Throughout the history of the NBA, we’ve seen players sign large, exorbitant contracts and never live up to them. That is certainly not unheard of. But, then there’s Rashard Lewis who takes this to new heights. In the summer of 2007, Rashard, the former Seattle SuperSonic, signed a 6-year, $118M contract with the Orlando Magic. From the moment I heard the news, I absolutely could not believe that they gave Rashard a max deal. He has never been regarded as a great, top-caliber player, which max deals are normally awarded to. In fact, he played alongside Ray Allen for all those years in Seattle and Ray was considered the best player on the team. Why in the world was a guy who is average at best given so much money?
Lewis is a career 16.7ppg guy and has averaged 20 points or more only 3 times in his 12 year career. Since signing this ridiculous contract with Orlando, he has averaged just under 17ppg and his scoring has decreased in each of his 3 seasons with the central Florida club. He’s the highest paid player on his team but is probably the fourth best player on the squad.
The Magic were just eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals at the hands of the Boston Celtics in 6 games, and Orlando really needed Lewis that series. He was nowhere to be found. In watching the games, you sometimes even forget he was on the floor. He’ll knock down an occasional unorthodox 3-pointer but that’s pretty much all you’ll get out of him. I don’t know if there’s a less aggressive player in the league. For a guy with the size and physical tools that he has, he should have contributed more to his team this playoff series and should, overall, be a better player.
After the first few games of the series, people started to question why Lewis wasn’t asserting himself. Lewis heard these questions and said that he was suffering from a viral infection the whole series which impacted his play because it made him feel weak and tired. If he says that’s the case then it is what it is. I’m not going to call him a liar. But for $118M, he needs to be more aggressive and more than just a 3-point shooter. Viral infection or not viral infection. Especially in the playoffs when his team needs him the most. I’m not saying that Orlando lost just because of Rashard (who averaged 8 ppg in the series and was outscored by J.J. Redick) but he certainly would’ve helped their chances. I’m still debating where he ranks on the all-time overpaid list.
