The NBA: Grossly Overpaid NBAers Part Deux

Yesterday, we looked at the top 20 NBA players based on their 2012-2013 salaries and measured this against their on-court production, which was based on NBA Efficiency (c/o HoopStats.com).

This time let’s look at the next 20 players on the NBA’s highest-paid list (c/o ESPN.go.com). We’ll do the same thing here and see which players are giving their respective teams great bang for the buck and which players aren’t exactly making each million worth it.

Also, we’ll look at some of the most efficient players of the league who are NOT part of the Top 40 highest-paid cagers.

Where does Utah's Al Jefferson stand amidst
the NBA's highest-paid players?
(image by Kim Raff/AP)

Player	2012-2013 Salary	NBA Efficiency Rating	Bang per 1 Million Bucks [Efficiency/(Salary/1,000,000)]
Derrick Rose	$16,402,500	Hasn’t played yet.	---
Al Jefferson	$15,000,000	22.3	1.49
Carlos Boozer	$15,000,000	16.7	1.11
Andre Iguodala	$14,968,250	14.7	0.98
Manu Ginobili	$14,107,492	12.2	0.86
Marc Gasol	$13,891,359	21.9	1.58
Russell Westbrook	$13,668,793	21.6	1.58
Brook Lopez	$13,668,750	18.9	1.38
Eric Gordon	$13,668,750	Hasn’t played yet.	---
Kevin Love	$13,668,750	21.3	1.56
Tyson Chandler	$13,604,188	19.9	1.46
LaMarcus Aldridge	$13,500,000	20.1	1.49
Emeka Okafor	$13,490,000	10.5	0.78
Luol Deng	$13,305,000	17.9	1.35
Josh Smith	$13,200,000	17.6	1.33
Danny Granger	$13,058,606	Hasn’t played yet	---
Nene	$13,000,000	12.0	0.92
Andrew Bogut	$13,000,000	9.3	0.72
David Lee	$12,744,000	22.4	1.76
Tony Parker	$12,500,000	18.6	1.49

From this set of data, I can draw several things:

1)   The most glaring thing I can find here is that, compared to the Top 20 moneymakers, there are more players on this list with a “Bang for the Buck” rating higher than 1.00. This simply means that these guys are really playing at the level they were “paid to do so.” That, in my book, is a VERY GOOD thing. Of course, as a player’s salary increases (along with his age, too), the harder it gets for him to maintain his “Bang” rating. He’ll have to up his production commensurate to the increase in his pay, and that is definitely easier said than done.

2)   The guy with the highest “Bang for the Buck” rating in the Top 20 was Kevin Durant with 1.73, but here there is actually someone who beats him – David Lee of the Golden State Warriors. Lee has a 22.4 EFF rating while getting paid “only” 12.7 million dollars. His “Bang” is at a whopping 1.76. His averages of nearly 18 points, nearly 11 rebounds, and nearly 50% FG shooting have re-established him as a star in the league, and, as their record proves, the Warriors are benefitting mightily, too.

David Lee is having a banner season as the
Warriors enjoy a strong start.
(image by Carlos Osorio/AP)

3)   It’s interesting to note that two of the guys playing below their “value” are former number one picks – Andrew Bogut (top pick in 2005) and Emeka Okafor (top pick in 2004). Bogut has been sidelined with a sore ankle since November 8, but even before then he struggled to complement Lee’s stellar play in the GSW frontcourt. Okafor, meanwhile, has never really lived up to big expectations, and, despite frontline partner Nene not exactly playing at an All-Star level, has also not been able to blossom on a thin Washington roster.

4)   Some of the really great players NOT on the Top 40 highest-paid are the following:

a.     Anderson Varejao – he’s at #73 with $8.4 million; his EFF is 26.9 for a 3.20 “Bang”

b.     Tim Duncan – he’s at #58 with $9.6 million; his EFF is 25.4 for a 2.65 “Bang”

c.      Rajon Rondo – he’s at #45 with $11 million; his EFF is 22.5 for a 2.05 “Bang”

d.     Joakim Noah - he’s #43 with $11.3 million; his EFF is 21.7 for a 1.92 “Bang”

e.     Kyle Lowry – he’s at #118 with $5,750,000; his EFF is 21.2 for a 3.69 “Bang”

Game Recaps (courtesy of the Sports Network):

New York 112, Miami 92

Raymond Felton sank six of New York's 18 3- pointers en route to 27 points as the Knicks downed the Miami Heat, 112-92, at American Airlines Arena. Steve Novak added four shots from beyond the arc for 18 points, while J.R. Smith and Jason Kidd each connected on three from long distance for the Knicks, who won their fifth straight game despite Carmelo Anthony sitting out the contest with a lacerated middle finger on his left hand. LeBron James fell an assist short of his second consecutive triple- double as he finished with 31 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists for Miami, which has dropped its last two. Dwyane Wade contributed 13 points while shooting just 3-for-13 from the floor and Chris Bosh dropped in 12 points on 3-of-12 shooting in the loss.

JR Smith celebrates as the Knicks hand the Heat their
first home loss of the season. Rejoice!
(image by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Dallas 97, Phoenix 94

O.J. Mayo drained the game-winning bucket with 34.6 seconds to play and the Dallas Mavericks escaped with an 97-94 win over the Phoenix Suns on Thursday at American Airlines Center. Mayo finished with a game-high 23 points and five rebounds, Darren Collison netted 16 points, including 10-of-12 from the free throw line, and Brandan Wright added 16 points for the Mavericks, who bounced back from a loss to the LA Clippers on Wednesday. Chris Kaman finished with 15 points and seven rebounds, while Shawn Marion contributed 10 points and five boards in the triumph. Markieff Morris put home 15 points and ripped down a career-high 17 rebounds, while Goran Dragic added 15, four steals and four assists for the Suns, who have lost five straight games. Luis Scola ended his night with 13 points, while Shannon Brown and Jared Dudley had 11 apiece in the setback.

Top 10 Plays of the Night:

Game Highlights: