Salaries per minute computations

Ross Siler of the Salt Lake Tribune and Henry Abbott of TrueHoop were thinking of an interesting new way to measure the value of NBA players. Abbott and Siler decided to compute the salary per minute of a few players.

The league-wide average is $3,400 per minute. And Siler computes that the Jazz's Deron Williams made $1,311 per minute. A pretty good bargain for the amount of time he plays.

Wonder what the Magic's roster looks like? Using the salaries on HoopsHype.com, we can find out.

Dwight Howard, averaging 21.5 points and a league-high 14.0 rebounds per game, has played 705 minutes this season. If Howard continues playing 37.1 minutes per game and plays all 82 games, he is averaging $4,522 per minute. Pretty good.

Now to a more controversial contract.

Rashard Lewis is the highest paid player on the team, making $17,238,000 this season, according to HoopsHype. Lewis is averaging 19.1 points per game, second on the team, in 38.3 minutes per game.

If Lewis plays all 82 games at that current pace, he will make $5,489 per minute. Still makes you wonder about that contract Otis Smith gave him. Howard and Lewis are both above the average.

Next, a bench player.

Let's go with J.J. Redick. He is still on a rookie contract so it might be kind of low.

Redick has played in 15 of the Magic's 19 games so far. Let's say he plays 79 percent of the games -- amounting to about 65 games. Sounds somewhat reasonable, I guess.

If Redick plays 65 games and continues to play 18.9 minutes per game. Not that realistic, but here goes nothing. Redick makes $1,742 per game. Could be worse, but it makes you want to play basketball a little more.