Worst NBA contracts of all time

[Nomah5]

Re: Worst NBA contracts of all time

Amare Stoudemire: 2010 max contract. I am curious to see what this guy can do without Nash consistently feeding him the ball in places where he is comfortable, and the past has shown us that he will be not be able to stay healthy over the course of the next 5 years. I am a Knicks fan, and he most likely will be coming here, but I am skeptical.

Coming from a local here in PHX and the reason I moved here--to be a hometown Suns fan. He is NOT a max player, plain and simple. He now has no reason at all to play any defense under Coach D'Antoni and especially if they bring in Melo. He is the laziest big man in the league. He should average 10+ boards a game and its unacceptable when point guards out rebound him. Lou Amundson who will be missed, out hustled and showed more heart and he rode his bike to the arena every home game. Good luck NY. We now get to deal with Channing $6m Frye and Hakim Warrick---FAIL.

[VDusen04]

Re: Worst NBA contracts of all time

Ben Wallace 4 yr. $60 million (2006) . John Paxson was smoking some good dope that year.

The interesting thing there I think has to be the fact that a large sum of people (including many in Chicago) lauded this deal as a success. I know Pistons fans were crushed to lose what was such a high caliber player at the time.

I think this sort of helps illustrate a primary point when I consider horrible contracts throughout history. I think there's "hindsight contracts" and "never-shoulda-been-conceived" contracts. Players like Wallace, Penny Hardaway, Grant Hill, Juwan Howard even, at least provided SOME potential for the future. Additional asterisks could be added to Penny and Hill's name for falling under the "injury risk signing" umbrella but for the most part, those contracts only looked horrible over time for what can be in part blamed on bad luck.

HOWEVER, on the other side of the coin, we introduce the great Jerome James who, through the end of the 2005 regular season, was a career 4ppg scorer (with 3.5 rpg!). Then the 2005 playoffs happened, where James inexplicably went moderately nuts and threw up averages of 13ppg, 7rpg and 2bpg over 11 playoff contests against the Sacramento Kings and San Antonio Spurs.

After the Sonics' playoff run came to an end, a few squads were fiending for Jerome James, a supposedly emerging 7'1'' center who, despite being nearly 30 years old, apparently had huge upside. The New York Knicks and GM Isiah Thomas likely watched James strut around in a trashbag after Seattle's first round win and presumed it was just meant to be.

Jerome James: Can now afford real capes.

[da ThRONe]

Re: Worst NBA contracts of all time

Amare Stoudemire: 2010 max contract. I am curious to see what this guy can do without Nash consistently feeding him the ball in places where he is comfortable, and the past has shown us that he will be not be able to stay healthy over the course of the next 5 years. I am a Knicks fan, and he most likely will be coming here, but I am skeptical.

I agree Amare isnt a max contract guy ,but my issue with him isn't offensive its defensives.

[videofreak8]

Re: Worst NBA contracts of all time

maybe Stephon Marbury

[Starlin4Prez]

Re: Worst NBA contracts of all time

Any Theo Ratliff contract... LOL

[jmood88]

Re: Worst NBA contracts of all time

Anyone over 6'9 who isn't crippled and doesn't have an NBA contract has failed at life. It's really hard to believe that these owners are successful businessmen when they throw out money like Skittles.

[redskinrussell]

Re: Worst NBA contracts of all time

The interesting thing there I think has to be the fact that a large sum of people (including many in Chicago) lauded this deal as a success. I know Pistons fans were crushed to lose what was such a high caliber player at the time.

The Pistons were happy as could be that they didnt have to give Wallace that much money! Sure it took out a major cog out of our team and a leader but Joe D knew that Big Ben was gonna get overpaid and he didnt want to be the one to do it.

Love the caption in the photo btw.

[RamblinWreck21]

Re: Worst NBA contracts of all time

As a Hawks fan, this new Joe Johnson deal is sickening.....I'd say it could easily be the worst of all time.

[Starlin4Prez]

Re: Worst NBA contracts of all time

As a Hawks fan, this new Joe Johnson deal is sickening.....I'd say it could easily be the worst of all time.

Yeah, that has gotta be a tough one to swallow...

[Cebby]

Re: Worst NBA contracts of all time

As a Hawks fan, this new Joe Johnson deal is sickening.....I'd say it could easily be the worst of all time.

Yeah, that has gotta be a tough one to swallow...

Why?

The Joe Johnson bashing has been baffling to me. Atlanta is right at the cap.

It wasn't Joe Johnson or Lebron, Wade, or Bosh. It was Joe Johnson or a 5 million per year player.

The only negative impact Joe Johnson's contract has is on the owner's pockets.

[Brankles]

Re: Worst NBA contracts of all time

Why?

The Joe Johnson bashing has been baffling to me. Atlanta is right at the cap.

It wasn't Joe Johnson or Lebron, Wade, or Bosh. It was Joe Johnson or a 5 million per year player.

The only negative impact Joe Johnson's contract has is on the owner's pockets.

They couldn't win with him and that roster, now they're stuck with him as their franchise player for 5 or 6 more seasons, with very little flexibility. The only way Atlanta gets better as of now is if Smith, Horford, Teague and Marvin Williams keep improving. And even then, how good could they really be? Hard to imagine the Hawks getting anywhere past the 2nd round with Joe Johnson as their #1 guy.

It's definitely not a worst contract of all time... just a mediocre one. A lot like Rashard's

[Starlin4Prez]

Re: Worst NBA contracts of all time

Because the Hawks just gave max dollars to a player who disappears in the playoffs. He is a glorified role player and that is how any team besides Atlanta was looking at him.

He probably has 1 year left at the level he played at last year and gives Atlanta virtually no flexibility down the road. Atlanta just dug themselves a big hole.

[ntramontanis]

Re: Worst NBA contracts of all time

eddie curry

[Cebby]

Re: Worst NBA contracts of all time

They couldn't win with him and that roster, now they're stuck with him as their franchise player for 5 or 6 more seasons, with very little flexibility. The only way Atlanta gets better as of now is if Smith, Horford, Teague and Marvin Williams keep improving. And even then, how good could they really be? Hard to imagine the Hawks getting anywhere past the 2nd round with Joe Johnson as their #1 guy.

Because the Hawks just gave max dollars to a player who disappears in the playoffs. He is a glorified role player and that is how any team besides Atlanta was looking at him.

He probably has 1 year left at the level he played at last year and gives Atlanta virtually no flexibility down the road. Atlanta just dug themselves a big hole.

Of course the Hawks aren't going to win with Joe Johnson, but no team besides the Lakers and whichever two teams get Lebron, Wade, and Bosh combinations is winning a chip for the next few years.

After 8 years of complete irrelevance you want to blow up the team for only getting to the second round?

Without Johnson they turn into Indiana Pacers or 76ers territory where they win 35 games a year and are never good enough to do anything but get swept out of the first round but are never bad enough to get a good pick.

With Johnson they'll make the playoffs the next 5 years, make the second round some, and maybe an ECF appearance.

[Starlin4Prez]

Re: Worst NBA contracts of all time

Of course the Hawks aren't going to win with Joe Johnson, but no team besides the Lakers and whichever two teams get Lebron, Wade, and Bosh combinations is winning a chip for the next few years.

After 8 years of complete irrelevance you want to blow up the team for only getting to the second round?

Without Johnson they turn into Indiana Pacers or 76ers territory where they win 35 games a year and are never good enough to do anything but get swept out of the first round but are never bad enough to get a good pick.

With Johnson they'll make the playoffs the next 5 years, make the second round some, and maybe an ECF appearance.

Stupid argument. So they accept they aren't going to win a championship anyway so they go and blow all their money on a role player? That is nonsense...If they aren't going to win now they should be planning towards the future.

So with him instead of getting swept out of the first they get swept out of the 2nd. And still get no good picks regardless. And just spent a boatload of money to do so. If you're giving a guy max money he better be taking you to the next level and not limiting your future. Bonehead move by the Hawks.