The Power of Three: Why a Team's Success Should Be Gauged By Its Three Highest-Paid Players

This was the Cavs' "real" Big 3. So don't be surprised that they're not the ones getting fit for the rings this June.That first hour following the Cavs' Game 6 loss at Orlando wasn't comfortable for any Cavs fan, but amidst the disappointment and despair, a friend of mine sent me the following message via Facebook:"Most teams are built around their 3 highest paid players... Considering Ben Wallace and Wally's corpse are the 1st and 3rd highest paid players on the Cavs, it was a pretty good run."I'll be honest with you: that thought had never entered my head before.That's why, even in the midst of a franchise record-setting season, 66 wins, and a dominating home court performance, the Cavs were always uneasy. You always saw their names linked to any available player at the deadline. Given their record, you would think that they were the hunted and not the hunters. But now we know. All this season up to that Orlando series, we were expecting a team that included Ben Wallace and Wally Szczerbiak in its three highest-paid players to win the NBA championship.How dare we.Take a look at the Lakers (and congrats to them, they were clearly the best team in the league for 2008-09, no questions asked). Their three highest-paid players? Kobe Bryant was the highest-paid Laker at $21.2 million, Pau Gasol was second at $15.1 million, and Lamar Odom was third at $11.4 million (and by the way, Andrew Bynum will catapault his way to third next year at $12.5 million, pending the free agencies of Odom and Trevor Ariza).That's a hell of a big three. Last year, the Celtics' much-heralded Three Party were also the three-highest paid Celtics, with Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce -- in that order.The '07 Spurs? Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili, respectively.Forget about teams of the past. How about this year's successful teams, starting with the team that exterminated the Cavs? Orlando's three highest-paid players were Rashard Lewis ($17.2 million), Dwight Howard ($13.7 million), and Hedo Turkoglu ($6.8 million). Sure, Lewis is overpaid, but he's an All-Star. In fact, two of those three guys are All-Stars while one (Turkoglu) is the heart and soul of the team. None of these guys are washed up and on the wrong side of 30, like two of the Cavs' top three.With Szczerbiak's contract coming off the books this summer, Zydrunas Ilgauskas will become the third-highest paid Cavalier -- behind LeBron's $15.8 million and Wallace's $14 million -- at $11.5 million. Not exactly in the mold of the Orlandos, Bostons, San Antonios, and Los Angeles'. It's imperative that the Cavs find a way to get rid of Wallace's contract in an effort to land a highly-paid player who can be a core part of their nucleus. Having Mo Williams at a bargain price is a luxury, but the Cavs have wasted a lot of money on guys who aren't contributing whatsoever. And that's evident by the fact that the Cavs had the league's third-highest payroll this season yet have nothing but a Central Division banner to show for it.When evaluating this team's roster and supporting cast around LeBron, nothing speaks louder than the fact that Wallace and Szczerbiak combined to make $27.5 million despite turning into little-used bench players at the end of the season. One was known for his airballs while the other became known for his missed dunks. And we thought that this was a championship team?The Lakers proved that talent trumps team chemistry. But the Cavs helped further prove the theory that you're only as good as your three highest-paid players.So yeah, considering that Wallace and Szczerbiak joined the King in that category, it was a pretty good run.