Top 5 Overpaid NBA Players Still in the Playoffs
So now we are down to the Final Four in the NBA and most players are carving out their roles for their respective teams. Some however, are being paid way more than they should for their roles. Here are the top five players in the NBA that are still in the hunt for a championship, but are being paid a butt-load more than their on-court output.
- Caron Butler, F Dallas Mavericks (Salary: $10,561,960) – If it wasn’t for a ruptured right patella tendon suffered on New Year’s Day, then Butler does not appear on this list. As it stands, he only played 29 games and is now collecting a paycheck to dress up and get courtside seats to every Mavs game from here on out. There’s an outside shot he plays if they reach the Finals, but that chance is slim.
- Nick Collison, PF OKC Thunder (Salary: 13,270,000) – Yes, Collison’s defense on Memphis Grizzlies PF Zach Randolph helped the Thunder win Game 7 and advance to this stage of the Playoffs, but let’s put this into perspective. We had barely heard Collison’s name all postseason until he shut down the Grizzlies top player…for one game. Why? Because he’s averaging just under six points and just over five rebounds a game in these playoffs. The worst part? He is the highest paid player on the Thunder, nearly doubling the second highest paid player…
- Nazr Mohammed, C OKC Thunder (Salary: $6,883,800) – Averaging 2.7 points and 2.4 rebounds a game in just under 12 minutes a game in the Playoffs, Mohammed makes more than every other Thunder player except Collison (who makes more than Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook combined!) and has virtually nothing to show for it.
- Mike Miller, G Miami Heat (Salary: $5,000,000) – Congratulations! You are the winner of the “Money for Nothing/Get Your Checks for Free” Award! Miller has had injuries to both thumbs this year which has severely limited his productivity this year, but he was almost non-existant even when healthy. In the playoffs, he has played a total of 38 minutes and has five points, 10 rebounds and five assists. That’s not an average; that’s total. He was supposed to be one of the key role players for the Heat’s run to the championship, but the team brought in Mike Bibby to take over for Miller and he has done just that, relegating Miller to the invisible numbers that he has produced so far. But Miller’s productivity doesn’t compare to his teammate…
- Chris Bosh, F Miami Heat (Salary: $14,500,000) – Yes, Bosh has been decent, but he has not been spectacular. When you are getting paid exactly the same as LeBron James and more than Dwyane Wade, you need to be spectacular. LBJ is averaging 25 points, nine rebounds and five assists a game. Wade is almost identical at 25.5 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Bosh? 17.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and one assist. This includes his 30 point explosion against the Chicago Bulls in Game 1 of the Conference Finals. Celtics forward Kevin Garnett exposed Bosh in Games 1 and 3 of the Conference Semifinals where Bosh went a combined 4-16 shooting, scoring just 13 points. And let’s not forget about the 1-18 shooting performance (.056 percentage, mostly inside the paint) against none other than the Bulls back on February 24. Bosh has to step it up in order help LBJ and Wade get the Heat to the Promised Land. He has to justify that ridiculous salary and a 1-18 shooting night won’t do it.
That’s my take. What’s yours? Let me know in your comments.
