Weekly Countdown (cont.)

4 most wasteful franchises

Gilbert Arenas has missed almost the entire season after signing a six-year, $111 million deal last summer. Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images Ian Thomsen's Mailbag Ian Thomsen will periodically answer questions from SI.com users in his mailbag. Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND

4. Minnesota Timberwolves, $68.8 million payroll, $2.99 million per win ... Thus concludes the expensive transition from the Kevin Garnett era, with the phantom contracts of Juwan Howard ($5.2 million) and Troy Hudson ($5 million) on the books for this final year. Next season current commitments drop to $51 million, and only five players (including Al Jefferson and Kevin Love) are signed into 2010-11, when the Timberwolves will have tons of space. Can they apply some of that cash to revive their comatose market? We'll see, but they needed to go through these couple of lost seasons before starting over.

3. Los Angeles Clippers, $61.5 million payroll, 3.08 million per win ... Owner Donald T. Sterling's payroll ranks 29th in the league, but by his long-running standards he surely feels as if he is paying far too much to Zach Randolph ($14.7 million this season, with two years left), Baron Davis ($11.3 million, plus four more years), Marcus Camby ($10 million plus one) and Chris Kaman ($9.5 million plus three). Coach Mike Dunleavy believes this roster could win if healthy, but an unhappy compromise may be to unload Camby and bring the payroll down closer to next season's anticipated $43 million minimum.

2. Washington Wizards, $70.6 million payroll, $3.72 million per win ... All went wrong here: The early firing of coach Eddie Jordan amid the essentially season-long injuries to center Brendan Haywood ($5.5 million) and All-NBA point guard Gilbert Arenas ($14.7 million), who had signed a six-year, $111 million contract last summer. The Wizards are optimistic of a resurgence based on a return to health, the investment in a new coach and a strong result in the draft lottery next month, which may well result in them trading their pick for immediate help. They may also need to leverage the draft in a trade to save $6 million or more in order to sneak under the luxury tax next season.

1. Sacramento Kings, $67.3 million payroll, $3.74 million per win ... No team was more active at the trade deadline, and wisely so: Instead of competing against a horde of other budget-conscious traders in the summer, the Kings unloaded long-term commitments to slash next season's payroll to a current $45 million, enabling them to recruit free agents over the next two summers. But can they afford to do so without a new arena deal? Unlikely.

3 questions rescued from the spam

3. Allo Ian, I appreciate your column and hope you'll be the one to shed some light on a facet of the game that has bothered me forever: NBA players are considered to be most talented in the world, but I don't understand why so much traveling is allowed. Being able to adjust your footwork at full speed when receiving a pass should be part of that talent. I don't understand why referees are so lenient about that particular violation, and why players are so shameless in traveling when they perfectly know the rules of basketball.
-- Tchago, Paris

I'm not condoning it, I'm just explaining it. There is one professional basketball league in the world that makes money, and it's the NBA. Making money is the No. 1 goal, and in the interests of the business, certain allowances have been yielded to the bigger stars. Whether this is a natural development or it was dictated by the league bosses years ago, I don't know. But someday when European basketball is being run as a profitable business, you will see the biggest stars in your league dragging their feet and receiving the benefit of the doubt on fouls. These are often judgment calls, and the needs of the business are part of that judgment.

2. George Karl said this week in a radio interview that part of the Nuggets' success was because they traded away Allen Iverson. Now in Detroit, Iverson doesn't seem to fit in again. Why is he so difficult to play with and what would be the best way for a team to use him? Off the bench like Detroit or something different altogether?
-- Jimmy, Pittsburgh

He says he won't accept coming off the bench next season, which may severely limit his options this summer. As a microwave scorer off the bench he could help a lot of winning teams while leading the second unit. As a starter he is going to face criticism that he holds onto the ball too long and doesn't defend, and as a small guard who turns 34 this summer he won't be young enough to carry a team any longer.

1. Seeing how successful they've been since Elton Brand went down, will the Sixers look to move him this offseason, and if so, is there a market for him?
-- Andy T., Dover, Del.

There is no market for him. Coming off successive surgeries on his Achilles and shoulder, he is the equivalent of a "toxic asset." But I still (stubbornly) believe that Brand can fit into the 76ers' offense as a non-traditional inside scorer who attacks on the move, as opposed to backing his way into the paint. The 76ers can live with Brand as their big man trailing in transition, because center Sam Dalembert is so fast running the floor.

2 vastly different teams

2. All-Too-Much Team: These players remain on teams' books after being waived or negotiating a buyout or being unavailable to play because of injury.

C -- Adonal Foyle, Warriors ... $6.3M
F -- Raef LaFrentz, Trail Blazers ... $12.7M
F -- Darius Miles, Trail Blazers ... $9.0M
G -- Stephon Marbury, Knicks ... $18.6M
G -- Steve Francis, Trail Blazers ... $14.5M

1. All-Too-Little Team: These negotiated bargains combined cost less than the value of one mid-level exception.

C -- Chris Andersen, Nuggets ... $0.8M ... 6.0 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in 19.9 minutes
F -- Paul Millsap, Jazz ... $0.8M ... 13.9 points and 8.9 rebounds in 30.6 minutes
F -- Matt Barnes, Suns ... $0.8M ... 10.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists
G -- Von Wafer, Rockets ... $0.8M ... 9.5 points in 19.2 minutes
G -- Ramon Sessions, Bucks ... $0.7M ... 12.3 points and 5.4 assists in 27.1 minutes

1 comparison

1. The Rich vs The Poor. Last season the five most miserly teams averaged more wins than the most decadent spenders. This year, for the most part, the franchises at the bottom and top are getting what they paid for.

Five most expensive payrolls this season Team Payroll Anticipated Wins 5. Los Angeles Lakers $78.3M 64 4. Boston Celtics $80.6M 61 3. Cleveland Cavaliers $91.9M 68 2. Dallas Mavericks $94.6M 49 1. New York Knicks $94.7M 32 AVERAGES $88.0M 54.8

And on the other end of the scale ...

Five least expensive payrolls this season Team Payroll Anticipated Wins 30. Memphis Grizzlies $55.1M 21 29. Los Angeles Clippers $61.5M 20 28. New Jersey Nets $62.4M 33 27. Charlotte Bobcats $63.4M 38 26. Oklahoma City Thunder $65.0M 23 AVERAGES $61.5M 27