Chris Bosh and 10 Overlooked NBA Players

After his signing with the Miami Heat, Chris Bosh was always bound to not be given the respect he deserves.

Perhaps it's his own fault after the way that he, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade made their appearance as The Big Three.

He certainly didn't do himself any favors with his poor performance in the NBA Finals last year. While his stats weren't completely awful, he didn't set the world on fire, either.

But prior to his arrival in Miami, Bosh was no doubt a star in Toronto. He averaged 20-plus points in six of his seven seasons with the Raptors and 10-plus rebounds in three.

Bosh has made the NBA All-Star team on six occasions.

It was inevitable that his star would decline following his move to Miami. It's hard for anyone to step into the limelight when you have Wade and James in front of you.

Still, though, Bosh remains one of the better players in the NBA.

Here are 10 more players who join Chris Bosh on the list of overlooked players in the NBA.

Lou Williams

Lou Williams can't even crack the starting lineup in Philadelphia, yet he's still the 76ers' leading scorer, averaging 15.7 points a game.

Coming off the bench isn't anything new for Williams. Since being drafted by the 76ers in 2005, he has started only 38 games.

If advanced metrics are your thing, then you would put a lot of stock in player efficiency rating. According to John Hollinger, Williams has the 14th-highest PER at 23.36.

Again, that's pretty impressive for someone who comes off the bench.

His assist-to-turnover ratio is double that of 76ers starting point guard Jrue Holiday. Williams ranks third behind Jose Calderon and Chris Paul.

If you want to try and find one of the key reasons behind Philadelphia's hot start, look no further than Lou Williams.

Greg Monroe

Greg Monroe is part of what appears to be a dying breed: the pure center.

There are of course talented centers, but we are seeing more versatile players who can do other things than simply play with their backs to the basket.

When you think of the kind of depth at the forward and guard positions, a team is really a leg up on the competition if it has a great center.

Unfortunately for the Pistons, it doesn't really seem to matter if all the other pieces aren't up to snuff.

While Detroit is languishing in 14th place in the East with a 4-17 record, you can't blame Monroe. He is leading the team in points, rebounds and steals.

His 15.8 points a game is third among all centers and his 9.5 rebounds are good for seventh.

Those numbers aren't incredible, but you have to consider that Monroe is only in his second season. He's averaging two rebounds and six points more than he did last year.

Last year, Monroe started only 48 of the 80 games he appeared in, but this year, the starting spot is all his.

Brandon Bass

It's easy to look at Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett as the key pieces for the Boston Celtics this season.

However, Brandon Bass is just as important if Boston is to make a run for the Finals.

It was only a matter of time before age caught up with this team, and with the truncated season, it appears to be hitting the Celtics at an accelerated rate.

That is why it is so vital for Bass to be able to step up and produce.

Granted the Celtics are struggling so far this year, Bass has done a very good job giving a break to both Jermaine O'Neal and Kevin Garnett.

Coming off the bench mostly this season, Bass is averaging almost 12 points and a little over six rebounds a game. Those aren't bad numbers at all.

When you look back at the 2007-08 Celtics, it was the reserves who really helped propel that team to the title.

Brandon Bass could be the catalyst for another run.

Paul Millsap

When Carlos Boozer was in Utah, the shadow in which Paul Millsap was cast was large.

Following Boozer's departure to Chicago last year, Millsap still had to deal with a bigger issue: Power forward is one of the deepest positions in the NBA, especially in the West.

That's pretty much an invitation for someone to be on the list of overlooked players, a list which has to include Paul Millsap.

He has managed to do pretty well this season, averaging 17 points and nine rebounds a game.

His points-per-game average did see a jump after Boozer left, going from 11.6 in 2009-10 to 17.3 last year.

Rebounding is definitely his forte, and ability on the boards is even more amazing considering Millsap is only 6'8" and lacks the athleticism of most players who measure in at that height.

While Millsap is not among the elite power forwards in the West, he certainly has to be on the fringe.

Josh Smith

Josh Smith is a household name among NBA fans, but you may be surprised to learn he has never made an All-Star team.

His attitude problems may have overshadowed his ability in many people's eyes. Smith has also had issues with previous Hawks head coach Mike Woodson and current coach Larry Drew.

Still, he has been one of the leaders and bedrocks of the team.

With Al Horford out, the onus is going to be on Smith to step up even more this season.

While his dunking ability is prodigious, his defense might be on the same level. He made the NBA All-Defensive Second Team and was second in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2010.

Despite his size, 6'9", Smith has been one of the best blockers in the NBA. He led all power forwards in blocks in 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2009-10.

James Harden

It might be easiest to overlook James Harden when you're watching him simply because you are immediately transfixed by that beard.

Or it could be the fact he has Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook to deal with. Either way, Harden has to be the odds-on favorite to win Sixth Man of the Year this season.

Don't let that sixth-man title fool you. If the Thunder are to win an NBA title, Harden would have almost as significant impact on it as Durant and Westbrook.

Without Harden, the Thunder are probably an average-to-good team. But with Harden, they are elite.

Last year, he might have been a secret among NBA insiders, but the secret is certainly out now.

You have to wonder if Harden will stay with Oklahoma City when his contract expires in two years. Much like Joe Johnson, he might go somewhere to be the star of a team.

Otherwise, he always risks being somewhat marginalized.

LaMarcus Aldridge

While Paul Millsap is on the fringe of great power forwards, LaMarcus Aldridge is among the elite. Yet, like Josh Smith, he has never made an All-Star team.

With Brandon Roy's sudden retirement, every player on the Portland Trailblazers had to step up and fill the void.

Aldridge is averaging 22.5 points and 8.9 rebounds a game. His point-per-game total is second among power forwards behind Kevin Love.

His numbers have steadily climbed ever since he was drafted in 2006. He was originally selected by the Chicago Bulls, but was traded for Tyrus Thomas.

I think Portland might have gotten the better of that deal.

He and Marcus Camby form a nice combination in the post. Camby provides the defense while Aldridge scores the points.

It doesn't appear that the future looks any brighter for Aldridge to get voted into the All-Star game, though. As of January 19, he was behind Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol and Kevin Love in All-Star voting.

And speaking of Kevin Love...

Kevin Love

I'm going to try and avoid any sort of puns here and just get straight into it.

Kevin Love has been the best power forward in the NBA this season, but he still isn't getting the respect he deserves, not even from Minnesota Timberwolves management.

Earlier in the week, Love signed a four-year contract extension with Minnesota. Love, however, can opt out after the third year.

It appears that Minnesota is saving their money to sign Ricky Rubio to a max contract.

They must not realize that Love could be a transcendent player.

It's not exactly normal for a player to average 20 and 15 a night, as Love did last year. This year, the rebounding numbers have dipped only slightly to 13.9, but he is scoring almost 25 points a game.

It doesn't seem like Love was blessed with wonderful physical gifts, but neither was Charles Barkley or Dennis Rodman.

Love just has an innate ability to know exactly where to go to rebound the basketball.

His scoring numbers are even more incredible when you consider the guy playing beside him in the post is Darko Milicic.

Mo Williams

The Los Angeles Clippers shocked the basketball world this winter. By bringing in Chauncey Billups, it was a statement of intent that the Clippers are ready to win now.

And they traded for Chris Paul too.

Following the Paul trade, it was rumored that Williams would either be amnestied or traded by LA; however, the move never came to fruition.

That meant that Mo Williams would be riding the pine in LA, which might have been the best thing for him.

It's easy to forget about Williams with the Clippers starting the combo of Billups and Paul.

Williams' point guard credentials were always a bit shoddy. He seemed a much better scorer than distributor, and coming off the bench has allowed Williams to focus more on scoring.

He is averaging 14.9 points a game, and his field goal and three-point percentages are the highest of his career.

Danilo Gallinari

While the New York Knicks sit third in the Atlantic Division, Denver Nuggets general manager Masai Ujiri must be enjoying life.

Going into last year, there were constant rumors surrounding Carmelo Anthony and his future with the Nuggets. He was eventually traded in a three-way deal to the Knicks, and in return one of the players Denver received was Danilo Gallinari.

It's hard to ever get fair value when trading away a star player, but it appears Denver got the better end of that deal.

The Nuggets are second in the Northwest Division with a 14-6 record, and Gallinari is a big reason for that. He is leading the Nuggets in scoring and is third in rebounds. Gallinari also has the highest player efficiency rating on the team at 21.1.

Gallinari had big shoes to fill when replacing Anthony, and while he is nowhere near as good as 'Melo, the young Italian is on the way to becoming a very good small forward.

The Denver management certainly feels the same way after locking up Gallinari to a four-year $42 million extension.