Pistons Trade Gordon and a first-round pick to Charlotte.

HoopsVibe's Very Quick Call:

Top Ten Definitively Worst NBA Nicknames

HoopsVibe's Very Quick Call: Do you really want to be called Boobie, Pooh,  or Bimbo? Really?

Here are the worst of the worst. If you're looking for a nickname on the blacktop do not ask one of these ballers for advice. I repeat, do NOT ask one of these NBA players. Here you go, the 10 worst NBA nicknames ever.

#10 Harold "Baby Jordan" Minor

Yes, he could leap through the roof, but with his NBA career only lasting 4 seasons comparisons to Jordan seem a bit absurd.

#9 Jameer "Crib Midget" Nelson

It's hard to view this nickname as anything but offensive. We know it's playful, but this one is simply weird.

#8 Vernel "Bimbo" Coles

We can only hope this isn't the type of nickname that got passed on to his daughters. What kind of grown man wants people calling him Bimbo to his face.

#7 Craig "Eggs" Ehlo

It's tough to be a dominating force in the NBA with a nickname like Eggs, but Ehlo actually managed quite a respectable NBA career. Ehlo reported got the nickname from John Lucas because when they played together in Houston they would play one-on-one for breakfast.

#6 Damon "The World's Greatest Shooter" Jones

I am a believer in positive thinking, but this just ridiculous. Jones isn't even in the top 10,000 NBA shooters of all time, let alone #1. Lucky for him though, he made another prestigious list. With a self-dubbed nickname like this, he was destined for the Worst Nickname List.

#5 David "DaWhite Howard" Lee

Anytime your nickname is referencing how you are the white version of a great black player you have the recipe for a Top 10 Worst Nickname. David Lee does not disappoint. Yeah, Dwight Howard is a beast in the game and Lee has his moments, but lets not get carried away her folks.

#4 Sasha "The Machine" Vujacic

The only way this nickname works is if his ex-girlfriend and mega-hot tennis pro / model Maria Sharapova gave it to him. She didn't and he rides the pine, so take it easy there Sasha. Your first name is feminine enough, don't try to overcompensate with your forced nickname.

#3 "Pooh" Richardson

I'm not sure what could be more demeaning than pooh. This Timberwolve's nickname is literally calling himself pooh, as in shit. Not The shit, just shit. 

Although we are a fan, we have to say we don't want to be called Boobiey all day long. Just think of the scenarios: "Looking good Boobie. Use your head Boobie. Do you need some water Boobie." It just seems wrong.

#1 Corey "Bad Porn" Maggette 

The logic behind this one actually makes sense if the judgment does not. Corey apparently got the nickname "Bad Porn" because of his ability to penetrate the oppositions defense at will, so for all that penetration people started calling him Bad Porn. Yuck.

On Friday, Forbes Magazine released it's report on the Top 10 Most Overpaid NBA Players.

Hoopsvibe's quick call:  Aren't most NBA ballers overpaid?  I mean they get paid millions of dollars to do something most people would do for free.

Anyway, thanks to Tom Van Riper, a business of sports writer at Forbes Magazine, we now have Forbes' list of the Top 10 Most Overpaid NBA players.

But before we get into the list, this passage from the Forbes article will help you understand how they measure players as overpaid.

"Advanced metrics show that in the NBA, scoring is overvalued.  Stats compiled by David Berri, economist and author of Stumbling on Wine, rates players' contribution to wins not only by scoring but shooting percentage, assists, rebounds and turnovers, all measured against opportunities to accumulate those stats (a faster paced game with more shots equals more rebound opportunities, etc.)"

Essentially, the main thing overpaid ballers have in common, according to Forbes, is that all they do is score (because they shoot so much) but lack in the other areas that help their respective teams win games.

So without further adeu, here are the most overpaid NBA ballers...

1.)  Carmelo Anthony, Knicks

Despite Melo's 28.1 points per game, his MVP-caliber season, and the Knicks second best Eastern Conference record of 48-26, Anthony is at the top of the list of Forbes' most overpaid.  Forbes asserts that while Carmelo is a scoring machine, he takes more shots than anyone else and that means fewer shots for his teammates.  He also rebounds less, assists less, and shoots more than Kevin Durant, for example.  And he gets paid $19.4 million a year to do so; so the Knicks better win a championship this season.

2.)  Ben Gordon, Bobcats

Gordon is a sick baller, no question, but the Bobcats are absolutely horrible.  So horrible, in fact, that they have the worst record in the NBA, at 18-57.  And Gordon is only averaging a modest 11.7 points per game.  His 2 assists and 1.8 rebounds don't help his team much either, yet he's making $12.4 million this year.

3.)  Joe Johnson, Nets

The Nets traded for Johnson as a guy to build a team around, and are actually having a pretty good year.  Johnson's 16.3 ppg, however, is his lowest scoring average since 2004 and he's only adding a little over 3 rebounds and 3 assists per game.  He makes $19.75 million this year.

4.)  Hedo Turkoglu, Magic

It's been a tough few years for Turkoglu, who's only played 11 games this season due to injury.  But in those 11 games, he only averaged 2.9 points, 2.1 assists and 2.4 rebounds per game.  That's what Orlando is getting this season for the $11.8 million they're spending.

5.)  Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks

Forbes notes that while Dirk is definitely a Hall-of-Famer and was injured earlier this season, his numbers are down.  And he's 35 years old.  His yearly salary is $20.9 million but Forbes figures he's worth about $13mill at 17.2 points per game.  I guess when you're a billionaire owner like Mark Cuban, what's a few million extra right?

6.)  Corey Maggette, Pistons

Maggette has always been a guy who can score, but he's also always been a guy who gets hurt.  Forbes notes that Maggette hasn't played one full 82 game season in his 14 year career.  (That's crazy and something I never knew.)  He's set to make $10.9 million this year, although he's only played in 18 games and averaged just over five points, one assist, and one rebound.  Oh, and the Pistons are 25-51 and not making the playoffs.  On a positive note, the dude is jacked.

7.)  Rudy Gay, Raptors

Gay was traded from Memphis to Toronto mid season this year, and is averaging 19.4 points per game for the Raptors which is up from the 17.2 he averaged with the Grizzlies.  The only problem is all he really does is score.  Granted he doesn't have much of a supporting cast around him, and I'll give him that, but the reality is Memphis is 23-9 since trading him away and the Raptors have no shot at making the playoffs.  Gay will make $16.5 million this season.

8.)  Stephen Jackson, Spurs

Jackson is an interesting one on the Forbes list because the Spurs are one of the best teams in the league and he plays a solid role on their squad.  But I think Forbes is challenging whether or not the role he plays is worth the $10.1 million he makes a year when he's averaging just 6.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.  I see their point.

9.)  Chris Kaman, Mavericks

In the 2009-10 season, Kaman was a beast for the Clippers averaging 18.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.  Forbes cites that his play has since dropped off, and they're right.  They 7-foot big man is only pulling down 5.5 rebounds per game for the Mavs this season, while averaging 10.8 points and making $8 million.

10.)  Arron Afflalo, Magic

Afflalo is known as a scorer and is averaging 16.5 ppg for the Magic this season.  Forbes is all good with that; but they're not cool with the fact that he's making $7.8 million this year and only contributing 3.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.  It seems they think he should be doing more than scoring for that kind of money.

So there's the list, Hoopsvibers!  And a special thanks to Forbes and Tom Van Riper for a very thorough and interesting report!

What do the Hoopsvibers think?  Should anyone else be on this list??  Leave your comments below!

Top 10 Los Angeles Clippers Ever.

HoopsVibe's Very Quick Call: I know everyone's thinking CP3, but what about Danny Manning and Bob McAdoo?

#10 Bill Walton. They weren't his best years in the league, but in Walton's time with the Clippers he still managed a solid double-double.

#9 Bob Kauffman. He was a three-time NBA All-Star for the Clippers in the early 1970s.

#8 World B. Free. Besides having the coolest Clipper name of all-time he also was an NBA All-Star and averaged 28 and 30 PPG in two seasons with the Clippers.

#7 Corey Maggette. He was a multi-faceted scorer who lead the league in free-throws made and attempted. 

#6 Danny Manning. Manning was the number one pick of the 1988 Draft and probably started the whole Clippers Curse. He averaged a respectable 14 PPG with a career-high of 22.8 PPG.

#5 Randy Smith. Who's Randy Smith? Smith's the franchise's leader in minutes played, assists, games played, steals and points. He dates back to the Buffalo Brave days, so most modern day fans probably don't know his name. He was an NBA All-Star and one of the most dynamic scorers of his day.

#4 Blake  Griffin. He's averaged 20 PPG and 10 RPG since being in the league three season ago, but perhaps most importantly he has been a key piece to a 3 impressive winning season with the Clippers that has brought unprecedented success to a team historically destined to lose.

#3 Elton Brand. He was a similar player to Blake Griffin in a lot of ways. They are both 20 PPT and 10 RPG players and imposing players at their position. Brand simply did it longer for the Clippers and thus nudged out Griffin. I would expect Blake to take over this number three spot in the near future, but for now it is Brand's. He played with the Clippers from 2001-2006 and put up solid 20 PPG number over that entire time. He was an NBA All-Star during this period, the league leader in rebounds, and the franchise leader in total rebounds.

#2 Chris Paul. CP3 has averaged 16.9 PPG, 9.7 APG, and 3.7 RPG since he's come into the league. He's only improved on those numbers with the Clippers the last two seasons. Two seasons that have brought more wins to LA than the Clipper fan base know what to do with. He's also a six time All-Star, rookie of the year, All-Star MVP, been the NBA steal leader 5 times, and won a ton of other awards. He's current leader of the team and largely responsible for their current success. 

#1 Bob McAdoo: 

I'm sure a lot of modern day Clipper fans are scratching their heads at this one, but McAdoo was one incredibly dominant player. This dates back to when the franchise was the Buffalo Braves before they came to Los Angeles. McAdoo averaged 28.2 PPG, 12.7 RPG, 2.6 APG, and 2.5 BPG as a brave. Not to mention he also had three 2,000 point seasons three of his four years with the team and had a league-leading 34.5 PPG in 1975 that season averaging 37.4 PPG in the playoffs.

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"I can't say so much ... but I know the owners are not going to move off what we feel is very necessary for us to get a deal in place where we can co-exist as partners. We need a lot of financial support throughout the league as well as revenue sharing to keep this business afloat. Jordan said small-market teams would benefit greatly from a "hard" salary cap, and it would allow clubs such as Milwaukee to plan a future on key players including the Australian centre.

Link

HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: It rings hollow.

Yesterday Bobcats owner Michael Jordan said have-not markets, like Charlotte, need a hard salary cap to compete with the have markets.

Jordan is right. If the NBA wants parity, they must level the playing field with an NFL style cap and revenue sharing.

This is one part of the story, though. Owners like Jordan need to think about how they’ve run their business, and can't just tell players to sacrifice.

Can Jordan honestly say he’s done everything possible to manage the Bobcats responsibly?

The answer is no. It has to be.

Jordan, who also serves as the team’s head of basketball operations, signed off on or traded for several poor contracts.
 
There are four albatrosses currently on the roster: Matt Carroll ($4 million per annum) , Boris Diaw ($8 million per annum), DeSagana Diop ($7 million per annum), and Corey Maggette ($10 million per annum).

Tyrus Thomas has yet to reach his potential, however, that didn’t prevent Jordan from handing him a 5-year, $40 million pact last summer.

Jordan also drafted Adam Morrison, who is out of the NBA, ahead of Rudy Gay, a terrific athlete and talented scorer for the Memphis Grizzlies.

Clearly, Jordan has overpaid players. This would be forgivable if he was working as hard as possible. This hasn’t been the case.

Before becoming majority owner, Jordan didn’t do nearly enough to manage the roster effectively or forge ties with local businesses and people.

He was often photographed partying at clubs … in Chicago, in Miami, in anywhere but Charlotte. He took time off to attend the Super Bowl.

There was little attempt to form partnerships with Charlotte area companies. And he wanted appearance fees for attending community events.

Word, of course, spread quickly. And Charlotte fans - who were burned before by the NBA and the Hornets - stayed away.

To be fair, things improved once Jordan bought majority control from former BET King Bob Johnson. He moved to Charlotte and put in the work.

Jordan still bears some blame for the Bobcats’ situation. He can't ask the players to compromise on the new Collective Bargaining Agreement without being prepared to make further changes to how he runs his team.

Right now, his stance on the hard cap is hypocritical. 

--Oly Sandor.

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