SI: Top free agent cities

[ut_jazz]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...=si_topstories

The top five

1. Los Angeles (Lakers): Oh, to be young, rich and a Laker. You've got championship potential (and a ring coming if you already were there this spring), a dominant superstar, the wisest of head coaches. And Hollywood in awe and that marvelous playground beyond Staples Center.

2. Miami: What's not to like? There's no state income tax, South Beach, balmy weather all winter long, Dwyane Wade, first-class travel and facilities, the competitive backdrop of Pat Riley to keep ambitions on track. Oh, and did we mention South Beach?

3. Phoenix: Things might not be as appealing at the moment, given the unsightly, and some would argue, needless makeover this team underwent. But the Suns used to run a relative country club for players, then became the most fun spot to play in the NBA. Steve Nash still keeps it fun, if you can ignore the scoreboard many nights.

4. Houston: I was surprised several years ago when I learned how many players league-wide spend their offseasons living and working out in this steamy city. Now that the Rockets are loaded and with management that can explain in intricate detail why you're the perfect fit for their system, it's an even greater place to be in-season.

5. Orlando: The tax thing. Dwight Howard. Three-pointers galore. The Celtics are getting old, the Cavaliers might lose LeBron. 'Nuff said.
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24. Utah: The Salt Lake Tribune reported Monday that power forward Paul Millsap, a restricted free agent, might be targeted by Oklahoma City. Which reminded me that there probably is an equation to be discovered for how many spots down this list a team can hope to lure a player. For instance, can Memphis lure away a Laker? Might be easier for the Thunder to entice a Jazz.
ouch :-(

The bottom five

26. Sacramento: The crowds here, and the one-horse-town centricity seemed bulletproof for years. Now not so much. The Kings are on the short list of NBA franchises experts think might re-locate. The arena is outdated. That first glimpse from the airport -- from terminal to open fields to Arco Arena to open fields -- isn't as stark as it used to be, but Chris Webber's concerns about proper soul food and other cultural attractions weren't completely unwarranted.

27. Milwaukee: Vastly underrated, and it seems to stay that way. Milwaukee gets points from some players for its proximity to Chicago. Others see it as a slushier Minneapolis. It would have helped if the Bucks got their No. 1 picks when they were Shaq and LeBron rather than Glenn Robinson and Andrew Bogut.

28. Oklahoma City: The talent on the roster, and the brainpower in the front office have lots of admirers, and the Ford Center fans can be among the league's most active and loud. But there's no cachet to being the first franchise in, at the big league level, and the Thunder will need to win soon to convince young players to stay or come aboard.

29. Memphis: Attendance is disappointing, and the Grizzlies have a ways to go before people forget the Pau Gasol trade. Now the team must wait for Hasheem Thabeet to develop, while worrying that Rubio could end up as a young star, sooner, somewhere else.

30. Minnesota: Rubio isn't the first NBA player to notice it's cold there. Stephon Marbury initially said the harsh winters left him no choice but to stay in the gym, working on his game. Then he bolted town barely two seasons later, his teeth chattering and thermal underwear beneath his jeans -- in March. Isaiah Rider at least turned the cold to his advantage, adding a dead battery and broken water pipes (from ice expanding) to his list of creative excuses for late arrivals and no-shows. Odds are, the NBA logo today would be a silhouette in galoshes, had the Lakers not moved to L.A. the summer they drafted Jerry West.

[Crippa]

Great seeing Minnesota ranked ....30th, haha. We're pathetic, it's really depressing.

Los Angeles obvious choice, they've got the history, location, players, coach, and all the rest of it.

[ut_jazz]

Originally Posted by Crippa

Los Angeles obvious choice, they've got the history, location, players, coach, and all the rest of it.

LA also has...
21. Los Angeles (Clippers): They share Staples Center with the Lakers -- and that's about all they share. It's hard to imagine these teams having all the same off-court advantages in terms of culture, climate and so forth. It's like Dennis and Randy Quaid vying for a leading-man role. Same gene pool but ... not. Still, enough players have joined the Clippers for non-basketball reasons to keep it off the canvas.

so that averages L.A. out as 11th best