The economy is really starting to take its toll on professional sports, and the NBA is no different. Bad contracts are bad even when the economy is pumping, but they really stand out in tough times like these. So I decided to look through the payrolls team-by-team to try to identify the worst contracts in the NBA. I expected to list 15-20 names, but I ended up scribbling down 68. That’s right, there are no fewer than 68 bad contracts in the NBA.
I didn’t include any of the players that are in the final year of their contracts because…well, what’s the point? They’ll be off the books in a few months anyway. Instead, I wanted to focus on those contracts that are going to haunt teams for years to come, so to be eligible, players have to have at least a year left on their current deals.
It’s tough to compare someone making superstar money to an average, everyday role player, so I split these 68 contracts up into three groups: the Overpaid Role Players, the Not-So-Super Stars and the Injury-Prones. I will rank them from least-worst to most-worst with the thinking that I wouldn’t trade the player for anyone further down the list but I would trade him for anyone previously mentioned. So, for example, if a guy is listed #7 within a particular group, I’m not trading him for anyone ranked #6-#1, but I would think seriously about moving him for a guy that is ranked #8+.
So let’s start with the role players and go from there…
(Note: In most cases, I don’t blame the player himself for his outrageous contract. The fault lies with the general manager that inked the guy to the deal. However, this rule goes out the window if the player has a history of only producing in his contract year – I’m looking at you, Tim Thomas.)
THE OVERPAID ROLE PLAYERS
Guys That I Wouldn’t Mind Having On My Team
36. Shane Battier (two years, $14.3 million)
6.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg
I know he’s supposed to be the “no-stat MVP,” but $7 million per season seems like a lot to pay for a defensive specialist who only gets 0.7 steals per game. Plus, when he shaves his head, you can almost see his brain.
35. Jason Maxiell (four years, $20 million)
5.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg
Maxiell’s Player Efficiency Rating (15.79) is above average. But why pay the guy if you aren’t going to play him?
34. Andres Nocioni (three years, $21.0 million)
10.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 41% FG%
Nocioni can ball, but $7 mil a season is a steep price to pay for 11 and 4. We’ll see if he blossoms now that he’s outside of Luol Deng’s shadow.
33. Nick Collison (two years, $13.2 million)
7.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg
You’d think this guy would have a killer 18-footer by now.
32. Ronny Turiaf (three years, $12.5 million)
5.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg
He plays hard, but any number of guys in the D-league and overseas that can do what he does at a fraction of the price.
I Only Want Him On My Team In A Contract Year
31. Tim Thomas (one year, $6.5 million)
9.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg
“Tiny” Tim is the poster boy for guys that only produce when they’re playing for a new contract. Ernie Grunfeld, GM of my beloved Bucks, signed him back in ’00 to a six-year deal worth $68 million and then, six underachieving years later, the Clippers were so enamored with his performance against them in the playoffs that inked him to a four-year deal worth $24 million. This clown has a career average of 11.7 points and 4.2 rebounds and he has made more than $84 million thus far. Sorry, I have to go throw up…
…okay, I’m back.
The Expiring Contracts
30. Darko Milicic (one year, $7.5 million)
6.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg
29. Mike James (one year, $6.5 million)
8.6 ppg, 3.2 apg
28. Antonio Daniels (one year, $6.6 million)
4.4 ppg, 2.8 apg
27. Earl Watson (one year, $6.6 million)
6.0 ppg, 5.7 apg, 37% FG%
26. Tony Battie (one year, $6.3 million)
4.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg
25. Brian Cardinal (one year, $6.8 million)
2.0 ppg, 1.8 rpg
24. Etan Thomas (one year, $7.4 million)
3.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg
23. Mark Blount (one year, $8.0 million)
3.9 ppg, 1.8 rpg
22. Jerome James (one year, $6.6 million)
3.0 ppg, 1.5 rpg
21. Kenny Thomas (one year, $8.8 million)
0.8 ppg, 1.9 rpg
20. Bobby Simmons (one year, $11.2 million)
8.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg
Expect to hear “__________’s expiring contract” a lot next February. Seriously, these guys will be involved in all sorts of trade scenarios, but in this economy, most teams will just hold onto them and let their salaries come off the cap. What’s sad is that most of these guys are useless, yet they’ll make more in one season than most of us will in our lifetimes.
Great, now I’m depressed.
All They Can Do Is Shoot, But That’s Something
19. Jason Kapono (two years, $12.9 million)
8.4 ppg, 2.1 rpg
18. Sasha Vujacic (two years, $10.5 million)
5.7 ppg, 1.6 apg
17. Daniel Gibson (three years, $12.5 million)
8.1 ppg, 38% FG%
16. Vladimir Radmanovic (two years, $13.4 million)
10.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.6 apg
15. Morris Peterson (two years, $12.2 million)
5.4 ppg, 2.1 rpg
After signing a three-year deal, setting himself up for life, Vujacic’s shooting numbers have dropped eight percent from the field and almost nine percent from three-point range. (Like he needed to be more annoying.) And I don’t think the Cavs had 38% shooting in mind when they inked Boobie to a long-term deal; the play of Delonte West has made Gibson expendable. As for Radmanovic, he is arguably the worst defender in the league. Really. Just watch him on that end of the court sometime. He’s totally lost. His awareness in NBA 2K9 should be zero.
One Good Year Does Not a Starting Point Guard Make
14. Marcus Banks (two years, $9.4 million)
2.7 ppg, 1.3 apg
13. Beno Udrih (four years, $26.7 million)
10.9 ppg, 4.3 apg
12. Marko Jaric (two years, $14. 7 million)
1.8 ppg, 0.9 rpg, 27% FG%
Sure, Udrih is overpaid and the Kings were dumb to sign him long-term. But the guy can run an offense and that’s still something. But I wonder — does Marko’s new bride (Victoria’s Secret model Adriana Lima, pictured below) know that he’s not getting any minutes for one of the worst teams in the league? Does she care? Does he care?
After looking at that picture, do I care?
The Not-So-Special Specialists
11. Reggie Evans (two years, $10 million)
2.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg
10. Jared Jeffries (two years, $13.4 million)
4.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg
Here we have the Rebounder and the Defender. Too bad that’s all either guy can do. Jeffries is a poor man’s Battier. (I don’t really know what that even means.)
The Big Stiffs
9. Darius Songaila (two years $9.3 million)
6.7 ppg, 2.6 rpg
8. Joel Pryzbilla (two years, $14.3 million)
5.2 ppg, 8.1 rpg
7. Erick Dampier (one year, $12.1 million)
5.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.3 bpg
6. Nazr Mohammed (two years, $13.4 million)
2.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg
5. Dan Gadzuric (two years, $14.0 million)
3.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg
Now that’s a list of overpaid backup centers. The Bucks drafted Andrew Bogut in June 2005 then sign Gadzuric to a long-term deal two months later. How does this make sense? Since when does being seven-foot and being able to get up and down the court in a reasonable amount of time entitle you to a multi-million dollar contract?
What In the World Were They Thinking?
4. Jamaal Tinsley (two years, $14.9 million)
No stats in 2008-09
The Pacers have been trying to get rid of Tinsley for a while now but they can’t find any takers. I wonder why…
3. Matt Carroll (four years, $16.4 million)
3.3 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 39% FG%
The Mavs had to take on Carroll’s brutal contract to get rid of the #1 guy on this list, so this is actually an improvement for Mark Cuban. Carroll is proof positive that if you can average double-digit points in your contract year for one of the worst teams in the league, you can parlay that into a deal worth $20 million. Right place, right time…
2. Luke Walton (four years, $21.6 million)
4.9 ppg, 2.5 apg, 2.5 rpg
I’m of the school that Luke wouldn’t have signed this big of a contract if his last name wasn’t “Walton.” Hell, if not for that family name, I’d argue that he wouldn’t even be in the NBA. He’s a 6’8” white dude who can’t shoot but I’m told that “he knows how to play the game.” Seriously, there are a half a dozen guys like that in my rec league (and they can shoot it better than he does).
1. DeSagana Diop (four years, $26.8 million)
3.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 0.8 bpg
How does a guy that has never averaged more than 3.3 points or 5.4 rebounds a game get a five-year deal worth $31 million? He’s a great shot-blocker, you say? His career high in blocks is 1.8 – that’s worth $6 million per season? Really? I thought America was a meritocracy…
THE (NOT-SO-SUPER)STARS
18. Vince Carter (two years, $33.6 million)
20.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 4.8 apg
Is he playing well? Absolutely. Is he worth every penny? Not so much. The Nets couldn’t give him away at the trade deadline.
17. Richard Jefferson (two years, $29.4 million)
18.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2.4 apg, 43% FG%
He’s helped the Bucks stay competitive, but the franchise is in dire financial shape. He’s worth $10-$11 mil per season, not $15 million.
16. Rashard Lewis (three years, $58.7 million)
18.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg
Yes, he’s overpaid, but at least he can shoot – and he’s perfect for what Orlando wants to do.
15. Mike Dunleavy (two years, $20.4 million)
15.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.4 apg
Mike, Jr. finally lived up to his bloated contract last season and then he got hurt. Perfect. Man, it’s been a rough year for the Dunleavys.
14. Antawn Jamison (three years, $40.1 million)
21.6 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 2.0 apg
It’s hard to know how bad this contract will look in a year or two. He’s still producing, albeit for a bad team.
13. Andrei Kirilenko (two years, $34.3 million)
12.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.0 apg
This contract has looked awful for a long time now. He inked his deal before the arrival of Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams and the Jazz have been counting the minutes since.
12. Troy Murphy (two years, $23.0 million)
13.9 ppg, 11.8 rpg
Call me crazy, but at essentially the same price, I’d rather have Murphy for two years than the next guy for five.
11. Emeka Okafor (five years, $62.5 million)
14.1 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 1.7 bpg
Welcome to cap hell, Charlotte.
10. Andre Iguodala (five years, $68.6 million)
18.0 ppg, 5.4 apg, 6.0 rpg
Don’t get me wrong – Iggy is a solid player. Just not $13.7 mil-per-season solid.
9. Luol Deng (five years, $61.7 million)
14.1 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.9 apg
A 14/6 guy is worth $12 mil a year? Really? Someone call Drew Gooden and tell him he’s in for a payday this summer. (Relax, Bulls fans, at least Deng is just 23.)
8. Kirk Hinrich (three years, $26.5 million)
9.4 ppg, 4.2 apg, 43% FG%
What happened to him? His career was on the slide even before Derrick Rose came to town. This is a guy that is in desperate need of a change of scenery.
7. Larry Hughes (one year, $13.7 million)
11.9 ppg, 1.9 apg, 2.9 rpg
6. Ben Wallace (one year, $14.0 million)
3.0 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.4 bpg
Hey, at least these ridonkuous contracts only last one more year. I am sick and tired of talking about how they’re overpaid.
5. Stephen Jackson (four years, $35.6 million)
21.1 ppg, 6.4 apg, 41% FG%
4. Corey Maggette (four years, $39.7 million)
19.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg
While Jackson’s numbers are decent, he’s a volume shooter and he’s already 30 – imagine how bad this contract is going to look in a couple of years. The same goes for Maggette. Don’t forget that playing in Golden State inflates those numbers. Geesh!
3. Baron Davis (four years, $53.8 million)
15.3 ppg, 7.9 apg, 3.5 rpg, 36% FG%
I wonder if the Clips want a do-over. Davis is a good player, but not $13.5 million-per-year good. What’s sad is that I really like watching Davis play. He should be playing for a contender. Elton Brand really did a number on this guy.
2. Zach Randolph (two years, $33.3 million)
21.8 ppg, 10.5 rpg
Don’t be fooled by those numbers. Randolph is a $9 million-per-year player in a $16 million-per-year contract. He makes a killing scoring and rebounding for terrible teams.
1. Peja Stojakovic (two years, $27.7 million)
13.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg
Sure, he’s averaging almost 14 points per game, but he’s shooting just 40% from the field. This trade actually forced the Hornets to try to give their third-best player, Tyson Chandler, away. Since they acquired Peja, New Orleans has had absolutely no cap flexibility. This is the move that may ultimately keep the Hornets out of the Finals, at least for the next couple of seasons. They rolled the dice that Peja could still shoot and it came up snake eyes.
THE INJURY-PRONES
14. Shaquille O’Neal (one year, $21 million)
18.2 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 1.5 bpg
Yes, he’s having a good year, but he’s not worth $21 million. While the next guy is the better center, at least Shaq has proven he can take a team to the Promised Land. The Cavs may ultimately regret not adding him at the expense of Wally Szczerbiak and Sasha Pavlovic at the trade deadline.
13. Yao Ming (two years, $34.1 million)
19.8 ppg, 9.6 rpg
Don’t get me wrong – Yao has a great game. I love it. But I don’t think you can build around a guy who has missed more than a third of his games in the last three seasons. And his foot problems are only going to get worse, right?
12. Nene Hilario (three years, $33.5 million)
14.8 ppg, 7.9 rpg
He’s productive when he plays, but this guy is an injury waiting to happen. Prior to this season, he missed 40% of Denver’s games over his first six years.
11. Andrew Bogut (five years, $60.0 million)
11.7 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 1.0 bpg
I like Bogut’s hard-nosed style, but it seems to be taking its toll on his body. He has missed more than a quarter of his games over the past three seasons. Now he has back pain — that’s easy to fix, right?
10. Jason Richardson (two years, $27.8 million)
17.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.2 apg
J-Rich is a solid player. Just not $13.9 mil-per-season solid.
9. Michael Redd (two years, $35.3 million)
21.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.7 apg
Over the last three years, Redd has missed 36% of the Bucks’ games. I think it’s safe to say he’s injury-prone. I do love this former second round pick, but he’s not living up to his contract. I want to see an efficent, 18+ point season with the Bucks getting out of the first round of the playoffs. Then I’ll be happy.
8. Jermaine O’Neal (one year, $23.0 million)
13.5 ppg, 6.9 rpg
In the previous four seasons, O’Neal has missed 37% of his team’s games. Wowsers. The guy still has skills, if he can only stay upright.
7. Tracy McGrady (one year, $22.5 million)
15.6 ppg, 5.0 apg, 4.4 rpg, 39% FG%
One more year and the Rockets will be able to free themselves from this albatross of a contract. Remember when people used to argue about who was the better shooting guard – Kobe or T-Mac? That seems like such a loooooong time ago.
6. Kenyon Martin (two years, $32.2 million)
12.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg
Hey, at least K-Mart is healthy and contributing! (Nugget fans know what I’m talking about.) Martin has one of those contracts that was untradeable the moment he signed it. Then he played a total of 58 games in the ’05-’06 and ’06-’07 seasons. Believe me, Denver fans are happy for the 12 and 6.
5. Samuel Dalembert (two years, $25.1 million)
6.3 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 1.8 bpg
As time goes on, this contract looks more and more ridiculous.
4. Elton Brand (four years, $66.2 million)
13.8 ppg, 8.8 rpg
Methinks the basketball gods are giving Elton a little payback for leaving Baron Davis high and dry. Karma is a bitch.
3. Eddy Curry (two years, $21.8 million)
2.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg
A 6’11” center who can’t rebound or stay healthy? Great. His game has such a bad rep that he’s been unmovable for years.
2. Monta Ellis (five years, $55 million)
13.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.8 apg
Yet another bright career gets derailed by a wild moped ride in Mississippi. How many times does this happen before we all stand up and say “NO” to Mississippi moped rides?
1. Gilbert Arenas (five years, $96.4 million)
No stats in 2008-09
To think, the Wizards actually seemed happy to be getting Agent Zero at a “hometown discount.” But who exactly were they bidding against? If he doesn’t return to his All-NBA form, the franchise will be hamstrung for years to come. This is yet another Ernie Grunfeld gem.
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Posted in: Fantasy Basketball, Humor, NBA, NBA Finals
Tags: Adriana Lima, Adriana Lima photos, Andre Iguodala, Andrei Kirilenko, Andres Nocioni, Andrew Bogut, Antawn Jamison, Antonio Daniels, bad contracts, Baron Davis, Ben Wallace, Beno Udrih, Bobby Simmons, Brian Cardinal, Corey Maggette, Dan Gadzuric, Daniel Gibson, Darius Songaila Joel Pryzbilla, Darko Milicic, DeSagana Diop, Earl Watson, Eddy Curry, Elton Brand, Emeka Okafor, Erick Dampier, Etan Thomas, Gilbert Arenas, Jamaal Tinsley, Jared Jeffries, Jason Kapono, Jason Maxiell, Jason Richardson, Jermaine O’Neal, Jerome James, John Paulsen, Kenny Thomas, Kenyon Martin, Kirk Hinrich, Larry Hughes, Luke Walton, Luol Deng, Marcus Banks, Mark Blount, Marko Jaric, Matt Carroll, Michael Redd, Mike Dunleavy, Mike James, Monta Ellis, Morris Peterson, Nazr Mohammed, NBA free agency, Nene, Nick Collison, Peja Stojakovic, Rashard Lewis, Reggie Evans, Richard Jefferson, Ronny Turiaf, Samuel Dalembert, Sasha Vujacic, Shane Battier, Shaquille O’Neal, Stephen Jackson, Tim Thomas, Tony Battie, Tracy McGrady, Troy Murphy, Vince Carter, Vladimir Radmanovic, Yao Ming, Zach Randolph
HAHAHAHA Your description of Walton was gold
You lost all creditbilty on the Turiaf comments. Do you even watch the games?
One injury makes me injury prone? Your a complete idiot!
Monta – you got injured, came back and then re-injured yourself. for a guy that’s been in the league just a few years, you’re injury prone. Sorry. (And you don’t think the Warriors want a do-over on that contract? Then you’re crazy.)
Ronny/Magic – Did you see that I put Mr. Turiaf in a section entitled “Guys I Wouldn’t Mind Having On My Team”? (I still think he’s overpaid.)
actually i did not reinjure myself. the surgically repaired ankle stiffened up. in other words, the warriors are tanking and mgmt didn’t want me playing when there was no need…
Ah, “stiffened up”…that changes everything.
Yao doesn’t count. He’s had an amazing inury free season, but more importantly, DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH REVENUE ONE GOOD CHINA MAN MAKES? Seriously, go look at the top NBA franchises by net worth. Rockets cant get out of the first round and they are still in the top 4
yeah Turiaf is a “guy I wouldn’t mind having on my team” but he is not overpaid. If he was given a chance to start (or maybe I can rephrase that to not play for Nellie), or play regular minutes he would be on the best contracts list.
“He plays hard, but any number of guys in the D-league and overseas that can do what he does at a fraction of the price.” – Not even close. Shot Blocker, great passer, nice jumper, energy, intensity…. I’m pretty sure every b-ball blog I’ve read there are always guys thinking up trades to get this guy.
Fair point, though this article is from the POV of wins and losses vs. the salary cap, and I just don’t think you can build around guy that is that injury prone and, as he gets older, is only more likely to miss time.
Joel Przybilla? A big stiff? Clearly you don’t watch basketball. there is not a blazer fan (nor management) in the world who would give him up. 7 million per for the best backup center in the league well worth it.
You’re right. I don’t watch basketball.
We’ll see what kind of money a backup center makes this summer.
So you can say with a straight face that Joel Przybilla is a big stiff? Seriously? He may be no offensive juggernaut, but he averages over 8 rebounds and 1 block in 22 minutes per game, (which is good for the 4th best rebounding rate in the NBA) and is unquestionably the best defender on the team. Add to that his work ethic, demeanor, and the leadership and maturity he brings to this young trail blazer team and you have a player that contributes above atnd beyond what was ever expected of him.
Paul, believe me when i say this: without Joel, the blazers wouldn’t be in the playoff picture this year. Period. Ask around, you’ll find that any educated blazer fana/journalist will agree.
Oops, your name is John Paulsen, not Paul Johnson. Sorry about that.
Eric – I don’t know if you noticed, but the article is written in a humorous manner. Not everything should be taken 100% seriously.
Joel is a fine backup center (and a serviceable starting center), but at $7 million per season I feel that he is overpaid, especially in this economy. One GM said that this summer is going to be a “nuclear winter” of sorts for free agents, so it’s going to be very interesting to see what kind of deals are made. My guess is that if Joel were a free agent this summer, he’d make somewhere around $4 million a season. Like I said — we’ll see.
Iggy as Injury Prone?
Hmm, lets see his career stats:
82 games, 82 games 76 (!!!!!!) games, 82 games, 59/59 games.
Yeah, the six missed games does it(on a season he averaged >40 min a game). 381/387.
Not commenting on the salary versus ability, but injury prone would seem to be the thinking in this categorization
Jeff — You’re right. Oversight on my part. I moved him to the other group.
it seems unfair to base salaries signed in a different economic climate against the “winter” thats coming. Don’t forget Joel Pryzbilla signed his contract the same year as Ben Wallace. How is that for a serviceable back up at cost?
You ripped Bill Simmons style so bad its almost embarassing.
Hey, at least it’s only “almost” embarrassing. There are only so many ways to do rankings in a humorous manner.
Regular readers know that I’m a big fan of Simmons’ work.
I’d also have to disagree on the hate shown to Przybilla — every time I watch Portland play, he does good stuff for them.
Meanwhile — and I know this may be early and it may be harsh — but how about putting Oden on there in his stead? Talk about a bust. Majorly injury-prone, and when he has played this season, all he does is commit fouls and look lost. Joe Smith was a #1 pick, and if Oden has half the career that Smith has had, he will be extremely lucky.
Wow, pretty tough on Nene – didn’t he miss an entire season because of TESTICULAR CANCER – and you call him an injury waiting to happen?
That’s pretty harsh, don’t you think?
Also let me double down on the Przybilla thing. Without him who would be the center for the Blazers? LaFrentz? Channing Frye? Przybilla comes in and gives his heart night-in-night-out. Is he a franchise center? Obviously not. But I’ll bet if you asked around town who’d they rather have, Oden or Przybilla – people would go with the latter.
Clint – Nene has suffered a torn ACL, a torn MCL (in 2005 missing 81 games), and a torn thumb ligament (in 2008, missing 22 games). He also missed 27 games in the 2004-05 season and 18 games in the 2006-07 season for a variety of ailments, and I don’t believe it had anything to do with his cancer, which was discovered later. In all, he has missed 40% of his teams games (by my count, that’s 202 games — almost two and a half seasons). I think that qualifies as injury prone, despite the testicular cancer (for which he missed 44 games). He’s a great player when he’s healthy, but you can’t count on him to be healthy.
As for Pryzbilla, I think every team in the league would rather trade for Greg Oden given his potential. I didn’t say that Pryz was a bad player, just that he’s overpaid.
Diop was one of the dumbest signings ever. he has zero basketball instincts. The Mavs should be embarrassed.
This could have been written by Bill Simmons…… if only he was retarded, illiterate and had never seen a game of basketball.
Antoine Walker must be an expiring contract…otherwise, i have no idea how you missed him
Forgot Speedy Claxton from the Hawks. Back in 2006 he got 4 years/$25 million. He played in 42 games the first season averaging 5 ppg, hasn’t stepped on the court since. Hasn’t even dressed for a game in 2 seasons.
Hater – That’s very thoughtful criticism. I will take it to heart.
Connor – Walker is expiring.
A Hole – Claxton is a good one. Forgot about him. He has one more season at $5.2 million.
Another Hater – your comment brought nothing to the conversation. You proved to be useless – well done.
I was about to ask: How about JJ Reddick or Tyronn Lue?
Then I saw Lue is expiring.
Sure, they each make a little over $2M, but next year Reddick is to get $2.8M. And he is completely useless at NBA basketball.
Also, how about Adam Morrison? The Lakers will owe him $5.2M next year — for about 5-8 mpg.
I pretty much stayed away from guys on their rookie contracts. Sometimes they still have potential and all they need is a change of scenery. We’ll see if that’s the case with Morrison at least.
This article somehow reminds me of Bonzi turning down $36 million for 80,000 dollars in the chinese league. What category would he be in here?
Xiang — Who offered Bonzi $36 million?!?!
Good point John, I forgot about all those knee injuries of Nene as he was young and coming off the bench. Yea, the Claxton contract was a major miss…
Yea, the Kings offered Bonzi a 5 year $36 mil contract. He turned it down (shades of Latrell Spreewell anyone?) and will probably never make the league again.
…couldn’t this article have been easier if you just listed every Isiah Thomas signing while with the Knicks? Which reminds me – Curry definitely deserved to be ahead of Monta.
Heck Monta had the potential to be a franchise guy last season, before his injury most of us had him right up there with Brandon Roy/Kevin Martin for the young guards in the Pac NW division.
I enjoyed the article. People need to lay off the haterade
Clint – All good points, but I’m talking about Monta’s contract now, not a year ago. Right now it’s looking rough. I love his game — when he’s healthy.
Thanks, John – It seems like people only want to comment when they have a nit to pick.
Tim Thomas has made $84 mil??!! NBA execs need to be sued for this BS…but after seeing Adriana, do i care? lol
Well-written John,let the haters hate its what they do best and it just means youre doin a good job. keep up the good work my man.
It’s funny. I don’t see a single player currently with the Spurs on this list. However, the list of ex-Spurs is long… I guess they knew what they were doing when they did not resign these guys at these ridiculous amounts.
Nice change on moving Iggy.
Do I win a free t-shirt?
Jeff – Yep, it’s an invisible t-shirt delivered in invisible packaging by an invisible, mute delivery man who’s afraid to knock on doors. Here’s the tracking number:
Keep an eye out for it.
I look best in that color!
What? There is no Score Report logo’d gear (available free for posts that cause an edit)?
Why am I posting?
Back to looking for that invisible belt…
I am sick with it here in Cleveland! The shit there is fucked up. I wan’t to go to New York. They have some fill in space, and I could make them some really fucking pround Playoff Contenders.
The stuff here in Cleveland is crap. The team screwed up their chance to win a championship and they yell at me for not shaking hands!? I was mad and didnt care and wanted to be alone to think. Give me a BREAK!!!
Nice blog.
Personally, my top 3 would be Curry, Jaric and Tinsley. It’s also mind-boggling that Charlotte would give a long, hefty contract to ‘Meka when they knew had back issues.
That was great. Where did you get your info for salaries?
In retrospect, wow… Monta Ellis is scoring 25.4 ppg. Bogut is now one of the best centers in the league and leading the Bucks to the playoffs. Battier doesn’t belong on this list, well, guess you missed the Rockets pushing the Lakers to 7 games last year without their 2 big players.
Where are Boston’s BIG THREE? Luis Scola has more double doubles than they have all year in his past 11 games. That’s right! Garnett has 7, Pierce has 1, and Allen hasn’t had one in 3 seasons while making almost 20 million a year. Boston had better hope Rondo learns how to shoot freethrows better than Shaq, and hit some 3’s. Take away a few of his teammates who are almost “The Departed”… It’s going to get U-G-L-Y for the most overpaid point guard in the league. He is the worst shooting point guard in the league. Rondo is dead last when it comes to free throw percentage, and last when it comes to shooting 3’s(with all guards.)
At the time, Boston’s big three were the defending champs and looked poised for another playoff run, even though KG was in and out with a sore knee. When/if I write this piece again, I’ll definitely include them.
Battier should be nowhere near this list… he’s one of the elite perimeter defenders in the league… very economical defender who doesn’t gamble for steals just denies post position and forces bad shots as well as anyone
Bruce Bowen was an elite defender as well, and the Spurs never paid him more than $4.125 M per season. Just sayin’.
John – When did Monta Ellis ever avg. 13ppg? For the last 3 years, he’s avg. 25, 19, and 20. Where are you getting your stats? Plus, Monta’s contract isnt even that bad. Do you watch him play? Monta is one of the best players in the league. And yes, I do watch the NBA. I probably know more than you. Anyways, 5 years for $55 million isnt bad for an explosive and quick guard who can take it to the hole, draw fouls, and put fans in the seats. He clearly justified his contract missing only 18 games, avg. 25ppg, 5ast, and 4reb and playing an avg. of 41min per night! Get real. Monta isnt clearly a MAX guy, but at $11mil/year, that is clearly a good contract for his skills.
Xai — This post was written in early March of ’09. Check out Monta’s split stats from January and February after he came back from his moped injury. That’s where I got those numbers.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/splits?playerId=2751&sYe
ar=2009&sType=4
Monta has bounced back pretty well since then and I agree that his contract isn’t so bad presently. These posts are just a snapshot in time and at that point Ellis was averaging 13 ppg and looking awfully sluggish after his moped accident.
John – Oh, split stats. The way you wrote it, I thought you were talking about a whole season. But ok. Well, split stats arent fair to use because any player can have horrible split stats. Thanks for the information though. I do agree with majority of what you wrote though. There are some ridiculous deals being handed out. Luke Walton?! Redd?! etc. keep up the good work.
I believe I used YTD stats at that point, and at that point, Monta’s stats were pretty ugly.
All NBA players can earn loads of money, they should really have performance-based salaries.
By the looks of it you don’t really like Luke Walton :p.
Bonzi should have taken the 5 for 36,000,000!