Empty the Bench

Say what you will about spoiled, overpaid athletes. The fact of the matter is that these multi-millionaires put butts in seats, eyeballs on TVs, sell jerseys and generate millions more for their franchises than they take in.

Well, at least some of them do. Not these guys though.

No, these kings of overcompensation, these princes of pauperis production, these monuments of wastefulness, they derive their value in another way: you don’t have to pay them the following season. You get to wash your hands clean of them and use that cap space the following offseason to overpay another potential slob who may or may not earn his keep. And the circle of life continues…

And so, with an eye towards next season’s trade-deadline honchos, a look at ten of 2008/2009’s most valuable expiring contracts.

- Introduction by Andrew Thell

Stephon Marbury, PG, New York Knicks – $22 million

And there you have it, Sir Starbury–you’re finally the top dog. The best. The Most Valuable… Expiring Contract of the 2008/2009 NBA season. Everybody is going to want you, Starbury, and everyone’s going to be talking about you and how much they’d love to have you. A lot of people probably think you’ll be bought out by your current employers this summer, that your days as a Knickerbocker are over. But you and I both know something about Isiah, don’t we? We know he rarely makes smart personnel decisions or thinks about team chemistry, and that of course you’ll be back at MSG for at least a few months in the fall.

And as each painful game melts into another, the crowd will chant, chant, chant your name as the trade deadline approaches. “Trade Starrrrr-burrrrrry!” “Trade Starrrrrr-burrrrrry!,” they’ll shout, the impassioned plea reverberating through all corners of the NBA’s premier Den of Sin. And you’ll be the most popular guy in town, Starbury, just like you always wanted to be. Of course, it won’t happen until you and your $22 million contract “come off the books,” as they say, allowing Zeke to re-dedicate that allotment to a young, promising big who can score on the blocks but just needs to work on his 15-foot jumper, his man/help defense, his rebounding, his conditioning, and his teamwork. Oh, the places you will go, Starbury… the places you will go.

Raef Lafrentz, C, Portland Trail Blazers – $12.7 million

In case you were wondering why the young, up-and-coming Blazers are still holding onto the aging, down-and-out Lafrentz, scratch your head no longer: he’s the $12.7 Million Man next season, which also makes him the team’s top earner and most valuable trade asset. It now seems like a distant memory, but Lafrentz was actually the third-overall pick out of Kansas back in 1998 — the top 15 picks also included such memorable greats as Michael Olowokandi, Robert Traylor, Michael Doleac, and Michael Dickerson — and was a solid, if unspectacular contributor until he came to Portland in ‘06. Now, he’s simply next season’s Theo Ratliff. And ya know, he’s kind of always been my favorite “Raef.” I’ve heard good things about Dr. Raef H. Hajj Ali of Butler, Pennsylvania, not to mention Dr. Raef M. Elsanadi of Dana Point, California, but let’s be honest: I’ll always side with the loping 6-11 Iowan. Always.

The Great Eight of Expiring NBA Contracts will be revealed after the jump…

Radoslav Nesterovic, C, Toronto Raptors – $8.4 million

I’m just as shocked as you are about Rasho’s 2009 payday jackpot, but remember that men who measure at least seven-feet tall and have displayed at least marginal talent at some point during their career are often rewarded with bulky contracts in today’s NBA. So keep that in mind, all you future parents out there: it pays to tamper with your baby’s DNA if it’ll make him a huge, lumbering man. Once that’s nailed down, all you’ll have to do to ensure future riches is slightly alter this brilliant sports-training model. Of course, that’s not to say Mr. and Mrs. Nesterovic played God by screwing with the genetics of their unborn son; we’re just saying. Anyway, dear old Rasho has averaged more than 10 points over an entire season just once in his illustrious 10-year career (11.2/per in 2003/03), and never more than 7.7 boards and 2 blocks (honestly, it’s a minor miracle that he somehow rejected that many shots). And, yet, he’ll make more money next season than every non-athlete resident in the state of Alabama will make combined. Sweet.

Damon Jones, PG, Cleveland Cavaliers – $4.4 million

There’s a few things Jones does exceptionally well: sink wide-open three balls, hang out courtside at slam-dunk and three-point shootout competitions, and… um, I bet he mixes a mean garam masala. He just seems like the kind of guy who knows how to manipulate cardamom and cumin. He also knows how to manipulate NBA GMs into thinking he’s just the guy they need to round out their title-contending squad. And, of course, Danny Ferry took the bait, giving him a four-year, $16 million deal despite the glaring fact that Jones had played for nine teams in his career and never stuck around more than one season at any of them until landing in Cleveland. Well, it hasn’t especially worked out: over the past 3 years donning the jersey of Ohio’s flagship basketball team, he’s averaged about 6.2 points, 1.7 assists, and 39% on three-pointers. But this phoenix will rise again, and stands a good chance of joining his 11th NBA team near the trade deadline.

Malik Rose, F, New York Knicks – $7.6 million

There are very few Knicks worthy of one’s pity: Jamal Crawford seems like he deserves better, and Zach Randolph is certainly the kind of guy women dream about bringing home to Thanksgiving dinner to meet the fam. And though it’s hard to feel too bad for the veteran Rose — after all, he’ll make 3 or 4x more money next season than most people ever will in their lifetime — he’s the type of vet that usually winds his average career down as a role player for teams with championship aspirations, not one wallowing in its own petty crapulence. And though there’s a chance such a fate could still be in store, it’s more likely that the 33-year-old will be included in a package to the highest expiring-contract bidder. Or just stick around for another fun-filled season sitting next to Jerome James (future Expiring Contract MVP!) at the end of the Knicks’ bench.

Eric Snow, PG, Cleveland Cavaliers – $7.3 million

The former second-round pick out of Michigan State seems like a nice guy. He really does. And positive influences on the court, on the bench, and in the locker room are indeed valuable commodities in today’s NBA. But Snow should never have been given such a lucrative deal, one that pays him over $6 million this year and $7.3 next. I mean, that’s just silly money for a 6-3 point guard with career averages of 6.9 points, 5 assists, and 42.5% FG… and keep in mind that most of that “production” came between 1998 – 2003.

As I write this, there remains a possibility that Snow is moved before today’s deadline, but if not he may be dangled this summer or next fall. Then again, the Cavs need to clear as much cap space as possible as the day approaches — the conclusion of the 2009/10 season, to be exact — when a bit player for the Cleveland Cavaliers franchise, one LeBron James, can opt out of his current deal and be courted by other, potentially much more attractive suitors. So maybe they’ll just hold onto him.

Eric Snow and Antawn Jamison Photo Credit: Icon SMI

The Collins Twins, C, – $8.3 million combined

I hope I’m not the only one who finds this situation rather cute (adorable, even). The Collins Twins, Jarron and Jason, born on December 2, 1978, are two massive men who’ve stuck around in the NBA for a combined 14 seasons and between them have averaged a combined 8.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks per season. Combined. And as fate would have it, both of their fairly generous contracts will expire after the 2009 season comes to a close. Will Utah betray trade Jarron, a 6-11 dud who’s spent his entire career with the Jazz? And what about Jason, who was recently shipped to the Memphis Grizzlies after calling New Jersey home for 6 1/2 years? Is he a major cog in their rebuilding efforts? The intrigue is killing me.

Tony Battie, C, Orlando Magic – $6.2 million

The Magic have actually (somewhat) missed Battie this season; he’s out all year with a torn rotator cuff. The ten-year vet was expected to back up Dwight Howard in the middle and chip in somewhere in the neighborhood of his middling 6.7 points, 5.6 boards, and 1 block per season career averages, but instead another handsomely paid big, Adonal Foyle, has sort of assumed that role. Battie was the fifth-overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, and his rookie season was just about his best one (8.4 points, 5.4 boards, 1.1 blocks, 0.8 steals). His offensive game never really developed, though, and he’s just kind of settled into the role that so many bigs who entered the league in the mid- to late-90s have also come to occupy: a long body who can give you spot starts without killing your team but hardly ever improving it. As the Magic continue to surround Howard and Rashard Lewis with better talent, Battie’s massive contract could prove to be valuable trade ammunition.

Donyell Marshall, F, Cleveland Cavaliers – $6 million

The Cavs sure do employ their fair share of “expiring contract guys,” don’t they? Donyell isn’t exactly making an impact on the court this season — his per-game averages of 15 minutes, 4.1 points, 3 boards, 0.2 steals, and 29% FG are all career lows — and at 34 years old (he’ll be 35 in May) he certainly doesn’t appear to have much left in the ol’ tank. He should probably just call it a day this summer, but then again, could you simply walk away from a $6 million salary? Of course not. Though the Cavs would no doubt relish the $17.7 million combined cap space from the expiring contracts of Jones, Snow, and Marshall, you have to think that at least one of them will be jettisoned in a deal that could net them a player who could contribute next season.

Jorge Garbajosa, F, Toronto Raptors – $4.3 million

It’s a shame to list the Great Garbo here, but the moment this happened, this once-promising prospect in the Raptors’ Euro movement became a question mark. He still hasn’t sufficiently recovered from that gruesome injury, having undergone another surgery in December, and unfortunately there’s a good chance he’ll never be the same again. At 30 years young, the 6-9 Spainard’s window of NBA opportunity is closing, and right now his greatest worth is the $4+ million in cap relief his contract can provide the Raps or a trade partner. Any man who voluntarily chooses to watch a surgeon operate on his leg deserves better.

Tags: Stephon Marbury, Jorge Garbajosa, Raef Lafrentz, Rasho Nesterovic