Now that the 2009-’10 NBA season has officially come to an end, it’s again time for our infamous awards. Last year’s edition seemed to be a hit, so let’s see if we can keep it going. To keep things fresh, I didn’t include anyone from that list. Now let’s begin.
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5. Andrei Kirilenko, Utah Jazz – $16,451,250
Here are Kirilenko’s yearly averages for the three seasons prior to signing his ridiculous 6-year, $86 million contract back in 2004 (the year he missed 41 games, might I add): 14.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game. Here are his numbers since: 11.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game, while missing a total of 74 games during that time. Do either of those averages look like what you would expect out of the 11th highest paid player in the NBA? I understand that he was once a nice component of the Jazz, but that kind of money is typically reserved for the face of your franchise and someone who can put the ball in the basket. Now, you still owe him almost $18 million next year, too!
4. Bobby Simmons, New Jersey Nets – $10,560,000
My man Bobby here had the luxury of playing in only 23 games this year and still pulling in that kind of money. Simmons was a nobody until he had a career year with the Clippers in 2004 and averaged 16 points and 6 boards a game. The Bucks then decided to reward him with a 5-year deal worth $47 million. You can guess the rest. That “career year” was the last time his name held any relevance. Way to milk the game my friend.
3. Gilbert Arenas, Washington Wizards - $16,192,080
Arenas being on the list isn’t a new phenomenon, as this has been the case for some time now. You can’t necessarily blame the guy for the injuries in recent years that limited him to a total of 15 games during a stretch of two seasons. What you can blame him for, however, is the way he enjoys pulling out guns similar to the way Pee-wee Herman enjoys pulling out his, uh… yeah. That mistake cost him over half of the season. You, Gilbert, are the 111 million dollar idiot.
2. Eddy Curry, New York Knicks – $10,500,423
Like Steve Francis last year, Mr. Curry defines what it means to “live the dream.” Let’s see… he only played in 7 games this season and averaged 8.54 minutes during those games, so what’s that? Almost exactly one hour. I don’t know about you, but I’d say $10.5 million an hour isn’t too shabby of a rate! And this all comes after only playing a total of 9 minutes the year before. But wait, it gets better. Curry has a player option for next season, and it’s worth $11,276,863. Like I always say, “only in America.” Although, I probably could just say, “only the Knicks.”
1. Tracy McGrady, New York Knicks – $23,239,561
How ironic. The highest paid player in the NBA just so happens to be our most overpaid player, too. Similar to Arenas, having T-Mac on the list doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone. He only played in 30 games this season after having only played in 35 the year before. To make matters worse, he didn’t even play like he was worth $11.6 million during the times he did play, as he was shooting career-lows from the field. What a shame, since I considered him my favorite player in the league at one point.
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