Tyson Chandler wants to return to the world champion Dallas Mavericks but the new CBA deal may complicate his plans. (USPRESSWIRE)

Now that the NBA and its players have finally reached an agreement on a new collective bargaining contract after five months of posturing and bickering, teams can start working on their free agency plans. The free agency period is set to begin on Dec. 9, which is the same time training camps open.

Although the 2011 free agency class is not as potent as the 2010 class there are still plenty of good names on the list that could tilt the balance of power in each conference. Defending champion Dallas has six players whose contracts expired on July 1 and all are unrestricted (Tyson Chandler, Peja Stojakovic, J.J. Barea, Caron Butler, Brian Cardinal, DeShawn Stevenson), which means they can sign with any team. The Denver Nuggets could lose Nene Hilario and J.R. Smith, while the Portland Trail Blazers need to decide if they want to keep 2007 No. 1 overall pick Greg Oden, who has been hampered by two devastating knee injuries the past two seasons.

Kris Humphries is an unrestricted free agent, but it is not known if ex-wife Kim Kardashian is going to use her midlevel exception on him. OneManFastBreak.net examines the 10 best free agents available when training camp starts on Dec. 9:

10) TAYSHAUN PRINCE (UNRESTRICTED)
The 6-foot-9 forward has been stuck in gloomy Detroit since his rookie season in 2002. The Pistons are going nowhere and now is the best time to bail. Prince is only 31 years old and could be persuaded to play for a contending team. Prince is a capable role player who plays solid defense and has championship experience.

9) J.J. BAREA (UNRESTRICTED)
The Puerto Rican sensation had been mired in obscrurity for much of his NBA career, but he burst onto the national spotlight during the 2011 playoffs when he lit up the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals. Barea, who played behind Jason Kidd, could command interest from teams desperate for a point guard.

Point guard J.J. Barea backs up Jason Kidd in Dallas. (GETTY IMAGES)

8) GLEN DAVIS (UNRESTRICTED)
The Celtics’ window of opportunity to win another NBA title is closing. They have seven unrestricted free agents and one restricted (Jeff Green). One of the unrestricted free agents is Glen “Big Baby” Davis. Davis is a backup forward who can play starter minutes if given an opportunity. Davis, who is only 25, will be seeking a long-term deal, but Boston will definitely try hard to keep him. The Nuggets, Magic and Pistons have already inquired about Davis.

7) AARON BROOKS (RESTRICTED
Still unsure why the Rockets gave up so quickly on Brooks, who can change the game with his speed and 3-point shooting. The Suns acquired Brooks in a trade with the Rockets as insurance policy for All-Star point guard Steve Nash, who will be a free agent in the summer of 2012. We’ll find out soon if Brooks is in the Suns’ long-term plans if he’s offered a $50-million deal by another team.

6) DAVID WEST (UNRESTRICTED)
The Hornets are in a delicate position. If they don’t re-sign David West they could potentially lose their franchise player Chris Paul even before the season starts because management is basically telling CP3 that they are not committed to winning. West is coming off knee surgery so teams need to be conscious of the fact that he may not be the same player before the injury.

5) ANDREI KIRILENKO (UNRESTRICTED)
Hard to imagine seeing AK47 in a different uniform because he has been a fixture with the Jazz for a decade. But also hard to imagine the Jazz signing the forward to an $86-million deal six years ago. Talk about overpaying for guy who is not even a third-team All-NBA performer. Kirilenko, 30, may not be a franchise player, but he can be signed for half that amount for a contending team.

4) TYSON CHANDLER (UNRESTRICTED)
It would be a shame should the Mavericks lose Chandler because his presence on the defensive end was crucial to the Mavericks’ championship run last June. The 7-1, center has said he would like to return to Dallas, but the new collective bargaining rules may make it hard for him to re-sign with the Mavs.

3) JAMAL CRAWFORD (UNRESTRICTED)
The Atlanta Hawks were quick to give big contracts to Joe Johnson and Al Horford, but the team has been hesitant to give Crawford an extension. Free agency is nothing new to Crawford, who bounced around three teams (Chicago, New York, Golden State) before landing in Atlanta in 2009. Crawford could bounce again if the Hawks don’t show him some love.

Jamal Crawford's days with the Atlanta Hawks may be numbered. (USPRESSWIRE)

2) NENE HILARIO (UNRESTRICTED)
Could it be deja vu for the Nuggets? They lost Carmelo Anthony last year to the New York Knicks and now they could potentially lose Nene without compensation. Nene, 29, is still in the prime of his career and any team can certainly use a 6-10 power forward – who can occasionally play center – that shoots almost 60% from the field.

1) MARC GASOL (RESTRICTED)
Pau Gasol’s younger brother is the gem of this year’s free agent class. The 7-1, 270-pound center is only 26 years old and a true low-post player who can affect the game on both ends. Marc Gasol is a restricted free agent, which means the Grizzlies can match any offer. But true centers are hard to find in the NBA so the big Spaniard should draw a lot of suitors and force the Grizzlies to match the offer.

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Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka (third from left) joins an already loaded Spanish national team. (FIBA EUROPE)

The final game of the 2011 European Championship turned into a huge block party for Serge Ibaka.

In his first major international competition wearing the colors of the Spanish national team, the 21-year-old Oklahoma City Thunder forward had half of Spain’s 10 blocked shots against France and helped Espana capture the EuroBasket title in Lithuania. Spain and France earned automatic berths for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Ibaka scored just four points in 21 minutes off the bench, but it was his stellar defense that keyed an impressive 98-85 victory for Spain, the second-best team in the world and the biggest threat to the United States next summer. Ibaka completely altered the game with three early monster blocks in the first half that powered Spain to a 36-26 lead.

Barcelona’s Juan Carlos Navarro led the Spaniards with a game-high 27 points. Los Angeles Lakers center Pau Gasol added 17 points and 10 rebounds, while San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker paced France with 26 points.

The addition of the 6-foot-10 Ibaka gives Spain, which already boasts 7-footers Pau and Marc Gasol, the most formidable frontline in the world – even better than whatever the U.S. will put together next year. Ibaka prefers to face-up on offense, and he doesn’t mind giving way to the post to the Gasol brothers.

Ibaka calls Pau Gasol possibly the most talented center with the best fundamentals in the NBA. “It will be a dream to play with him,” Ibaka told the Associated Press back in July.

Flashback to the gold medal game against the U.S. in the 2008 Beijing Olympics in which Spain struggled to keep up with the Americans athletically, especially when LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony played power forward. With Ibaka on the roster, Spain will no longer have that issue.

Ibaka was granted Spanish nationality in July, clearing the way for him to help Spain defend its European championship. “Spain is a country that has given me a lot,” Ibaka told the Associated Press. “It will be an honor to give Spain back all that it has given me on the court.”

Ibaka was born in the Republic of Congo but played for Spanish clubs for three years before moving to the NBA in 2009. He maintains a residence in Barcelona.

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Pau Gasol is the emotional leader of the Spanish national team. (FIBA EUROBASKET)

Pau Gasol took the brunt of the criticism during the 2011 NBA playoffs when the Lakers were swept out of the second round by eventual champion Dallas.

Gasol didn’t play his best during the series, and at one point he appeared so out of it that Lakers coach Phil Jackson was seen chastising his star forward basically telling the Spaniard to snap out of his funk.

Rumors swirled all over the Internet that Gasol was having issues with his girlfriend Silvia Lopez Castro, then it was compounded when teammate Shannon Brown tweeted that he was not having an affair with Pau’s girl (memo to
Shannon Brown: if nothing was going on then why tweet about it?)

L.A. Lakers star Pau Gasol with his girlfriend Silvia Lopez Castro. (GETTY IMAGES)

Gasol is one of the nicest NBA players you will ever meet, and something was clearly bothering him last season. More often than not, Pau wears his emotions on his sleeve and he needs to be highly engaged in order to be effective. So, it is important for Pau to regain his confidence and it starts with European Championships in Lithuanian.

Laker fans are hoping that playing for his country and being with familiar faces should help Gasol’s mental state. Sorta like going back home to your mom’s house for some good old-fashioned home cooking to clear your mind. As a bonus, Pau gets to play with his brother, Marc.

So far, the Gasols are rolling through the competition at the European Championships. With the Gasols in the post and international stars Juan Carlos Navarro and Ricky Rubio in the perimeter, Spain may have the most complete team at EuroBasket 2011.

In Spain’s 77-68 victory over Germany in the second round, the Gasol brothers combined for 43 points (Marc had 24 and Pau had 19) to down Dirk Nowitzki’s squad. Spain’s lone loss in the tournament came against Turkey, which is led by Hedo Turkoglu and Omer Asik.

As long as the Gasol brothers are firing on all cylinders, Spain should capture the gold medal at EuroBasket 2011 (although France and host nation Lithuanian are capable of derailing that plan). The top two teams in the tournament earn automatic berths to the 2012 London Olympics.

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Marc Gasol, who had a solid year with the Memphis Grizzlies last season, won't have his older brother Pau at the 2010 FIBA World Championship but that shouldn't stop Spain from contending for the gold medal. (GETTY IMAGES)

The year 2010 has been very kind to Spain.

In June, Pau Gasol won his second NBA championship with the Lakers. A few weeks later, Rafael Nadal won his second Wimbledon title. In July, Alberto Contador captured his third consecutive Tour de France title and the Spanish soccer team won its first World Cup.

It has been a banner year for Spain so far, and the country’s great karma could continue at the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey, which begins Aug. 28.

Despite not having its best player Pau Gasol – who has decided to skip the FIBA World Championship this summer to give his body some much-needed rest – Spain remains one of the favorites to capture the gold medal in Turkey because of three reasons: center Marc Gasol, Pau’s younger brother who is slowly blazing his own trail in the NBA; shooting guard Juan Carlos Navarro, the reigning Euroleague player of the year; and his Euroleague teammate point guard Ricky Rubio.

Both men gave the United States fits in last Sunday’s exhibition game in Madrid, a game narrowly won by the U.S. 86-85. Navarro had 20 points to lead Spain and Gasol had 17 points and had his way against the Americans in the low post.

For years, Marc Gasol, nicknamed “El Tanque,” has played in the shadows of his much celebrated brother. But the last couple of years, Marc has come into his own and had a breakout season with the Memphis Grizzlies last year.

The 25-year-old Barcelona native averaged career highs in points (14.6), rebounds (9.3) and field-goal percentage (58%) last season – his second as an NBA pro – and has become one of the central figures in the Grizzlies’ youth movement. The 7-foot-1, 270-pound big man is a much more physical player than his older brother. He could very well be the best post-up player at the World Championship in Turkey, and now is a good time to break out of his brother’s immense shadow.

Marc Gasol may not have his sibling on this year’s Spanish national team but he’ll have his basketball brethren with him, including veteran guard Navarro. Nicknamed “La Bomba” for his big-time long-range shots, Navarro has been a fixture on Spain’s national team for 10 years.

“For many years Juan Carlos and I have known each other and we are like brothers,” Marc Gasol told FIBA.com. The 30-year-old Navarro, a former member of the Memphis Grizzlies who led FC Barcelona to a Euroleague title last season and is the reigning Euroleague Final MVP.

“Being in the same room as Juan Carlos is like being with my brother Pau, because they are very similar,” Gasol added. “I have a lot of affection for Juan Carlos.”

Juan Carlos Navarro will captain Spain at the 2010 World Championship in Turkey.

Indeed, the camaraderie at Spain’s training camp appears to be good, with Rudy Fernandez and Rubio together like old times at DKV Joventut, and Felipe Reyes and Jorge Garbajosa also hanging out just as if they were with Real Madrid.

Spain is a close-knit group, the core of the squad has been together for at least four seasons and much of the roster remains the same when it won the gold medal at the 2006 World Championship. Navarro, the team captain, told FIBA.com that he has a good feeling about the squad. “Most of the group is the same as last year,” he said, referring to the team that took gold at last year’s EuroBasket. “We know each other well and the know the style of play.

“We must try to play like last year and have a mind to defend. Then with our quality in attack we have everything.”

With the injury to Jose Calderon, who appears to be out of the World Championship because of a leg injury, Rubio will assume the starting role at point. Rubio showcased his talents against the U.S. in the exhibition game earlier this week in Madrid. His length bothered the guards and his passing off pick-and-rolls exposed the big men. Rubio will make a huge impact at the World Championship, no doubt.

The rest of Spain’s starting lineup includes Navarro at shooting guard, Fernandez on the wing and Garbajosa and Marc Gasol in the frontcourt. Spain has a NBA-type roster that can match up against any team, including the United States. Its five starters took part in the 2008 Beijing Olympics (minus Pau, of course), losing to the United States in the gold-medal game, and nine of the 12 players on the squad are either playing in the NBA of was drafted by an NBA franchise.

Spain and the United States are obviously the two favorites at the World Championship, and Spain could have a slight edge because it has a much more experienced group and Team USA doesn’t not have a whole lot of size to match up with Marc Gasol in the middle.

But Navarro downplayed the importance of the highly anticipated matchup with the United States and didn’t discount the other teams in the tournament.

“Hopefully we can play them, as that would mean we have gone a long way in the championship, but now it is a bit early to talk about it,” he said. “There are many contenders. Argentina, the United States, Serbia, who had a great tournament last year, but it is too early to think about that now. We are only in the early stages of workouts and there is much work remaining.”

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Since trading Pau Gasol to the L.A. Lakers in 2008, the Memphis Grizzlies and their owner Michael Heisley have been getting grief from opposing players and coaches, the media, barbershop critics, season-ticket holders, school children and their grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, friends and neighbors for basically gift-wrapping an NBA championship to the Lakers.

That may be true but the Grizzlies didn’t exactly come out of the deal empty handed. Lost in the whole gift exchange between L.A. and Memphis was the not-so-highly publicized fact that Memphis in return got Gasol’s younger brother, Marc, in the deal.

Marc Gasol, drafted by Lakers in the second round in 2007, was sent to Memphis without much fanfare, but the soon-to-be 25-year-old Spaniard has developed into one of the top young centers in the NBA and he now anchors a young Grizzlies team that is beginning to make some noise in the Western Conference.

Through Jan. 19, the Grizzlies are 22-18 and 16-6 in December and January.

The foundation of the Grizzlies’ recent success is built around nine-year veteran Zach Randolph and their three young studs: Gasol, Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo.

The quartet may not be as popular as Elvis Presley’s Memphis Mafia but they are evolving into one of more entertaining teams in the Association, averaging 104.2 points per game (fourth in the league) and shooting 47.9 percent from the field (sixth).

Randolph is one of just three players who is averaging more than 20 points and 10 rebounds for the season and he is complemented inside by the 7-foot-1, 270-pound Gasol, nicknamed “El Tanque” (which means The Tank) for the way he dishes and absorbs heavy contact in the low block.

Grizzlies center Marc Gasol is second in the NBA with a 61.1% field goal percentage.

“Zach Randolph may have the better numbers, but I believe Gasol is their most efficient big man,” said Covers expert Sean Murphy, who recently moved up Memphis seven spots from 19 to 12 in his latest NBA Power Rankings.

“One of the biggest reasons for their struggles in recent seasons has been their awful interior defense,” Murphy explained. “Gasol has done an excellent job of plugging that hole.”

Gasol is fourth on the team in points (14.6), second in rebounds (9.6) and first in blocked shots (1.5) and field goal percentage (61.1 percent). His shooting percentage is second-best in the NBA.

The evolution of Gasol as a force on offense and defense, as well as the steady hand of Randolph, have definitely taken pressure off Gay – the team’s budding star and emerging leader.

Now in his fourth season, Gay has become a complete player and is enjoying career highs in points (20.2), rebounds (6.2) and steals (1.5).

“We saw signs of this two years ago before he struggled last season,” Murphy said of the former UConn star. “Not only is he leading by example, but he’s also done an excellent job of helping the younger players such as Mayo.”

Like every young team in the league, the Grizzlies are far more comfortable playing at home than on the road. Their recent surge can be attributed to a 15-5 mark at FedEx Forum and greatly aided by a nine-game home winning streak.

“They’re a high-scoring team, but at home is where their strength is. It’s still more of a shake-and-bake team than a power team,” said John Avello, sportsbook manager at Wynn Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

“They’re on a nice streak, but they’re in a tough conference. In the West, everybody is difficult to handle.”

So, are the Grizzlies finally getting enough respect?

“I think the key thing to watch will be whether they can keep it rolling through the All-Star break, that’s often when young teams start breaking down,” Murphy noted.

This article also appears on Covers. com.

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