Everyone is familiar with the saying, "to the victor belong the spoils." Well, the NBA has a slight variation on that theme, to the big, oversized bodies go the spoils of the game. The Associations' love affair with size goes right back to the humble beginnings of the league; George Mikan and Wilt Chamberlain were two such giants, who used their imposing size to help market the game to the masses. And with such a rich history of NBA big men having a profound impact on the game front office types are batty for size, except that there may be fools gold in those seven footers according to a report by Forbes Magazine.

According to a Forbes study, the NBA's most overpaid players are in fact the "bigs" that clog up the lanes and slow down offence because general managers are infatuated by promise and potential and pay through their teeth to have size on their rosters. The results of the study indicate Los Angeles Lakers centre Andrew Bynum to be the most hyped-up player based on his output versus his salary.

Teams continue to invest big dough in big bodies, often with meager results. For every high draft pick used on a Shaquille O'Neal, there's another used on an Andrew Bogut. Teams often view many 7-foot types as "projects," envisioning the future dominance that could flow from so much height and wingspan as the player's skills improve with coaching. But a lot of these players flop or, at best, become nothing more than decent players for big money.

The NBA's Most Overpaid Players

1) Andrew Bynum, C (Los Angeles Lakers)

2) DeSagana Diop, C (Charlotte Bobcats)

3) Andrei Kirilenko, F (Utah Jazz)

4) Erick Dampier, C (Dallas Mavericks)

5) Jerome James, C (Chicago Bulls)

6) Zach Randolph, F/C (Memphis Grizzlies)

7) Andris Biedrins, C (Golden State Warriors)

8) Brian Cardinal, F (Minnesota Timberwolves)

9) Andrew Bogut, C (Milwaukee Bucks)

10)Luol Deng, F (Chicago Bulls)

Forbes

The NBA's Most Overpaid Players [Forbes]