2011 Free Agency: Top 20 big men

SI.com’s Chris Mannix gave you his top 20 overall free agents so it’s time to dig down even further and rank players by position. Today: the big men, the cream of this so-so free agent crop. We’ll go 20 deep here, and as you’ll see, once you get below the top 13 or 14 guys, you’re really picking between marginal rotation players in line for minimum-salary contracts. There are a few ways to approach those kinds players, but on this list, we’re aiming for lower-risk youngsters and guys who have proved they can play decent minutes in a legitimate NBA rotation.

*Note: Kenyon Martin (see No. 13) has since signed a deal in the Chinese Basketball Association with no opt-out clause. Unless Martin is waived, he will not be eligible to return to the NBA until after the Chinese season ends in March. The NBA’s free-agent signing period is tentatively scheduled to begin on Dec. 9.

‘MAX’ PLAYERS ($10 million-plus range)

Tyson Chandler and David West should both garner big offers in free agency. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

1. Nene

Nene squeaks into the top spot because no other player on this list can touch his combination of size, scoring, athleticism and ability to contribute in several different ways on defense. He’s not a first option on offense, and he is not on Tyson Chandler’s level as a defensive game-changer, but he’s a legitimate B+/A- player on both ends. He can do just about everything on offense — run, shoot, pass, cut, score in the post and work the pick-and-roll. He’s not a back-to-the-basket beast or an isolation monster, but your offense flows when Nene is on the floor.

2. Tyson Chandler

I came very close to slotting Chandler into the top spot even though he has no one-on-one post game or reliable jumper. (To be clear: Chandler has nice form on his shot and flashed a more reliable jumper this season, but he rarely uses it and the results are inconsistent when he does.)

But Chandler is one of the franchise-changing big-man defenders, and he was the second-most important player during the Mavs’ championship run. He can protect the rim like any athletic 7-footer should be able to, but his ability to shift 20 feet out from the basket, crouch in a textbook defensive stance and slide side-to-side with some of the best ball-handlers in the world is pretty much unmatched. If he can stay healthy, Chandler is a prized asset.

3. Marc Gasol (restricted)

Gasol will probably never be the kind of game-changing defensive force Chandler is, but he’s a brute in the post, his numbers against the pick-and-roll are very good and he proved against the Thunder in the playoffs that he’s a heady defender capable of sliding out to disrupt perimeter shooters. (The Thunder helped, of course, by playing a gimpy Kendrick Perkins, the equivalent of going 4-on-5 on offense.)

On offense, Gasol may very well emerge as a better player than Nene. He’s just as versatile with a more reliable shot and a strong back-to-the-basket game. If the new collective bargaining agreement maintains Bird Rights, at least for one summer, expect the Grizzlies to match any offer for Gasol.

4. David West

At nearly 31, West is the oldest of the premiere big man free agents, and he is coming off massive knee surgery. But his game has never been about explosive athleticism, and it should age well, provided he recovers as expected from his gruesome injury. We know what West is: A pick-and-pop savant who knows his limitations, takes care of the ball, throws smart passes and generally helps on both ends. He’s a good defender and a decent rebounder.

MID-LEVEL EXCEPTION TYPES, GIVE OR TAKE A MILLION OR TWO

5. DeAndre Jordan (restricted)

You can say this is too high for Jordan, whose shooting range doesn’t even match the length of one of his arms, but this is a 22-year-old 7-footer with crazy athleticism and a commitment to the right things. He doesn’t force it on offense, and though he still goes for highlight-reel blocks too often, he works his tail off on defense. He ranks among the 100 best defenders on every play type Synergy Sports tracks, and he’s only to get better with seasoning. The Clippers rightly view Jordan as a building block, and it’s going to take a huge offer to pry him from Los Angeles.

6. Glen Davis

He might be crazy, his offensive game is maddeningly inconsistent and he falls in love with his mid-range jumper, results be damned. But here’s the thing: We know with absolute certainty that Big Baby is a very, very good big-man defender capable of playing major minutes on a good team. His combination of bulk and quick feet is death for taller players in the post, and he has spent his entire career learning how to show on pick-and-rolls from the greatest pick-and-roll defender of all time. If Davis can find the right balance on offense between stretching the floor and banging inside, he’s a hugely helpful player.

7. Thaddeus Young (restricted)

Young would probably be a more glamorous catch than either of the two guys above him, with those quick scoring bursts, top-level athleticism and low-turnover efficiency. He also just turned 23 and improved his rebounding numbers last season, a huge thing for a Philly team that played him mostly as an under-sized (but ultra-quick) power forward.

But the questions about his defense are serious. He’s often caught out of position, he has legitimate size issues against lots of power forwards and he has not shown he can credibly defend small forwards. Look for Philly to keep him at a reasonable price.

8. Greg Oden (restricted)

A little high? Sure. But taking a shot at Oden for the right price is a sounder move, depending on team context and the new CBA, than over-spending on proven mediocrities or other risky bets. We know what Oden can be.

9. Carl Landry

Everyone keeps waiting for the Carl Landry breakout party to start, and the reality is that it will probably never come; Landry is almost 28, and he’s unlikely to develop into an average rebounder for his position. But he showed the kind of subtle improvements last season in New Orleans and Sacramento that will make him a very useful role player going forward. He worked well with Chris Paul, both off the ball and as a pick-and-roll partner, and his one-on-one defense from 10 feet and out can very good. (He gave Pau Gasol serious issues on both ends of the floor in the playoffs.)

The limitations will always be here, but if Landry can hone that mid-range jumper into a more consistent weapon, he’ll be a very good get for someone.

10. Samuel Dalembert

We’re thinking strictly short term here, since Dalembert just turned 30 and his feet already move with an old-man slowness. Those feet can be problematic when offenses drag Dalembert out of the paint on pick-and-roll plays, and he has never been an efficient offensive player (check out those turnover rates). But you can do worse than running Dalembert out there for 20 minutes and watching him block shots, snare offensive boards and frighten guards in the paint.

11. Jeff Green (restricted)

Big name, overrated game. He’s a below-average shooter from just about everywhere on the court, and he was the common denominator in every bad, sieve-like Oklahoma City five-man unit. Not much changed in Boston, though Green shot the ball much better from the perimeter there.

And that might be the key with Green: context and a smaller, backup role. He has usable range on that jumper, he can work in the post against inferior defenders and he could (if we’re being very optimistic) grow into at least an average defender in the right system. The Celtics have already offered Green the $5.9 million qualifying offer, meaning he’s a restricted free agent and could sign that one-year, $5.9 million deal the second free agency starts.

Paying much more than that based on Green’s name reputation is a risk.

12. Kris Humphries

Humphries breakout double-double season screams with cautionary notes. He played heavy minutes on a bad team, he played alongside a center who couldn’t rebound, and he remains a very shaky pick-and-roll defender and helper whose lack of speed can hurt on defense.

Even so, Humphries has always been a decently productive per-minute player, and his one-on-one defense was surprisingly good. Just be careful about overpaying.

13. Kenyon Martin*

We’re starting to reach now. Martin is 33, and he goes through stretches where he’s such a non-threat to score that he becomes a liability. His defense, rebounding numbers and perimeter shooting have all dropped off, but you’d be happy next season if Martin were your third or fourth big man playing 15 or 20 minutes a game instead of 25 or 30. He plays smart on both ends and can defend a variety of players in a pinch — at least in short stretches.

14. Spencer Hawes (restricted)

The Sixers have tendered Hawes the required $4.05 million qualifying offer, so they’ll have the right to match any competing offer for him. Four years in, Hawes is still just about what he was when he started — a 7-footer who can hit a jump shot and toss gorgeous passes from the high post, but struggles to finish inside, rarely gets to the line and has trouble defending away from the basket in space.

But at 23, that kind of package is still worth a look.

THE MINIMUM, OR PERHAPS A BIT MORE

15. Kwame Brown

He’s a massive bust as a No. 1 pick, but if you ignore that history, you’re looking at a cheap option who put up an 8-7 line in just 26 minutes per game last season in Charlotte — and shot 52 percent from the floor. His range extends just beyond that of DeAndre Jordan’s, and he has never been a particularly clued-in defender. But he could work out well as a cheap option to round out your big man rotation.

16. Chuck Hayes

It’s fine if you think Hayes should be higher here. He’s a plus defender, even if he shouldn’t be guarding centers nearly as much as he had to in Houston, and his passing, cutting and ability to finish at the rim with a variety of subtle bank shots make him a more well-rounded player than he was early in his career.

17. Joel Przybilla

He’s 31 and health issues have sidelined him for most of the last two seasons, but if he’s healthy, Przybilla will bring stable defense and elite rebounding at both ends of the floor.

18. Kurt Thomas

Thomas is the oldest player in the league, and it’s fair to question how many minutes he can give. But he logged 23 per game in 52 regular-season games with the Bulls last season, and he played outstanding defense both in those games and  in the rare moments when Tom Thibodeau unleashed him in the post-season. That defense, plus his always-solid rebounding and mid-range shot, should make him valuable as one of those players who floats between the rotation and the bench.

19. Shawne Williams

You could slot a dozen or so guys into these last few spots, but I’ll give one to Williams, if only because he showed last season that he can be a 40 percent three-point shooter at the power forward spot. That alone is valuable, provided you can hide him in the right defensive system. Williams at least looked like had an appetite for effort on defense last season, though he’s not a good rebounder and was often miscast as something of a “center” next to Amar’e Stoudemire. (Williams defended Dwight Howard for a few possessions. This happened.)

He can sure hit that corner three, though.

20. Jason Collins

Collins was 3-of-4 on long two-point jumpers in the playoffs! Maybe he can be a pick-and-pop threat! Just kidding. Collins has one reliable NBA skill — post defense — and I’ll give him this spot based on that one reliable skill over a higher-risk, higher-reward guy like Earl Clark, Dante Cunningham, Josh McRoberts (major defensive problems), the ever-intriguing Kyrylo Fesenko or the irresistible Craig Smith.