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Elton BRand should be on there
Bad Deal: The Ten Worst Cap-Killers
SportingNews
It's early September, and chances are good your team didn't quite patch up every hole on its roster this summer. Chances are also good that you know exactly why—because somewhere on the payroll, there is an albatross of a contract chewing up all your cap space.
There is good news on this front, though. Teams have tightened their belts in recent years, and the number of absurdly bad contracts being handed out has been reduced. Of the worst contracts in the league, many are within a year or two of expiration. That could mean the league is simply gearing up for another round of ill-advised long-term deals, but it's nicer to think that teams have gotten smarter about how they spend. (That, and the fact that Isiah Thomas is no longer running a team.)
Still, there are bad deals weighing down many payrolls, and with that in mind, we bring you another annual edition of the Bryant “Big Country” Reeves Memorial Overpaid List, known by the handy acronym BBCRMOL. No, Reeves has not passed on to that great big fishin' hole in the sky—he's very much alive. The BBCRMOL simply memorializes the six-year, $61.8 million contract he received from the Grizzlies in 1997 by ranking the most bloated current contracts in the league.
First, some ground rules. Injuries don't count, even if the injuries (as in the case of, say, Kenny Thomas or Eddy Curry) are of a dubious nature. We don't pick on the utterly enfeebled players here at the BBCRMOL. If the player didn't get into at least 50 games, he's not BBCRMOL-eligible. Also, if a player has been waived or bought out, like Darius Miles or Ben Wallace, he is not eligible, either, on the grounds that the team paying him has at least made some progress in ditching the contract.
With that, here's the BBCRMOL for 2009:
1. Jermaine O'Neal, Heat. At almost $23 million, O'Neal is the third highest paid player in the NBA. He averaged just 13.3 points and 6.4 rebounds last season, but the most damning stats are in terms of wins and losses. O'Neal played for the Heat and Raptors. The combined record of the teams while he was playing for them: 36-49. Without him: 40-39.
2. Peja Stojakovic, Hornets. To be fair, Stojakovic has been slowed by injuries. On the other hand, the Hornets knew Stojakovic was an injury risk when they signed him. He has two years and $29 million left on his deal, a lot to pay for someone who is no longer mobile enough to play defense and shot just 39.9 percent from the field last season.
3. Kenyon Martin, Nuggets. Like Stojakovic, Martin has had significant injuries that have left him a s of what he once was. He is still a useful defensive player, but he has two years and $31 million on his contract and averaged just 11.7 points and 6.0 rebounds in 32.0 minutes last season.
4. Larry Hughes, Knicks. Injuries remain the overriding theme in Hughes' career, but he hasn't been all that productive even when healthy. He was a good 3-point shooter last year, but did little else. He'll be paid $13.7 million this season.
5. Marko Jaric, Grizzlies. Jaric has become one of the most unproductive players in the NBA, averaging but 2.6 points and shooting a miserable 33.1 percent from the field. He would like a trade, but the $14 million he is slated to make over the next two years pretty much eliminates that possibility.
6. Samuel Dalembert, Sixers. Rarely does overpaying a raw, young big man work out, and Dalembert is Exhibit A. The Sixers gave Dalembert six years and $64 million back in 2005, and he actually regressed last season. Philly is on the hook for $23.5 million over the next two years.
7. Brian Cardinal, Timberwolves. Ah, the Custodian. On the basis of his hustle with the Warriors, and overlooking his lack of talent, the Grizzlies gave Cardinal a six-year, $34 million deal in 2004. Now, after averaging 3.0 points on 38.5 percent shooting last season, he has one year left at $6.7 million.
8. Bobby Simmons, Nets. Like Cardinal, Simmons transformed one good, hard-working season into a boatload of cash. He averaged 7.8 points last year and will be paid $10.5 million this year.
9. Zach Randolph, Grizzlies. It's not that Randolph is an unproductive player. It's just that every team he plays for stinks. He made the playoffs twice in his first two seasons, when he wasn't playing much in Portland. Since then, his teams have gone 167-324. He will make $33 million over the next two years.
10. Quentin Richardson, Heat. Richardson's $9.3 million contract is useful because it is expiring, but the Heat are hoping that in the meantime he can resurrect some of his value in Miami—he shot just 37.7 percent over the last two seasons.
Elton BRand should be on there
and ak47
t-mac should be on there
Why? When he comes back healthy it will in October it will only help, not hinder the team.
They have the wrong ONeal at #1. Jermaine Oneal's contract isn't a cap killer, it's a cap savior.
another bad list.
.
Such horse . Message boards hither & yon were filled with Houston fans adamantly maintaining that the Rockets were mucho better WITHOUT McGrady just a few short months ago.
Make up yer minds.
Take the expirings off the list and it would be good.
No joke.
DSF, do you wonder why J-Rich isn't on this list?
Arenas, we'll see if he's injury prone first
he's been out for 2 years already
Rashard Lewis is good, but nowhere near the worth of his contract.
Shaquille Oneal. Not only is Cleveland paying 20 million, but the Suns are paying just as much for nobody just to get him off their books. He's killing the cap of TWO teams right now.
If the Suns would have just kept Marion, they could have let his contract expire and they would be paying nothing for nothing right now (instead of 20 million for nothing).
shaq is not worth 20M anymore but he was the best player of his team last year, so he shouldn't be on the list
Just a wild guess, but I'll bet you didnt watch too many Suns games last year.
Are you kidding? Randolph is horrible! He plays no defense, hogs the ball like crazy, and is a chemistry killer. Sure he puts up his 20/10, but he does it in a way that actually hurts the team. he's like the anti-bowen.
Amare doesn't count, he missed too much game.
Just a wild guess, but I'll bet you didnt watch too many Suns games last year.
K-Wart should be number 1.
Okay, then I choose Grant Hill.
Or Steve Nash. Or Leandro Barbosa.
Even Blazer fans who supported him couldn't believe it when they gave him a max deal. Homey isn't called a black hole for nothing.
please explain.
and barbosa? you lost all credibility.
As ridiculous as Peja contract is, we get a lot more from him than AD($6.6m) and Mo-pete($6m)
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