The 5 Most Overrated Brooklyn Nets Players of All Time

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Those familiar with the Brooklyn Nets before they landed in the great borough have memories both sweet and sour (with quite a bit more of the latter).  With the exception of the Jason Kidd era, this NBA franchise has suffered through decades of insufferable regular seasons and early first-round playoff exits.

Nevertheless, there were some players who live on in Nets nostalgia, even if they didn't reach the same heights as Jason Kidd. 

Here are five Brooklyn Nets who either by fans' estimation or the team's front office were looked upon a little too fondly. 

Derrick Coleman

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Coleman is one of the best Nets power forwards of all time, which is a testament to his ability as well as the Nets' dearth of high-quality players in their nearly thirty years in the NBA.

During Coleman's five-year tenure with the Nets, he averaged close to 20 points and 10 rebounds a game.  He also amassed two All-NBA Third-Team awards. 

However, Coleman's defense was always held in question, as were his leadership skills.  While the Nets made the playoffs during the first three years of his career, they were ousted in the initial round each time.

By his fourth year in the NBA, he saw significant drops in his field-goal percentage and was soon traded to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Coleman lives on in Nets fame as a hyper-talented player who never quite reached his potential. 

Chris Dudley

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A fan favorite, though perhaps for some curious reasons. Dudley was such a notoriously bad free-throw shooter that after a while, his haplessness at the line almost became endearing.

Almost as sure as rain, there would be a color commentary plug-in that Dudley went to Yale, which was a great story to distract viewers whenever he was at the free-throw line. 

Despite his shooting woes, Dudley proved to an efficient rebounder and high-energy player throughout his career. 

This admixture of horrible shooting, hallowed educational background and scrappy play made him a fan favorite. 

Sam Bowie

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Sam Bowie was an average NBA player during his career.  Over his four-year stint with the Nets, the 7'1" center averaged 13 points and eight rebounds a game. 

Bowie's field-goal shooting was very poor for his position; as a Net, he never averaged higher than 45 percent shooting.

And yet, because New Jersey's history is lacking dominant centers who played for the franchise for a long stretch of time, Bowie has some serious historic clout in Nets lore.

On a wider scale, Bowie's name is indelible to every NBA historian for another reason:  he was drafted No. 2 in the 1984 NBA draft, one spot ahead of Michael Jordan. 

Kenny Anderson

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Kenny Anderson was a keen selection when "NBA Hang Time" came out in the early 90s.  When paired with Derrick Coleman, the video game version of Anderson was a beast to contend with.  He had one of the best handles in the game and took the ball to the hoop regularly for high-percentage shots.

The real-life Kenny Anderson was also a very prolific point guard during his four seasons as a full-time starter with the New Jersey Nets.  Anderson averaged 17 points and nine assists per game during that stretch.

However, Anderson was a poor shooter throughout his NBA career.  He averaged only 42 percent shooting with the Nets, and was traded to the Portland Trailblazers in 1996.

What can be said about Anderson is that he was the best point guard for the Nets in the 90s.  However, that's a dubious honor for a team that for was awful for the better part of the decade. 

Keith Van Horn

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The Nets have few sweet memories surrounding Keith Van Horn.  The 6'11" stretch power forward was a slightly above-average player with some nice shooting range, but below average rebounding and defense.  

However, before Van Horn's number really began to regress, he took a 18-point per game average over two seasons to the bank, signing a lucrative and certainly overvalued six-year, $73 million dollar contract for his services with the Nets in 2001.

Van Horn went on to perform miserably for the Nets in two NBA playoff appearances, averaging 13 points per game on less than 40 percent shooting. He was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in 2003 in return for Dikembe Mutombo's expiring contract.

Van Horn may not be remembered by the Nets so much as the next four teams—the 76ers, New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks, and Dallas Mavericks—each of whom assumed part of Van Horn's hefty contract over the next four years of his career.