Overpaid and Underpaid NBA Players

The listings of all the overpaid and underpaid players in the NBA follow the detailed User Guide which begins now.

To say there is a need for this Report is an understatement when you consider that there are very low performance players who are paid more than superstars. For example, Ben Gordon of the Pistons was a poor player in 2009-10 with a Real Player Rating (RPR) of .491 yet he is to be paid 10.8 million dollars this coming season. Meanwhile, Joakim Noah of the Bulls was a superstar in 2009-10 with a RPR of .955 yet he is to be paid only 3.1 million dollars this coming season. Based on this, it’s no surprise to you that the Bulls are supposed to be really good this year while the Pistons are supposed to be really bad, is it?

THIS REPORT IGNORES SOCIETY AND IS ABOUT BASKETBALL ONLY
Let’s get something out of the way right at the top. For society at large, probably most NBA players are grossly overpaid. But this Report totally ignores society and is concerned only about basketball and even more specifically we are focused on winning playoff games and Championships. When we say a player is underpaid, we definitely don’t mean the player is underpaid relative to society as a whole. What we mean is that the player is underpaid compared to what he should be paid if all NBA pay was distributed closely according to players’ different abilities to help win playoff games. So we mean overpaid in a narrow basketball sense and not in an overall society sense.

BANG FOR THE BUCK
The first thing we need to determine who is overpaid and who is underpaid is a calculation. Remember, Quest for the Ring (QFTR) does everything in the real zone, meaning that we keep opinions to a minimum. This Report is not simply our opinion about who is overpaid and who is underpaid. Instead, like most of our other Reports, this one tells you who really is overpaid and who really is underpaid according to optimal calculations.

What we need to calculate is a concept (and a number) called “Bang for the Buck” or BFTB. This is a simple concept. It’s what you get when you divide a Real Player Rating (RPR) by the salary of a player. This is how BFTB acts:

--At any amount of salary, the higher the RPR, the higher the Bang for the Buck.
--At any amount of salary, the lower the RPR, the lower the Bang for the Buck.
--At any RPR, the higher the salary, the lower the Bang for the Buck.
--At any RPR, the lower the salary, the higher the Bang for the Buck.

In other words BFTB gives you the quality of the player relative to his salary. Due to salary numbers (in dollars) being in the millions while RPRs range from about .400 to about 1.200, in order to express BFTB in numbers greater than one, we want to multiply by 10,000,000. So the formula is:

BFTB = (10,000,000 X Real Player Rating) / Salary

Salary will always mean pay for the season under the contract. I don’t know exactly but I would think that most contracts, instead of using a regular calendar year, probably use a year that begins sometime in the middle of the year, such as on July 1. Or perhaps some or most or all player contracts have years that start sometime in October, just before when the regular season starts.

In the formula, salary will not include benefits, which are roughly going to range from 5% of salary for the highest paid NBA player to 15% of salary for the lowest paid NBA player. (On average think of benefits as roughly 10% of salary.)

So now we have BFTB. What do we need next? Next we're going to need the Real Player Rating evaluation scale. Why we need it is explained later. This is that scale:

Perfect Player for all Practical Purposes / Major Historic Super Star 1.100 and more
Historic Super Star 1.000 1.099
Super Star 0.900 0.999
A Star Player / A well above normal starter 0.820 0.899
Very Good Player / A solid starter 0.760 0.819
Major Role Player / Good enough to start 0.700 0.759
Good Role Player / Often a good 6th man, can possibly start 0.640 0.699
Satisfactory Role Player / Generally should not start 0.580 0.639
Marginal Role Player / Should not start except in an emergency 0.520 0.579
Poor Player / Should never start 0.460 0.519
Very Poor Player 0.400 0.459
Extremely Poor Player and less 0.399

The first thing I do with the scale is to combine a few of the categories above to make sure all categories have roughly the same number of players. This insures good performance of this system and specifically insures I can avoid any serious outlier problems. The first three categories above are combined together to form a category consisting of all three levels of superstars. Similarly, the last three categories above are combined together to form a category consisting of all three levels of poor players. All the other six categories (from star down to marginal role player) are kept unchanged.

In total I have cut down from the usual 12 categories to 8 categories. So this is the category breakdown for looking at which players are overpaid and which are underpaid (with the RPR ranges shown):

(1) Major Historical Superstars / Historical Superstars / Superstars, .900 and more
(2) Stars, .820 to .899
(3) Very Good Players / Solid Starters, .760 to .819
(4) Major Role Players / Good Enough to Start, .700 to .759
(5) Good Role Players / Can Possibly Start, .640 to .699
(6) Satisfactory Role Players / Generally Should Not Start, .580 to .639
(7) Marginal Role Players / Should Not Start Except in Emergencies, .520 to .579
(8) Poor / Very Poor / Extremely Poor Players .519 and less

WHY USE THE PLAYER CATEGORIES AT ALL?
Why do I want to separate players by quality when calculating who is overpaid and who is underpaid? Why can’t I just take all the players and run the calculations on all of them at once and then designate overpaid and underpaid from that total list of players? Because in theory and also in reality to a large degree, there are really different markets for and different normal pay levels and ranges for different quality levels of players.

Here are the actual ranges which are interesting to check out:

Superstars and Historical Superstars 3.1 million to 24.8 million
Stars 0.8 million to 17.7 million
Very Good Players / Solid Starters 0.9 million to 17.7 million
Major Role Players 0.9 million to 19.6 million
Good Role Players 0.8 million to 13.6 million
Satisfactory Role Players 0.8 million to 14.3 million
Marginal Role Players 0.8 to 18.3 million
Poor to Extremely Poor Players 0.8 to 10.8 million

You can already see differences but actually the above understates the real differences in the ranges. If you get rid of the special cases (the outliers, such as Michael Redd who due to major injury problems is in the marginal role player category yet is making 18.3 million dollars this year) you will find that the ranges are even more different than what is indicated above.

Here are the average pay amounts for each category:

Superstars and Historical Superstars 12.3 million dollars
Stars 7.5 million dollars
Very Good Players / Solid Starters 5.4 million dollars
Major Role Players 6.0 million dollars
Good Role Players 3.9 million dollars
Satisfactory Role Players 4.1 million dollars
Marginal Role Players 3.2 million dollars
Poor to Extremely Poor Players 2.6 million dollars

So in summary I ran the calculation on all the players in one single category I would get inferior results compared with separating them out by quality. If I did that there would be too many low quality players designated wrongly as underpaid (whereas there is really no such thing as an underpaid low quality player). And also there would be a few too many high quality players designated wrongly as overpaid.

By keeping players segregated into their quality categories, I make sure the designations are relative to each quality level of player, meaning that I am determining who is overpaid and who is underpaid separately for each separate “player market”. I can then customize the designations by category according to what makes the most sense from the perspective of winning playoff games and Championships.

Always remember that players' pay is not now and will never be directly proportional to how good the players are. There are massive distortions that prevent that from even approximately happening. Also, there is the basketball necessity to award the very best players with very big salaries. The very best players (the superstars) get on average the highest pay by a wide margin over even the next best players (the stars). The very best players are much more important than the next best players, so their pay should be substantially higher. It turns out though that the pay of the very best players is much, much higher than the pay of the next best players. Moreover, it turns out that some players are paid as if they were much better or much worse players than they actually are, which brings us back to the big necessity of this Report.

THE PAY DESIGNATIONS
There are five designations as follows:

--Extremely or Very Overpaid
--Overpaid: Slightly or Moderately
--Paid Correctly
--Slightly to Moderately Underpaid / Bargains
--Extremely or Very Underpaid / Major Bargains

The rules that determine how many players go into each category are called “designation rules”. The designation rules differ by player category because as you go from the highest quality players to the lowest quality players two things happen:

--Fewer and fewer players are underpaid
--More and more players are overpaid

In fact, no players at all in both the marginal role player and in the poor player category are considered to be underpaid. Simply put, it’s out of the question to have an underpaid poor player or an underpaid marginal role player. On the other hand, you are going to have a lot of overpaid poor players.

At the top end, for superstars, I designate 38% of superstars as underpaid and 28% as overpaid. I use what may seem to you to be a surprisingly high percentage for underpaid superstars because for one thing there really are more underpaid NBA superstars than you or I might think. There are, in other words, a surprisingly large batch of superstars who in theory should be paid even more than they are given just how good they are and therefore how crucial they are for winning playoff games.

At the same time, there are a good number of overpaid superstars. Only 34% of superstars are considered to be paid correctly, which may seem surprisingly low but is supported by the fact that there is a very large range between the highest paid superstar and the lowest paid superstar. And keep in mind also we are talking about very large numbers here. Specifically, the highest paid NBA superstar is Kobe Bryant at almost 25 million dollars. The lowest paid NBA superstar is Joakim Noah at a little more than 3 million dollars. But Joakim Noah is 90-95% as valuable as Kobe Bryant is in the Quest for the Ring!

Since total NBA payrolls are between about 60 and 120 million dollars, if you overpay a superstar by about 10 million dollars you have just done yourself some serious damage in your quest to make sure you have enough money to pay all the players you need. To flip it around, if you underpay a superstar by about 10 million dollars you have serious money for getting one or two or even three other players who are going to be able to help win the quest.

PLAYERS ARE ORDERED BY BFTB AND BY CATEGORY
Players are first sorted into their quality category. Then within each category the players are rank ordered according to BFTB. Then the designation rules are applied which determines who is declared to be overpaid and who is declared to be underpaid.

THE DESIGNATION RULES BY CATEGORY
The following are the designation rules by category. For all categories, both the overpays and underpays are divided into two equal groups. The overpays are divided into “Way Overpaid” and “Overpaid: Slightly or Moderately”. And the underpays are divided into "Extremely Underpaid: Major Bargain” and “Underpaid Slightly to Moderately: Bargain”. For example, if there are 12 overpaid players in a category of players, six of them are going to be called way overpaid and the other six are going to be called overpaid (slightly or moderately).

The percentages are applied to the number of players in the category. For example, if there are 50 players in the star player category, and by rule 34% of them are designated as underpaid, this means that 17 stars are going to be designated as underpaid.

(1) Major Historical Superstars / Historical Superstars / Superstars:
28% are designated as overpaid and 38% are designated as underpaid

(2) Stars:
30% are designated as overpaid and 34% are designated as underpaid

(3) Very Good Players / Solid Starters:
32% are designated as overpaid and 28% are designated as underpaid

(4) Major Role Players / Good Enough to Start:
32% are designated as overpaid and 22% are designated as underpaid

(5) Good Role Players / Can Possibly Start:
32% are designated as overpaid and 16% are designated as underpaid

(6) Satisfactory Role Players / Generally Should Not Start:
40% are designated as overpaid and 10% are designated as underpaid

(7) Marginal Role Players / Should Not Start Except in Emergencies:
50% are designated as overpaid and 0% are designated as underpaid

(8) Poor / Very Poor / Extremely Poor Players:
60% are designated as overpaid and 0% are designated as underpaid

WHY ARE MORE THAN HALF THE PLAYERS DESIGNATED AS EITHER OVERPAID OR UNDERPAID?
The reason is very simple: because more than half the players are truly and actually either overpaid or underpaid, in more respects than one too. The most obvious and basic reason why there are a lot of overpaid and underpaid players is that as in society as a whole, there is a very, very wide range between the lowest paid and the highest paid players. In the collective bargaining agreement there are maximum and minimum salaries set for players according to number of years of experience. You can see right from these that there is a huge range from the highest to the lowest pay. For Rookies, maximum pay is almost 26 times minimum pay! At the other extreme, for veterans who have been around 10 years or more, maximum pay is about 13.5 times minimum pay.

In theory and assuming the same total amount of NBA pay, many lower paid players should be paid more and many high paid players should be paid less simply because the actual range of pay is far greater than the actual range of quality. Yes, it is very true that high quality players are extremely scarce and also obviously they are extremely valuable; you most likely can not win the quest without at least one historical superstar for example. But the actual range of pay you see in the NBA exceeds what the range should be even after considering that the highest quality players should be paid much more than the mere high quality players.

I am not trying to be perfect here even though it might seem so. I am still allowing for a big range in possible salaries for the same quality of player. If you take two players who are exactly the same basketball wise I still allow for, say, one of them to make twice and maybe three times as the other one (the multiples I allow vary by category). In my system there is still big differences in pay left among all the players "paid correctly". The main thing I am doing here is identifying players who make far too much and ones who make far too little.

ARE ALL OVERPAID PLAYERS OVERRATED?
And are all underpaid players underrated? The answer is a little complicated actually. Technically speaking it is literally true, in the abstract anyway, that all overpaid players are overrated and all underpaid players are underrated. Away from the abstract it gets a little more complicated and it will vary on a case by case basis.

Many of the possible circumstances for overpaid and underpaid players are discussed immediately below. In some circumstances everyone will agree that the overpaid player is overrated or that the underpaid is underrated player. In some other less common circumstances there will be disagreement, for example, some will think an overpaid player is overrated and some will argue an overpaid player is not overrated (because the reason for the overpay does not entail that the player is overrated). In still other, much more unusual circumstances just about everyone will agree that the overpaid player is NOT overrated or that the underpaid player is NOT underrated. One example involves an injured player who plays despite the injury and then ends up with a lower rating than he is supposed to have. In this case the player is officially overpaid but almost everyone will agree that that player is not overrated.

Having said all that, most overpaid players are overrated and most underpaid players are underrated.

REASONS WHY A PLAYER ENDS UP OVERPAID
1. The player is overrated and is not really as good as many or even most people think he is.

2. The players’ playing style is popular among fans, coaches, managers, and/or owners.

3. The players’ personality is popular (or it is perceived as being a “good personality”) by fans, coaches, managers, and/or owners.

4. The player was injured during the year from which the rating comes from but he played anyway which resulted in a lower rating than his usual or expected rating. In this case the player appears to be overpaid but may not be once the playing while injured is taken into consideration.

5. The player is a rookie or possibly a second year player who was a first round draft pick and was given a big contract. However, the player has not been able to be at a very high quality level in his first or second seasons.

6. A team is intentionally overpaying the player (whether or not the team realizes the player is overpaid). Team management can get complicated and so there are several possible reasons why a team might intentionally overpay a player. The player might increase ticket sales. The player might have been desperately needed to start at a particular position. The player might have been brought on to the team (often along with one, two, or even three other players) in order to make a major Championship run. And there are going to be other scenarios where in effect a player is intentionally overpaid by a team.

7. A team is semi-intentionally overpaying the player simply because the owner has a high, aggressive total payroll and is willing to pay and is paying a big luxury tax to the League. In other words, if a player is paying for a big spending owner, he might end up overpaid for that reason alone.

8. Occasionally a player on a really bad team will have a lower rating then he should have and slip into the overpaid category. Being on a bad team effects different players differently. On bad teams, some players' ratings will be higher than they "should be" but some will be lower.

9. Some of the overpaid players are accounted for simply because it is very normal in American society to overpay some people and underpay others.

REASONS WHY A PLAYER ENDS UP UNDERPAID
1. The player is underrated and is better than many or even most people think he is.

2. The players’ playing style is not popular among fans, coaches, managers, and/or owners.

3. The players’ personality is not popular (or it is perceived as being a “poor personality”) by fans, coaches, managers, and/or owners.

4. The player had one or more major injury problems in the past which resulted in them getting a contract for much less than he would have got had he not been injured. Then in the year from which the rating comes from, the player was fully recovered and played about as well as he was always supposed to if injury free. In other words, the salary in the contract is depressed due to a major injury problem in prior years but the problem is gone away.

5. The player is simply an outstanding rookie or second or possibly third year player who was not a high draft pick and who did not get a big contract but actually deserves one (and will get one soon).

6. A team is intentionally underpaying the player (whether or not the team realizes the player is underpaid). Team management can get complicated and so there are several possible reasons why a team might intentionally underpay a player. The player might be a foreign player who can not get fairly evaluated by all the teams but rather is forced to play for one particular team if he wants to play in the NBA. The player might be an aging veteran who is perceived to be close to the age where his playing quality will go way down (at which point he will retire). A special twist on the aging veteran scenario is when an aging veteran superstar is brought on to a team that is supposed to be a major contender to win a Ring; in that case the salary might be especially low, often the League minimum for that players’ experience level. And there are going to be other scenarios where in effect a player is intentionally underpaid by a team.

7. A team is semi-intentionally or intentionally underpaying the player simply because the owner has a very conservative payroll that is not only below the real cap (aka the luxury tax threshold) but is near or below the base cap (aka as the salary cap). In other words, if a player is playing for a relatively stingy owner, he might end up being underpaid for that reason alone.

8. Occasionally a player on a really good team will have a higher rating then he should have and slip up into the underpaid category. Being on a great team effects different players differently. On great teams, some players' ratings will be higher than they "should be" but some will be lower.

9. Some of the underpaid players are accounted for simply because it is very normal in American society to overpay some people and underpay others.

THE AGE FACTOR
When Quest for the Ring determines who is overpaid and who is underpaid we don’t care at all about the age of the player. This is mostly a good thing since who cares what the age is when the objective is to win playoff games? All we care about is how good the player is. The downside though is that in real life young players are generally paid very little compared to veterans which means that young players are going to take up many of the major bargain / way underpaid slots. As a result some veterans who are underpaid might not be recognized as underpaid.

But this is just a minor downside and we have to live with it. Overall, not adjusting the calculations for age (or experience) is very smart because the fact that young players constitute most of the bargains is exactly the reality. Why would we want to hide reality when we are trying to do the opposite, to exactly show what the reality is?

NO OFFENSE TO ANY OF THE PLAYERS
If a player hears he's been called "extremely overpaid" by Quest for the Ring he might overreact and get ticked off about it. To anyone who doesn't like the designation "extemely overpaid" (or the less nasty one "overpaid") remember first off that players don't decide what their pay is going to be: managers and owners decide what all the players' pay is going to be. If the managers and/or the owner involved had decided on a lower pay, the player might not be listed as overpaid anymore. So no one should get upset about anything which is controlled by someone else.

Also, remember that we're not saying that players we say are overpaid are overpaid in the absolute, society sense. Even our overpaid players may deserve all their pay when you look at society as a whole or maybe even our underpaid players don't deserve the pay they get when you look at society as a whole. People are going to have differing opinions on that. What we are saying is that some players are overpaid and some are underpaid relative to the basketball world and specifically relative to how much those players do toward winning NBA playoff games and Championships.

Remember also that sometimes injuries cause players to be designated overpaid. See above for many other circumstances that cause a player to be designated overpaid.

Finally, if an overpaid player gets a lot better, he will not be overpaid anymore.

Just be glad we don't call the extremely overpaid players "money down the rat hole players" laugh out loud.

BY HOW MUCH ARE THE EXTRMELY UNDERPAID UNDER AND THE EXTRMELY OVERPAID OVER?
Not counting extreme situations caused by injury, the pay of extremely overpaid players ranges from just half a million dollars over for some of the poor quality players to as much as roughly 10 million dollars over what it should be. There are also two or three players affected by major injuries who are technically and accidentally overpaid by even more than 10 million dollars. In percentage terms the pay of extremely overpaid players ranges from about a third more to as much as four times (quadruple) what it should be.

The pay of extremely underpaid players ranges from about 3 million to about 6 million dollars less than what it should be. In percentage terms the pay of extremely underpaid players ranges from roughly half to just a fifth (20%) of what it should be. Things could be worse; there are just two or three players making only one fifth of what they should be making.

========== OVERPAID AND UNDERPAID NBA PLAYERS ==========

OVERPAID AND UNDERPAID MAJOR HISTORICAL SUPERSTARS / HISTORICAL SUPERSTARS / SUPERSTARS
-The format is always Player / Team / 2010-11 Salary
-For overpaid players the order is from most overpaid to least overpaid
-For underpaid players the order is from most underpaid to least underpaid
-See the user guide above for why players end up overpaid or underpaid
-Based on salaries and other information correct as of Sept. 1, 2010

EXTREMELY OR VERY OVERPAID
Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers 24,806,250
Vince Carter Orlando Magic 17,522,375
Andrei Kirilenko Utah Jazz 17,823,000
Kevin Garnett Boston Celtics 18,832,044
Yao Ming Houston Rockets 17,686,100

OVERPAID: SLIGHTLY OR MODERATELY
Pau Gasol Los Angeles Lakers 17,823,000
Dirk Nowitzki Dallas Mavericks 17,300,000
Tim Duncan San Antonio Spurs 18,835,381
Chris Bosh Miami Heat 14,500,000
Dwight Howard Orlando Magic 16,647,180

UNDERPAID: SLIGHTLY OR MODERATELY: BARGAINS
Anderson Varejao Cleveland Cavaliers 7,281,818
Jason Kidd Dallas Mavericks 8,610,500
Jameer Nelson Orlando Magic 7,800,000
Lamar Odom Los Angeles Lakers 8,200,000
Rajon Rondo Boston Celtics 9,090,909
Steve Nash Phoenix Suns 10,310,938
Andrew Bogut Milwaukee Bucks 11,000,000

EXTREMELY OR VERY UNDERPAID: MAJOR BARGAINS
Joakim Noah Chicago Bulls 3,128,536
Kevin Love Minnesota Timberwolves 3,638,280
Al Horford Atlanta Hawks 5,444,857
Kevin Durant Oklahoma Thunder 6,053,663
Derrick Rose Chicago Bulls 5,546,160
Greg Oden Portland Trailblazers 6,760,524

OVERPAID AND UNDERPAID STAR PLAYERS
-The format is always Player / Team / 2010-11 Salary
-For overpaid players the order is from most overpaid to least overpaid
-For underpaid players the order is from most underpaid to least underpaid
-See the user guide above for why players end up overpaid or underpaid
-Based on salaries and other information correct as of Sept. 1, 2010

EXTREMELY OR VERY OVERPAID
Zach Randolph Memphis Grizzlies 17,666,666
Amar'e Stoudemire New York Knicks 16,500,000
Carmelo Anthony Denver Nuggets 17,149,244
Joe Johnson Atlanta Hawks 16,324,500
Paul Pierce Boston Celtics 13,850,000
Brandon Roy Portland Trailblazers 13,603,750

OVERPAID: SLIGHTLY OR MODERATELY
Tony Parker San Antonio Spurs 13,500,000
Erick Dampier Charlotte Bobcats 13,078,000
Samuel Dalembert Sacramento Kings 13,428,129
Al Jefferson Utah Jazz 13,000,000
Chauncey Billups Denver Nuggets 13,150,000
Baron Davis Los Angeles Clippers 13,000,000
Andre Iguodala Philadelphia 76'ers 12,345,250

UNDERPAID: SLIGHTLY OR MODERATELY: BARGAINS
Ben Wallace Detroit Pistons 2,080,000
Anthony Randolph New York Knicks 1,965,720
Craig Smith Los Angeles Clippers 2,300,000
Brandon Jennings Milwaukee Bucks 2,331,120
Ersan Ilyasova Milwaukee Bucks 2,320,500
Brandan Wright Golden State Warriors 3,398,072
Marc Gasol Memphis Grizzlies 3,573,333
Russell Westbrook Oklahoma Thunder 4,017,720

EXTREMELY OR VERY UNDERPAID: MAJOR BARGAINS
A.J. Price Indiana Pacers 762,195
Serge Ibaka Oklahoma Thunder 1,204,200
Kosta Koufos Minnesota Timberwolves 1,298,640
Shaquille O'Neal Boston Celtics 1,352,181
Ryan Anderson Orlando Magic 1,409,040
Eric Maynor Oklahoma Thunder 1,417,800
Roy Hibbert Indiana Pacers 1,685,280

OVERPAID AND UNDERPAID VERY GOOD / SOLID STARTER PLAYERS
-The format is always Player / Team / 2010-11 Salary
-For overpaid players the order is from most overpaid to least overpaid
-For underpaid players the order is from most underpaid to least underpaid
-See the user guide above for why players end up overpaid or underpaid
-Based on salaries and other information correct as of Sept. 1, 2010

EXTREMELY OR VERY OVERPAID
Gilbert Arenas Washington Wizards 17,730,694
Chris Kaman Los Angeles Clippers 11,800,000
Luol Deng Chicago Bulls 11,345,000
LaMarcus Aldridge Portland Trailblazers 11,244,000
Ray Allen Boston Celtics 10,000,000
Jason Terry Dallas Mavericks 9,873,000

OVERPAID: SLIGHTLY OR MODERATELY
Mehmet Okur Utah Jazz 9,945,000
Jose Calderon Toronto Raptors 9,000,000
David West New Orleans Hornets 8,287,500
Luis Scola Houston Rockets 7,800,000
Joel Przybilla Portland Trailblazers 7,405,300
Shawn Marion Dallas Mavericks 7,055,500

UNDERPAID: SLIGHTLY OR MODERATELY: BARGAINS
Renaldo Balkman Denver Nuggets 1,675,000
Matt Barnes Los Angeles Lakers 1,765,000
Goran Dragic Phoenix Suns 1,972,000
Chuck Hayes Houston Rockets 1,972,500
Keyon Dooling Milwaukee Bucks 2,080,000
Brook Lopez New Jersey Nets 2,413,320
Stephen Curry Golden State Warriors 2,913,840

EXTREMELY OR VERY UNDERPAID: MAJOR BARGAINS
DeJuan Blair San Antonio Spurs 918,000
Carlos Arroyo Miami Heat 1,223,166
Jason Williams Orlando Magic 1,352,181
Darren Collison Indiana Pacers 1,361,040
Ronnie Price Utah Jazz 1,381,250
Ty Lawson Denver Nuggets 1,546,560

OVERPAID AND UNDERPAID MAJOR ROLE PLAYER / GOOD ENOUGH TO START PLAYERS
-The format is always Player / Team / 2010-11 Salary
-For overpaid players the order is from most overpaid to least overpaid
-For underpaid players the order is from most underpaid to least underpaid
-See the user guide above for why players end up overpaid or underpaid
-Based on salaries and other information correct as of Sept. 1, 2010

EXTREMELY OR VERY OVERPAID
Rashard Lewis Orlando Magic 19,573,711
Kenyon Martin Denver Nuggets 16,545,454
Elton Brand Philadelphia 76'ers 15,959,100
Jason Richardson Phoenix Suns 14,444,443
Antawn Jamison Cleveland Cavaliers 13,358,905
Tyson Chandler Dallas Mavericks 12,600,000
Emeka Okafor New Orleans Hornets 11,495,000
Monta Ellis Golden State Warriors 11,000,000

OVERPAID: SLIGHTLY OR MODERATELY
Tayshaun Prince Detroit Pistons 11,148,760
Jamal Crawford Atlanta Hawks 10,080,000
T.J. Ford Indiana Pacers 8,500,000
Boris Diaw Charlotte Bobcats 9,000,000
Richard Jefferson San Antonio Spurs 8,400,000
Stephen Jackson Charlotte Bobcats 8,453,250
Shane Battier Houston Rockets 7,354,500
Marvin Williams Atlanta Hawks 7,262,500

UNDERPAID: SLIGHTLY OR MODERATELY: BARGAINS
Taj Gibson Chicago Bulls 1,117,680
Rodrigue Beaubois Dallas Mavericks 1,156,080
Zydrunas Ilgauskas Miami Heat 1,352,181
Tim Thomas Dallas Mavericks 1,352,181
Aaron Brooks Houston Rockets 2,016,692
Tyler Hansbrough Indiana Pacers 1,998,600

EXTREMELY OR VERY UNDERPAID: MAJOR BARGAINS
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute Milwaukee Bucks 854,389
George Hill San Antonio Spurs 854,389
Shelden Williams Denver Nuggets 915,852
Leon Powe Cleveland Cavaliers 915,852
Sean May New Jersey Nets 992,680

OVERPAID AND UNDERPAID GOOD ROLE PLAYER / OFTEN GOOD 6TH MAN, CAN POSSIBLY START PLAYERS
-The format is always Player / Team / 2010-11 Salary
-For overpaid players the order is from most overpaid to least overpaid
-For underpaid players the order is from most underpaid to least underpaid
-See the user guide above for why players end up overpaid or underpaid
-Based on salaries and other information correct as of Sept. 1, 2010

EXTREMELY OR VERY OVERPAID
Rudy Gay Memphis Grizzlies 13,603,750
Caron Butler Dallas Mavericks 10,561,960
Mike Dunleavy Indiana Pacers 10,561,384
Corey Maggette Milwaukee Bucks 9,600,000
Devin Harris New Jersey Nets 8,981,000
Kirk Hinrich Washington Wizards 9,000,000
J.J. Redick Orlando Magic 7,250,000
Travis Outlaw New Jersey Nets 7,000,000

OVERPAID: SLIGHTLY OR MODERATELY
Marcin Gortat Orlando Magic 6,322,320
Al Harrington Denver Nuggets 5,765,000
Nenad Krstic Oklahoma Thunder 5,543,116
Drew Gooden Milwaukee Bucks 5,765,000
Louis Williams Philadelphia 76'ers 5,000,000
Jeff Green Oklahoma Thunder 4,455,988
Jarrett Jack Toronto Raptors 4,600,000
Darko Milicic Minnesota Timberwolves 4,325,000

UNDERPAID: SLIGHTLY OR MODERATELY: BARGAINS
Dominic McGuire Charlotte Bobcats 854,389
Josh McRoberts Indiana Pacers 885,120
Nicolas Batum Portland Trailblazers 1,196,760
Rudy Fernandez Portland Trailblazers 1,246,680
Anthony Carter Denver Nuggets 1,352,181

EXTREMELY OR VERY UNDERPAID: MAJOR BARGAINS
Reggie Williams Golden State Warriors 762,195
Acie Law Memphis Grizzlies 885,120
Mario Chalmers Miami Heat 854,389

OVERPAID AND UNDERPAID SATISFACTORY ROLE PLAYERS / GENERALLY SHOULD NOT START PLAYERS
-The format is always Player / Team / 2010-11 Salary
-For overpaid players the order is from most overpaid to least overpaid
-For underpaid players the order is from most underpaid to least underpaid
-See the user guide above for why players end up overpaid or underpaid
-Based on salaries and other information correct as of Sept. 1, 2010

EXTREMELY OR VERY OVERPAID
Predrag Stojakovic New Orleans Hornets 14,256,000
Richard Hamilton Detroit Pistons 12,500,000
Kevin Martin Houston Rockets 10,600,005
Hidayet Turkoglu Phoenix Suns 10,215,850
Andrea Bargnani Toronto Raptors 8,500,000
Charlie Villaneuva Detroit Pistons 7,020,000
Leandro Barbosa Toronto Raptors 7,100,000

OVERPAID: SLIGHTLY OR MODERATELY
Wesley Matthews Portland Trailblazers 5,765,000
Linas Kleiza Toronto Raptors 5,000,000
Mickael Pietrus Orlando Magic 5,300,000
Martell Webster Minnesota Timberwolves 4,800,000
Hasheem Thabeet Memphis Grizzlies 4,793,280
O.J. Mayo Memphis Grizzlies 4,456,200
Ryan Gomes Los Angeles Clippers 4,000,000

UNDERPAID: SLIGHTLY OR MODERATELY: BARGAINS
Marcus Thornton New Orleans Hornets 762,195
Jonas Jerebko Detroit Pistons 762,195
Chase Budinger Houston Rockets 780,871
Von Wafer Boston Celtics 992,680

EXTREMELY OR VERY UNDERPAID: MAJOR BARGAINS
None


OVERPAID AND UNDERPAID MARGINAL ROLE PLAYER / SHOULD NOT START EXCEPT IN EMERGENCIES PLAYERS
-The format is always Player / Team / 2010-11 Salary
-For overpaid players the order is from most overpaid to least overpaid
-For underpaid players the order is from most underpaid to least underpaid
-See the user guide above for why players end up overpaid or underpaid
-Based on salaries and other information correct as of Sept. 1, 2010

EXTREMELY OR VERY OVERPAID
Michael Redd Milwaukee Bucks 18,300,000
James Posey Indiana Pacers 7,148,800
Jared Jeffries Houston Rockets 6,883,800
Sasha Vujacic Los Angeles Lakers 5,475,113
Jason Maxiell Detroit Pistons 5,000,000
Darius Songaila New Orleans Hornets 4,818,000
Zaza Pachulia Atlanta Hawks 4,251,250
Hakim Warrick Phoenix Suns 4,250,000

OVERPAID: SLIGHTLY OR MODERATELY
Yi Jianlian Washington Wizards 4,050,499
C.J. Miles Utah Jazz 3,700,000
Derek Fisher Los Angeles Lakers 3,700,000
Will Bynum Detroit Pistons 3,250,000
Raja Bell Utah Jazz 3,000,000
Jonny Flynn Minnesota Timberwolves 3,192,000
Eric Gordon Los Angeles Clippers 3,016,680
Julian Wright Toronto Raptors 2,858,057
Al Thornton Washington Wizards 2,814,196

UNDERPAID: SLIGHTLY OR MODERATELY: BARGAINS
None

EXTREMELY OR VERY UNDERPAID: MAJOR BARGAINS
None


OVERPAID AND UNDERPAID POOR, VERY POOR, AND EXTREMELY POOR / SHOULD NEVER START PLAYERS
-The format is always Player / Team / 2010-11 Salary
-For overpaid players the order is from most overpaid to least overpaid
-For underpaid players the order is from most underpaid to least underpaid
-See the user guide above for why players end up overpaid or underpaid
-Based on salaries and other information correct as of Sept. 1, 2010

EXTREMELY OR VERY OVERPAID
Ben Gordon Detroit Pistons 10,800,000
Jason Kapono Philadelphia 76'ers 6,641,440
Morris Peterson Oklahoma Thunder 6,665,000
DeShawn Stevenson Dallas Mavericks 4,151,786
Andres Nocioni Philadelphia 76'ers 6,850,000
Vladimir Radmanovic Golden State Warriors 6,883,800
DeSagana Diop Charlotte Bobcats 6,478,600
Matt Carroll Charlotte Bobcats 4,300,000
Charlie Bell Golden State Warriors 4,447,792
Chris Wilcox Detroit Pistons 3,000,000
Corey Brewer Minnesota Timberwolves 3,703,472
Ryan Hollins Cleveland Cavaliers 2,333,333
Josh Howard Washington Wizards 3,000,000

OVERPAID: SLIGHTLY OR MODERATELY
Eduardo Najera Charlotte Bobcats 3,000,000
DeMar DeRozan Toronto Raptors 2,453,880
Glen Davis Boston Celtics 3,000,004
Nick Young Washington Wizards 2,630,503
Maurice Evans Atlanta Hawks 2,500,000
Rasual Butler Los Angeles Clippers 2,400,000
Jason Smith Philadelphia 76'ers 2,187,913
Jason Collins Atlanta Hawks 1,223,166
Earl Clark Phoenix Suns 1,898,760
Royal Ivey Oklahoma Thunder 1,200,000
Austin Daye Detroit Pistons 1,803,720
James Johnson Chicago Bulls 1,713,600
Keith Bogans Chicago Bulls 1,600,000

UNDERPAID: SLIGHTLY OR MODERATELY: BARGAINS
None

EXTREMELY OR VERY UNDERPAID: MAJOR BARGAINS
None


========== EXTREMELY OVERPAID PLAYERS BY TEAM ==========
-The format is player / 2010-11 salary
-See the user guide above for why players end up overpaid

Atlanta Hawks
Joe Johnson 16,324,500
Zaza Pachulia 4,251,250

Boston Celtics
Kevin Garnett 18,832,044
Paul Pierce 13,850,000
Ray Allen 10,000,000

Charlotte Bobcats
DeSagana Diop 6,478,600
Matt Carroll 4,300,000

Chicago Bulls
Luol Deng 11,345,000

Cleveland Cavaliers
Antawn Jamison 13,358,905
Ryan Hollins 2,333,333

Dallas Mavericks
Caron Butler 10,561,960
DeShawn Stevenson 4,151,786
Jason Terry 9,873,000
Tyson Chandler 12,600,000

Denver Nuggets
Carmelo Anthony 17,149,244
Kenyon Martin 16,545,454

Detroit Pistons
Ben Gordon 10,800,000
Charlie Villaneuva 7,020,000
Chris Wilcox 3,000,000
Jason Maxiell 5,000,000
Richard Hamilton 12,500,000

Golden State Warriors
Charlie Bell 4,447,792
Monta Ellis 11,000,000
Vladimir Radmanovic 6,883,800

Houston Rockets
Jared Jeffries 6,883,800
Kevin Martin 10,600,005
Yao Ming 17,686,100

Indiana Pacers
James Posey 7,148,800
Mike Dunleavy 10,561,384

Los Angeles Clippers
Chris Kaman 11,800,000

Los Angeles Lakers
Kobe Bryant 24,806,250
Sasha Vujacic 5,475,113

Memphis Grizzlies
Rudy Gay 13,603,750
Zach Randolph 17,666,666

Miami Heat
None

Milwaukee Bucks
Corey Maggette 9,600,000
Michael Redd 18,300,000

Minnesota Timberwolves
Corey Brewer 3,703,472

New Jersey Nets
Devin Harris 8,981,000
Travis Outlaw 7,000,000

New Orleans Hornets
Darius Songaila 4,818,000
Emeka Okafor 11,495,000
Predrag Stojakovic 14,256,000

New York Knicks
Amar'e Stoudemire 16,500,000

Oklahoma Thunder
Morris Peterson 6,665,000

Orlando Magic
J.J. Redick 7,250,000
Rashard Lewis 19,573,711
Vince Carter 17,522,375

Philadelphia 76'ers
Andres Nocioni 6,850,000
Elton Brand 15,959,100
Jason Kapono 6,641,440

Phoenix Suns
Hakim Warrick 4,250,000
Hedo Turkoglu 10,215,850
Jason Richardson 14,444,443

Portland Trailblazers
Brandon Roy 13,603,750
LaMarcus Aldridge 11,244,000

Sacramento Kings
None

San Antonio Spurs
None

Toronto Raptors
Andrea Bargnani 8,500,000
Leandro Barbosa 7,100,000

Utah Jazz
Andrei Kirilenko 17,823,000

Washington Wizards
Gilbert Arenas 17,730,694
Josh Howard 3,000,000
Kirk Hinrich 9,000,000


========== EXTREMELY UNDERPAID PLAYERS (MAJOR BARGAINS) BY TEAM ==========
-The format is player / 2010-11 salary
-See the user guide above for why players end up underpaid

Atlanta Hawks
Al Horford 5,444,857

Boston Celtics
Shaquille O'Neal 1,352,181

Charlotte Bobcats
Dominic McGuire 854,389

Chicago Bulls
Derrick Rose 5,546,160
Joakim Noah 3,128,536

Cleveland Cavaliers
Leon Powe 915,852

Dallas Mavericks
None

Denver Nuggets
Shelden Williams 915,852
Ty Lawson 1,546,560

Detroit Pistons
None

Golden State Warriors
Reggie Williams 762,195

Houston Rockets
None

Indiana Pacers
A.J. Price 762,195
Darren Collison 1,361,040
Roy Hibbert 1,685,280

Los Angeles Clippers
None

Los Angeles Lakers
None

Memphis Grizzlies
Acie Law 885,120

Miami Heat
Carlos Arroyo 1,223,166
Mario Chalmers 854,389

Milwaukee Bucks
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute 854,389

Minnesota Timberwolves
Kevin Love 3,638,280
Kosta Koufos 1,298,640

New Jersey Nets
Sean May 992,680

New Orleans Hornets
None

New York Knicks
None

Oklahoma Thunder
Eric Maynor 1,417,800
Kevin Durant 6,053,663
Serge Ibaka 1,204,200

Orlando Magic
Jason Williams 1,352,181
Ryan Anderson 1,409,040

Philadelphia 76'ers
None

Phoenix Suns
None

Portland Trailblazers
Greg Oden 6,760,524

Sacramento Kings
None

San Antonio Spurs
DeJuan Blair 918,000
George Hill 854,389

Toronto Raptors
None

Utah Jazz
Ronnie Price 1,381,250

Washington Wizards
None

BASKETBALL ECONOMICS ANNUAL REPORTS SUMMARY
Beginning in 2010 there are six of these, four scheduled for September and two scheduled for December:

SEPTEMBER REPORTS
-- NBA Salaries, Payrolls, and Cap Space Report
-- Highest Paid NBA Pro Basketball Players
-- Summary of Team Payrolls and Cap Space
-- Overpaid and Underpaid NBA Players

DECEMBER REPORTS
-- Annual Financial Report for NBA Franchises and Owners
-- Annual Owners, Managers, and Franchises Real Ratings Report