The NBA free agent market started off with a whimpering bang. Yes, there were a few of big name deals but I don't think that they'll actually do much to help the teams. Perhaps the main lesson we can take away from these first two moves is: Be wary of dumping talent for cap space.

Case in point: The Detroit Pistons. They dumped Chauncey Billups during the season and are letting Rasheed Wallace walk but now they've added Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. I'm just not sold on either guy. They seem like younger yet still poorer version of Billups and 'Sheed. They might be decent bench players but the Pistons just dumped 18 million a year on the two of them. The 'Stones will still have a lot of cap space come 2010 but how many big name free agents want to play with a backcourt of Rodney Stuckey and Gordon? Charlie V. strikes me as a good player on bad teams. Unless there's someone on the market who love rebounding and playing help defense, I'm not sure how enticing playing for the Pistons will be. It also doesn't help that the franchise is located in Detroit.

Example #2: Memphis Grizzlies. Memphis dumped Pau Gasol's contract and a year later decided to add Zach Randolph. Huh? Pau might not be a true #1 star but Z-Bo is a perennial loser. He's the type of player who gets his points but doesn't help his team win. He has some of the best post moves in the league but he's a black hole who has little-to-no passing skills. 

Even worse, the Grizzlies only gave up Quentin Richardson in the deal so they added 7 million in salary this year and a full max contract in 2010. So the Grizzlies came away worse on the court, in the books, and they now have a headcase/gunner who is pretty much the last guy that you want around your young talent. This deal won't be as bad as current Grizz GM/former C's GM Chris Wallace's Vin Baker deal but it's certainly not going to help the Memphis win many games.

As for the Celtics, they seem to be making a big push for Rasheed Wallace, who would be a nice pickup and a sign that the owners are willing to spend money. Hopefully they can land 'Sheed because if he goes to Orlando or Cleveland, it might be too much for the Celtics to overcome. I still think that the team should be planning for the worst and coming up with some possible Ray Allen or Rajon Rondo trades to help beef up the roster but, for now, all efforts need to be on trying to add talent via free agency and keeping the core together.