Updates on Free Agency (Lots of People Getting Paid)

Baron Davis agrees to sign 5-year, $65 million contract with Clippers

Smart move by the Clippers, smart move by Davis.

As long as Elton Brand agrees to re-sign with the team, they'll have a line-up of Brand at power forward, Davis at point guard, Chris Kaman at center, Cuttino Mobley and rookie Eric Gordon at shooting guard, and then Brevin Knight and rookie DeAndre Jordan coming off the bench. That's a solid team, that's a playoff team -- and in the Western Conference, that's saying a lot. As exciting and up-and-coming the Warriors are, the Clippers (with Brand) give him a better chance of winning in the postseason. And if nothing else, they'll be a lot of fun to watch. Davis and Brand are going to pick-and-roll all day.

And Baron's beard is the truth.

Arenas, Wizards agree to 6-year, $111 million deal

Jamison, Wizards agree to 5-year, $50 million deal

The problem with the Washington Wizards is that they'll never win a championship with the way their roster is built -- they have three elite scorers on the perimeter (Arenas, Jamison, and Caron Butler) but they don't have a true distributing point guard, they don't have a true low post scorer, and outside of Brendan Haywood, no one on that team plays any defense. With that being said, Washington absolutely did the right thing. Arenas can blow up for 30+ points on any given night, and Jamison is one of the shiftiest scorers in the league, with all of his up-and-under moves and his unconventional floaters. Between all of the points scored between those two and Butler, that's still enough to win homecourt advantage in the playoffs and challenge for the Eastern Conference title. They might be overpaying for Arenas, but they have no choice, they can't just let either of them leave without compensation.

And in case you don't already read it, here's Gilbert's blog. It's not amazing, but just by default, he's already one of the most candid and articulate professional athletes out there. Gilbert's great because he doesn't write in jock-speak; he actually sounds like a well-rounded, semi-intelligent human being.

Kings agree to 5-year, $32 million deal with Udrih

Artest says it was a 'mistake' not to opt out of deal with Kings

Good job by Sacramento locking up Beno Udrih. He's so understated, plays so below the radar, but he's a very capable point guard. He averaged nearly 13 points and 5 assists per game last season; not all-world, but still very solid numbers. Udrih is just another testament -- along with Manu Ginobli, Tony Parker, Luis Scola, Fabricio Oberto, and possibly, Tiago Splitter -- to the San Antonio Spurs' amazing foresight and ability to effectively scout overseas talent. He and the equally under-appreciated Kevin Martin will make a strong backcourt for the Kings.

And I'm thoroughly convinced that Ron Artest will always be more trouble than he's worth. He could easily win the Defensive Player of the Year award if he set his mind to it, but he always has a problem with something. He's a malcontent. I think Sacramento will be better off in the long run letting his contract expire and replace him with a younger small forward that has a lot less baggage, and Artest will be better off playing in a bigger market on a better team.

Agents says Heat targeting Dooling

I love the idea of bringing Keyon Dooling back here. His one and only year here -- playing alongside Lamar Odom, Eddie Jones, Brian Grant, Butler, and then-rookies Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem -- was the single most fun season I've ever watched of Heat basketball.

He tends to over-dribble, isn't an aware passer, and can't efficiently run a structured offense, but I like what can offer the team: size, length, defense, athleticism, scoring, can play both guard positions, energy off the bench, good attitude, and the ability to isolate and take his man one-on-one. I hope we do sign him. He can platoon between both the point guard spot (helping out the still-untested Marcus Bank, the athletically-challenged Chris Quinn, and the rookie Mario Chalmers) and the shooting guard spot (he'll challenge sophomore Daquan Cook and help give Wade a breather).

I definitely think he's more appealing than the other free agent options at PG: Sebastian Telfair (too short, can't shoot), Tyronn Lue (too small, goofy-looking), Anthony Carter (been there, done that), Anthony Johnson (steady, but too old), and Carlos Arroyo (sucks, can't play).

Duhon agrees to sign 2-year, $12 million deal with Knicks

The New York Knicks never do anything right when it comes to personnel -- not only do they always sign the wrong free agents, they also sign them for way too much. But I think they actually helped themselves here. Chris Duhon can pass a little, score a little (especially from behind the arc), and defend a little. He shouldn't be starting under normal circumstances, but he's good enough to start over the rest of the garbage that New York currently has at the position. And in Coach D'Antoni's run-and-gun, shot-happy offense, Duhon should thrive. It's a good match for both sides.