| 15 August 2010
In case you missed my perfect-in-length introduction, (take that Abhi) The Jon Koncak Commemorative Awards will honor the bad contracts signed since the last NBA player strike in 1999 by "featuring" one bad contract per weekday for the entire month of August. Below is a list (with links!) of each contract featured so far. Enjoy!
Monday, August 2nd: Eddy Curry. Written by Abhi on behalf of The Real Shaq
"...Backstory: Curry has played only 10 games over the last two seasons, sidelined by injuries, illness and ineffectiveness. However, Curry earned $10.5 million this season (09-10)and is scheduled to make $11.3 million next season (10-11) in the final year of his contract. The $11.3 million figure was a player option, which he of course recently picked up like I pick up STD's from hookers..."
Tuesday, August 3rd: Brian Cardinal. Written by Matt Yoder on behalf of Randall Simon's Sausages
"... Maybe it's because he's still a hard worker after all these years... hey, it earned him 6.75 million dollars this past year. Let that sink in - Brian Cardinal earned 6.75 million dollars while scoring 48 points this season..."
Wednesday, August 4th: Richard Jefferson. Written by Jaime Oppenheim on behalf of WhoopDeDamnDo
"...A month later, the Nets gave Jefferson his 6-year, $78 million deal, not too far from the figures Martin received in Denver. The message inside the organization was clear. "We've got $80 million to spend...which one of the two players do we give it to?"
The only way that thought process is at all considered logical is in a universe where you have to spend $80 million just because you can. The NBA, of course, is the only such universe in existence..."
Thursday, August 5th: Raef LaFrentz. Written by Mookie on behalf of A Stern Warnin
"...By the time he had made his way to Portland in June 2006, Raef turned into a walking injury. He played a total of 68 games from 2006-2008 with Portland and spent most of his time on the inactive list. His contract became his defining characteristic and its value as a trade option was the only context that poor old Raef was discussed in.
Anti-climatically, the Blazers never did find a suitable trade partner for RLEC, with it ultimately expiring, much like Raef's career..."
Friday, August 6th: Austin Croshere. Written by WhiskeyDizzy on behalf of The Real Shaq
"...For years 2001 - 2005, Austin Croshere failed to finish higher than 7th on the Pacers in points per game...however for a majority of those years he was the 2nd or 3rd highest paid player on the team. In fact, this article after his trade from Indiana to Dallas tells is all. The Pacers..."finally [found] a taker for Croshere, who has been shopped for years after struggling to live up to the sizable contract he received after a strong performance in the 2000 NBA finals."..."
Monday, August 9th: Malik Rose. Written by Michael A. De Leon on behalf of Project Spurs
"...He began working on his shot and in games, started calling for the ball and did more shooting than the dirty work he had become known for. His game had changed, and the Spurs wanted him to be the player who once ruled the offensive boards.
Never mind the fact that he was earning more than Bruce Bowen, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker and Stephen Jackson at the time..."
Tuesday, August 10th: Tim Thomas. Written by WhiskeyDizzy on behalf of The Real Shaq
"...After the summer of 2001, Tim Thomas signed a 6 year, $66 million dollar deal with the Milwaukee Bucks. Because of Thomas’ versatility and potential, the Bucks were very excited about his future along-side Sam Cassell, Ray Allen and Glenn Robinson. Ray Allen himself said that “…Thomas could be the best player in the league if he wanted to be.” This quote perfectly encapsulates Tim Thomas’ career. Plenty of talent. Flashes of brilliance (almost always in his contract years). And now: Jon Koncak Award winner as one of the worst NBA contracts in the last 12 years..."
Wednesday, August 11th: Stephon Marbury. Written by Abhi on behalf of The Real Shaq
"...This is what Starbury made for his courtside seats.
2007-2008 Salary -$19,195,312
2008-2009 Salary - $20,840,625
Marbury quit playing after February of 2008. The Knicks bought him out in February 2009. Although the exact terms of the buyout are unknown, it is speculated that Marbury lost approximately $2 million of the 20 that was owed him. Oh, the horror!..."
Thursday, August 12th: Luke Walton. Written by WhiskeyDizzy on behalf of The Real Shaq
"...Luke's Koncak Contract even has it's own Yahoo! Answers page: "Why are the Lakers paying Luke Walton 5m a year?" And the "Best Answer" was "Simple. Bill Walton is his dad."..."
Friday, August 13th: Kwame Brown. Written by Don Landrigan on behalf of With Malice
"...Was it a moment of jaw-dropping insanity? Wasn't it apparent after his first contract that this man has no godly right to be one of the highest paid players on one of the premier franchises (the Lakers) in the league? The guy who is the poster-boy for prep-to-pros busts getting a contract that made him one of the highest paid Lakers of the time.
Every time I think about it, it's a "shake my head" moment..."
Monday, August 16th: Kevin Garnett. Written by Mike Reynolds on behalf of TWolves Blog
"...A short time later, NBA owners, fed up with the ludicrous demands of their player's salary requirements, locked out the league for nearly half of a season after profits were not meeting expectations. At the center of it all was the league's highest player: our very own Kevin Garnett, who continued to play up to the standards of a star level player, but was not leading his team anywhere past the first round despite a young and talented roster. Garnett become the poster boy for an outrageous contract and the main positioning statement from the owners as they dissected the Collective Bargaining Agreement. These discussions and the eventual agreement led us to the current NBA salary structure we see today: rookie scaling, 100% guaranteed deals, maximum salaries, mid-level exceptions. The like..."
Tuesday, August 17th: Vin Baker. Written by Matt Yoder on behalf of Randall Simon's Sausages
"...Once play resumed in 1999, Baker saw the first prolonged injury trouble of his career, playing in only 34 games in the shortened season. Surprisingly, after the worst season of his career, Baker opted out of his contract to become a free agent. Let's delve into some Hubie Brown coachspeak here for a minute to understand what happened next:
Now, you're the Seattle Supersonics, ok? You've just seen your supposed superstar eat his way out of shape to 300 pounds, ok? He's coming off the worst season of his career. Now, this guy doesn't dominate the painted area any more, he literally just takes up space in the painted area! And, he doesn't particularly care for his coach anymore, either, right? Now, you're Sonics GM Wally Walker, ok? So, the guy's a free agent, maybe you just say bye-bye. But, you decide to give Vin Baker a max contract, $87 million for 7 years! If you're Seattle, you have to be wondering what your franchise is smoking here, ok?..."
Wednesday, August 18th: Adonal Foyle. Written by Philip Rossman-Reich on behalf of the Orlando Magic Daily
"...Foyle averaged 4.0 points per game, 4.8 rebounds per game and 1.6 blocks per game. That would be about $38,400 per point and about $315,000 per rebound. Pretty ridiculous for a guy who has never averaged more than 5.5 points per game and had only one season with more than 5.0 rebounds per game..."
Thursday, August 19th: Larry Hughes. Written by Dan Bonk on behalf of TWolves Blog
"...Okay, so how could a relatively unnotable player like Larry Hughes alter the state of the entire NBA in 2010? Easy, actually. Before all of the other failed second banana to LeBron James experiments occurred (think Jamison, Shaq, Mo Williams), Larry Hughes paved the way as the originator of this string of failed sidekicks. Not only did he fail on the court as the second option, but his ridiculously big contract made it nearly impossible for Cleveland to try again with anyone else for years, much less trade him for anything worthwhile (he was eventually traded in 2008 for an over the hill Ben Wallace and his hefty contract)..."
Friday, August 20th: Jon Koncak. Written by Deborah Horton on behalf of Hawks Highlights
"...In 1989, the Hawks, who were supposedly trying to keep their reserve player Jon Koncak from being signed by the Detroit Pistons, gave Koncak a 13 million dollar 6 year deal. I think it was more like Detroit wanted to handcuff the Hawks in future years drafts and they did it by getting them to shell out this ridiculous contract to a bit player. Worked like a charm too. The Hawks received criticism all around the league. Koncak was paid more than Michael Jordan, more than Larry Bird, more than Magic Johnson. It was unbelievable and the Hawks paid the price for years after in that they could not get in the draft or sign any free agents that were worth anything. They had no more money. Jon Koncak, a bench player, was making all the money..."
Monday, August 23rd: Allan Houston. Written by LIVES on behalf of Knicks Fanatics Blog
"...Houston retired in 2005 but the impact of his contract, exacerbated by other bad contracts brought on by Layden, did not subside. In 2006, Allan Houston's salary was $20,718,750 against the cap although he was no longer playing for the team. The seismic shake of Houston's contract impacted the entire league (including its junk yard dog) and resulted in the inclusion of an "amnesty clause" in the 2005 collective bargaining agreement which came to be known as the "Allan Houston Rule." The amnesty clause offered teams a one-time exception to waive a player between August 2nd and August 15th, 2005 in order to avoid paying the luxury tax based on that salary. Waiver, however, would not impact the team's obligation to pay the player or how the salary was computed against the salary cap..."
Tuesday, August 24th: Troy Hudson. Written by College Wolf on behalf of TWolves Blog
"...In the six potential years of the contract (82 games x 6 years = 492 potential games), he played 149 games for the T-Wolves before they finally (mercifully) bought him out of the remainder of his deal. In return for almost 100% of $36 million dollars, he played in 30.2% of the potential games. That's some bang for the buck right thurr!
He couldn't sneeze without causing internal hemorrhaging..."
Wednesday, August 25th: Grant Hill. Written by Phillip Rossman-Reich on behalf of Orlando Magic Daily
"...While Tracy McGrady was blossoming into one of the league's premier superstars, Hill was the albatross around Orlando's neck. It forced Orlando to continually spend its mid-level exception on guys who were expected to perform much better than they could...The Magic simply could not afford to re-sign their top players before free agency. And with one of their biggest contracts producing virtually nothing for them, it hurt even more..."
Thursday, August 26th: Greg Buckner. Written by Ricky on behalf of Sixers4Guidos
"...How many takers could have a 6'4 guard that hit a total of 17 threes in 3 seasons and finished the last one with 69% from the line ??
I can envision the scene:
(before getting into Billy King's room) Buckner's agent - whispering: "Greg, I will propose two years, three millions, let's see if they bite. Please don't say a word, let me talk, you just pray".
Billy King (in his best "Hey, I am an NBA GM and you won't fool me, suckers !" voice): "Ok guys, let's make this quick, we can't offer more than six years and eighteen millions. Take or leave !"
Buckner & agent: "Signatures at the bottom of the sheet, right?" ..."
Friday, August 27th: Jerome James. Written by Aaron Hodges on behalf of Knicks Fanatics Blog
"...Now hindsight allows us to see just how cancerous this contract, worth $30 Million over 5 years, was. But foresight should’ve been just as revealing. We’re talking about a player who never averaged more than 5.4 points , 0.5 assists, 4.2 rebounds, or 17 minutes per game before signing with the Knicks in ’05....Of course James’ time with the New York Knicks went on to be a miserable failure. He played in only 90 games over 4 seasons before being traded to Chicago along with Tim Thomas and Anthony Roberson for Larry Hughes. He pulled down a total of 163 Rebounds. He dished out 15 breathtaking assists.(or $2 Million per assist for those counting at home) He rejected the hell out of 39 shots (slightly less than $1Million per block) and picked 10 pockets(you do the math) during his Knicks career..."
Monday, August 30th: Kenny Thomas. Written by Ricky on behalf of Sixers4Guidos
"...A 6-7 pure (?) power forward, Thomas was the prototypical tweener, too small to face the tons of talented players at that spot in those years, especially on defense (Duncan, Garnett, Wallace, Nowitzki, Boozer ecc), not skilled enough to play small forward. In fact his game facing the basket was limited, not to mention his non-existent outside shot. Imagine Malik Rose (great player, btw) with less intensity, or, to mention another guy in this "niche" category, a taller Chuck Hayes...I'll do some maths for you: from 2007 to 2010 Kings paid Thomas $ 25 million to play 655 minutes in 57 games (11,4 mpg), and he rewarded them by producing a combined 36 field goals (on 81 attempts, 44%), 29 assists, 12 blocks, 7 free throws (on 17) !!! ... "
Tuesday, August 31st: The CBA. Written by O&B on behalf of Knicks Fanatics Blog
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