Top 10 NBA Salary

You knew they were getting alot, but exactly how much? Here is a review of the top paid NBA players and information on each. Is the top paid player Stephon Marbury? And what do we think of the money he's getting? I know you have your opinions on this, here are the numbers and review of the top 10 salaries for NBA players for the 2008-2009 NBA season.

10. Ray Allen- $18,388,430

Ray Allen of the Boston Celtics is one of the greatest shooters you will ever see. Involved in a blockbuster trade before last season, he was an essential part of the "big 3" and helped lead the Celtics to the NBA title last year. Allen has been consistent throughout his career and is possibly the best three point shooter ever to play the game. Many wondered if he would be able to take a lesser role on a team with Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, needless to say he has responded nicely. Ray Allen has a great work ethic and never has any off the court problems, he is definately worth the price of admission.

9. Tracy Mcgrady- $20,370,437

Mcgrady plays for the Houston Rockets, and is the ninth highest paid player in the NBA this season. Mcgrady is the leader and go-to player for the Rockets and performs well, when he is on the court. Mcgrady has been hampered by injuries the last few seasons and has never led his team out of the first round of the playoffs. All things considered, the western conference is a tough conference and you can't necessarily blame him. He finally has the team to get out of the first round this year after the team acquired Ron Artest, to go along with Mcgrady and Yao Ming. So the jury is still out on whether or not he is deserving of his salary, regardless of injuries though, Mcgrady is always a thrill to watch.

8. Tim Duncan- $20,598,704

So you thought the San Antonio Spurs were a small market team and none of their players make to much money, well, Duncan receives the eighth highest salary in the league and is deserving. Since Duncan came into the league, all he has done is win 4 NBA titles and win many awards. He dominates the post and is one of the toughest players in the league to guard with his patented bank shot. Is Duncan worth his money? If anything, he deserves more.

6T. Allen Iverson and Stephon Marbury- $20,840,625

In seventh place, we have a tie, with two players both making exactly $20,840,625. I know you all can't wait to hear what is to be said about Marbury so we'll cover Allen Iverson first. Allen Iverson, also known as A.I., of the Detroit Pistons has the 3rd highest scoring average in NBA history, but has yet to win a title. If you have ever seen him play, you know this guy is worth it. With his same quote before every game, "I play every game like it's my last", how could you not like the guy? He is fundamentally sound and works hard on offense and defense. You may also know him for his famous video about practice where he says practice over 20 times. If you haven't seen it you should definately check it out. To sum up A.I. he is the most explosive and quick player to ever play the game. Of course he is worth the money.

Stephon Marbury, or "Starbury" as people call him, is currently sitting the bench, no, he's inactive for the New York Knicks. If you are unaware of what inactive means, it means you are not as good as the other 15 players on the roster. Before turning into everyone else that is stunned by the situation, let's look at his game. He is still a solid player, though very clear that he is more about the money, than the game. Marbury has refused to take less money for the knicks to buy out his contract, and the coach doesn't like him, so he's stuck. Marbury has also never been a winner anywhere he has played. To correct his image he must go to a good team and win a championship. The verdict: You can't blame Marbury for being overpaid, blame the Knicks and their tumultuous organization. Hey, if someone was going to offer you almost $21 million a year to sit on the bench, would you take it?

5. Shaquille O'Neal- $21,000,000
Shaq, currently of the Phoenix Suns is one of the most dominating players of all-time. He has shown his size and strength throughout his career and is one of the most vocal players in the game today. Shaq announced that he is retiring after the season. He will be sorely missed. Shaq is a four time NBA champion 3 with the L.A. Lakers and one with the Miami Heat, and has always been a center of attention. He will always be remembered as one of the greatest centers of all-time. Shaq and his boyant personality definately deserve his salary.

4. Kobe Bryant- $21,262,500

Kobe is Shaq's former running mate and currently plays for the Los Angeles Lakers. Kobe is a 3 time NBA champion and is often compared to Michael Jordan as one of the best overall players in the history of the game. Kobe consistently scores night after night and is a complete player. He led the Lakers to the NBA finals last year and is thrilling to watch. So do you think he is worth the money? Let's answer that question with another. Was Michael Jordan worth the money?

2T Jermaine O'Neal and Jason Kidd- $21,372,000

There is another tie for 3rd between Jermaine O'Neal and Jason Kidd. Both are playing for new teams. Jason Kidd for the Dallas Mavericks, and Jermaine O'Neal for the Toronto Raptors. Jermaine O'Neal came to the NBA straight out of high school and is a dominant post player. The only knock on Jermaine is that he really hasn't taken any of his teams very far. Due to this Jermaine unfortunately does not deserve his huge salary.

Jason Kidd is one of the great point guards the NBA has seen, but struggles to shoot the ball. He is one of the highest scoring triple-doubles though in league history due to his great rebounding and passing abilities. Jason improves every team he has been on but is slowing down. He deserves his salary soly because of the numbers he puts up.

1. Kevin Garnett- $24,751,934

Kevin Garnett, or frequently referred to as KG, is a dominant and quick power forward that puts up points, rebounds, and blocks consistently. A dominating player in the post that has won an NBA title and as previously stated, plays for the Boston Celtics. He was also drafted straight out of high school and is an extremely amazing talent. He is making over three million more than the second highest paid player, and therefore is not worth the money. Almost $25 million for one season? And three million more than all the others? Needs to win one more championship to deserve the gold he's getting.




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Good Old Dogs or Dawgs?

The NFL has long been a copycat league. Once one team finds success; the rest follow suit. Witness the popularity of the Wildcat Offense this year. It started with the Dolphins vs. the Patriots and soon became a gimmick that all teams used. If many teams are looking to their rivals for coaching trends, we have to wonder about the Quarterbacks in this league. Who is most in demand: the young guns or the old dogs?

We have all been inundated with Brett Favre stories and stats. Let's face it: according to the media, Favre is the Miracle Man at the ripe old age of 39. But is he? Since Favre has come back to play and prove that his experience is still a valuable asset, other teams have come to rely on QBs of similar "advanced" age. Is this the NFL's newest trend?

The Arizona Cardinals have the next most famous elder statesmen at the helm. At 37, Kurt Warner is once again the number one QB taking over for the highly touted young USC gun, Matt Leinert. While Warner has said in the past he knew he had more yet to offer, he wasn't sure if a number one QB spot was in the cards. For Arizona, the switch to Warner has proved to be more than a blessing. Warner has not only led his team to the top spot in their Division, but the top spot with a considerable cushion.

We, at PossessionPoints.com, would be remiss if we overlooked two more seasoned QBs who have taken charge of most likely playoff - bound teams. First, is Kerry Collins who is 36 this season and second is Jeff Garcia of the Bucs who is 38. These two moved from backup status to starter after injuries and problems with younger QBs. Collins took over for Vince Young, supposedly the future of the Titans and has yet to lose while Garcia took over for Brian Griese, who while not exactly a young gun, was nonetheless considered the Bucs' starter. One has to wonder if Garcia would have been the Dolphins' QB had the Bucs succeeded in getting Favre instead of the Jets.
On the other side of the argument is the success that two rookies are having in the League this year. Conventional wisdom in the NFL has always been that young QBs need to sit and learn in order to become a successful leader of the team. If a team was forced to use a rookie QB as a starter, that team usually resigned itself to a losing or mediocre season. This year, two NFL teams threw caution to the wind and started Joe Flacco in Baltimore and Matt Ryan in Atlanta. While NFL experts viewed Ryan as the future of the beleaguered Falcons who thought they had nothing to lose by starting this season, Flacco was seen as a probable back-up behind both Kyle Boller and second-year man, Troy Smith. Injuries to Boller and a weird unrelenting viral infection to Smith, forced Flacco into the limelight. Both rookies have led their teams into some degree of surprising success in that both teams have a shot at the playoffs.

So, which trend might NFL teams follow after this season? If we take the hint from Minnesota, we might say that experience counts more. When Tavaris Jackson began to struggle this season, The Vikings had a choice in his replacement. On their roster, they had an "old" 37-year-old journeyman QB in Gus Frerotte and a rookie from USC, the football powerhouse, John David Booty. In a year when Quarterbacks from Boston College and University of Delaware are making their marks, you would think a rookie from USC would be ushered in easily. But the Vikings chose experience and have had great success.
When this season is done, and the Lombardi Trophy is handed out, it might well be which QB is holding the trophy that determines which direction teams will go next season. If a Manning is holding that trophy - well, all bets are off!