NBA Predictions: Selecting the 1st and 2nd-Team NBA All-Hype Team

What exactly is the NBA's "all-hype" team?

The word hype is defined as "extravagant or intensive publicity or promotion," and that's exactly what the all-hype team is. 

The all-hype team is a group of players who's careers have been characterized by never living up to the extravagant praise and expectations that have been placed on them.

Whether it's not helping their team win games, make the playoffs or just not developing into the kind of player everyone thought he would be, the all-hype team is full of players who's career are more hype than actual legitimate production.

Ahead is the first- and second-team selections for the NBA's all-hype team.  

2nd Team: Washington Wizards C JaVale McGee

JaVale McGee starts off the "all-hype" team because he's not nearly polished enough to be considered a legitimate center in the NBA.  Sure, McGee has a lot of upside, but that's all he'll ever have.

He's young and athletic, and well-sized for an NBA center, but that "upside" is soon going to wear off if he can't figure out how to develop into a legitimate offensive threat for the Wizards.

JaVale McGee's immaturity also is a reason why he finds himself on this list.  The Wizards are a young and inexperienced team, and the last thing they need is immaturity on the court and in the locker room, and unfortunately that's what McGee brings to the team.

McGee could develop into a legitimate threat in the NBA, but until he puts the time and effort in to do so, he will always have a safe spot on the "all-hype" team.

2nd Team: Orlando Magic PF Ryan Anderson

Ryan Anderson is having the best season of his career, averaging 16.4 PPG and 6.8 RPG

While that's impressive, it's undoubtedly the product of being on the same team as Dwight Howard.  Has Anderson improved?  Yes, he has, but to consider him a legitimate power forward in the NBA I want to see what he does without Dwight Howard.

Anderson, who is a power forward, benefits from his defender having to provide help defense on Howard whenever Howard gets the ball anywhere near the paint.  That results in Anderson hedging to the perimeter, free of a defender, where he's been hitting open three-point shots.

There's no doubt that Anderson is improving, but to consider him one of the best power forwards in the game, but to believe all the hype surrounding him I need to see how he performs with legitimate defense keying on him.  Just watch how Anderson performs when Howard's not the court with him, and you'll see what I'm saying.

2nd Team: New York Knicks SF Carmelo Anthony

I know Carmelo Anthony has a nice jump shot and he's at least an average rebounding small forward, but all of that is meaningless unless he helps his team win, and that's something he's not been able to do as of late.

Anthony is averaging 25.7 PPG, 6.8 RPG and 4.2 APG, which is consistent with his career averages, but his production hasn't helped the Knicks become a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference, which is what his presence in New York was supposed to do.

Anthony finds his way onto the "all-hype" team because he hasn't even come close to living up to the hype surrounding his arrival in New York.  When you've got guys like Tyson Chandler and Amar'e Stoudemire on the court with you, you should be able to find ways to win games, which is something Carmelo hasn't been able to do.

If Carmelo wasn't considered one of the top players in the league, he wouldn't be on this list, but for him to be considered as a legitimate All-Star he needs to develop into a more complete player that helps his team win, rather than just racking up points.

The Knicks are 6-10 so far this season, and until Carmelo helps the Knicks make it to the playoffs and past the first round, he'll have a safe spot on the "all-hype" team.

2nd Team: New York Knicks SG Landry Fields

Ahhhh, another New York Knick finds his way onto the "all-hype" team.

Landry Fields is an interesting player.  He's built like a small forward, but he plays the game like he's an undersized shooting guard.  Yes, Fields has shown flashes of being a solid NBA player, but if there's one word that has defined his young NBA career, it's inconsistent.

Fields was supposed to be the spark the Knicks needed last year to make it past the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs, and he wasn't.  Fields was supposed to be compliment the play of Amar'e and Carmelo this season with his three-point shooting, and he hasn't.  Fields is shooting an career low 20.5 percent from behind the arc, which is seriously hindering his play on the court.

Landry Fields could use his unique size to create mismatches with undersized shooting guards, but he relies more on his outside shot than he does his ability to get to the rim.  Fields would be better coming off the bench for the Knicks, rather than being in the starting lineup, because he's proven that he just can't cut it right now.

Sure, Fields has had a few nice games this season, but those performances aren't enough to keep him off the "all-hype" team.  When you're billed as "the steal of the 2011 draft" you have a lot to live up to, and Fields has yet to do that as a starter on the New York Knicks.

2nd Team: Oklahoma City Thunder PG Russell Westbrook

Russell Westbrook finds his way onto this list only because of the ridiculous $80 million dollar contract extension he just received from the Thunder.  Sure, Westbrook has been playing at a solid level, production wise, this year and last, but to make him the highest paid player, or close to it, on a team with Kevin Durant, is a bold statement to make.

While Westbrook has increased his shooting percentage this season from around 45.0 percent to above 50 percent for the first time in his career, which is impressive, his three-point percentage is on the decline, down to 27.0 percent on the year.

Just a few weeks ago, Westbrook wouldn't have made this list, as he was being payed around $5 million a year.  With the new contract extension, putting him in the upper echelon of players in the league, comes new pressure placed squarely on his shoulders.

If the Thunder don't make it to an NBA Finals in the next year or two, people will start to question the legitimacy of paying Westbrook such an absurd amount of money, which seriously limits their capacity to spend money in the coming years.

Westbrook himself might not be hyped up, but his contract sure is, and that's why he managed to find his way onto the "all-hype" team.

1st Team: Los Angeles Clippers C DeAndre Jordan

To kick off the first-team selections for the "all-hype" team we have Clippers center DeAndre Jordan at the center position.  Ever since acquiring Chris Paul from the New Orleans Hornets, Jordan has had a lot of hype and pressure put on him.  With All-Star center Chris Kaman being included in the package that enticed the Hornets to let go of Paul, Jordan is the only real talent at the center position for the Clippers.

The main problem with DeAndre Jordan is that he has about as much offensive polish as a center as I do, which isn't a lot, and the majority of his offensive production comes off of putbacks and fast break points.  Last season Jordan's production of 7.1 PPG and 7.2 RPG seemed like a nice contribution off the bench, or replacing Kaman when he was injured.

His production this year, as the main center on the roster, of 8.0 PPG and 8.6 RPG isn't as stellar as it looked last year because of his increased minutes and the need the Clippers have for a presence in the paint aside from Blake Griffin.

Having one unpolished post player in Blake Griffin isn't hard to incorporate into the offense, but when you add the unpolished offensive talent that is DeAndre Jordan to the mix, the Clippers offense sufferers. Defenses know that they don't have to worry about Jordan outside of the pain, which allows them to key on Blake Griffin.

Jordan finds his way on this the "all-hype" team because his career is lined with highlight blocks and dunks more than it is with legitimate production.  Until Jordan becomes a polished offensive player, the Clippers will struggle, and he will have a spot on the "all-hype" team. 

1st Team: New York Knicks PF Amare Stoudemire

Amar'e Stoudemire is quite an enigma.  He's one of the most polished offensive power forwards in the game, averaging 17.6 PPG and 8.0 RPG, although he's playing with a low PER of 15.13.  On the defensive side of the ball, however, he is more of a sloppy defender who doesn't understand how to use his size to impose his will.

One of the main problems with Stoudemire this year is the fact that he's just not shooting the ball as well as he used to, averaging 41.3 percent from the field his year as compared to his career average of 53.4 percent.  The problem with Stoudemire's game, as of late, is that he's been playing more like a small forward than a power forward, focusing more on his jump shot than taking the ball into the paint.

Stoudemire isn't necessarily playing bad for the Knicks this year, but he's certainly not living up to the hype that surrounded his arrival in New York.  The issue with Stoudemire's play this year, and the reason why he's struggling is that he's losing focus of the kind of player he is.  The more Stoudemire relies on his jump shot the more he will struggle shooting from the field, as he's done this year.

Amare Stoudemire isn't a bad player.  He's a solid addition to the Knicks roster, but until he helps the Knicks make it out of the first round of the playoffs for the first time since the 1999-00 season, he will always have a spot on the "all-hype" team.

It's not that Stoudemire is a weak player, it's just that he's not quite worthy of all the hype that precedes him. 

1st Team: Chicago Bulls F Taj Gibson

Ever since being drafted by the Chicago Bulls back in 2009, Gibson has been an inconsistent player at best.  He's had moments where he's lived up to his potential, but more often than not Gibson looks more like an overwhelmed forward than he looks like the future of the Bulls roster at the forward position.

Before missing the past two games with an ankle injury, Gibson had been averaging 7.2 PPG and 4.1 RPG, which is lower in both categories than his career averages.  The reason why Gibson has struggled to find his place in the Bulls offense is the same reason why Amar'e Stoudemire has struggled as of late, they both play the game less like power forwards and more like small forwards.  

Gibson has the athleticism, size and strength to develop into a solid power forward for the Bulls, especially with the ability to learn from Carlos Boozer, but Gibson doesn't' appear to have the discipline to do so.  Some think that Gibson needs to see more minutes on the court, but until he starts to prove that he can be an efficient piece of the Bulls offensive set, I think he needs to stay where he is, coming off the bench.

I know Gibson is better known for his defensive tenacity than his offensive prowess, but if people continue to talk about him being the future of the Bulls frontcourt, he has to pick up his offensive production.  Gibson makes the "all-hype" team because no matter what he does on the court, people seem to still think he's the future.

Until Gibson develops into a more complete player, he will have a safe spot on the NBA's "all-hype" team. 

1st Team: Charlotte Bobcats SG Gerald Henderson

Gerald Henderson is having himself the best year of his career, averaging 15.5 PPG, 4.7 RPG and 1.9 APG.  His statistical production is impressive, but what it doesn't show is his inefficient play on the offensive side of the ball.  Henderson currently has a PER of 14.25, which ranks 30th in the NBA among shooting guards.

While a PER of 14.25 isn't necessarily terrible, it's not good enough to consider Henderson one of the most improved players in the NBA, mainly because he's not helping his team win games.  The Charlotte Bobcats are 3-3 when Henderson scores 18-plus points, and they are 0-11 when he doesn't.  While that might show you how important he is to the Bobcats, it also shows just how often he can't score enough to help his team win.

Henderson is without a doubt one of the most athletic players in the NBA, using that athleticism to dominate on the defensive side of the ball, and to get to the rim with ease.  The one issue with Henderson is that he needs to figure out how to harness his athleticism and not overplay or overcommit as much as he does. 

This spot was up for debate between Henderson and Joe Johnson, because of his ridiculous contract, but the nod went to Henderson because while he's improving his team isn't.  Some people in Charlotte believe Henderson can be a legitimate star on their roster.  I believe that he will always be a solid role player at best.

Until Henderson increases his efficiency on the offensive side of the ball, and finds a way to help the Bobcats win, he will have a spot on the NBA "all-hype" team.

1st Team: Sacramento Kings SG/PG Tyreke Evans

Don't look now Kings fans, but Tyreke Evans' performance has been on a steady decline since winning the 2010 Rookie of the Year award.  In 2009-10 Evans averaged 20.1 PPG on 45.8 percent shooting, in 2010-11 he averaged 17.8 PPG on 40.9 percent shooting and this year he's averaging only 16.1 PPG on 41.0 percent shooting from the field.

When Evans came out of Memphis back in 2009, many thought that he had the potential to be the same kind of player that Derrick Rose is.  What those people didn't see is the fact that Evans doesn't have the leadership ability that Rose has, and it doesn't' look like he ever will.  Evans struggles to find ways to motivate those around him, and it shows with the way the Kings play the game.

The one thing that Evans must improve, if he wants to live up to the hype surrounding him, is to increase his playmaking ability for the other guys on his team.  Averaging 4.4 assists per game isn't going to cut it in the NBA as a point guard.

A point guard in the NBA needs to be able to facilitate the game to the other players on the court, and that's something that Evans has yet to do throughout his young three-year career in the NBA.  Sure Evans doesn't have the greatest talent around him, but he doesn't really put any effort into making those players around him better, which is something he must do if he stays with the Sacramento Kings throughout his career.

If Evans can manage to improve as a point guard, and continue to score the way he does, he could have a successful career in the NBA, but if he doesn't he'll stay put, as the first-string point guard for the NBA's "all-hype" team.