Forbes Names Carmelo Anthony Most Overpaid NBA Player

By: Taren Vaughan

Most sports heads would say Carmelo Anthony is with no question one of the best NBA players in the game at the moment. He did work when he rocked a Denver Nuggets jersey a few years ago and continues to be a force to be reckoned with as a member of the New York Knicks squad. As a pro baller, his on-court play is dissected on a regular basis yet his marriage to La La Anthony has made just as many headlines as it was rumored that things were rocky between them, especially after the infamous ‘Honey Nut Cheerios’ comment that Kevin Garnett allegedly made about La La that was said to have pissed Carmelo off. As for his career, Melo may have a huge fan base to show for and can be caught dropping crazy numbers in games, but the way the folks over at Forbes Magazine see it, the NBA is paying him way too much money as the publication named Carmelo Anthony as the most overpaid player in the NBA. And Forbes gave the break down as to how they came to this conclusion:

You’ve probably heard that Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony dropped 90 points in his past two games, leading his club to victories over Miami and Atlanta. Only mild surprise there: the focal point of the Knicks’ offense all season, Anthony ‘s 28.1 points per game trails Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant for the league lead by a just a whisker.

Except, Anthony isn’t Durant. Despite making about $2.7 million more this season, he isn’t even close. Durant gets his points taking four fewer shots per game than Anthony does (18 vs. 22). He shoots 50.5% from the floor to Anthony’s 44%. Durant averages 4.4 assists per game compared to Anthony’s 2.6, and 7.9 rebounds to Anthony’s 6.4.

As the new breed of statistical analysts like to point out, a primary scorer using extra shots to get his points means fewer shots for others (and hence fewer chances for additional points for the team). Assists lead directly to points, and every rebound gives your team a possession, which means a chance to score.  Durant, in short, is an efficient player whose numbers translate into wins for his club. The same is true for LeBron James, Chris Paul and Tim Duncan.  But not for Carmelo Anthony. And that’s why, at a 2012-13 salary of $19.4 million, Anthony tops our list as the NBA’s most overpaid player.

Charlotte Bobcats guard Ben Gordon, Brooklyn Nets guard Joe Johnson, Orlando Magic guard Helo Turkoglu, and Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki rounded out the top five for the list.

Carmelo Anthony overpaid? What do you think?