Month: August 2012

There were only a dozen players who averaged at least 20 points per game in 2011/12, making them among the most valuable commodities in the league. There's a lot more than scoring when it comes to determining a player's value, but point production often wins the hearts of fans, coaches and general managers alike. In short, top scorers usually command top salaries, and scoring ability will weigh heavily in the decisions on players eligible for extensions this summer. 

Below we've listed the 20+ PPG scorers from 2011/12, their salaries for last year and this coming season, and what they made last year for each point of their scoring average. The final column is a measure of what they're getting paid this year for each point of their 2011/12 scoring average. 

Some observations:

• The best values are, of course, young players on their rookie contracts. Next year, Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook won't be the bargains they were this past season. The Clippers get one more season of Griffin at seven figures before he gets a significant raise when his maximum extension kicks in for 2013/14.
• Since the CBA allows escalating salaries based on years in the league, it makes sense that Kobe Bryant, who's consistently played an elite level for 16 seasons, is by far the most expensive player on the list. He and Dirk Nowitzki are the only 20+ PPG players older than 30.
• There's a dropoff, it seems, for the last two players on the list. Monta Ellis and David Lee are both making salaries significantly below the other players who aren't on rookie contracts. It might be easy to dismiss this as an inflation of their scoring averages based on their time with the up-tempo Warriors, especially since Ellis averaged only 17.6 PPG after his midseason trade to the Bucks. Yet the Warriors finished tied for 11th in team scoring average this past season under new coach Mark Jackson, suggesting Ellis and Lee came by their points without significant help from a high-octane offense.

Storytellers Contracts was used in the creation of this post.

It's tempting to look away from the NBA this month, with the Olympics in full swing and most of the key free agent signed. Still, there have been several August transactions that have made an impact the past few offseasons. Last year there weren't any because of the lockout, but in 2010 and 2009, teams made some moves that had an impact on the coming season, and some of their effects are still being felt today. Here's a rundown of the trades and signings that have made August headlines in the past:

2010

• August 10th, 2010: Keith Bogans signs with the Bulls for two years, $3.328MM — Bogans started all 82 regular season and 16 playoff games for Chicago in 2010/11, which compiled the league’s best record and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. Bogans shot 38.0% from three-point range in the regular season, upping that mark to 42.4% in the playoffs. 
• August 11th, 2010: Trevor Ariza traded from the Rockets to the Hornets, Darren Collison traded from the Hornets to the Pacers, Courtney Lee traded from the Nets to the Rockets among other players in a four-team swap — Ariza plugged into the starting small forward role for New Orleans and averaged 10.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game the past two seasons. Collison spent most of 2010/11 and 2011/12 as a starter for Indiana, averaging 11.9 PPG and 5.0 APG. Lee used 40.4% shooting the past two seasons with Houston to net a four-year, $21.35MM contract with the Celtics this summer.
• August 11th, 2010: Marco Belinelli traded from the Raptors to the Hornets — Belinelli was the starter at shooting guard most of the past two seasons in New Orleans, averaging 11.1 PPG and 39.6% three-point shooting, not a bad return for Julian Wright.
• August 23rd, 2010: Nikola Pekovic signs with the Timberwolves for three years, $11,858,400 — The value of this signing wasn’t realized until this past season, when Pekovic averaged 15.4 PPG and 8.5 RPG on 54.7% shooting in 35 games as a starter. 
• August 24th, 2010: Landry Fields signs with the Knicks on a two-year, minimum-salary deal — Fields, the 39th overall pick in the 2010 draft, started all but five regular season games the past two years, and now takes a career rate of 6.5 rebounds per 36 minutes to the Raptors on a three-year, $18.7MM deal.

2009

• August 6th, 2009:Brandon Roy signs a maximum five-year, $82.3MM extension with the Blazers — Portland got only 112 games out of Roy before knee injuries forced him to retire, and the team elected to waive him with the amnesty clause. Roy is coming back with the Wolves next season, costing the Blazers $17MM in insurance money that would have helped offset the full amount of the contract Portland will still wind up paying him.
• August 7th, 2009:Marvin Williams re-signs with the Hawks for five years, $37.5MM — In the three seasons before Williams re-signed, he took 11.0 shots in 34.3 minutes per game, averaging 14.0 PPG. In the three seasons since, he’s taken 8.2 shots in 28.7 MPG and averaged 10.2 PPG. The Hawks traded him to the Jazz this summer for Devin Harris.
• August 7th, 2009:Jonas Jerebko signs with the Pistons on a two-year, minimum salary deal — Like Fields, drafted in the same position the next year, the 2009 39th overall pick made an impact in his rookie season, averaging 9.3 PPG and 6.0 RPG in 80 games, 73 of them starts. He missed all of 2010/11 with injury and has yet to regain his starting position.
• August 10th, 2009:Glen Davis re-signs with the Celtics for two years, $5MM — Most of Davis’ impact came in year two of this deal, when he averaged 11.7 PPG, 5.4 RPG in 29.5 MPG as a key reserve for Boston.
• August 18th, 2009:Carlos Delfino traded from the Raptors to the Bucks — The most prominent name in the four-player swap, Delfino became a starter and double-digit scorer for the first time in Milwaukee, averaging 10.6 PPG and 36.6% three-point shooting the past three seasons for the Bucks. He’s poised to make news again this August as one of the noteworthy remaining free agents.

RealGM.com and Storytellers Contracts were used in the creation of this post.