So thank you to everybody who contributed to the list: Luke, Anthony (who came up with the idea), Jordan and Matt. Good looks also from Robert who not only contributed to the list, but helped settle a few of the in-betweens on the list. Also, he informed me that Deron Williams is overrated and that he is the 11th best point guard in the NBA. You learn something new every day.
Without further ado, Lucas and I give you an analysis on overrated and underrated players in the NBA.
Glen "Big Baby, Uno-Uno" Davis
Bjones: This was one of my favorites on the list because it's so hard to tell with bench players. In that context though, I really do like what Davis brings to the table. He isn't the most physically gifted guy on the court, but he plays hard and he has a passion for the game. I was on the fence for awhile between underrated or neither, but Robert brought up a good point. When you look at his companion, Nate Robinson, Davis brings a little something different to his team. Nate can come out and score 40 and get the crowd pumped, but that's very rare, his team is not necessarily better when he's on the court. When you bring G-Deezy in, he might not score 40, but he'll hustle and give everything he has to give his starters some rest. He comes in and does what is expected of him.
Lucas: Loved him at LSU, love him on the Celts. He won a ring fairly easily, with a much smaller role in 2008. In the past two years, he has proven himself to be a key player on Boston, both as a starter when KG went down, and in the 2010 playoffs. I'm not going to call him underrated, but the guy deserves some attention. Big Baby plays hard. Sometimes I just wish he could rebound a little better...*KENDRICK PERKINS*COUGH*!!!!
VERDICT: UNDERRATED
Pau Gasol
Bjones: Everybody knows I love Pau Gasol. I think he's the best big man currently playing in the NBA. He's versatile, great with both hands, has an array of post moves, a 15-foot jumper, solid rebounding skills and is smart defensively. People dislike him because he looks so goofy and gangly, but damn, he is so skilled! It may not even be that he is skilled, he just has a great basketball IQ. His passing ability is amazing for a big man and he sees things offensively that are just too hard to game plan against. I think the best thing about Gasol is his passion for the game. It's what I like about most European or foreign players. They seem like they are here to play the game and nothing else. I remember earlier this season the media was trying to stir something up because Pau stated that the offense would be smoother if Kobe wasn't shooting so much. He was right, and he said it because he knew he was right. Kobe even admitted that he was right. The bottom line is, Gasol could care less about Gucci, whippin Benzes or showing up in music videos. He's here to play basketball and win games. It's hard to find skilled players like him with the mindset of "I'm here to win, f*ck everything else."
Lucas: Well this guy seems to be the ingredient that really launched the Lakers back to championship status. Not even three full seasons in LA: 3 Finals, 2 rings. We've touched on this before: Pau is a beast.
VERDICT: UNDERRATED
Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson
Bjones: It was suggested that I put these guys together. For what reason? I don't know, but both of these guys are very good players and are responsible for Charlotte's rise in the NBA. G-Force and Jax are tenacious on both ends of the floor and they don't get a lot of props. For what they have done in their careers and for their teams, these guys should probably be noticed a little bit more. Production, wins and hustle. Gotta love that.
Lucas (on Gerald Wallace): He doesn't put on a show during the Slam Dunk Contest, but he's crazy on the court, helping the Bobcats make the playoffs. I just now recalled that that did in fact happen. However, he has had a number of strange injuries, including a concussion, a broken rib, and a collapsed lung. Nicknamed "Crash", it's Charotte's hope that Wallace's career can stay on the rise and not crash (INSERT BJONES COMMENT: Zingggg!).
VERDICT: UNDERRATED
Danny Granger
Bjones: I saw arguments for both sides on this one. Danny Granger is a player to look out for, actually he has been. He is now the face of the Pacers and will be the anchor for that franchise as long as he is there. There is not much of a basis for him being overrated. He was an All-Star last year and he deserved it. Granger is an efficient scorer and capable defender. Maybe with Darren Collison coming in DG will get the props he deserves.
VERDICT: UNDERRATED
Chauncey Billups
Lucas: Used to be amazing to me, then I kinda stopped caring until last year when I finally started paying attention to the Nuggets again. Made the All-Star team...BJones will kill this one off for me.
Bjones: B-b-b-b-b-b-BILLUPS! What else does he have to do? Seriously! What else can he do? "Mr. Big Shot" is a champion and finals MVP, yet he's kind of hard to remember if you're talking about the top 5 point guards in the league. He is a leader and a great competitor. Always has been. He just doesn't demand the attention of a Williams or a Paul, yet if he's on your team, everybody gets better. What if he traded places with Tony Parker? The Spurs are better. Jameer Nelson? The Magic are better. Chauncey is a winner and his leadership is amazing. Could you imagine having to deal with Kenyon Martin acting like a punk ass, Chris Andersen acting like a punk ass, and JR Smith just being a punk ass?! I bet Coby Karl is a punk ass too, he just hasn't admitted it. Seriously though, if Parker was running this team, they would not be cohesive. In the locker room, I'm thinking, if Billups says something, people shut up and listen. He's the vet and leader. Melo bought into the winning attitude and has become a better player because of it. If you think Billups doesn't deserve more recognition, look at the Nuggets pre-Billups and the Pistons post Billups. Yup.
VERDICT: UNDERRATED
Tim Duncan
Bjones: Timmy is just good. Best power forward ever? One could easily make the argument. He's never bad. He just wins. For some reason, because he's as boring as a Peyton Manning visit to a strip club, we just kind of shrug him off. The fact that we were able to watch greatness over the last decade, yet somehow avoided it is kind of sad. Superstar: yes. NBA great: yes. Underrated: Hell yes, and we're going to miss him when he's done.
Lucas: I think he's a great player in his own right, but I think that he needs to supporting cast much more than most "superstars". Yes he's won 4 rings, but those were all real solid team efforts, with different keys each time. It was a pretty weak season by Spurs standards, although they beat a heavily favored Mavs team. Then they got swept by the Suns...So...who's to blame? Duncan is at the point where his career will remain consistent, but not special.
VERDICT: UNDERRATED
Rudy Gay
This is difficult. I believe Rudy Gay has not lived up to his potential, but he is not a bad player. No one is elevating him to superstardom except his GM, plus he's never been named to an All-Star team; probably because he has two other great players playing his position in Melo' and Durant. He will average about 20 ppg and 6 reb. yet he's kind of buried in Memphis. I think he is one of the better young players in the league. It's going to take a breakout year for people to stop sleeping on him.
VERDICT: UNDERRATED
Amar'e Stoudemire
Cool guy. Explosive and athletic. Fun to watch. Never averaged 10 rebounds in his career. Terrible defensively. Getting worse every year in the playoffs. Overrated.
VERDICT: OVERRATED
Brandon Roy
Bjones: Rookie of the Year, All-Rookie team, All-Star, All-NBA team; Brandon Roy can't be labeled as overrated. On the other hand, he still seems to be flying under the radar. It seems like people have doubted B-Roy since he came into the league, but I believe you can build a franchise around him. He's got great size, his skill set is awesome and he's clutch. His leadership skills are getting better and better so Portland is in great hands. People need to realize that Roy is in the elite group of top 15 players in the league; he's not to be treated like Jason Richardson.
Lucas: ROY Roy can straight up do it all. If you think he's out for the season, he'll come back to play in the playoffs. I point the biggest key of his success to the UW. He could have gone early in the draft, but chose to stay for his senior year, fine tuning what was already a balling machine. His NBA career so far is nothing short of BlazerLegend, a phrase which I just made up. He has exceeded where Greg Oden failed. Only problem is that I can't see him winning a title in P-Town, sorry to say. Maybe they'll make some trades or AI will come off the bench...
VERDICT: UNDERRATED
Trevor Ariza
What can I say, I loved Ariza with LA. Unfortunately, he overrated himself, asked for a stupid contract and, since the Lakers aren't the 76'ers, they told him to GTFO. Underrated as a Laker, overrated in free agency, overrated in Houston and will probably be overrated in New Orleans. He's a number 3 guy, not 1 or 2.
VERDICT: OVERRATED
Yao Ming
The Rockets, China and the NBA had great hopes for Yao Ming. Could a player that size be effective in the NBA? Hadn't really been proven yet (Shawn Bradley, hella good). Say he's overhyped, fine, but when he's on the court he changes the game. It's unfortunate for the league and fans that Yao has been hurt. He averages a near double-double and two blocks. Just because he's 7'6" doesn't mean he needs to average 30-20 and 5 blocks. Give me a 7 footer with those numbers that shoots over 80% from the line any day.
VERDICT: UNDERRATED
Carmelo Anthony
Bjones: I believe Melo may be the most compelling, interesting player on this list. He's known as a star in the league, one of the most recognizable names, yet, he's just kind of there. Ever notice that? He's a great player, but he hasn't really brought his team to the forefront of the NBA. Why is Melo so quiet? I mean, we know about Chris Paul, we know about LeBron, Wade, Kobe, those guys all have this niche and they really stand out. Somehow, in Denver, Melo is stuck in the back. I think the problem is, he doesn't have a rep. CP3, maybe the best PG in the league, LeBron is possibly the best player in the league, same with Kobe. Buried beneath this is Melo. An All-Star who is not the best player at his position, who has never led his team to the finals or lived in a compelling city like New Orleans. In other words, we have a great player who is living a bland career. Now with all this drama going on and him probably leaving, I think we're going to see something different. He's going to be a championship contender and a top 5 MVP candidate. So, just for the sake of this column. I have to believe Melo, though a star, is still being doubted a little too much.Lucas: I dunno...I've actually never been a huge fan of Melo in the NBA. Not sure what it is, but I've never pulled for the Nuggets. Yeah, Anthony is still good, but he hasn't won a championship (Lebron James), and is it just me, or did he gain 100 pounds?
VERDICT: UNDERRATED
Rashard Lewis
Maybe he's playing out of position, maybe he's getting old, maybe coming out of high school has caught up with him, but Rashard Lewis has just sucked recently. The Magic brought him in to space the floor and be a rangy, lanky forward. Well, now, he stands around the perimeter launching threes and not hitting many of them, all the while being manhandled on defense. Rashard is not a capable power forward, so I can't knock him for doing what his coach deems best, but damn, he is such a defensive liability. Everyone seems to be stronger and more tenacious.The good thing about him is that he has stayed healthy recently, but the fact is, he's just not very athletic anymore, he never bulked up and does not have the heart to consistently perform in the playoffs.
VERDICT: OVERRATED
