Did the Raptors Over-Pay Andrea Bargnani?

With analysts and fans coming down on both sides of this debate, and an awful lot of, “this contract could turn out to be a bargain if he develops vs an albatross contract that will hurt the team for years”. 

What is the value of a young, legitimate 7 ft center who can (did?) actually contribute meaningfully to a team on the court?

No one questions the absolute shortage of legitimate centers playing in the NBA who have the size and the skills to actually do more than just fill a position. 

There are “centers” in the league who one could question if the main reason they are there is to just give the rest of team someone to practice against so they’ll know what to do in a game. 

So, what do ordinary centers, centers fans might actually know the names of, earn.

The NBA’s centers include veteran players like:

·         New Jersey’s Tony Battie (4.8ppg, 3.6rpg) $6,600,000/yr

·         Charlotte’s DeSagana Diop (2.3ppg, 3.6rpg) $6,000,000/yr

·         Dallas’ Erick Dampier (5.7ppg, 7.1rpg) $12,100,000/yr

·         Indiana’s Jeff Foster (6.1ppg, 6.9ppg) $6,000,000/yr

·         Philadelphia’s Samuel Dalembert (6.4ppg, 8.5rpg) $12,000,000/yr

By no means should anyone believe that these contracts are unusual or that the players signed to them aren’t (or at least when they signed weren’t) valued by their respective teams.  Centers that can do the job required are hard to find.

Centers in the NBA who are considered major contributors can be divided into 2 basic groups.   Loosely, centers who can score and centers who can rebound.  Both groups seem to be able to demand similar money and they are both well paid. 

Centers that can do both, Dwight Howard, Al Jefferson, Pau Gasol, Yao, Shaq, are rare and their max contracts reflect it.

Some better known rebounding centers include:

·         Golden State’s Andris Biedrins (11.9ppg, 11.2rpg)  $9,000,000/yr

·         Charlotte’s *Tyson Chandler (8.8ppg, 8.7rpg) $11,700,000/yr

·         Milwaukee’s Andrew Bogut (11.7ppg, 10.3rpg) $10,000,000/yr

·         New Orlean’s *Emeka Okafor (13.2ppg, 10.1rpg) $10,600,000

( *Chandler and Okafor were recently traded for each other.)

And scoring centers include:

·         Utah’s Mehmet Okur (17ppg, 7.7rpg) $9,000,000

·         Chicago’s Brad Miller (11.9ppg, 7.8rpg) $12,200,000

·         Denver’s Nene (14.6ppg, 7.8rpg)  $10,500,000

·         Cleveland’s Zydrunas Ilgauskas (12.9ppg, 7.5rpg) $11,500,000

Last season, Andrea Bargnani averaged 15.4ppg and 5.4rpg which measures up well against the scoring centers in the league, in fact the NBA lists Bargnani at 6^th in scoring for all centers last season (argue with them about who a center is).  However, rebounds were about 2rpg less than these veteran scoring centres. 

But as many have pointed out, there were big changes at the Raptors over the course of last year, changes that could lead someone to believe Bargnani’s numbers are somewhat understated.

So should one rely on what has been oft described as half a good season by the Raptor’s young center when valuing his future services?  Okay, but who says it was half a season? 

Last year Bargnani started 59 games, closer to 3/4ers of a season.  In those 59 starts he averaged 17.7ppg and 5.9rpg, which arguably, is very close to what a veteran scoring center would be expected to produce. 

In that theoretical half a season starting in January, Bargnani averaged 19 and 6.  The same ppg as Pau Gasol averaged last season, a veteran all-star.  That is an impressive level of scoring for a third year player at the center position.

If you believe in Bargnani’s contributions as a starter last season, it’s hard to argue that the contract offered by Colangelo is out of line with what Bargnani should command as a scoring center. 

And as some are want to point out, if Bargnani were to develop the skills needed to track down another 3 boards a game, a $10,000,000 per year contract would look like a huge bargain.

As a fan, who has seen Bargnani play, up close, 40 times a season over the past 3 years, the “soft” label has been thrown around far too easily and with little regard for just how hard this young man plays. 

Least anyone forgets, the decidedly not soft Dwight Howard was dominated by Rasho Nesterovic in Toronto during his first 2 seasons (Dwight figured Rasho out in the playoffs, unfortunately). 

Young big players come into a league and face men on the other side of the ball.  Experienced veterans who like nothing more than playing against boys with less experience and no respect from the referees. 

Toughness comes as much from experience as desire, now going into his 4^th season, expect a tougher young center to show up.

People get off the fence; Andrea Bargnani’s contract is very reflective of market value.

(Note: Player statistics and salaries were obtained from websites run by ESPN and the NBA)