January 30, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Orlando Magic forward Hedo Turkoglu (15) is defended by New York Knicks guard Raymond Felton (2) during the third quarter of an NBA game at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Unusual news in the NBA world today, as it was announced that the Orlando Magic’s Hedo Turkoglu has been suspended for violating the league’s drug policy.

The NBA PR department announced the news on Twitter earlier today.

Whoa. RT @nbapr: ORL’s Hedo Turkoglu Suspended 20 games for violating terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program.

— Dan Devine (@YourManDevine) February 13, 2013

According to the press release from the Magic, the drug in question was called methenolone, which is an anabolic steroid.

From the same press release, Turkoglu had this to say about the suspension.

“While I was back home in Turkey this past summer, I was given a medication by my trainer to help recover more quickly from a shoulder injury. I didn’t know that this was a banned substance and didn’t check before taking it.”

He added,

“I take full responsibility for anything that goes into my body. This was a complete error in judgment on my part and I apologize to the Orlando Magic organization, the league, my teammates, and the Magic fans. I know I have let down a lot of people and I am truly sorry for my mistake.”

Turkoglu, who has barely played this season, last appeared on February 4 against the Philadelphia 76ers, scoring 0 points over 18 minutes. For the season, Turkoglu is averaging just 3 points and 2.5 rebounds per game.

Feb. 22, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Golden State Warriors center Andris Biedrins (15) against the Phoenix Suns at the US Airways Center. The Warriors defeated the Suns 106 - 104. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-US PRESSWIRE.

Thankfully, all the Dwight Howard drama that just ended didn’t heavily involve actual contract talks, but rather the various pieces that made up the final trade puzzle. The contract stuff? Oh that will be next year. Although you just might hear it mentioned once or thirty times during the season itself.

But speaking about contracts, let’s move away from Howard. There are plenty of bad contracts scattered throughout the league and EVERY team has been guilty of handing out a bad contract or two over the past few seasons. It’s a reality of NBA business and sometimes the decision to offer an unproven NBA player a sizable contract is the indirect portrayal of an NBA GM’s quality.

Frequently, a “bad” NBA contract has as much to do with length (number of years given) as it does with the dollar value and guaranteed money. However, in this instance, we’re going to eliminate the length factor and focus in on simply the 2012-13 NBA salaries and determine the ugly contracts haunting some teams.

Andris Biedrins, Warriors ($9,000,000)
Few players have fallen off the earth as quick as Biedrins, so let’s start here. Just a couple of seasons ago, the Warriors thought they had their center of the future and a defensive force in Biedrins. What they got instead, since his very nice 2008-09 year (11.9 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 1.5 bpg, 1.0 spg), were three seasons full of injuries and declining production. In averaging only 15.7 minutes per game last year, (and even started 35 games) he averaged 1.7 ppg and 3.8 rpg. Worst of all, the guy shot 11% from the free throw line! 11%!! Good thing the Warriors are only investing $9 million dollars into this terrible situation this season.

Joe Johnson, Brooklyn Nets ($19,752,645)
Personally, I didn’t like this contact the moment the ink dried on the paper. I completely respect Johnson’s game and do think he’s a great talent, but he’s not a max player. While we know he can score the basketball, he’s better suited to be #2 option or even an equal part of an outstanding backcourt like he will be in Brooklyn with Deron Williams, rather than “the” guy. Obviously his 25.0 ppg in 2006-07 was impressive, but he also only played 57 games that year. Simply , there are better players in the league that are making a fraction of Joe’s $20 million. Now joining the Brooklyn Nets, he gives them four players that now make at least $12 million (Humphries, Lopez, Johnson, Williams). While I think the Humphries and Lopez contracts are bad as well, Johnson’s seems to bring least bang for $20 million bucks.

Ben Gordon, Bobcats ($12,400,000)
Although Gordon finally lands in a place where he’ll be featured as at least “a” primary scoring option again, he’ll be doing it for an extremely costly $12.4 million! Other than scoring, Gordon has failed to provide anything else of significance on the court (I suppose that one could make a small case for his three-point and free throw shooting). For the bulk of minutes he’s played, his career averages of 2.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game are disappointing. Really, it’s almost unfathomable to think that Ben Gordon will be making more than $12 million next season. But then again, doesn’t that perfectly reflect what the broken Bobcats are these days?

DeSagana Diop, Bobcats ($7,372,200)
Speaking of the Badcats, how on earth is DeSagana Diop still making THIS much money? Really, how is Diop even in the league at all? His 2011-12 stat line represents what a complete travesty this salary is: 12.0 mpg, 1.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 0.5 bpg. On top of that, I didn’t think that 36% shooting was even possible for a 7-foot center. Keep the dollars and losses flowing Charlotte.

Jose Calderon, Raptors ($10,561,982)
With the signing of Kyle Lowry to be the new starting point guard in Toronto, Calderon’s contract becomes an even bigger disaster. Calderon, currently the highest paid player on the Raptors squad, ultimately got handed a multi-year deal for his career year in 2008-09 when he averaged 8.9 assists, shot 98% from the free throw line and was at the top of league in assist-to-turnover ratio. However, by acquiring Lowry, Jose will now come off the bench, making him an extremely overpaid backup point guard. The Raptors failed to find partner to move him this offseason, so they now have to endure one more season of this inflated deal. Even though his numbers haven’t declined significantly, his impact has been minimal and doesn’t justify a $10.5 million contract.

Luke Walton, Cavs ($6,091,363)
The glory days of Luke Walton being an important role player appear to be over, though he is still being paid like one. While there will be more opportunity for minutes in Cleveland than there was in L.A., at 32-years old and with a limited skill set to begin with, Walton won’t contribute like a $6 million player should. Luckily, the Cavaliers have a very young roster, lots of cap space and really no other terrible contracts on the team. It’s not ideal, but they’ll be able to absorb the signing of Walton’s paychecks for one more season.

Amare Stoudemire, Knicks ($19,948,799)
There really couldn’t be a “bad contract” post without mentioning a New York Knick could there? Look, Amare Stoudemire is still a solid player, he’s just not the same player he was during his Suns glory days and certainly not a guy that should make $20 million dollars. Even though he now represents one third of New York’s “Big Three,” this is an absolute joke of a contract. Amare really needs to bet back to the 20 and 10 player he used to be and avoid punching fire extinguishers to validate this monstrosity.

Hedo Turkoglu, Magic ($11,815,850)
This contract doesn’t even need an explanation, as it’s punchline popularity has spanned a couple of seasons now. The contract is so attached to Turkoglu like it’s a cancer that whenever he’s mentioned in a trade scenario, the question is always, “who is going to take on Hedo’s contract?” The Raptors were on the hook for giving Turkoglu a 5-year, $54 million deal in 2009, but now the Magic hold the three remaining years on this juggernaut.

Marvin Williams, Jazz ($8,287,500)
As a former #2 overall pick, a big time bust with an even worse contract. Somehow has averaged 30.4 minutes and started 78% of his games over his career. Marvin’s coming off season of 10.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg and shooting a career-low 43% from the field, certainly not worthy $8.2 million. But you really can’t blame him, he cashed in and the Jazz traded for him. It may be begrudgingly, but Utah now has to pay the guy.

Dishonorable mentions
Al Horford, Hawks ($13,000,000), Kris Humphries, Nets ($12,000,000), Carlos Boozer, Bulls ($15,000,000), JaVale McGee, Nuggets ($10,000,000), Corey Maggette, Pistons ($10,924,138), Rudy Gay, Grizzlies ($16,460,538), Zach Randolph, Grizzlies ($16,500,000),  Richard Jefferson, Warriors ($10,164,000), Brad Miller, Suns ($5,104,000), Stephen Jackson, Spurs ($10,059,750), Amir Johnson, Raptors ($6,050,000)

The Wizards were severely hindered by Arenas's "transgressions" to say the least.

The playoffs are arriving, and they should be great. Just look at the leapfrogging going on at the top of the Western Conference, not to mention the comfortably elite in the East. But before we turn our attention to the postseason, let’s look at what could have been for many of the NBA’s teams. Some teams were truly unsatisfactory this year when they could have been something special.

No. 5 — New Orleans Hornets

The Hornets are only the fifth-most-disappointing team in the league because their struggles can be attributed, in large part, to significant missed time for star point guard Chris Paul. Still, 35-43 is not where they wanted to be at this point in the schedule. Aside from Paul, New Orleans has vastly underrated forward David West and traded for Emeka Okafor for the year. That acquisition didn’t work out. Darren Collison played incredibly well filling in for CP3, which makes their difficulty so much more puzzling. They need to go back to the drawing board for 2010-2011 and figure out what went wrong besides Paul’s injury — that certainly wasn’t their only problem.

No. 4 — Toronto Raptors

The Raptors, too, would be further down on this list if not for extenuating circumstances? What are they? Well, they still have a very good chance at making the playoffs. They sit at 38-38 now, holding the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference standings, and Chicago is a game behind. But expectations for this team coming in were much higher. Amalgamating the development of Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani with the acquisitions of Jarrett Jack and Hedo Turkoglu, north-of-the-border fans were hoping that the Raptors could establish themselves among the top dogs in the conference. Well, that hasn’t panned out. Bosh is playing the best offensive ball of his career, but his defense is atrocious. As is that of the entire team — absolutely deplorable defensive effort they’ve put together. In addition, Turkoglu is not at all the same player he was in Orlando. It seems he increased his effort for his contract season, and now he’s coasting on a lucrative five-year deal with Toronto. Too bad, because they really could have been great.

No. 3 — Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers have suffered in part because of the loss of Blake Griffin to a knee injury. But with Baron Davis, Eric Gordon, and Chris Kaman up front (not to mention Marcus Camby, who they had up until the all-star break), they should have done better. It’s not really fair to blame them, though. After all, they’re cursed.

No. 2 — Detroit Pistons

Everyone knew the Pistons got lowballed in their free-agency quest this past summer. Going all in for a key player, the Pistons failed and had to resort to overpaying two mid-level players in Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva to keep the roster afloat. But what they had assembled was actually somewhat promising. Gordon, Villanueva, Rodney Stuckey, Will Bynum, Detroit staples Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince, and Ben Wallace isn’t all that bad a group. Their record says differently, as they’re 23-53 and have lost their last 11 games. Frankly, I don’t understand why they have been so bad. They have the offensive and defensive pieces to get the job done, so I figure it must have something to do with coach John Kuester. But it goes to show you why overpaying second-tier players is just a bad idea.

No. 1 — Washington Wizards

The Wizards had quite a roster: Gilbert Arenas, Randy Foye, Mike Miller, Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison, newly improved Andray Blatche, and Brendan Haywood make up a rather spectacular group talent-wise. Then Arenas and Javaris Crittendon started fighting like school girls and it all went down the drain. Now Arenas is out for the rest of the year, Butler, Jamison, and Haywood have all been traded away to contenders, and all the Wizards have to show for it is Josh Howard and Al Thornton. That won’t cut it. They could have had a real thing going on, but Arenas is a complete headcase. What a waste of an immense collection of talent.

Come back tomorrow for the most surprising teams of the season in part two of the Expectation Series.