Dave D’Alessandro of The Star-Ledger writes:
Some incentives are bizarre. Consider Nick Collison of the Thunder — nice player, probably worthy of anybody’s power rotation. He gets $100,000 if he wins — wait for it — MVP.
MVP? If he wins MVP, someone ought to anoint him king.
Adonal Foyle gets $500,000 if he wins MVP, and another $500K if he wins MVP of the NBA Finals. Wonder how many gin and tonics the GM and agent went through before they came up with those. Or how many times did the guys pass the bottle around before they figured that Luke Ridnour would merit an extra $1.5 million for winning Defensive Player of the Year?
Here’s something the Knicks might want to know: If Carlos Boozer plays 65 games, averages more than 32 minutes, and finishes in the top 12 in boards (total or average), he gets $333,333. To which we say, the guy is getting $12.6 million, fercryinoutloud, why should his team expect anything less than top 12 in boards?
Speaking of the Knicks, here’s another knee-slapper: Larry Hughes gets a $1.6 million bonus if his team — whatever team he’s on in ‘09-10 — wins 55 games or more. Once again: This guy makes $13.6 million base salary. Shouldn’t he be expected to lead his team to 55 wins, aside from the fact that he’s, you know, mediocre?
