The Bargain Bin: Eastern Conference Edition

As of July 30th, most of the big name free agents have been signed.  The biggest names left are Shaquille O'Neal (in my opinion he should retire, but he's still serviceable enough to get a contract), Tracy McGrady (disappointed at a workout for the Bulls), and Allen Iverson (should stay retired.).  But there are a few bargain bin options for teams still looking for some extra depth.

I will be using Sports Illustrated 2010 NBA Free Agent Tracker and also looking at the teams that still have space left, and still have roster spots left.  The minimum amount of roster spots a team must have is 13.  The maximum is 15.  Currently some teams (like the Heat who I mentioned yesterday) are over that 15 mark, because the cuts will be made during training camp.

Today I'll be looking at the Eastern Conference, and Monday we'll be taking a look at the West.  So lets see which teams have roster spots and money available, and which unsigned players might fit best.

Power Shift Back to the East?

Back in the day, I remember reading an article in Sports Illustrated showing how the Power in the NBA had begun to shift from the East to the West, beginning with Shaquille O'Neal's departure from Orlando to LA, Michael Jordan's 2nd retirement from the Bulls, and the arrival of stars such as Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, Chris Webber, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett to teams in the Western Conference.

Recently, Chris Thomasson over at AOL Fanhouse wrote an article questioning if there's been a Power Shift back to the East, citing big free agents such as Amar'e Stoudemire and Carlos Boozer moving to the Eastern Conference, as well as the top 3 draft picks this year going to Eastern Conference teams.

But is the East as a whole really becoming better?