Josh Childress

Baseless prediction: Steve Nash will not re-sign with Phoenix this summer. As a result, nor will Grant Hill. Shannon Brown will, as will Aaron Brooks. Those two will pair with Marshall and Jared Dudley to create a backcourt and wing rotation that will be fun as hell. This rotation will also feature Josh Childress, the forgotten man, who hasn't been good for four years (and somehow set an NBA record this year for most minutes played without making a free throw) but who must surely still have a spark on the fire. In addition to drafting Kendall Marshall, therefore, the Suns also effectively drafted Josh Childress tonight.

Another baseless prediction: Childress will be amnestied this summer. Now my bases are covered.

[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:

- Phoenix: Josh Childress - Much like Milwaukee, Phoenix felt it was time to spend, and spent it all wrong. Acquired in a sign and trade last summer, Childress has five years of outstanding guaranteed salary to go, yet couldn't even play 1,000 minutes last season. Somehow, Phoenix hadn't figured out that they wouldn't have a spot for him, with the acquisition of Hedo Turkoglu and the incumbence of Grant Hill, Jason Richardson and Jared Dudley.

Rumours also abound via Greek media that Washington are about to sign Josh Childress to an offer sheet. If true, the Wizards cap room is now largely burned on a backcourt/wing squadron of Wall, Arenas, Hinrich, Childress and Nick Young, with no room left for Mike Miller and no need any more for Randy Foye, Shaun Livingston or Earl Boykins. (NB; I had assumed that Van Gundy would say "the big thing is what will they do with Earl Boykins" after Wall's selection, without a hint of irony. Alas, he did not.) This isn't a bad setup, but it means the majority of their cap room is now gone, and the frontcourt still barely exists. Hinrich can defend and thus fills a need, but he doesn't fill it enough to justify his salary; the guy will be a backup earning over $8 million. Ernie Grunfeld simply just overvalued him.

- Josh Childress

As well you know, Childress is signed with Olympiakos in Greece. He wasn't very good there last year, really, unable to do much in the European half court game and not getting many fast break opportunities. But this year he's doing quite a lot better. Childress is averaging 16.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.7 blocks per game in the Greek league, alongside 15.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.6 blocks per game in the Euroleague. He's even hit a few threes, going a combined 15-43 (35%) between the two competitions.

Childress is still a restricted free agent of the Atlanta Hawks, who retain full Bird rights on him. Given that the Bulls' PR Machine has already set the wheels in motion for what now looks like an inevitable drastic overpayment for Joe Johnson this summer, the Hawks are probably going to need them.