Big men get paid in the NBA. It was ever thus.
And it continues — JaVale McGee tweeted out the news (with a picture) of him signing to stay with the Denver Nuggets. According to Marc Spears of Yahoo it is a four-year, $44 million deal.
That is more money per year but a shorter length and less of an overall commitment than the previously reported five-year, $50 million offer.
McGee came to Denver in the middle of last season from Washington as the centerpiece of a deal that sent Nene to the nations’ capital. McGee averaged10.3 points and 5.8 rebounds a game in that half a season and did it efficiently — he shot 61.2 percent with a PER of 20.2.
The question, as always with McGee, is will he bring the effort and mental focus every night. His blunders are the thing you YouTube legend. But the environment in Washington — with Gilbert Arenas first, then him and Andray Blatche and Nick Young running the room — was not conducive to professional preparation and behavior. That is not the way it will be under George Karl in Denver. Not in the least.
The Nuggets reached a deal with Anthony Randolph earlier in the day. They are now the team of bigs with untapped potential. If Karl can get McGee to play near his physical potential — he is arguably the most athletically gifted big man in the game — this contract will be a steal. If not… well, he’s another overpaid big man.