Deep into the off-season and still before training camp, Ryan Hollins is probably the hottest name at the moment for teams looking to make one last addition to their bench, with the Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs showing more than slight interest in the player, who has also been getting attention from the Miami Heat and Sacramento Kings.

At this stage, interest usually means that some discussions have been going on with agent, nothing more.  While Hollins will probably be looking for some sort of guaranteed deal, no one is willing to offer him anything more than a one-year deal for the veteran’s minimum, and probably not even guaranteed for the entire season.

Hollins chances to find a team will improve when training camps are just about to begin. Teams will finally get to see if they actually need an extra backup center to put on the bench as their 14th or 15th man. Hollins has his uses: He’s hard to stop near the rim when goes up for a dunk and is a solid shot blocker, but that’s about it. In eight NBA seasons he has averaged 3.8 points per game and 2.2 rebounds, playing for seven different teams.

His last stop was in Los Angeles with the Clippers, playing two seasons for them. He had a total of 121 games, meaning on most nights someone found some sort of use for him on the floor, averaging 9.5 minutes and 2.9 points per game. In the playoffs he was used for a total of 46 minutes over 10 games in both seasons, usually not playing when anything was on the line.

The Los Angeles Lakers have a couple of spots left on their roster, which they will probably fill with another shooting guard/small forward and another center to play behind Jordan Hill and Robert Sacre, who aren’t the most impressive of big men duo a team can find. Hollins might have a chance to play a bit more if he shows there’s a bit more to him.

The Miami Heat are currently filled up with 15 players, but things might change if Hollins can show he is a better player right now than Justin Hamilton. The Chicago Bulls are quite loaded with Jorakim Noah, Pau Gasol, Taj Gibson and Nikola Mirotic, but would like another natural center to have on the bench, with Cameron Bairstow their only other option. The Spurs are currently full as well, but might make some changes along the way to accommodate another signing.

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