Rich get richer thanks to NBA free agency

As for the league's lesser half, there will be no quantum leaps, at least through free agency.

Any gains the Wizards make will be with the pre-draft trade acquisitions of Mike Miller and Randy Foye, the expected return to health of Gilbert Arenas and Brendan Haywood, and the coaching upgrade to Flip Saunders.

For the Clippers, the gain came in the draft, with the selection of Blake Griffin.

Otherwise, there is a collective yawn from the bottom of the standings.

Is Atlanta decidedly better with Jamal Crawford? Does Jannero Pargo come close to replacing Gordon in Chicago? Does it matter than Dahntay Jones will now do his defensive maiming in Indiana?

Are there moves out there that still could reorder the standings? Certainly.

Less than a week into the signing period, there still is plenty of work to be done, several remaining issues.

Andre Miller

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Consider Miller a swing vote. If the 76ers lose the veteran point guard, they might not be as good as last season, instead having to rely on the youth of Lou Williams and Jrue Holiday at point. By contrast, if the Blazers or another team with point envy were to land Miller, it would represent a significant backcourt upgrade.

Lamar Odom
Then there is the curious case of Odom. Without his return, the Lakers could find themselves at a net loss this offseason. Odom's versatility was among the reasons the Lakers were such a matchup problem throughout the postseason. Yes, they would still be West favorites, just not prohibitive favorites.

Allen Iverson
No, he's not getting big money or long years. And yes, he is a unique fit. But what if the Timberwolves can't land Ricky Rubio in the short term? Might it not make sense to employ Iverson in the interim, until Rubio arrives?

Linas Kleiza

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It's not as if Kleiza makes or breaks the Nuggets' future. But after losing Marcus Camby last season and Dahntay Jones this summer, the losses have to be stemmed, if only to maintain the appearance of moving forward.

The restricteds
Still no offer sheets for any of the restricted free agents beyond the one Dallas extended to Orlando backup center Marcin Gortat. The question now becomes whether there will be a market for the Bobcats' Raymond Felton or the Knicks' duo of David Lee or Nate Robinson. In all three of those cases, the answer might be settling for the qualifying offers in place from their current teams and returning to the process next summer, when each will be an untethered unrestricted free agent.

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