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February 13, 2008
It's just like Jermaine Dupri said, actually never mind... So look, I have a history of ripping players. This is at best an unprofessional habit, and at worst a guarantee I’ll never take a good, honest quote out of an NBA dressing room. Nevertheless, it’s what I do, and with the deliciously over-indulgent all-star weekend ahead, I’ll leave that as my only preface to this next tremendously terrible top five list. Drum roll please...
The Top Five Worst Contracts In The NBA
5. Boris Diaw - Phoenix Suns Diaw gets lots of minutes with the Suns, and he’s certainly a versatile player with a lot to offer on the floor. Still, the type of production he put up during that fateful season that got him locked in at $9 million a year through 2012 hasn’t been seen since and if/when he's on a team without Steve Nash, look out. 4. Peja Stojakovic - New Orleans Hornets Yes he’s having a great season, and yes, the Hornets are rolling big time. And yet, I’m not sold on paying this guy what he makes. Considering that he’s a defensive liability with a lengthy history of leg and foot problems, I can’t help but wonder if folks in the Big Easy will feel too good about paying him more than $15 million a year three years down the line. That’s a lot of money for a spot up shooter, even if he’s a damn good one. Would you give that to a 35-year-old Dell Curry? 3. Jerome James - New York Knicks Really you could slide the entire New York Knicks roster into this slot. But James has to get the nod, given that he’s played in two games this season and is making $5.8 million with two more years at just over $6 million. The Kings turned down an offer because they wouldn't swap Kenny Thomas for James. Kenny Thomas. Really that’s the most noteworthy deal, but lest we forget, Eddy Curry is locked in as one of the league’s top 25 highest-paid players for the next three years, a span he may not even remain in the NBA for. 2. Erick Dampier - Dallas Mavericks Second best centre in the NBA? He’s barely the second best big man on his team. His impressive free throw percentage may be well above his brutal free throw percentage, but there’s a reason the Mavs have the NBA’s biggest payroll and he's it. Damp is making $8.5 mil this year, with three more on the books including 2010-2011 when he’s scheduled to make $11.5 million. Come on, man. 1. Ben Wallace - Chicago Bulls I give him all the credit in the world for the kind of player he made himself with the Pistons, but the Bulls got burned really bad on this one, even if they have nobody to blame but their own front office. First of all, he’s got two more years at $14 million each. Then you look at the numbers. He’s in his mid-30s, shooting less than 40 per cent from the floor and just over 40 per cent from the line. The rebounds are still there, but I’m pretty sure Etan Thomas could pull down eight a game as one of the Bulls’ lone veteran bigs. Not only that, Wallace offers you almost nothing offensively. I really believe there’s no excuse to shoot as poorly as he does from the line. It’s a really tough thing to watch him out there this year.
Bonus Bust:
Vince Carter - New Jersey Nets Okay this one’s easy. Granted Vince still has all the talent he always had and is a generally considered a major star around the league. But let's look at this realistically: he’s never going to take a team deep into the playoffs, and when you’re paying someone $18 million until 2011, you kind of hope there's a chance they'll elevate your team to better than third in one of the league's worst division.
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