Bill Simmons 25 Worst Contracts in the NBA

[chatard5]

The annual worst contracts:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/st ... ons/090212

25. Zach Randolph, three years, $50m
24. Andrei Kirilenko, three years, $49.3m
23. Beno Udrih, five years, $33m
22. Erick Dampier, three years, $32.7m
21. Jermaine O'Neal, two years, $44.5m
20. Tracy McGrady, two years, $44.4m
19. Matt Carroll, five years, 18.4m
18. DeSagana Diop, five years, $31m
17. Kenny Thomas, two years, $16.5m
16. Bobby Simmons, two years, $20.5m
15. Troy Murphy, three years, $33.2m
14. Corey Maggette, five years, $50m
13. Andres Nocioni, four years, $30.1m
12. Ben Wallace, two years, $28.5m
11. Kenyon Martin, three years, 46.1m
10. Luke Walton, five years, $26.4m
9. Nazr Mohammed three years, $19.4m
8. Dan Gadzuric, three years, $20.3m
7. Marko Jaric, three years, $21.3m
6. Larry Hughes, two years, $26.5m
5. Jamaal Tinsley, three years, 21.5m
4. Baron Davis, five years, $60m
3. Eddy Curry, three years, $31.5m
2. Elton Brand, five years, $84m
1. Gilbert Arenas, six years, $111m

[chatard5]

I haven't look at this too much (about 57 seconds), so I will have to make my comments as I got over everything.

First thing I notice is JO being on the list... He is expiring next year, which gives him value for being a huge expiring before 2010 (by 2 years I think they mean this year and next. But like I have said in other posts I am like half asleep, but I think that's right). He still has some productivity. If it were 3 years I agree, but he can still contribute some and his contract is only another year. Shaq is getting 40 million and I see the productivity being about equal, depending on if JO is healthy or not. Buy Shaq isn't always healthy anymore, either.

Same with T-Mac. Even though he is done for the year, he expires next year. If I am wrong and they mean 2 additional years then I take this back. I should probably look it up. Ehh I am like 95% sure. But maybe some rest will make him healthy. I doubt it, but being in a contract year could make him healthy... Still expires the perfect year for those 2010 players. OK, I looked it up and now I am 100% sure they expire next year. Both JO and T-Mac are dumb in my opinion. They will have positive value this time next year even if they have 2 broken legs.

Troy Murphy #15 is STUPID. He is tops in the league in rebounding and has been playing great. We need some national televised games to get our guys shown out there. He is overpaid, but does not have close to the 15th worst contract in the league with the production he has. Erick Dampier virtually has the same contract and is 7 spots lower. Dampier gets 5.4 points per game and 7.4 rebounds. Murphy gets 13 points and 11.3 boards. Murphy gets half a million dollars more and is better in every category, I believe, but blocks and FG% (didn't look that closely, but I think so). This is just crazy. He had an awful contract, it's not great, but this is just stupid.

Ben Wallace 12 I disagree. He helps the Cavs some and expires next year...

Hughes 6th... Expires next year, shouldn't be that high if he was a bag of chips...

Tinsley is 5th. This is interesting. On the one hand you could say he's the worst, on the other you could say his isn't bad at all... He is a bad contract for us, but overall $7 million a year for a PG as talented as him is worth it. The only problem is his off the court issues. If he stays on the Pacers I say he is top 5. If he goes to a team where he gets 20 minutes a game I could see him being 25th. If he goes to a team where he starts, which there a quite a few teams where he could, or a team where he plays 30 or so minutes I don't think he belongs on the list.

Baron Davis at 4, Elton Brand 2, and Arenas 1 are all interesting. As of right now they deserve to be there, but they all have talent and could make a turn-around. I wouldn't take any of them right now, because I don't want those 5 years of commitments, but Arenas may come back and average 25 points per game (although I still wouldn't want him for 6 years 111 million). Baron Davis getting 12 mill a year is pretty bad, but he has shown signs of stardom a few times. I remember when they beat Dallas everyone thought he was the greatest. I didn't agree, even though he had a great series. You shouldn't pay somebody a whole bunch of money based on a good series (COUGH Austin Croshere COUGH). I would posibly trade for him, but only if we gave them a bunch of bad 3 year deals. I don't think the deals of Murphleavy are that bad anymore so they don't count. We don't really have anyone else I'd consider.

I want Brand (when healthy), but 17 million per for 5 years is baaaaaad. I'd have to throw in 3 bad contracts for him, which again, I don't think we have (besides Tinsley). I just thought about Tinsley and Murphy for Brand. We trade 54.7 in salary for 84 million. Ehh, I don't think so. Maybe next year if Brand can show us he is healthy.

And then #3 is Eddy Curry for 3 years, 10.5 mill per year. I am sure New York really wants to get that 10.5 million off for the 2010 free agency. If the Knicks still had their draft pick, David Lee was signed to a contract around 6-7 mill a year for a few years, and we could get another one of their youngsters I wouldn't mind taking on his bad contract.

I just want to point out, as I said earlier, if the contract is only 2 years (especially before this huge 2010), it isn't that bad of a contract. An expiring has value, so if it's a 5 year deal that is awful, only 3 1/2 years of it are really horrible, in my opinion. I haven't gotten a chance to see who shoud be ADDED to the list yet, but here are my top players who I think don't deserve to be on here:

1. Troy Murphy: If you can average a double-double (easily) and hit a couple 3s a game (shooting 44%, yes, 44% from 3s! Also 80 FT% for a PF!) you shouldn't be on the list for making 11 million dollars, especially when the contract is 3 years, not like 7.
2. JO-He can play decent still and only has one more year
3. T-Mac-Same as JO
4. Larry Hughes- WAY too high for this list for expiring next year, even though he's making way too much.
5. Possibly Tinsley- If he can get traded, he can play well. His contract is only 21.5 million. That's a lot if you aren't playing at all, but if he can play it's worth it.

I will get back to who I think belongs on this list, but as of right now that's that. Murphy 15th is stupid, in my opinion. Simmons needs to watch the Pacers!

[cdash]

Yeah, I saw this the other day. My thoughts:

Beno Udrih is too low. I'd much rather have Tinsley at 3 years $21.5 million than Udrih at 5 years $33 million.

Erick Dampier is too low. That guy makes $10 million per year? I'd much, much rather have Murphy, who like chatard said, at least produces.

Diop is too low. For what he does on the court, he doesnt warrant that kind of contract.

Really, besides some minor quips with the order, its a pretty good list. Like chatard said, a lot of them expire next year, but they are still awful contracts. Teams (for the most part) have gotten better about throwing around lousy contracts. I'm kind of curious why Jerome James isnt on that list though.

[Miller4ever]

You don't look at stats when deciding contract qualification. Troy Murphy may be getting huge numbers, but he fights his own teammates for rebounds 2-3 times a game (He always makes the opposite party give up the ball; Dunleavy and Granger would be averaging 2 more rebounds per game)

I think his spot is a little high on this list, but it belongs there.

[cdash]

What do you mean you dont look at stats when deciding contract qualifications? Of course you do. Its certainly not all you look at, but it plays a part for sure.

Now, I definitely think Murphy belongs on the list, but I'd rather have him giving us regular double-doubles than Udrih, Dampier, Carroll, or Diop. Although you do bring up a good point that he does fight his teammates for rebounds a few times per game. Whether he knows they are his teammates or not is a different story, but it also doesnt hurt that our centers (besides Foster) arent very good rebounders.

[Miller4ever]

Yeah, I meant you don't look at stats exclusively.

[DC2]

Troy Murphy may be getting huge numbers, but he fights his own teammates for rebounds 2-3 times a game (He always makes the opposite party give up the ball; Dunleavy and Granger would be averaging 2 more rebounds per game)

I love how someone else notices this.

[Miller4ever]

It kind of bothers me, to tell you the truth.

Next time you guys watch a game, keep an eye on Trophy.

It's in the heat of the battle. Granger gets a hand up, altering the release of the opposing player. The ball clanks off the back rim, suspended in midair. Granger jumps up to grab the loose ball. Suddenly, two enormous white man hands come out of nowhere, clamping on the ball at the same time Granger's hands do. Granger looks into the eyes of the player he is now engaged in rebound combat with. The sight is so horrifying he turns away. He then realizes it is teammate Troy Murphy and turns his head back to try and secure the rebound. "Same team!" he wants to exclaim, but a glint in Murphy's eyes seem to say, "Let me pad my stats to justify my contract or I will eat your pancreas".

Granger has no choice but to let go.

[Gremz]

Jamaal Tinsley has the greatest job in the world. He gets paid to NOT work.

[xxSnEaKyPxx]

Yea, the whole Murphy thing isn't as good argument as Zach Randolph would blow Murphy out of the water, from his play that is.

[Gremz]

I just find it really refreshing to not see Dunleavy on these lists anymore.

[chatard5]

Take away 2 1/2 boards from Murphy a game and he still get 8.8 boards. And really he should get half of the ones that 2 players fight for, so 10 boards and it's a double-double. I could see him being 25th, but not 15th.

[cdash]

Yea, the whole Murphy thing isn't as good argument as Zach Randolph would blow Murphy out of the water, from his play that is.

Yeah, but Murphy by all accounts is a good locker room guy. Randolph is a head case. Plus, Randolph is lower on the list than Murphy.

[RIPskaterdude]

The Kings now own THREE of those contracts...OUCH!