| 20 August 2010
Hosted by The Real Shaq here at Bloguin, the Jon Koncak Commemorative Awards series has been ongoing the entire month of August. During this time such players with notably bad contract deals the likes of Eddy Curry, Austin Croshere, Kwame Brown, Vin Baker, Larry Hughes and many, many more have been covered by the other great NBA writers here at Bloguin. Today, however, it's finally time for the player after whom this series is named. The player who perhaps epitomizes the bad NBA contract. The player whose contract quite possibly started the feeding frenzy that is now known as the mega-contract. The player who changed the Hawks, the future of Dominique Wilkins, and quite possibly the future of basketball - all for the worse - Jon Koncak.
Koncak started his career with Southern Methodist University. He played for them from 1981 until 1985. During that time he was a 2 time concensus All-American. He led the team to 2 NCAA tourneys advancing to the 2nd round in each. He led SMU team scoring in his last 3 years there. He was on the 1984 Olympic basketball team. At SMU, he had a 55 FG percentage, a 65% FT percentage, and scored a career total 1784 points. He had a whopping SMU career total 4.5 PPG and 1.4 assists. Southern Methodist University retired his jersey in 2008. Then came the 1985 NBA draft.
In the 1985 NBA draft, Koncak was taken in the 1st round, the 5th pick, the 5th overall by the Atlanta Hawks. This was the day that changed basketball. No one knew it at the time of course. Koncak was no perceived superstar coming in like Michael Jordan who was drafted 3rd overall just the year before. But Koncak's presence initiated a seismic shift in basketball. One that would culminate only 4 years after he was drafted and become one of the pivotal moments in the game's history.
In 1985, Koncak averaged a 51% FG, 61% FT, 682 point season. In 1986, 48% FG, 65% FT, 463 point season. In 1987, 48% FG, 61% FT, 279 point season. In 1988, 52% FG, 55% FT, 345 point season. In 1989, the NBA world changed. It started on the road that has now led us to Joe Johnson getting a 120 million dollar contract. 1989 was the year that changed everything we had known about basketball to that point. Everything after that had to do with money, how contracts are negotiated, how players who would never be worth the investment could get millions and millions of dollars from a team for the long term. How teams would ruin their position to gain quality players for years for just one contract. It goes on to this very day in the NBA and it all started in 1989.
In 1989, the Hawks, who were supposedly trying to keep their reserve player Jon Koncak from being signed by the Detroit Pistons, gave Koncak a 13 million dollar 6 year deal. I think it was more like Detroit wanted to handcuff the Hawks in future years drafts and they did it by getting them to shell out this ridiculous contract to a bit player. Worked like a charm too. The Hawks received criticism all around the league. Koncak was paid more than Michael Jordan, more than Larry Bird, more than Magic Johnson. It was unbelievable and the Hawks paid the price for years after in that they could not get in the draft or sign any free agents that were worth anything. They had no more money. Jon Koncak, a bench player, was making all the money.
Koncak played almost his entire career with the Hawks. He did go to play for Orlando in the 1995-1996 season, but most of his years were spent coming off the Hawks bench. For his NBA career, Koncak averaged a 41% FG, a 23$ 3P, a 60% FT, 3520 points. Per game for his career, he averaged 4.5 points per game, 21 minutes played per game, and 1 assist per game. And for these stats, he received one of the most lucrative, at the time, and for all time in terms of what it was for who he was contracts in NBA history forever changing the game.
It can be said, and without much hesitation, that the Koncak contract had a huge effect on the career of the great Hawk Dominique Wilkins. All of Wilkins playoff disappointments, the trade to the Clippers, not being in the Hall of Fame, not being on the 50 greatest NBA players list - can most likely all be linked right back to THE contract.
Jon Koncak is now retired and splits his time between living in Atlanta and living in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He has two daughters, one in college and one in high school who both play basketball. He has been in real estate and investments, but now he is mostly just retired.
For Koncak, I am certain the deal he got from the Hawks was one of the best things to ever happen to him. He is not to blame for the Hawks decision. A player will always take what the market can bear, and apparently in 1989, the Hawks thought that it could bear 13 million dollars for 6 years. Unfortunately, Koncak will be forever nicknamed "Jon Contract". He will be forever associated with contracts played to mediocre players for maximum dollars hamstringing NBA teams in the process. This practice STILL goes on to this day. The Hawks gave away 6 years of their playing lives for a bench player and changed the NBA forever. In life it's all about the choices. Each choice whether good or bad has a price to pay. The Hawks paid it for years after the contract to Koncak and Jon Koncak may pay in the cost of reputation and perception for the rest of his life.
