER - Who will be the players in free agency? Assuming there's a $51 million cap (it came in at $49.5 million last season but league sources are expecting a slight uptick), the Bobcats, who will have the most salary cap room in the league, will have roughly $21 million to spend (assuming they don't pick up player options, and counting draft and minimum player cap holds). The Hawks and Raptors will have roughly $15 million in cap room. The Bulls and Hornets will have about $13 million. The Clippers will be approximately $9 million under and the Jazz will be almost $7 million under the cap. What does this mean? Not as much as it first appears given this year's free-agent class, because the free-agent market is pretty thin this summer. This is why it was so surprising that many teams (especially the Bulls) valued cap space this summer over making a trade before the deadline that made them better now. Sure, teams can always use free agents to broker sign-and-trades and use cap space to facilitate cap room deals … but that doesn't happen very often. Ben Wallace is the elite free agent on the market, but just about everyone believes he'll re-sign in Detroit at around $10 million per year for four or five years. The way Peja Stojakovic is playing lately, he could garner major interest. The Bulls might make a run. They're the one team that's appeared to be really enamored with him. The Pacers are saying all the right things about keeping him, but it may cost them more than they're willing to spend. Other hot names among the top unrestricted free agents include Harrington (who couldn't have picked a better year to put up career numbers and hit the free-agent market), Jason Terry, Radmanovic and Joel Przybilla. That's about it for unrestricted free agents expected to command more than the midlevel exception. A handful of restricted free agents, including Nene (if his knee heals properly) and Drew Gooden, may also command offer sheets for more than the midlevel if they can convince interested teams that the home team won't match. A few other restricted free agents, including Chris Wilcox, Trevor Ariza and Melvin Ely, may also garner interest. Looking for some midlevel free-agent bargains? Here's where the pickings look much stronger. Here's an early list of who might sign with your team, even if it's over the cap: Banks, Nazr Mohammed, Speedy Claxton, Sam Cassell, Mike James, Keith Van Horn, Tim Thomas, Matt Harpring, Tony Battie, Reggie Evans, Bobby Jackson, Bonzi Wells, Fred Jones, Jiri Welsch, John Salmons, Jarron Collins and Michael Olowokandi. Of course, the free-agent market isn't the only way to add players to your team. You can bet that many of the prominent names you heard before the trade deadline will be mentioned again once the summer comes around. If Minnesota can't get its act together, do the Wolves finally get serious about trading Garnett? Ainge continues to insist that he has no intention of trading Paul Pierce. But if the right opportunity comes up this summer, will the Celtics pull the trigger? Allen Iverson, Ray Allen, Kenyon Martin, Lamar Odom, Zach Randolph, Jamaal Magloire and Carlos Boozer are expected to be the other hot names once the season ends. And, of course, the Knicks will be in the mix, trying to deal their new expiring contracts (Jalen Rose and Maurice Taylor) and possibly trying to thin out their loaded backcourt of Francis, Stephon Marbury, Jamal Crawford, Quentin Richardson and Nate Robinson.