The NBA Team Winning this Off-Season: The Bears

By that I mean, not some cutesy nickname for the Grizzlies. I mean: People who are pessimistic about the economy. As we tiptoe into free agency, I'm feeling there are plenty of signs that big-dollar NBA contract offers will be precious and rare this off-season. A few of the many examples: Carlos Boozer opts in. He's the kind of player that teams save cap space for in any normal economy. But obviously his judgment was that a guaranteed year was better than facing the 2009 the open market. (By the way, how is he supposed to judge this on Tuesday when negotiating with teams is not allowed until Wednesday?) Shaquille O'Neal for cap space. The suspicion is he may be the most important acquisition of the off-season, maybe even the key piece to a title winner. And it was for almost nothing. Charlie Villanueva teamless. He becomes one of the very best players ever to find himself without a qualifying offer. Marquis Daniels: No chance. He was good for the Pacers this seaso...