Friday Insider

[Admin]

If Wally Szczerbiak really thinks he's worth more than $10M a year, then let him play Allan Houston for it.

Same goes for Mike Bibby, Michael Olowokandi and Rashard Lewis. Line them up against Gary Payton, Shaquille O'Neal and Tracy McGrady, respectively. Forget the ransom notes from restricted free agents and let's play some roundball.

In the just completed NBA season, 36 players cleared that eight-figure sum, meaning that approximately 10 percent of the league made about $121,951.22 per game, assuming that each of these guys played all 82 regular-season games. Which is about $2,540.65 per minute if they played all 48 minutes of all 82 games.

And that doesn't even count Antawn Jamison, Paul Pierce or Vince Carter, whose new maximum contracts have yet to kick in. Nor does it count guys like Baron Davis, Elton Brand, Andre Miller and Steve Francis, who are next in line.

And of those eight potential max players, not one of them has ever won an NBA title, nor a spot on any All-NBA team, which shouldn't surprise since the whole group has mustered up a grand total of only three all-star appearances.

Sure, Shaq is underpaid at $208M per decade. Kobe, at $11M per season, should be doubled. Tim Duncan on a true open market would be full-time franchise player, part-time owner. McGrady is making a mockery of this whole maximum-to-minimum Monopoly game.

And, of course, we have Vin Baker on the flip side, who made $11.2M last season while grabbing 6.4 rebounds as a power forward, Juwan Howard at $18.7M for getting traded twice and Bryant Reeves at $11.5M for a career-low 8.3 points.

If less than eight percent of your roster (1 player in 12) is going to take up more than 20 percent of your payroll (based on $4.5M average salary), then he better be dang worth it or that minimum contract you just handed out to his backup will bloat to $9M when the luxury tax bites.

Chris Webber topped last year's free-agent list and cashed in for $122.7M over seven years.

2001 Season: 27.1 ppg, 11.1 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.3 spg, 1.7 bpg, 48% field, 70% line

2002 Season: 24.5 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 4.8 apg, 1.6 spg, 1.45 bpg, 49% field, 75% line

Before the deal, he had played for three different teams in eight years, dabbled in illegal substances and still managed to make the Kings a legitimate contender at 55-27. After the deal, he put up comparable All-NBA numbers despite playing in 16 fewer games, leading the team to the best record in the regular season at 61-21 and within a playoff game of the NBA title.

Houston was next at $100.4M over six years.

2001 Season: 18.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.2 apg, 0.6 spg, 0.1 bpg, 45% field, 90% line

2002 Season: 20.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.5 apg, 0.7 spg, 0.1 bpg, 43% field, 87% line

Before the deal, Gotham fans were torn between Houston and Spree on who was leading this 48-34 team. After the deal, Houston still can't guard a crosswalk in front of an Amish elementary school, has never had more than eight assists in a game and scored exactly zero points in the playoffs last season because the Knicks, the highest-paid team in the league led by their highest-paid player, Houston, didn't even qualify with a 30-52 record.

Then came Michael Finley at $102.2M over seven years.

2001 Season: 21.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 4.4 apg, 1.4 spg, 0.4 bpg, 45% field, 77% line

2002 Season: 20.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.3 apg, .09 spg, 0.3 bpg, 46% field, 83% line

Before the deal, Finley had been considered the most underrated player in the league, single-handedly taking the Mavs from lottery to legitimacy at 53-29. After the deal, his numbers dipped, the spotlight got crowded but Finley remained the backbone of a team that led the entire league in scoring while going 57-25.

Look at all those numbers again. Before and after. Good and bad. What you see is what you get. Seven zeros and two commas isn't going to improve anybody's shooting percentage. Nor should it. Bibby scored 13.2 points per game as a rookie. He scored 13.7 points per game as the new point guard for the Kings last season. But watch him go from Team Dime to Team Debt in 12 playoff games.

Olowokandi, the sixth-highest scorer on his non-playoff team, could very well become the next $100M man by default. Just because Lewis can cash Payton's paycheck doesn't mean he can fill his shoes.

Just because Kevin Garnett made $22.4M last season doesn't mean you should, too.

Rogers gets East love

Rodney Rogers must have enjoyed his stay out East. After spending more than 8 1/2 seasons playing in the Western Conference for the Nuggets, Clippers and Suns, the former Sixthman of the Year and current free agent has already met with the Celtics, the team he finished the season with, and has put the Sixers high on his list.

"A bunch of teams have called us, but some hold no appeal," said his agent James Williams. "Philly, even having injuries, was in the thick of the hunt in the East. Philly, Miami, the Celtics, any one of those teams could have knocked off [Eastern Conference champion] New Jersey this time around. We want to add to, and complement, a team."

Rogers has averaged 11.9 points over his career and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 46 percent from the field and 41 percent from three-point range playing both power and small forward positions. The Sixers have also made preliminary calls to Mavericks guard Greg Buckner, the Lakers' Devean George, the Raptors' Keon Clark and the Timberwolves' Chauncey Billups, among others.

Agent: Sixers high on Rogers' list

Phil Jasner / Philadelphia Daily News

Krause holds the cards

Chicago kingpin Jerry Krause isn't new at cutting loose veteran players but this time, he wants something back in return.

Travis Best and Charles Oakley could have been renounced by the Bulls and had their salaries simply taken off their payroll, but with the luxury tax looming for most of the NBA's teams, Krause would rather use them for sign-and-trade deals to bring the Bulls some needed help.

"Sign-and-trades have moved way up on the totem pole for pretty much everybody," said Forrest King, who represents Best. "Right now, everybody is fighting the [luxury] tax . . . Take a team like Minnesota, where Chauncey Billups opted out of his contract and there's a question as to what's going to happen with Terrell Brandon. They have no point guards. Orlando, Seattle and Sacramento also are possibilities."

Among the veterans mentioned on Krause's wish list at forward are Matt Harpring of Philadelphia, Houston's Kevin Williams, Denver's Scott Williams and Washington's Popeye Jones.

Krause's Best move may be sign-and-trade

Roman Modrowski / Chicago Sun-Times

Peep Show

Bulls: Jay Williams could have been a guest on the Jay Leno Show. He could have attended the ESPYs, where he was nominated for College Basketball Player of the Year. Instead, the No. 2 pick of the draft chose to join other rookies and free agents at the Berto Center as they prepare for the Rocky Mountain Revue summer league in Utah. "Jay said there's no way in the world he would miss practice," said Bill Sanders, who is the director of marketing for BDA Sports Management, which represents Williams. "He said, 'I want to be a leader on this team and want to fight for my minutes.' There was no way he was going to ask for special privileges or a hall pass to do Leno or the ESPYs."

Nuggets: Though the Nuggets are thin at point guard, they are considering an outright release of veteran Mark Jackson, who was dealt to the team in the Antonio McDyess deal. "Our plan is whatever Mark wants to do," Nuggets assistant general manager David Fredman said. "We don't want to make him part of the rebuilding process if he doesn't want to be."

[hds428]

...of idiocy for idiocy's sake and jibberish just to hear themselves talk. I love how they conviently lump Mike Bibby in with losers like Sczerbiak and Khandi. As if The Kings would have made it to the Western finals with Jason Williams or Mateen Cleaves running the point, spare me. And ORL would be a lottery team without McGrady, oh but lets not forget the nugget of badwagonwisdom: "Just because Kevin Garnett made $22.4M last season doesn't mean you should, too."....Yeah thanks for that keen bit of insight guys, I got one of my own; "Just cause you got Shaq's nuts in your mouth dont mean you're a legit sportswriter!" How's that one? Front page stuff, huh? Here's another gem; "And of those eight potential max players, not one of them has ever won an NBA title, nor a spot on any All-NBA team, which shouldn't surprise since the whole group has mustered up a grand total of only three all-star appearances.".....And now I wait for three years to come and go so I can look forward to the "We Knew It All Along" column on those very same players. ESPN, where the S stands for Slurp Slurp Slurp.... Don't believe it? They say so theselves;"Sure, Shaq is underpaid at $208M per decade. Kobe, at $11M per season, should be doubled. Tim Duncan on a true open market would be full-time franchise player, part-time owner." Slurp Slurp.... Sorry Dolfan, I appreciate that ya bring us the insiders everyday, and on occasion they actually do manage to inform rather than merely entertain, but sometimes tho it just makes me pine for the days when columnists actually watched the sports they wrote about.

[Admin]

There are far too many MAX players in this league. You shouldnt be considered a MAX player unless you are a true superstar, someone who is in the top 5 in the NBA....period! Too many guys are getting paid way too much based on potential alone. The only MAX players in the game today IMO are Shaq, Kobe, Duncan, and Kidd.......with a few other guys being very close, like McGrady (not until he stops blaming teammates for losses and becomes more of a leader), Carter (still too soft and inconcistent, Pierce (must perform like last year one more year for me to believe he is a MAX player), AI (must learn that he needs to be at practice with the other players)......and there are a few other guys, but I dont feel like mentioning them. There are a lot of star players in this league, but IMO only 4 superstars. These stars deserve nice checks, but not MAX salaries. Guys like Bibby, who have never done anything until the playoffs this year certainly dont deserve the MAX.

[hds428]

What it boils down to is a matter of perspective. Once you go beyond the tangibles that a player puts in the boxscore, it all becomes subjective. I used Bibby as my paradigm, because despite his unstellar numbers, he seemed to give the Kings a sense of calm and stability that they had lacked up to this point. While KG, on the other hand, musters up nothing but first round exits for his team. Which gets to the supposition that the writer makes in the article: that big numbers guys deserve the max, even if theyre losers, and small numbers guys dont, even if theyre winners. Individual accomplishments and popularity contests aside, I think the fundamental question is; 'What does this guy mean to our team?'. Does KG bring titles to Minnestoa, does he even come close to it? Nope, but he sure does have a lot of pretty, shiny individual accolades to put in his trophy case to look at in May while he's watching the playoffs on his big screen TV. So who's worth the max? Is it the big numbers guy on an early exit team? Or is the solid baller who puts up everything but the big numbers and takes his team farther than they've been in decades, maybe ever? FWIW, I personally think Bibby is a max player, KG, might be one, it's all in the eye of the beholder. But for this guy to cap it off with the statement that "Just because Kevin Garnett made $22.4M last season doesn't mean you should, too." is telling. He may as well say that individual awards and boxscores are more important than actually winning any games.

[Admin]

I can understand what you are saying, believe me......but I certainly think KG is worth twice what Bibby is. Well maybe not twice, but significantly more. You have to look at how KG has taken an otherwise very poor team into the playoffs several times almost by himself. Wally world cause many problems with that team and their front office screwed up their depth with the Joe Smith deal, plus Brandon is always hurt. If you switch KG and Bibby on their respective teams, I could almost guarantee that Sac wins the title and Minnesota doesnt make the playoffs.

[ATLien_]

Dolfan You took the words right out of my mouth. Garnett is definitley a max player, and if he had a supporting cast like the great Bibby or Dirk he probably would get out the first round.

[hds428]

that there's any number of ways to look at it. Over all I would'nt say that Bibby, Miller, or Lewis are max players in the FA market, but when you factor in what they mean to their respective team, it often becomes a different story.There are guys like you mentioned who obviously should get the max, but there are also guys like Bibby and JT who IMO should also get the max for not-so-obvious reasons. Take JT for example. There's been a slow burning debate across several threads as to wehter JT is a max player or not. I think he is, not necessarily solely because of the numbers he puts up, but also because of the things he gives us that don't show up in the boxscore. He's not an olympic medalist, he does'nt have lots of individual accolades, and he has'nt taken us near the playoffs, much less the Naismith torphy; but he gives the Hawks leadership that the Bimbo Coles and Brevin Knights of the league could'nt. He excites the fans with his zeal and enthusiam, he works hard to improve his game every year and he does improve his game every year. Now there could be arguments made either way, and neither side would be really wrong, but my basic argument with the writer of the insider article is that he lumps the good in with the bad, says none of them are worth the max cause they arent winners then comapres them to KG who himself is on a mediocre-ish team that struggles to get out of the first round. He contradicts himself at every turn and oversimplifies the situation with generalities. There's a logical argument to be made both for and against any given player making the max (I would'nt give Lewis the max) but in the way this guy presneted it, it's just entertaining fodder and an excuse to put Shaq, Kobe, KG, and Duncan's name into an article for the sake of getting the article read. I still think Bibby should get the max form Sac, but that does'nt mean I think he should jump ship and get the max from any team, he's not Jason Kidd and probably would'nt turn around a franchise the way Kidd did, but that should'nt detract from the fact that he was cool, level, and clutch for the Kings and did'nt disapear when they needed him. For the Kings, he's, IMO, a max guy...for, say, the Warriors, maybe he's not. The question I keep coming back to is; what does player X mean to his team? It's a valid question that won't be seriously answered with simplistic generalizations and Shaqish witticisms.

[Admin]

Point taken and I appreciate you taking the time to write out your reasonings. We will just have to agree to disagree on certain points and agree on others. Our main points are the same though I feel and we arent really on opposite ends of the spectrum. Personally I dont like when writers or anyone bases their judgement on one player against another player for salary reasons. You cant compare what one player does for one team against what another player does for their team and then say well this player is worth this and this player is worth that because of the other player (was the confusing? lol).....I just think that unless a player makes him team far better, doesnt bring his franchise a lot of revenue, and isnt a quality person on and off the court he isnt worth the max. Thats why I believe there are only a few players worth the max. JT fits all of those categories, but there are 5 or 6 PGs in the NBA that we could swap JT with and not lose a beat, whereas you cannot say that for Shaq or Kobe or Duncan or KG. If KG didnt play for a largely talentless Minnesota team and in such a devoid market I think he would possibly be considered the best overall player in basketball not named Shaq or Kobe of course. But since he plays for the Wolves and they are way out in Minnesota, and he doesnt have any quality players around him (brandon always hurt, Wally a turd)....he gets overlooked. Put him on Atlanta and send them JT. Minnesota wont make the playoffs and Atlanta, with Dickau or JV running the point wins the east and maybe the title. Thats my arguement on why a player deserves the max or not.......but I certainly respect your opinion HDS.