Antonio McDyess is officially a member of the San Antonio Spurs, strengthening Protect the Paint’s prediction that the Spurs are the team to beat for 2010.

McDyess (and draft choice DeJuan Blair) joins Tim Duncan and Matt Bonner to give San Antonio an incredibly strong, versatile frontcourt. Duncan does everything. He might not rap or be covered in tattoos. He’s never assaulted anyone, so his street-cred is lacking, but he’ll go down as one of the best basketball players ever.

McDyess' shooting touch can now help a contender. (credit:picapp.com)

Bonner started last season, but most likely will come off the bench for the new Spurs. His 44 percent from beyond the arc brings defenders out of the paint freeing up space for Duncan. Blair—the 37th pick in last month’s draft out of Pittsburgh—is a rebounding machine. This is a man who can protect the paint.

Which brings us to McDyess. The number two overall back from the 1995 Draft averaged 9.6 points and 9.8 rebounds per game last year in 62 games with Detroit, starting out as a reserve and eventually gaining a starting position because of his steady play. He might not have the same psycho look in his eye Kurt Thomas (traded to Milwaukee) did, but immediately makes the Spurs a much better rebounding team and more physical.

Jefferson will be slashing teams apart at will. (Credit: picapp.com)

Throw in the acquisition of Richard Jefferson—excellent defender, gets out on the break, in his prime—and the Spurs add the athleticism they lacked last season.

Tony Parker and a healthy Manu Ginobili, along with Duncan, McDyess, and Michael Finley gives the team five players who at some point have been All-Stars. The Spurs head into the season with their deepest roster ever, and this is a franchise that has won four NBA titles.

PROJECTED ROTATION

STARTERS/RESERVES

Tony Parker/George Hill
Roger Mason/Manu Ginobili
Richard Jefferson/Michael Finley
Tim Duncan/DeJuan Blair
Antonio McDyess/Matt Bonner

The five reserves are better than the majority of the starting five for the rest of the league.

McDyess—who will be 35 when the season begins—might not be in his prime, but even though the Lakers added Ron Artest and the Mavs traded for Shawn Marion, it will be incredibly difficult for these two teams or anyone to get past the Spurs in 2009-10.

The combo of Duncan, Ginobili, and Parker has won three titles already, and, provided the injury bug doesn’t bite, should make for at least one more.

This past week we have seen Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva join Detroit.

Ron Artest took a pay cut and is hoping to get his first ring playing for the world champion Lakers.

Hedo Turkoglu reneged on a Portland offer, selecting the Raptors instead.

Rasheed Wallace is now alongside Kevin Garnett in Boston.

Trevor Ariza maxed out his contract value and is Houston-bound.

And Finally, Jason Kidd is staying in Dallas instead of going to New York.

The free agent signings become official today, the first day that players are allowed to ink their verbal agreements. There are more deals to come involving free agents, and it is going to be interesting to see where everyone ends up.

We here at Protect the Paint will list some of the rumors/moves involving the available free agents.

REMAINING FREE AGENTS

Lamar Odom

Odom might be hugging members of the Blazers soon. (Credit: daylife.com)

Lamar Odom doesn’t seem to be thinking repeat. Instead he and his agent want to be shown the money in the neighborhood of $10 million per season. Odom appears to be going the Trevor Ariza route, cashing in elsewhere now that he has the ring. He sacrificed his stats to win and now wants to sign with a team that could offer him a starting position and big bucks. Should have a different address in 2009-10. The Blazers are reportedly interested. Championship experience on an up and coming squad never hurts.

Andre Miller

Looks like Miller is heading to Portland. Gives the Blazers the floor general they lacked last season and gives Miller a chance to win. Good match all the way around.

Brandon Bass

Bass would make a mistake going to Detroit. (Credit: ocregister.com)

Bass could be staying in Dallas, heading to Orlando, or possibly ending up in Detroit. It makes absolutely no sense for him to sign with the Pistons. With rumors circulating of Carlos Boozer being shipped there for Rip Hamilton, and Charlie Villanueva signing a 5-year deal, he would essentially be the third option at power forward. The Magic need help up front. Orlando would be a good fit.

Antonio McDyess

McDyess could get a ring if he heads to San Antonio. (Credit: ugplay.com)

McDyess is leaning towards San Antonio in the most recent rumor involving the veteran which would provide more depth in the Spurs front court. He’s a solid shooter and depenable on the glass averaging 9.6 ppg and 9.8 rpg last year for the Pistons. The Spurs would have a solid 1-2 post punch with McDyess and Tim Duncan giving them the size to contend with the Lakers huge frontline.

Marcin Gortat

Marcin Gortat is going to get paid big bucks this summer. (Credit: mlive.com)

Most likely headed to Dallas. We’ll see how he responds to more minutes and more responsibility. This is a huge loss for Orlando who now have lost the majority of their front line not named Dwight Howard–Tony Battie via the Vince Carter deal, Hedo Turkoglu to free agency, and Gortat. The Magic better hope Ryan Anderson is as good as Pat Williams thinks he will be.

Grant Hill

Hill should go to a contender rather than a pretender. (Credit: offsideswithfletcher.com)

There are rumors of Hill heading to the the Knicks. Finally healthy, his game resurfaced playing with Phoenix. He appeared in all 82 games for the Suns last season. It’s unfortunate that he would want to make the move to New York, especially when he could most likely ink himself onto another team with better chances of winning a title. Seems like he and fellow 1994 co-ROY Jason Kidd have more in common then we thought: Take the money, not the chance for a championship ring.

Channing Frye

Frye could play minutes that matter for the Cavs. (Credit: nike.com)

Frye is very interested in signing with Cleveland. The guy has been marred with the “wrong place, wrong time” syndrome during his career. He was buried behind David Lee in New York and then behind LaMarcus Aldridge in Portland. If Cleveland loses Anderson Varajao, Frye will have an immediate chance for big minutes at power forward for the Cavs. This is a good opportunity for both sides. Frye has showed he has a lot of game and could be a late bloomer if given the chance.

Kobe Bryant will no longer need to worry about fighting with Ron Artest during the playoffs. They can now plan to fight each other every day during practice. Artest agreed in principle to sign a three-year deal worth $18 million, proving he wants to win. He seemingly could have made a lot more cash elsewhere.

Kobe Bryant's worst nightmare became a dream come true. (Credit: giant.blackplanet.com)

Artest has a long, troubled past, earning season-long suspensions, consequently disrupting team chemistry and unraveling chances for success.  Last season with Houston, Artest managed to make an about face both on and off the court. Artest then reverted to losing his composure multiple times, earning technical fouls and an ejection in the playofs against the Lakers.

Protect the Paint will assess the pros and cons of the Lakers mind-blowing acquisition.

PROS

Ron Artest will flex his defensive muscle for the Lakers this season. (Credit: suntimes.com)

Artest adds another tough defender to the lineup, compensating for the eventual loss of Trevor Ariza. He is a great ball handler for his size, incredibly strong, and unusually quick for his build. He emerged as a leader in Houston, and should be a great compliment to long-time friend/rival Kobe Bryant.

Artest’s career 42% shooting from the field ought to rise when easier shots become more plentiful within the Lakers offense. Artest’s rebounding and passing skills should prove beneficial in the multifaceted Lakers’ triangle offense. In addition, Artest has converted close to 40% of his three-point attempts over the past four years. This a vastly underrated offensive player.

Bottom line: Artest will have more weapons surrounding him, and be paired with the best overall player in the world (okay, LeBron James fans might want to debate that), rather than having to defend Kobe in the playoffs. His competitive temperament should be subdued as he accustoms himself to winning more often, and could inevitably lead to his first ever NBA Championship.

CONS

Artest’s reputation and spotty past will always be an issue, no matter how long his dormancy from acting out/up persists. Most recently he erupted (not in a good way) in the playoffs against the Lakers. This serial inability to maintain his composure has to always be a concern.

The main question that will linger this off-season and beyond is if Artest will be a distraction in the locker room. He is known for walking to the beat of his own drum, and with “Zen-Master” Phil Jackson possibly only coaching 41 games (he plans to only be on the bench during home games in 2009-10), that leaves 41 other games in which Artest will do “god knows what.”

The Los Angeles lifestyle and the negative influence it could hold is something to consider. He is no novice to the club life.  Here is an example supporting what could contribute to Artest being a detriment to the Lakers:

Should Artest immerse himself into the Los Angeles lifestyle too deeply, it could lead to his implosion and be a major detriment to the Lakers.

In the past, Artest has felt he needs the ball in his hands to be effective. This will be a major conundrum for the Lakers famed triangle offense. Growing pains could ensue as Artest regularly hangs on to the ball too long, often deciding to pull the trigger himself when other guys are open.

SYNOPSIS

Artest and the Lakers should see themselves staring down the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals. These are now the best two teams (on paper) in the conference. Adding a moderately selfish player like Artest to the lineup could do more damage than good. Kobe is the king of L.A. (and no one is the boss of Artest), so it is not hard to envision the two of them finding it difficult to share the ball on offense.

San Antonio is by no means finished making deals, and if Rasheed Wallace and/or Antonio McDyess end up playing in the Alamodome, the NBA will have some amazing games for us to watch this forthcoming season. Now Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, and Richard Jefferson will have the same worries when facing Arest that Kobe once had.

With that said, we’ll take the Spurs in six for the Western Conference title.

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