Ray Allen (34): This guy can still play. Indeed, the only sign of his advanced age is the increasingly prolonged dry spells he has experienced in the last two seasons. Unfortunately, his latest extended slump came during last season's playoffs. While this is certainly not good news for the Celtics, the mitigating circumstance was that Kevin Garnett's absence enabled defenses to focus more on Allen.

Also, Allen essentially petered out in the postseason because he averaged 40.3 minutes per game during the regular season. To keep him fresh, this total must be reduced to around 35 minutes per. That's why it's imperative to avoid using him at the point guard slot.

Marcus Camby (35): His game is based almost entirely on length and quickness. But as the years fade into memories, he's become increasingly slower off his feet. While he remains an influential shot-changer and shot-blocker, his swat-average was lower last season than it has been since the 2001-02 season. As a result, opponents are more eager to take the ball right at him.

When speed-finesse players lose even a half step, their usefulness takes a sharp nosedive. And at 6-11 and a mere 235 pounds, Camby lacks the bulk to compensate. Also, injuries have been a constant bugaboo throughout his career and as he ages he will be more vulnerable here.

With Chris Kaman and blue-chip rookie Blake Griffin in town, Camby would contribute the most to the Clippers as a bench player.

Michael Finley (36): Richard Jefferson will inherit most of Finley's minutes. Yet Finley's step-back jumper going left remains unstoppable and uncannily accurate. Whereas he used to be an elite defender, those days are also long gone. But since he's still an incredibly reliable clutch scorer, look for Finley to become a situational shooter in the upcoming season.

Rasheed Wallace (35): Except for his rebounding, just about every category in Rasheed's repertoire is in decline. Even so, he remains a valuable asset mainly because of his defense. Also, Rasheed's reluctance to venture into the low post in recent years and his increased preference for shooting 3-balls have been instrumental in extending his career.

Ben Wallace (35): Big Ben has been running on empty for several seasons. At this point, he could conceivably play effective defense against low-post players for a pair of six-minute rotations per game, not enough banging to warrant the big bucks he's making.

Getting old is a drag for everybody. Reflexes become dulled. Staying healthy is an increasing problem. Endurance is replaced by fatigue.

For hoopers, jumpers fall short, steps are lost, sneakers get heavy, the court seems longer, and focus gets fuzzy. The most savvy of NBA veterans try to compensate by exerting themselves only when their exertions will make a difference (for example, keeping their legs as fresh as possible by avoiding extraneous dunks), by flawlessly executing plays, closely following the dictates of scouting reports, eating well, and getting more rest.

And as demonstrated by the two Wallaces, the fact is that physical players generally wear out quicker than finesse players do.