Western Conference Insider: Ranking the offseason moves

With the New York Yankees treating this baseball offseason like Hal Steinbrenner is playing Richard Pryor in Brewster's Millions, it's only fitting to look at the pickups made by Western Conference teams last summer. By now, with the NBA season more than a third done, we've seen enough to be able to assess which guys have made a positive impact and which have ended up being subtraction by addition.

Let's start with the five best:

1. Roger Mason, San Antonio Spurs

Mason was supposed to be a minor cog in the Spurs operation this season, but once Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker struggled with early season injuries, his role increased dramatically. His numbers are up across the board and his 46.9 percent clip from three is keeping defenses honest when they try to pack in the lane on Tim Duncan. Game-winning threes on the road against the Clippers and the Suns certainly don't hurt his case, either.

2. Ron Artest, Houston Rockets

Any shaky reputation that Artest might have been carrying when he packed his bags for Houston was evidently lost at the airport. The 10-year veteran has done everything the Rockets have asked of him. When Tracy McGrady was out and the team needed extra scoring, he provided it. And when T-Mac is in and anchoring the offense, Artest concentrates on feeding McGrady the ball and rebounding. Houston has more wins in the West than any team but the Lakers. If not for Artest's anemic shooting (37 percent), I would probably put him No. 1 on this list.

3. James Posey, New Orleans Hornets

Coming to the team with two diamond-studded rings, Posey was charged with providing the defense and veteran leadership that the Hornets lacked. He has fit in with New Orleans splendidly, shooting 50.3 percent from the floor, 44.1 percent from three and helping the Hornets go from fifth to third in the league in points allowed.

4. Rudy Fernandez, Portland Trail Blazers

The Blazers acquired Fernandez on a 2007 Draft Day trade with the Suns, but didn't sign him to a deal until the summer of '08. The first-year guard from Spain has been nothing short of spectacular, occupying a weekly spot in my Rookie Rankings and ranking second to Steve Blake for the team lead in both 3-pointers made and 3-point percentage. He's also thrown his hat into the ring for the Sprite Slam Dunk contest.

5. Dahntay Jones and Chris Andersen, Denver Nuggets

Trading former defensive player of the year Marcus Camby to the Clippers was supposed to expose the already sieve-like defense of the Nuggets, but thanks to a couple of under-the-radar pickups, Denver can be known as "Enver" no longer. The Nuggets have gone from 29th to 17th in points allowed as Andersen is among the league leaders in blocks and Jones is starting and drawing the opposition's toughest perimeter scorer. Not bad for two players that didn't have full-season contracts a year ago.

Honorable Mention: Matt Barnes, Phoenix Suns; Camby, L.A. Clippers

Now onto the five worst:

1. Baron Davis, Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers got off to a 3-16 start with Davis returning to his hometown. From his hurt pinky finger on his shooting hand to his miserable 36.8 percent clip from the field to squabbling with Mike Dunleavy over the offense to apparently telling Stephen Jackson that he wants to go back to Golden State, Davis has spelled disaster for the Clippers.

2. Marcus Williams, Golden State Warriors

Williams was supposed to take over at point guard with Davis gone and Monta Ellis out, but that hasn't been the case. The third-year guard out of Connecticut is playing only seven minutes per game and shooting 20 percent, as head coach Don Nelson has trusted the ball to lesser-knowns C.J. Watson and DeMarcus Nelson.

3. Mike Miller, Minnesota Timberwolves

Miller isn't on this list as a pox against his game. The former Rookie of the Year and Sixth Man Award winner continues to perform at a high level and act as a consummate professional. As a part of the deal that sent budding superstar O.J. Mayo from Minnesota to Memphis on Draft Day, though, most Timberwolves fans will tell you that they'd rather still see Miller launching parabolas as a Grizzly if they could root for the inside-outside punch of Al Jefferson and Mayo for years to come.

4. Ricky Davis, Los Angeles Clippers

Davis' 27.3 percent mark for 3-pointers looks good compared to his 27.2 percent from the field. His scoring is down almost 10 points per game from where it was last season in Miami, he's missed 16 of the Clippers' 29 games due to injury and on Monday, he was reportedly suspended five games for violating the NBA's anti-drug program.

5. Corey Maggette, Golden State Warriors

Kevin Garnett called Maggette out for his me-first play earlier this season, yelling sarcastically, "Way to get your numbers" in Maggette's direction after a Celtics win over the Warriors. Like Davis, Maggette's percentages are troubling. And the veteran forward, in his 10th year in the NBA, has missed a ton of time. The Clippers and Warriors each have two players on this list. It's no surprise they're a combined 17-44.

The Clippers signed guard Fred Jones on Saturday after the seven-year veteran of the Pacers, Blazers, Raptors and Knicks was out of basketball for the first couple months of the season.

"I got in the gym as much as possible," Jones said. "I was between Portland and Indiana. I've been in Indiana about the last month at my place there. I've been in the gym working with a trainer, you know, just trying to stay in condition. Of course you never can be in basketball shape. It's going to take a little while. But we're going to put in the work."

Jones had eight points, two assists, one rebound and a steal in his L.A. debut on Sunday against the Mavericks. One of his baskets was a heave from the corner as the shot clock expired, causing the STAPLES Center crowd to get on its feet. It was a far cry from the echo of the ball bouncing and the squeaks of his own sneakers as the only soundtrack to his hoops life in recent weeks.

"Just to hit a shot in a meaningful situation [again]," Jones said. "I've been in the gym shooting by myself and to be able to bang bodies and to feel the competition. And competition is really something I thrive on. It's a great feeling. I love this game so much and to be able to continue to be able to do it and support my family, that's a great feeling."

The former Slam Dunk champion stood by his locker in shorts and a Clippers sweatshirt after the game, telling the media that he didn't pack any clothes other than workout gear when he flew to Los Angeles for the tryout. The Clippers equipment manager outfitted him with two team sweatsuits that got him through the weekend.

Chris Paul's consecutive steals streak ended at 108 straight games in the Hornets' loss to the Magic on Christmas day ... Kobe Bryant on Ronny Turiaf's return to L.A. as a Warrior: "He was like a little brother to me and always will be. He's just a phenomenal talent. I wish we could have kept him." ... Don't look now but the Spurs are tied for the second-most wins in the West and are riding a conference-high five-game win streak ... Former two-time league MVP Steve Nash is tied for the league-lead in turnovers with 3.8 miscues per game ... The Thunder may be 3-28, but don't blame Kevin Durant. He's hitting on 44.8 percent of his 3-point attempts, up from 28.8 percent in his rookie season.