Baron Davis

[T]he amnesty clause (that we're having to pretend will exist here, but which almost certainly will exist in some form) will further expand the range of available talents. A lot of decent players are going to become available, not because they can't play the game, but because they can't justify their contract. A lot of the candidates are obvious and inevitable, some perhaps less so. Here's a potential list:

- Cleveland: Baron Davis - Got the #1 overall pick for taking him on, and will be rid of him for almost no penalties. If only the Clippers had thought of that.

Cleveland finally did something with their angry owner's willingness to spend, taking on Baron Davis's exorbitant outstanding salary, and getting a top 10 pick for their troubles. The upcoming draft is going to be truly bad - we're talking 2000 calibre bad - but nevertheless, every draft has talent in it. Even the crap ones. Cleveland, who inevitably have to build through the draft, is right to trade into it, as long as they are sure that Baron's salary proves not to be prohibitive down the road. Meanwhile, L.A. ends the entirely unproductive B-Diddy era, and opens up $6 million in 2012 cap room. Why a team with 2012 cap room aspirations decided to sign Ryan Gomes to a contract that will pay him $4 million that summer is not immediately clear, but it's too late to change that now.

They also still had holes in the team; no backup centre other than DeAndre Jordan, and only four guards, one of whom is a 19 year old rookie and one of whom is so out of shape that even his coach can't help but mention it.