NBA: Top 10 Underpaid Players of 2012-13
Jrue Holiday has been the breakout star for the Philadelphia 76ers this year. He is literally carrying the 76ers on his back for relative pennies. He is one of the Top 10 Most Underpaid Players of 2012-13. (Photo via Keith Allison/Wikipedia)
Forget about which NBA player is worth his weight in gold. I am more interested in which NBA player is worth his weight in rhodium.
The NBA, quickly approaching the end of the regular season, has a laundry list of players that are far more valuable to their teams than they are being compensated. I have no emotional tie to any particular NBA team nor do I have any particular tie to any one particular player. As a journalist, I am in a unique position as purely a fan of athletics to write completely objectively regarding the NBA and the teams and individuals within it. So, as I take to my pen and paper, I tend to lean more towards statistical analysis and historical references when forming my opinions.
As a bit of a self-proclaimed stat geek, with an over abundance of useless knowledge floating around in my head, I figured I would take this opportunity to educated the masses. Everyone always uses the expression, “Worth his weight in gold.” However, I would argue that it is much more impressive to be, “Worth your weight in rhodium.” According to a fairly recent list, released on discovery.com, the Top-10 Most Valuable Metals, rhodium tops the list at over $100,000 per pound.
One particular statistic I find intriguing is the Player Impact Estimate (PIE). PIE is a measure of the percentage of the team’s success that each player is contributing. It is a statistical analysis that involves the percentage each player contributes in terms of the overall statistics for the team. In layman’s terms, it is analogous to how big of a slice of pie that each player is contributing. We are comparing it to the total size of the slice of pie each player is being given from a salary standpoint.
Looking around the league as to what each player means, statistically, to their franchise and comparing that to what they are costing their owners, one can draw a direct comparison between a player’s PIE statistic with the percentage of the overall team salary. A perfect example of a player that is earning his keep would be nine-year veteran David West from the Indiana Pacers.
West, who is in the second year of his two-year, $20 million contract, currently is accounting for 15.3 percent of his team’s productivity. The Pacers, currently the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, are paying West almost exactly 15.3 percent of their overall salary. Every player in the league is paid to perform. In essence, they are paid to contribute to their team’s success. West is a great example of someone that is living up to the expectations that his salary would require. As an unrestricted free agent in 2013, he is going to be a great buy for a team and one of the best buys available next year.
Looking at the best bargains in the league, I have narrowed it down to the 10 players that I feel as though are complete bargains for their franchises. One thing that does not impress me is a guy that is on a terrible team and putting up big numbers. He may not necessarily be a part of the problem; but he may not be a part of the solution, either. So, I looked more towards the teams that are heading to the playoffs (or are at least on the bubble like the Philadelphia 76ers).
Much like my grandmother takes every Sunday morning to meticulously go through dozens of different grocery store inserts to find the best bargains at each store, I have worked my way around the league in an effort to find the best deals. Every team has the one guy that is an overachiever. Every owner has that one guy that they will be able to shop around the league in hopes of trading him for another colossal underachiever!
Here is my league breakdown of the Top-10 best bargains and the guys worth their weight in Rhodium:
Ty Lawson of the Denver Nuggets is developing into one of the top point guards in the NBA. He is not only one of the shortest guys in the league, he is far outperforming his pint-sized salary. (Photo by Keith Allison/Flickr.com)
10. Ty Lawson (Denver Nuggets): The former Tar Heel, is somewhat of a Mighty Mouse for the Denver Nuggets. Listed generously at 5’11”, he is very quick and very athletic. At the tail end of his rookie contract with the Nuggets (he was originally selected in the first round by the Minnesota Timberwolves, who traded his rights to the Nuggets), he will have made a mere $2.5 million (only 3.5 percent of the Nuggets’ payroll). He has a very healthy contract extension with the Nuggets that is going to pay him about $45 million over the next four years. However, since we are specifically speaking about 2012, his worth to the Nuggets is far greater than the check they cut him every Friday. He is looking at career highs this season in points (16.7 ppg) and assists (6.9 apg). He has really stepped up his game the last two months with an assist-to-turnover ratio of about 3.40. He is becoming a playmaker for the Nuggets as they are heading to the playoffs with their highest winning percentage in franchise history at .671 (49-24). Needless to say, the franchise has got a lot of value from this pint-sized Nugget.
9. J.J. Hickson (Portland Trail Blazers): This is a story of a guy making the most of an opportunity. A first-round draft pick out of North Carolina State by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2008, Hickson was traded to the Sacramento Kings in 2011 but was waived by the Kings in 2012 and was picked-up by the Trail Blazers. He is a player that is going to be in a position to command a much better salary around the league at the end of the year when he becomes a free agent. The $10 million question is if the Trail Blazers feel as though they want to invest more of their cap into Hickson with the knowledge that he is still a flawed player, particularly offensively. Regardless if the guy is only playing with passion to get a bigger paycheck or not, he is far underpaid for the amount he is contributing to the team success. He is averaging 13.0 ppg and 10.7 rpg. Since the All-Star break, he has been averaging more 12.0 rpg and creating problems for teams in the paint by eliminating a lot of second-chance points. Hickson is only making $4.0 million this year, which is a mere five percent of the team’s bankroll. His PIE heading into the final few weeks of the season is one of the best in the league at 14.0 percent.
8. Reggie Evans (Brooklyn Nets): Reggie Evans is a journeyman tough-guy rebounder was acquired over the summer in a deal with the Los Angeles Clippers that included a future second round draft pick. Evans signed a three-year deal that pays him a modest $5 million. With the Nets having the second-highest payroll in the league, his $1.62 million this year only accounts for less than 2 percent of their budget. Evans has a very impressive PIE of 9.8 percent and is coming on strong in the month of March. Overall this season, Evans is tallying 10.1 rpg. However, in the month of March, he has swiped the boards for 14.9 rpg as the Nets continue to make an impressive improvement, earning their first playoff berth since 2007.
Ray Allen is the NBA all-time leader in 3-point field goals and turned down much bigger money to play for the Miami Heat. He is one of the most underpaid players in the NBA this season. (Photo Credit: JamesBoydPhotos.com , Flickr.com)
7. Ray Allen (Miami Heat): When you have a team like this, you have to look down the roster and think outside the box to find someone that is an overachiever on a team of superstars. The one guy that seems to stick out to me is longtime NBA leader,Ray Allen. Allen, the NBA’s all-time leader in 3-pointers made, turned down a $12 million offer by the Celtics to remain in Boston. Instead, the future Hall of Famer signed with Pat Riley’s Heat for a paltry $3.1 million a year for three years. Allen has brought his leadership and his consistency to the Heat and it is continuing to add to their legend. Allen, who accounts for a mere 3.7 percent of their massive payroll, is coming off the bench to still contribute a PIE of 9.7 percent, which includes 10.9 points per game in only 25 minutes per contest.
6. Brandon Jennings (Milwaukee Bucks): Jennings is not only one of the most underpaid players in the NBA, he is also one of the iron men of the NBA. In 2012, he was one of just 15 players to start all 66 games of the strike-shortened season. Jennings is only getting $3.1 million and has made it clear that he wants to leave the Bucks to play for a team that can contend. He is still at the end of his rookie contract and has been very public about the fact that if he does sign a qualifying offer with the Bucks, it is only going to be a one year deal. His shooting percentages are suspect, however, he is not afraid to take some chances and carry a team. The Bucks are potentially a No. 8 seed and will, most certainly, be eliminated from the playoffs by the Heat. Despite the shooting percentages (and a bit of ball hogging), he is ranked near the top of the league in: minutes played and assists. He is also carrying a solid assist:turnover ratio and is accounting for a PIE of 10.7 percent, while only accounting for about 5 percent of the Bucks salary budget. He should command a sizable contract. However, his future star quality will rest on his ability to be patient and create more opportunities for his teammates instead of rushing his shots.
5. Antawn Jamison (Los Angeles Lakers): One of the NBA’s biggest bargains. Jamison was a complete steal for the Lakers when they acquired him during the offseason from Cleveland for the bargain basement price of $1.32 million. A two-time NBA All-Star, Jamison has appeared in nearly every game this year for the Lakers, averaging 9.2 ppg and 4.9 rpg in just just a mere 21.0 minutes. The Lakers, with the most obese salary budget of $100 million (thanks, Kobe) has landed a high-priced latte for the price of a senior coffee with free refills. Jamison’s paltry salary accounts for only 1.4 percent of the Lakers’ total budget. However, with a PIE of 9.8 percent, he is clearly worth his weight in at least silver.
4. Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors): Coming of a disappointing, injury-shortened 2011-12 season, Curry is having a big year for the Warriors and is becoming one of the top point guards in the league. The former Davidson star, who captivated the nation in college, is starting to mature and find his niche with the Warriors. He is on pace to hit career-high marks in points, assists, minutes and 3-point field-goal percentage. In addition, he is making fewer mistakes and continues to improve as his perception improves as the game continues to slow down for him. He is sitting second in the league in 3-point shooting percentage at .452, behind only Kyle Korver of the Atlanta Hawks. Curry is only making $3.95 million this year, which accounts for only 6 percent of the total bank roll of the Warriors. However, Curry’s PIE is at 13.5 percent on a team that is potentially heading to the playoffs for the first time since 2007 and only won 23 games last season.
3. Jrue Holiday (Philadelphia 76ers): Holiday is scheduled to get a nice pay raise from his rookie contract of $2.4 million in 2013 to a much more respectable $11.0 million beginning in 2014. For the time being, Holiday is one of the greatest bargains in the league. The 76ers, who are paying Andrew Bynum a ridiculous $16.4 million to be injured, have one of the top, young playmakers in the NBA in Holiday. He has really been able to elevate himself and mature into a great point guard. His vision of the court has improved and he is one of the league leaders in assists at 8.5 apg. He is on pace for career highs of 18.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg and the 8.5 apg. The 76ers have got to create more of a presence offensively as they are currently 30th in the league in scoring. Holiday cannot carry the team on his back alone. They will likely miss the playoffs this year, however, shockingly, they are currently only the first team out of the playoffs in the conference and that is all due to what Holiday has been able to for for the program.
2. Serge Ibaka (Oklahoma City Thunder): Even though Ibaka is at the tail end of his rookie contract and is scheduled to make a cool $12 million a year beginning next year, the fact of the matter is that right now the guy is only making about $2.2 million for 2013. The NBA leading shot blocker in 2012 is far outperforming his 3 percent share of the team salary. The former first round pick continues to improve and has even added a bit of an outside game to his resume. Prior to this season, Ibaka was a total 2-for-6 in career 3-point attempts. However, Ibaka has been able to step back and hit 17-for-50 (.340) from deep. He is on pace for career highs in minutes, rebounds and points this year and looks to be on pace to once again lead the league in blocked shots. Until Ibaka starts cashing his checks next year, the Thunder are getting away with highway robbery, getting one of the biggest bangs for their buck of any guy in the league. He may not be worth his weight in rhodium, but he is at least worth his weight in gold.
1. LeBron James (Miami Heat): Until LeBron starts making Kobe money, he is going to continue to be the biggest bargain in the NBA. There is no way to completely quantify what the guy means to the Miami Heat franchise. He is the most dominant player in the league since Jordan and at a mere $17.5 million and continues to get better and mature with each passing season. He is not scoring as much but he is creating more and more opportunities for Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. He is on pace for a new career high in rebounds, particularly defensive rebounds, as he is crashing the boards and cutting down on opponents second-chance opportunities. He is a leader and, during the Heat’s 27-game winning streak, was able to completely take over games like we saw with the other great players of all time. Until the NBA gets rid of its salary cap (not likely to happen in our lifetime), he will not ever likely make the money from a team that he deserves. However, I do not think he is sitting around depressed as his total net worth is essentially Monopoly money. LeBron is worth his weight in rhodium, which, if you are wondering, is about $24.5 million and still less than Kobe.
There is a tremendous amount of underpaid talent in the league, compared to the big money contracts of some of the most overpaid players in the league. What will be interesting to see, as it relates to some of these young guys that are staring down the barrel of big contract extensions, is whether or not they continue to play with the same passion. Right now, guys like Ibaka, Lawson, Curry and Holiday, have big contracts waiting for them and I will be curious to see if they continue to play like they feel like they have something to prove.