Who won big and who crapped out in the first week of NBA free agency?
The NBA free-agent market is a bit like a casino — there are a few ways to strike it rich and many more ways to lose your shirt, and the whole experience can leave you full of fear and loathing. Here are some of the games of chance that NBA general managers and players engaged in after the free agency period opened on Aug. 1, along with some of the big winners and losers. Salary Cap Craps Lucky Seven: John Gabriel. The Magic general manager’s plan to dump salaries and create cap room to restock his team with stars worked to near perfection. Signees Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady will make Orlando a contender, although being rejected by Tim Duncan, who re-signed with the Spurs, had to disappoint Gabriel more than he let on. Snake Eyes: Jerry Krause. The Bulls’ G.M. had laid the same salary cap groundwork as Gabriel, only to be spurned by his top five targets: Duncan, Hill, McGrady, Eddie Jones and Tim Thomas. Krause thought that if he waved a big enough check, free agents would forget ab
