duncan228
04-03-2009, 01:53 PM
Weekly Countdown: Winning now means paying later in the NBA (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/ian_thomsen/04/03/efficiency/index.html)
Ian Thomsen
This being a nation of laws in which contracts cannot be abrogated (or so I hear on the Sunday morning news shows), NBA players continued to rake in huge salaries while the larger economy comes shattering down all around them. This season more than $2,144,283,570 is being paid to 507 players, according to official NBA payroll figures I viewed Wednesday.
That makes for an average salary of $4.2 million, which is far less than the Rockets are paying the tireless Luis Scola (who is making $3.1 million this season) and far less than the Knicks paid the tiresome Stephon Marbury ($18.6 million).
The lowest-paid player was D.J. Strawberry, who was paid $4,185 by the Rockets. The highest-paid player this season is once again Kevin Garnett of the Celtics at $24,751,934. That equates to $301,853 per game, whether he played or not.
5 most efficient franchises
5. Utah Jazz, $1.29 million per win ... They're benefiting from the rookie salaries of Deron Williams at $5.1 million this year, Ronnie Brewer at $1.8 million and Paul Millsap at $797,581 as a second-round pick. But all that will change next season when Williams' extension pays him $13.8 million and Millsap either re-signs or leaves as a restricted free agent this summer. Depending on whether or not Carlos Boozer (making $11.6 million), Mehmet Okur ($8.5 million) and Kyle Korver ($5.0 million) exercise their options to become free agents, the Jazz could either have cap space this summer or face a luxury tax with a bloated payroll. In either case this roster is likely to undergo some form of reconstruction.
4. New Orleans Hornets, $1.29 million per win ... Chris Paul is a huge bargain with his rookie contract paying him $4.6 million, though next year his new deal kicks in at $13.8 million. He's worth all of that, but his raise will create a luxury bill that owner George Shinn can't afford to pay. To shave the necessary $8 million from next year's payroll the Hornets tried to unload Tyson Chandler (making $11.4 million this season and on the books through 2010-11) for expiring money before he failed his physical at Oklahoma City. This summer they can explore moving him elsewhere or try to piece together a number of smaller deals to either get under the projected $69.4 million luxury threshold (or take money in trades to offset the tax penalties they may pay), but there will be an awful lot of rival teams trying to make the same kind of money-saving deals. With Peja Stojakovic ($12.5 million this season and two more years to go on his deal) untradable because of back problems, and Chandler viewed as damaged goods, will the Hornets be forced to consider offers for David West (making $9.9 million this year, with three more years remaining)? A trying summer is ahead.
3. Denver Nuggets, $1.29 million per win ... The Nuggets have done what so many teams wish to do: They improved while unloading salary and skirting under the luxury tax threshold. It started last summer with the perplexing decision to unload Marcus Camby's $10 million salary to the Clippers in exchange for nothing but the right to swap second-round picks: Couldn't the Nuggets have at least commanded a first-rounder for a former defensive player of the year? But that move made it possible for them to package Allen Iverson's expiring $20.8 millions salary for Chauncey Billups, who is earning $11.1 million with three more years to go. The Nuggets will need to whittle down next season -- their commitment to nine players leaves them barely underneath the tax threshold -- but they're operating from a position of strength in comparison to many teams.
2. Los Angeles Lakers, $1.22 million per win ... This payroll makes sense to a team seeking the championship in a lucrative market: They can afford the salaries of Kobe Bryant ($21.3 million), Pau Gasol ($15.1 million) and Lamar Odom ($14.1 million), who happen, by no coincidence, to be their three best players. A luxury tax bill of $7 million awaits Jerry Buss, but he'll still make a fine profit, especially after the gate receipts come in from the home playoff games. Bryant will opt out either of the next two summers to sign an extension before the next Collective Bargaining Agreement is expected to reduce max salaries, annual raises and overall length of contracts. Andrew Bynum's current $2.8 million escalates to $12.5 million next season to launch his new four-year deal, and Odom and Trevor Ariza are free agents this summer with Jordan Farmar to follow in 2010. But so long as Kobe is in town and the tickets are selling, the Lakers should remain in strong shape.
1. Orlando Magic, $1.13 million per win ... The '07 signing of Rashard Lewis (making $18 million this season, the second of his five-year deal) doesn't look so bad now that he's an All-Star helping Dwight Howard lead the Magic into contention. This summer, however, the owners will have to decide whether to pay a luxury tax: If Hedo Turkoglu doesn't opt out (he's owed $7.4 million next year) and if they hold onto Rafer Alston at his $5.3 million, the Magic's commitment to 10 players alone will hike them $2 million over the projected tax threshold before they begin paying their draft picks. Results in the upcoming postseason may dictate whether Turkoglu becomes a free agent and whether his price is met by Orlando: Management will want to enter their new building next season with a promising team.
4 most wasteful franchises
4. Minnesota Timberwolves, $2.99 million per win ... Thus concludes the expensive transition from the Kevin Garnett era, with the phantom contracts of Juwan Howard (at $5.2 million) and Troy Hudson ($5 million) on the books for this final year. Next season current commitments drop to $51 million, and only five players (including Al Jefferson and Kevin Love) are signed into '10-11, when the Timberwolves will have tons of space. Can they apply some of that cash to revive their comatose market? We'll see, but they needed to go through these couple of lost seasons before starting over.
3. Los Angeles Clippers, $3.08 million per win ... Owner Donald T. Sterling's payroll ranks 29th in the league, but by his long-running standards he surely feels as if he is paying far too much to Zach Randolph ($14.7 million this season, with two years left), Baron Davis ($11.3 million, plus four more years), Marcus Camby ($10 million plus one) and Chris Kaman ($9.5 million plus three). Coach Mike Dunleavy believes this roster could win if healthy, but an unhappy compromise may be to unload Camby and bring the payroll down closer to next season's anticipated $43 million minimum.
2. Washington Wizards, $3.72 million per win ... All went wrong here: The early firing of coach Eddie Jordan amid the essentially season-long injuries to center Brendan Haywood ($5.5 million) and All-NBA point guard Gilbert Arenas ($14.7 million), who had signed a six-year, $111 million contract last summer. The Wizards are optimistic of a resurgence based on a return to health, the investment in a new coach and a strong result in the draft lottery next month, which may well result in them trading their pick for immediate help; they may also need to leverage the draft in a trade to save $6 million or more in order to sneak under the luxury tax next season.
1. Sacramento Kings, $3.74 million per win ... No team was more active at the trade deadline, and wisely so: Instead of competing against a horde of other budget-conscious traders in the summer, the Kings unloaded long-term commitments to slash next season's payroll to a current $45 million, enabling them to recruit free agents over the next two summers. But can they afford to do so without a new arena deal? Unlikely.
Ian Thomsen
This being a nation of laws in which contracts cannot be abrogated (or so I hear on the Sunday morning news shows), NBA players continued to rake in huge salaries while the larger economy comes shattering down all around them. This season more than $2,144,283,570 is being paid to 507 players, according to official NBA payroll figures I viewed Wednesday.
That makes for an average salary of $4.2 million, which is far less than the Rockets are paying the tireless Luis Scola (who is making $3.1 million this season) and far less than the Knicks paid the tiresome Stephon Marbury ($18.6 million).
The lowest-paid player was D.J. Strawberry, who was paid $4,185 by the Rockets. The highest-paid player this season is once again Kevin Garnett of the Celtics at $24,751,934. That equates to $301,853 per game, whether he played or not.
5 most efficient franchises
5. Utah Jazz, $1.29 million per win ... They're benefiting from the rookie salaries of Deron Williams at $5.1 million this year, Ronnie Brewer at $1.8 million and Paul Millsap at $797,581 as a second-round pick. But all that will change next season when Williams' extension pays him $13.8 million and Millsap either re-signs or leaves as a restricted free agent this summer. Depending on whether or not Carlos Boozer (making $11.6 million), Mehmet Okur ($8.5 million) and Kyle Korver ($5.0 million) exercise their options to become free agents, the Jazz could either have cap space this summer or face a luxury tax with a bloated payroll. In either case this roster is likely to undergo some form of reconstruction.
4. New Orleans Hornets, $1.29 million per win ... Chris Paul is a huge bargain with his rookie contract paying him $4.6 million, though next year his new deal kicks in at $13.8 million. He's worth all of that, but his raise will create a luxury bill that owner George Shinn can't afford to pay. To shave the necessary $8 million from next year's payroll the Hornets tried to unload Tyson Chandler (making $11.4 million this season and on the books through 2010-11) for expiring money before he failed his physical at Oklahoma City. This summer they can explore moving him elsewhere or try to piece together a number of smaller deals to either get under the projected $69.4 million luxury threshold (or take money in trades to offset the tax penalties they may pay), but there will be an awful lot of rival teams trying to make the same kind of money-saving deals. With Peja Stojakovic ($12.5 million this season and two more years to go on his deal) untradable because of back problems, and Chandler viewed as damaged goods, will the Hornets be forced to consider offers for David West (making $9.9 million this year, with three more years remaining)? A trying summer is ahead.
3. Denver Nuggets, $1.29 million per win ... The Nuggets have done what so many teams wish to do: They improved while unloading salary and skirting under the luxury tax threshold. It started last summer with the perplexing decision to unload Marcus Camby's $10 million salary to the Clippers in exchange for nothing but the right to swap second-round picks: Couldn't the Nuggets have at least commanded a first-rounder for a former defensive player of the year? But that move made it possible for them to package Allen Iverson's expiring $20.8 millions salary for Chauncey Billups, who is earning $11.1 million with three more years to go. The Nuggets will need to whittle down next season -- their commitment to nine players leaves them barely underneath the tax threshold -- but they're operating from a position of strength in comparison to many teams.
2. Los Angeles Lakers, $1.22 million per win ... This payroll makes sense to a team seeking the championship in a lucrative market: They can afford the salaries of Kobe Bryant ($21.3 million), Pau Gasol ($15.1 million) and Lamar Odom ($14.1 million), who happen, by no coincidence, to be their three best players. A luxury tax bill of $7 million awaits Jerry Buss, but he'll still make a fine profit, especially after the gate receipts come in from the home playoff games. Bryant will opt out either of the next two summers to sign an extension before the next Collective Bargaining Agreement is expected to reduce max salaries, annual raises and overall length of contracts. Andrew Bynum's current $2.8 million escalates to $12.5 million next season to launch his new four-year deal, and Odom and Trevor Ariza are free agents this summer with Jordan Farmar to follow in 2010. But so long as Kobe is in town and the tickets are selling, the Lakers should remain in strong shape.
1. Orlando Magic, $1.13 million per win ... The '07 signing of Rashard Lewis (making $18 million this season, the second of his five-year deal) doesn't look so bad now that he's an All-Star helping Dwight Howard lead the Magic into contention. This summer, however, the owners will have to decide whether to pay a luxury tax: If Hedo Turkoglu doesn't opt out (he's owed $7.4 million next year) and if they hold onto Rafer Alston at his $5.3 million, the Magic's commitment to 10 players alone will hike them $2 million over the projected tax threshold before they begin paying their draft picks. Results in the upcoming postseason may dictate whether Turkoglu becomes a free agent and whether his price is met by Orlando: Management will want to enter their new building next season with a promising team.
4 most wasteful franchises
4. Minnesota Timberwolves, $2.99 million per win ... Thus concludes the expensive transition from the Kevin Garnett era, with the phantom contracts of Juwan Howard (at $5.2 million) and Troy Hudson ($5 million) on the books for this final year. Next season current commitments drop to $51 million, and only five players (including Al Jefferson and Kevin Love) are signed into '10-11, when the Timberwolves will have tons of space. Can they apply some of that cash to revive their comatose market? We'll see, but they needed to go through these couple of lost seasons before starting over.
3. Los Angeles Clippers, $3.08 million per win ... Owner Donald T. Sterling's payroll ranks 29th in the league, but by his long-running standards he surely feels as if he is paying far too much to Zach Randolph ($14.7 million this season, with two years left), Baron Davis ($11.3 million, plus four more years), Marcus Camby ($10 million plus one) and Chris Kaman ($9.5 million plus three). Coach Mike Dunleavy believes this roster could win if healthy, but an unhappy compromise may be to unload Camby and bring the payroll down closer to next season's anticipated $43 million minimum.
2. Washington Wizards, $3.72 million per win ... All went wrong here: The early firing of coach Eddie Jordan amid the essentially season-long injuries to center Brendan Haywood ($5.5 million) and All-NBA point guard Gilbert Arenas ($14.7 million), who had signed a six-year, $111 million contract last summer. The Wizards are optimistic of a resurgence based on a return to health, the investment in a new coach and a strong result in the draft lottery next month, which may well result in them trading their pick for immediate help; they may also need to leverage the draft in a trade to save $6 million or more in order to sneak under the luxury tax next season.
1. Sacramento Kings, $3.74 million per win ... No team was more active at the trade deadline, and wisely so: Instead of competing against a horde of other budget-conscious traders in the summer, the Kings unloaded long-term commitments to slash next season's payroll to a current $45 million, enabling them to recruit free agents over the next two summers. But can they afford to do so without a new arena deal? Unlikely.