Free agent fun

Good riddance: The Mavs need to see less of this guy's beard

The NHL free agent season is in full swing. The NBA free agent season might as well be.

NBA teams still have a couple of days before they can technically sign a player, but it's not stopping guys from opting out nor stopping teams from coming to agreements with players.

Already, signings and announcements are affecting our hometown teams, the Stars and Mavericks.

First the NBA, where Baron Davis has not only opted out of his kajillion dollar contract with Golden State (no surprise considering there's no way he could've played under Don Nelson), but he has agreed to a 6-year, $65 million contract with the Clippers.

OK, so you're thinking the Clippers are making a progressive move, right?

Wrong. Elton Brand and Corey Maggette have opted out of their contracts and for all intents and purposes will go for the huge money on the market, which probably won't come from the Clippers.

So the Clippers will suck again and so will the Warriors sans the bearded Davis. Already, two teams out of playoff contention in the Western Conference.

The Mavs have agreed to a deal with guard Gerald Green. This is a fantastic moves as far as small, frugal deals go to a team that can't do much.

For one, he's only 22 and had a decent 2006 playing 81 games in Boston. Two, he's a big guard (6-8) who is athletic and can shoot the ball a little. The No. 1 priority for the Mavs this off-season was to get younger and more athletic. Nabbing Brandon Bass is one thing. Green could add another flavor to this stagnant team. Jason Kidd, in order to be effective, must have athletes around him.

In other news, Del Harris is gone. Going to be an assistant under Vinny Del Negro in Chicago. And the Mavs are stuck with Eddie Jones as he didn't opt out of his contract. I guess he felt like sitting on the bench for 82 games for $2 million was a pretty nice deal no matter how you slice it.

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The first day of free agency for the Stars was less-than-stellar or, more so, less-than-active.

For one, Nik Hagman signed with Toronto for four years, $12 million. Remember, he scored 27 goals for the Stars last year, at times carrying them mid-season.

Two, a ton of names on the potential Stars list are gone, including Brian Campbell, who, thankfully, left the Pacific Division and went to Chicago, where he will room with Del Harris.

Other names off the board: Mike Ryder, Cory Stillman and Andrew Brunette.

Otherwise, the Stars are allegedly in major talks with nuisance Sean Avery.