Like many off-seasons, teams are always busy trying to acquire new free
agents by throwing money at players to help bolster their rosters. Here
are some of the most impactful free agent signings this off- season.
Toronto Raptors
Acquired: Amare Stoudemire (10.73m/6yrs), Yao Ming (9.02m/5yrs)
Grade: A+
Analysis:
GM Brain Colangelo has already begun to work his off-season magic with the
bottom-dwelling Toronto Raptors. In addition to having one of the biggest
steals in the draft by picking up Rodney Carney with the 18th overall pick,
the Raptors have been bullied almost every year in the paint since their
inaugural season. This time, however, the bullied have become the bullies,
as Toronto now holds two of the best young big men to ever come to the NBA
in years. Yao and Amare immediately change the dynamics of the Raptors, going
from a perimeter oriented team to one that was outmuscle and crush almost every
team in the paint. Don't forget about the Raptors two other big men, Chris Bosh
and Charlie Villaneuva. This trade limits the development of these two stars in
the making, but Stoudemire and Ming greatly make up for it.

Enter the paint at your own discretion.
Charlotte Bobcats
Acquired: Keith Van Horn (6,02m/2yrs), Ronald "Flip" Murray (3.13m/5yrs)
Grade: B+
Analysis:
The Bobcats lost thier most legitimate scorer in Kareem Rush, but he was not much
of an offensive threat anyway. Instead, the Bobcats put their cap space into
good use by acquiring two solid scorers in Van Horn and "Flip" Murray. Both of
these players are known to be able to put the ball in the basket, which is
something that the Bobcats struggled with last season. Van Horn's age is
starting to catch up with him, but he's still a reliable threat offensively.
Ronald Murray is an explosive slasher to the basket that should be able to create
a lot of shot opportunities for himself and for others. Murray does seem a bit
on the inconsistent side, but during his tenure with Seattle he was never given
a legitimate chance to play big minutes.

Van Horn and Murray are capable scorers that fill a need.
Houston Rockets
Acquired: Nene (5.02m/4yrs)
Grade: C+
Analysis:
Houston had one of its' biggest losses when they lost Yao Ming, their promising
7 foot centre to the Raptors. Houston immediately tried to make up for it
by signing Nene, a rugged big man that has a lot of potential. Some people
might call this quality signing, but this free-agent signing looks a lot like
a lame move to try and patch up one of their biggest losses. Nene definitely
won't be growing into a dominant 7'6 giant and begin attracting millions of
Asian fans anytime soon.

Nene's a solid player, but Yao attracted way more fans and has more
potential.