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There are many ways to acquire talent in the NBA: free agency, the draft, trades, and that's just the start of it. Looking at the way this year's playoff teams helps us see the different strategies GMs use to build successful rosters. After the jump is a list of each playoff team, the players who contributed during the regular season, and how each player was acquired. For the sake of clarity and brevity, we've listed everyone who played in at least 10 games, averaged at least 10 minutes per game, and is still on the official 15-man roster. So, that's why Lamar Odom is listed and Jordan Hill isn't. 

Of note:

• Of the 193 players listed, 51 were drafted by their current teams. The Thunder have used the draft to full effect, acquiring their top four players in minutes-per-game that way.
• Free agent acquisitions make up the largest category, with 65 players. The Hawks and Heat brought in several role players via swaps.
• Sign-and-trades brought in 10 players, including the top two minutes-per-game players for the Heat, LeBron James and Chris Bosh.
• Simple trades netted 45 players. Eight of the Nuggets' contributors were brought in via trade.
• Teams acquired the draft rights of 19 players before they signed. It's easy to forget that Dirk Nowitzki, Kobe Bryant, Rajon Rondo and others weren't drafted by the teams they've played for their entire careers. No team used the draft rights trade quite like the Grizzlies, who brought in Rudy Gay, Marc Gasol and O.J. Mayo in those types of deals.

To see the full list for every playoff team, click to continue:

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Before the 10-day contract signing period got underway in February, we outlined the details on how the contracts worked, and which teams and players you could expect to make use of them. With the regular season in the books, it's time to take a look back at the 10-day deals signed this year, with the help of our 10-day contract tracker.

By our count, 35 players signed at least one 10-day contract in this lockout-shortened season. Of those 35 players, 16 ended up being signed to rest-of-season contracts by the same team, while Donald Sloan signed for the remainder of the season with the Cavaliers after a pair of 10-day contracts from the Hornets.

15 teams, nearly half of whom qualified for the postseason, signed at least one player to a 10-day contract. Although most playoff squads signed just a single player or two for bench depth, a number of lottery teams took full advantage of the 10-day deals, auditioning a handful of players over the second half. The Cavs, Raptors, and Rockets each signed three players to at least one 10-day contract, while the Wizards, Nets, and Hornets inked four, five, and six players respectively. No team added more 10-day recipients to its permanent roster than Washington, who finished the year with Cartier Martin, James Singleton, and Morris Almond on rest-of-season deals.

I outlined a few of the year's top 10-day contracts a few weeks ago, but if we're naming a single best 10-day signing, the honor would have to go to the Nets for bringing Gerald Green to New Jersey. Green appeared in 31 games, averaging 12.9 points and shooting .481/.391/.754 in 25.2 minutes per contest. After not playing in the NBA since the 2008/09 season, the former first-rounder now seems like a good bet to land a decent-sized contract from the Nets or another club, as I noted when I examined his free agent stock.

Green's case is a perfect example of how the 10-day contract can benefit both a team and player. The Nets, at minimal risk, discovered an NBA contributor that could become a long-term fixture in Brooklyn. Green, meanwhile, got the chance to show he belongs in the league and took full advantage of it. Success stories like his are why plenty of teams will continue to use 10-day contracts in the hopes of landing the next Gerald Green.

With the regular season behind us and the draft and free agency fast approaching, there are a number of different ways you can follow Hoops Rumors to keep tabs on the latest NBA news and rumors.

You can Like us on Facebook, and receive headlines and links for all our posts via your Facebook account. You can also follow us on Twitter to have all our posts and updates sent directly to your Twitter feed.

Our RSS feed is located here, if you'd like to follow us using your RSS reader of choice.

If you prefer to receive updates only on roster moves such as signings, cuts, and trades, you can follow our transactions-only feeds via RSS and Twitter.

The regular season isn't over quite yet, but several writers went on record today with their picks for the league's awards. Since media types are the ones whose votes count, their opinions matter. Let's take a look at some players who could be in line for a trophy:

• SI.com's Chris Mannix and Ian Thomsen agree on LeBron James for MVP, Kyrie Irving for Rookie of the Year, and James Harden for Sixth Man of the Year.
• David Aldridge of TNT goes with James for MVP as well, and picks Ersan Ilyasova over Jeremy Lin for Most Improved Player.
• Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio picks Kevin Durant as his MVP, and selects Shawn Marion to unseat three-time winner Dwight Howard as Defensive Player of the Year.
• Sam Smith of Bulls.com goes with darkhorse Kobe Bryant for MVP, and thinks former MVP and Coach of the Year Larry Bird should get to add Executive of the Year to his resume as well.
• Hoops Rumors doesn't have a vote (yet), but I'd go with James for MVP, Gregg Popovich as Coach of the Year, Irving as Rookie of the Year, Tyson Chandler as Defensive Player of the Year, Harden as Sixth Man of the Year, Lin as Most Improved Player, and R.C. Buford as Executive of the Year.

A recap of all the NBA's news from the past week.

• After undergoing back surgery, Dwight Howard will miss the rest of the season. 
• Bobcats head coach Paul Silas was involved in a physical altercation with forward Tyrus Thomas. 
• Sixers guard Lou Williams will exercise his early termination option for next season, making him an unrestricted free agent. 
• Given the recent issues he's had with his ankles, Stephen Curry's next contract could come with an injury clause. 
• The Cavaliers signed D.J. Kennedy. 
• Unrestricted free agent center Marcus Camby says he'd like to stay with the Rockets next season. 
• The Celtics signed Sean Williams and waived Jermaine O'Neal.
• The Knicks signed Dan Gadzuric and waived Bill Walker. 
• Reported earlier this week, the NBAPA wants Derek Fisher out as president.
• The Jazz re-signed guard Blake Ahearn. 
• The Nets re-signed Armon Johnson. 
• The Grizzlies signed Lester Hudson. 
• Knicks guard J.R. Smith is expected to decline his player option for next season. 
• The Hornets signed Darryl Watkins and waived Chris Johnson. 
• Gerald Green says he will give the Nets a hometown discount this offseason. 
• The Celtics nearly traded Ray Allen to the Grizzlies O.J. Mayo and a first round draft pick. 
• The Suns will pursue Jamal Crawford this offseason. 
• The Raptors re-signed Ben Uzoh and Alan Anderson. 
• The Wizards signed Morris Almond, and waived Roger Mason. 
• The Warriors signed Mikki Moore. 

If you want to keep tabs on all of Hoops Rumors' stories and updates, you can follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, or subscribe to our feed through your RSS reader of choice. However, if you prefer to only receive news about your favorite NBA team, we have you covered. Below are links to our Facebook, Twitter, and RSS pages and feeds for all 30 teams.

Atlantic

• 76ers: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Celtics: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Knicks: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Nets: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Raptors: Facebook / Twitter / RSS

Central

• Bucks: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Bulls: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Cavaliers: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Pacers: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Pistons: Facebook / Twitter / RSS

Southeast

• Bobcats: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Hawks: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Heat: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Magic: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Wizards: Facebook / Twitter / RSS

Southwest

• Grizzlies: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Hornets: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Mavericks: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Rockets: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Spurs: Facebook / Twitter / RSS

Northwest

• Jazz: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Nuggets: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Thunder: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Timberwolves: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Trail Blazers: Facebook / Twitter / RSS

Pacific

• Clippers: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Kings: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Lakers: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Suns: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
• Warriors: Facebook / Twitter / RSS

Transactions only: Twitter / RSS

As Hoops Rumors' 10-day contract tracker shows, 30 different players have signed at least one 10-day contract this season. In many cases, that first deal led to a second 10-day contract or a rest-of-season signing.

Many of these players see their 10-day auditions pass without getting the opportunity to make much of an impact — in Keith Benson's brief stint with the Warriors, he played about nine total minutes in three games, totaling two rebounds and failing to score a point.

For other players though, that first 10-day deal gives them the chance to show they deserve to be part of an NBA rotation. The players listed below started out this season on a 10-day contract, and are either still on a 10-day deal or received a rest-of-season contract due to their strong play. These are my picks for the best 10-day signings of the season, but if you think I've missed any notable ones, feel free to point them out in the comments section.

• Gerald Green, Nets: Watching Green tear up the D-League, it was clear the former 18th overall pick deserved another shot at the NBA. He earned that chance from the Nets, and made a great first impression by scoring double-digit points in his first two games. Green's production has been up and down since then, but his play earned him a rest-of-season guarantee, and it doesn't look like he'll be heading back to the D-League anytime soon. The 26-year-old poured in a season-high 32 points against Cleveland on Sunday and appears poised to draw interest in free agency this summer.
• Terrence Williams, Kings: Playing for his third NBA team in three seasons, the former 11th overall pick looks better in Sacramento than he did in New Jersey or Houston. Williams has been filling up the stat sheet in 11 games for the Kings, averaging 9.4 PPG on 47.8% shooting to go along with 4.5 RPG, 3.0 APG, and 1.3 SPG. The 24-year-old has expressed interest in returning to the Kings next season.
• Alan Anderson, Raptors: Anderson's numbers with Toronto aren't exactly eye-popping. In nine contests, he's averaging just 6.7 points and 1.9 rebounds in 18.9 minutes per game. But what's been impressive is Anderson's shooting efficiency — his .465/.556/.833 rates all represent career highs, albeit in a small sample size. Anderson is on his second 10-day contract, so it'll be interesting to see if the Raptors re-sign him, perhaps with an additional non-guaranteed year, when his deal expires with a week and a half left in the season.
• Lester Hudson, Cavaliers: Another player on his second 10-day deal, Hudson has been tearing it up recently, scoring 24.7 PPG in 32.4 MPG over his last three contests. In his seven games with the Cavs, Hudson has averaged 4.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.4 steals per game, for a PER of 19.5. If the Cavs don't hang on to him for next season, I'd be surprised if his late-season surge doesn't earn him an NBA job elsewhere.
• Cartier Martin and James Singleton, Wizards: Martin and Singleton have propelled the Wizards to a pair of wins this week, averaging a combined 30.5 points and 14.5 rebounds off the bench against the Magic and Bobcats. Both players are on 10-day contracts (Martin's second and Singleton's first), but at the very least, they'll stay on the Wizards' radar this offseason if they keep playing like this.

With the season winding down and the draft and free agent period fast approaching, there are a number of different ways you can follow Hoops Rumors to keep tabs on the latest NBA news and rumors.

You can Like us on Facebook, and receive headlines and links for all our posts via your Facebook account. You can also follow us on Twitter to have all our posts and updates sent directly to your Twitter feed.

Our RSS feed is located here, if you'd like to follow us using your RSS reader of choice.

If you prefer to receive updates only on roster moves such as signings, cuts, and trades, you can follow our transactions-only feeds via RSS and Twitter.

Hoops Rumors passes along the latest news and rumors on NBA player movement 365 days a year, but those aren't the only updates you'll see on the site. On our right sidebar, you'll find a number of additional features and featured posts. Here's a rundown of a few of the features we've introduced so far:

• Along with our list of current free agents, we also have up-to-date free agent lists for both this summer and next summer.
• Our tentative draft order for June 2012 is updated every morning to reflect the results of the previous night's games.
• Using our 10-day contract tracker, you can find any 10-day contract signed since 2007, sorting by player, team, year, and other variables.
• Our list of outstanding traded player exceptions is updated whenever a trade exception is used or expires.
• Every NBA player assigned or recalled from the D-League this season can be found in our comprehensive list.
• For a simple explanation of the different kinds of salary cap exceptions available to over-the-cap teams, check out our primer.
• Zach Links rounds up the best of the blogosphere every Saturday in his weekly Hoops Links feature.
• As we approach the June draft and July's free agency period, we'll be taking a closer look at players who will be entering the draft or becoming free agents this summer, with Prospect Profile and Free Agent Stock Watch pieces.
• Be sure to check out the Featured Posts section as well for more original pieces from Hoops Rumors' writing team. Recently, we explained postseason eligibility for late-season additions, discussed how NCAA success translates to the NBA, and broke down this year's deadline trades financially.

Looking to show off your fantasy basketball genius this week? Try DraftStreet, where you can put together a new fantasy team each week and compete against other users for real money.

Right now DraftStreet has an NBA freeroll for Hoops Rumors readers, meaning you can take a shot at a chunk of the $300 prize pool for free, with no strings attached. Here's how it works.

The NBA freeroll begins Friday at 7:00pm eastern time, so you have until then to create your team.  You're given a $100K salary cap, and each player is assigned a price by DraftStreet. Your roster will cover these positions: 2 forwards, 2 guards, 2 centers, and 2 utility players. You get points based on how your team performs through Friday night's games. The teams with the most points get the prize money. Below is a screenshot of a sample roster:

If you're interested, sign up and create a roster prior to Friday's games (7:00pm eastern time). It's quick, easy, fun, and the Hoops Rumors league gives you a free chance to win some of the $300 prize pool. If you enjoy the competition you can try other leagues for free and earn credits, or deposit real money.