Welcome to the New and improved NBA ROUNDTABLE!! Well, actually, its been renamed to the KANDI-MEN! So thats New, as for improved. . .. well Let us know. 

1) Here today, gone tomorrow. As of right now, who is the best free agent still available? 

Alexander Jefferson: The best values? Marvin Williams and Raymond Felton, just wait and see. But the best? It has to be David Lee. He led the NBA in double-doubles. He averaged 16 points and 11 rebounds a game last year. He shot 59% from the field. At 6-9, he averaged more assists (2.1) than turnovers. He is a hustle player, a guy who can play defense, will dive on the ground for loose balls, will take charges, and doesn't need the ball a lot to be effective. At just 26 years old, Lee still has plenty of good years left in him, and when he gets signed- whether by the Knicks or someone else, he'll provide an effective PF/C for years to come. If Marcin Gortat can get $34 million from not one, but two teams, why hasn't Lee been signed? 

John Mitchell: I would say Lamar Odom. He was a major reason the Lakers took home the NBA Championship this past season. Odom is a versatile forward, and almost any team would benefit from having him on there team. The Lakers really need to be smart, and give Odom what he wants, and bring him back. He is a key player for that team. 

Denis Moric: There are many free agents out there that deserve to be starters in the NBA, but the best free agent left is David Lee. He does all the dirty work on both ends of the floor and has turned into one of the best rebounders in the NBA. He shows up every night and has made a name for himself, and I don't know why teams aren't going after him. Odom, M. Williams, Sessions, Felton, and A. Miller are all other free agents I'd like to have on my team, but David Lee is the type of player a championship-caliber team needs to get over the top. 

Travis Pollitt: David Lee.  He's a double-double machine.  Portland should really look into Lee, as New York would most likely not match a substantial offer to Lee in order to save cap room for 2010, wise or not.  Lee would be a nice fit for Portland after losing out on Millsap.  Looking into the backcourt, the best FA available has to be Andre Miller.  Miller is still a solid PG who can run a team.  Some may be surprised I skipped over Iverson, but no one needs someone like him taking 20 shots a game at this point in his career. 

Dan Vachalek: Allen Iverson. He has a lot of talent and can score on a dime. He has a lot of will power to get the ball, and when he gets the ball, he can make plenty of things happen. His best spot on the basketball court is in the shooting guard position. He is a scorer first, and is not fit to be an effective point guard in the league. So his best option for a team would have to be a team looker for a scoring. And he definitely is a scorer. Best free agent still available.   
 

2) By re-signing Jason Kidd and landing Shawn Marion in a 4-team trade, the Mavericks are clearly going for "win now" instead of "rebuild and try to win later". Are they starting to look like a legitimate championship contender for next season? 

Alexander Jefferson: Not quite yet, although they definitely look like a player. A starting five of Kidd (still effective PG), Josh Howard (good at multiple things), Marion (excellent addition), Nowitzki (overrated, albeit elite player) and Erick Dampier (lol) looks very good; but how far can those guys take them? Yes, Jason Terry is a good scorer off the bench, but what else is he? Even though I don't like letting Brandon Bass go, I love the Marion edition for this team. Marion is a guy who plays both smart and effective. He plays defense, which is something that Dallas hasn't had; a defender who can score a little bit. He doesn't turn the ball over- just 1.6 TO a game, even while playing in the run-n-gun offense. He rebounds very well for his size, with a career average of 9.9. And he also stays on the court and has played almost 38 minutes a game career-wise, which is an underrated aspect of any player's game. But until the Mavericks get a little more role player/bench help, they're not quite a championship contender. Remember, Boston did make moves to put the big three together, but James Posey and Eddie House were playing key parts during the title run. 

John Mitchell: I'm not ready to call them Championship contenders just yet. I want to see what kind of role Marion has on this team. Is he going to start? Are they going to move Josh Howard to SG? I need to see them play before I can really pull the trigger on calling them title contenders. The move is an improvement, but I don't think they are on the same level as LA and San Antonio. 

Denis Moric: Yes, but I'm not totally sold they can get past Los Angeles, San Antonio, or Denver in a 7-game series. They need to strengthen their frontcourt a bit more if they want to advance to the Conference Finals. I certainly like what they did this offseason, but if they could have kept Marcin Gortat, they could have been REALLY dangerous come playoff time. 

Travis Pollitt: Dallas is trying to be a legit championship contender, but I think they are just a step below true championship contention.  San Antonio improved greatly in the offseason, and right now, they have to be number 2 behind LA.  If Odom signs elsewhere, the West becomes a little more wide open.  Denver is also another team that I still like over Dallas.  Dallas improved this offseason, but not getting Gortat and losing Brandon Bass really hurts.  I'd put them at number 4 in the West.  Only way they become a legit championship contender is a serious injury to one of the 3 teams in front of them. 

Dan Vachalek: I say that they are. Shawn Marion, Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki are going to post a threat to a lot of teams in the Western Conference. They now look like the team that can make a push for the championship. Jason Kidd is a very good point guard and can get triple doubles twenty plus times a year. That is going to help out a lot as he is a leader. He is able to score in double figures, he is able to pass the ball which teams always need and he is able to steal or rebound. Forcing any kind of turnover in basketball is a positive thing and teams will take any kind of turnover that they can get. Rebounding is a great way to get the ball, and the more rebounders on a team, the better as that means that they are getting the ball more and more off of missed shots by the opponents.   

3) Looking back at the entire season that has just ended (regular season and playoffs) which is the team that suffered the most due to player injuries? 

Alexander Jefferson: While the popular picks might be Milwaukee and Houston, I'm gonna go in a different direction and say New Orleans (although Philadelphia also gets strong consideration; remember when everyone picked them to surprise in the East with Elton Brand?). I firmly believe that had their players not been injured, the Hornets would have made a championship run. Yes, Chris Paul and David West are good, but they need help. Over the course of the year, the Hornets lost not one, not two, three starters, and when they did play, none were at 100%. New Orleans lost Tyson Chandler, Peja Stojakovic and Morris Peterson all to injuries, and without those three, they were simply not as good of a team. Had they been healthy, who knows? But if they are all healthy next year: watch out; the Hornets will be back on the map. 

John Mitchell: There are a few teams that come to mind with this. But the one that jumps out to me the most are the Rockets. Houston missed McGrady for most of last season, but still had a very strong season and busted into the playoffs. In the 2nd round against LA, they lost Yao Ming for the remainder of the postseason, and the Lakers took the series in 7 games, and went on to win the NBA Championship. I don't know if Houston would have beaten LA without Yao, but when you lose your franchise player, it always hurts. 

Denis Moric: My pick is the Wizards. And believe it or not, I think they can advance past the 1st round next year if everyone is healthy. They are one of the deepest teams in the league...I'm expecting big things from them this year. Last season, their whole roster basically suffered some sort of injury somewhere throughout the season. Let's just hope Gilbert Arenas can come back and be one of the best scorers in the NBA again. 

Travis Pollitt: It's easily Houston.  Losing McGrady was a blow, but for Yao going down as well takes the cake.  Houston still managed 7 games against LA however.  With Yao most likely out for next season, Houston's chances of heading back to the playoffs are slim. 

Dan Vachalek: I’m going to go with the Milwaukee Bucks. They were pushing towards the playoffs last year and were on pace to actually make the playoffs which they haven’t for several years. That’s when it all turned for the worse as Michael Redd went down with an injury and was lost for the season. With Bogut not returning anytime soon and Redd out, the Bucks were facing trouble, and big trouble. Then Luke Ridnour was injured late in the season and the season just fell apart. Those injuries killed any sort of chance the Bucks had.   

4) The Twitter fever reached the NBA this season. Do you think it is acceptable for NBA players to make posts on Twitter (or any other site, for that matter) during games, even if they are playing well during that game? 

Alexander Jefferson: Honestly, I don't really see the problem with it. Is it the best decision during a game? No, but is it really all that bad? I mean, obviously these guys aren't going to be doing this during a game, it would be either at halftime, or on the bench. In all seriousness, do you think NBA players are focusing on the game after they get taken out? Absolutely not. And if they haven't been taken out, then they probably aren't going to play as it is, so what's the problem? Yes, it probably won't help your team win, but it also won't help your team lose, either. I guess I'm kind of indifferent on the issue, but I don't really see why it's as bad as most people make it out to be. 

John Mitchell: No, I don't think it is right. During an NBA game, players should be focused on the task at hand of winning a basketball game, and not be worried about updating their Twitter. The fans are watching the game, we don't need you telling us what's going on. Before or after a game is alright, but I don't think it should be used during games. 

Denis Moric: I don't mind players tweeting during halftime when play is stopped, but players making posts when they are on the bench during a game is just crazy. Chad Ochocinco suggested he'd tweet on the sidelines, and I think that might be one of the stupidest acts he's pulled yet. Twitter is fun and entertaining, but you can't have it done during a game. 

Travis Pollitt: No, players should not Tweet during games.  Players are paid millions of dollars to play their respective sports, and the least they can do is be professional. Tweet after games in the locker room, that's fine.  But keep your mind on the game at halftime. 

Dan Vachalek: No, they should not be allowed to be able to do that. They should be focusing on the game and their opponents. Why should they be getting distracted by something when they should be playing the game and focusing on what they need to be doing better? I don’t care if they are having the game of their life, they should be focusing on their opponent and not getting distracted by some stupid site that can wait until the game is finished.   

5) Phil Jackson just won another title. Let us imagine he retires right now (we know he isn't retiring, but that is another story). Who has the greatest coaching career, Red Auerbach or Phil Jackson? 

Alexander Jefferson: Jackson, although I personally would rather have Auerbach. At some point, coaches need to be defined by titles, and Jackson happens to have more. Yes, Jackson has had the benefits of coaching Kobe and Shaq and Jordan and Pippen, but is Jackson at fault for that? He took the talent and won with it, and it is certainly harder to win now than it was when Auerbach was coaching. And it's not like Auerbach didn't have any talent himself; Russell, McHale, Bird, Parrish, Cousy, Havlicek, etc. It is a very close debate, but at this point, it seems as though Jackson has passed Auerbach on top of the list. 

John Mitchell: Since, you can't count Red's executive days, I have to say Phil was the better coach. 10 Rings, over 1000 wins, and the most playoff wins of any coach in history. To me, Phil has been a master of keeping players egos in check, and has been the glue holding each team he has coached together. To me, Phil is the best in NBA History. 

Denis Moric: I'm gonna have to say Phil Jackson just because the rosters where totally different and in this era, there is free agency and player movement. Red Auerbach has basically the same roster throughout his coaching career, leading the Celtics to 9 championships.. Phil Jackson has 10, with different teams and, in my opinion, better competition. I am just a huge fan of his coaching style, especially when you have players such as Michael, Kobe, and Shaq. 

Travis Pollitt: Statistically, the edge goes to Jackson.  Phil has more wins, titles, and a higher winning percentage.  However, on his championship teams, he ALWAYS had the best player in the league.  In Chicago, it was Jordan.  In his early LA days, it was Shaq.  This year, it was Kobe.  Not to take anything away from Phil, but he always had great teams to work with.  The thing that makes this tough for me is that Auerbach won 8 straight titles, which is amazing.  But, I'm still taking Jackson.  Jackson won 6 straight championships when he had Michael Jordan.  If MJ had not tried to play baseball, I think it's fair to say that Chicago could have won another 2 championships, giving Jackson 8 in a row as well.  Jackson has more wins and a higher winning percentage, and despite some bad luck with Jordan, he still has more rings.Very slight edge to Phil. 

Dan Vachalek: I’m going to go with Red Auerbach. He had the Coach of the Year trophy named after him which is a huge accomplishment. The thing about Auerbach is that he didn’t just win those nine NBA championships in different time periods; he won them all in a row. That is something that has never been done by a professional team. He was the best coach to ever coach in the NBA.