NBA Players Who Desperately Need to Silence Critics

The NBA and its players are no strangers to scrutiny, but as the landscape of the league continues to evolve at such a rapid pace, criticism has taken on a life of its own.

This season there are more compelling storylines to follow than there were prior to the summer of LeBron James, and it shows in the rumors and speculation pieces that surface on a daily basis.

Whether trending rumors boast the soundness of validity or are a result of hearsay doesn't matter. What does matter is that they are out there for the world to see, leaving certain players, both innocent and guilty, with the burden of putting them to bed. 

Devin Harris

Say what you will about the Utah Jazz coming back down to earth, but the fact remains they hold the fifth seed in the Western Conference nearly a third of the way into the season. That's impressive.

It's even more impressive given that the Jazz have succeeded in spite of Devin Harris' inconsistent play. To call him a non-factor at times would simply be an understatement, and his struggles have landed him on Utah's chopping block.

If Harris wants to prove he is more than a pawn at a negotiating table, he needs to play himself off the open block or drive his price way up. He doesn't have the luxury of pick-and-roll savvy big men or a plethora of outside threats, but as the point guard, it's up to him to make it work.

Should he fail to make it work on a Jazz team under minimal expectations, his acquisition could reach bust status in Utah, as well as his next destination.

Carmelo Anthony

Connecting on only eight out of 20 field goal attempts in Denver would have earned Anthony a slap on the wrist at most, but in New York, it's met with a staggering amount of heckling.

The small forward's struggles have also been met with the commencement of the Deron Williams movement. At last season's trade deadline, Anthony was believed to be a second savior who was Broadway bound, and now he has become a near liability.

Nagging injuries to both his wrist and ankle may be to blame, but he didn't help his case by playing through pain against lesser teams only to sit against the Miami Heat.

If Anthony wants to recapture the hearts of New York Knicks fans and prove he is more than a one-trick pony, then he needs to get healthy and acclimate himself to Mike D'Antoni's seven seconds or less system once and for all. 

Dwyane Wade

After more than a year playing alongside LeBron James, Dwyane Wade's ability to co-exist with the small forward in the half-court set continues to come under question. 

While Wade was sidelined with an ankle injury, James and company played premier-level basketball. They dominated on both ends of the floor, and the ball movement had Chris Bosh looking like an undeniable superstar.

Cue the anti-Wade sentiments.

Wade is more injury-prone than James, which leaves him susceptible to notions such as the former. Although the Heat have continued to win upon Wade's return, questions regarding the shooting guard's ability to establish complete chemistry with his superstar partner will continue to be posed.

Unless Wade proves he can play dominant basketball opposite James on a daily basis, that is.

Lamar Odom

The Dallas Mavericks were considering relegating Lamar Odom to the bench in order to give him a break, and he responded by having his best game of the year against the Utah Jazz. He then proceeded to revert to being ineffective in an overtime victory against the San Antonio Spurs.

Expectations were high when Odom landed in Dallas. His versatility was supposed to help fill the void left by Caron Butler, and his size was thought to render the loss of Tyson Chandler less significant. 

To date, Odom has failed to live up to his lofty expectations and is doing so in the most dreadful of fashions, as he is playing his way toward the worst season of his career.

If Odom wants the luxury of stability in his new home, he is going to have be the player he was against the Jazz and not the one he has been every other game of the season.

Michael Beasley

Prior to being sidelined with a right mid-foot sprain, Minnesota Timberwolves forward Michael Beasley was battling severe on-court struggles as well as notions that he slowed the team's offensive attack down.

A reduced role within coach Rick Adelman's system awaited Beasley upon his return, and while his offensive outburst against the Houston Rockets is promising, he's far from out of the woods.

Beasley has been attempting to stave off the label of "Wasted Potential" for over three years now, and if he cannot find a way to succeed in a diminished capacity under lower expectations, then incessant criticism will be the least of his worries. 

The Boston Three Party

Amidst reports that Danny Ainge has little to no qualms about breaking up the Boston Celtics' big three, the team underwent what appeared to be a resurgence.

And then they suffered a massive collapse at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce all believe they have plenty left in the tank, and if they want to prove they can make another title run and render the basketball world mistaken, championship basketball is an immediate necessity.

Many cannot picture Boston breaking up its core, but until the aging big three proves otherwise, it will remain a possibility.

Jameer Nelson

Jameer Nelson's biggest critic suits up with him in the Orlando Magic locker room. 

Nelson publicly admitted that Howard's talk about playing alongside other point guards has contributed to his early struggles. While you cannot help but feel for the guy to an extent, continuing along on a downward spiral isn't going to sway Howard's, or anyone else's, opinion.

When Nelson returns to the hardwood, both he and the Magic need him to be at the top of his game.

Orlando has next to no chance at retaining Howard without a competent point guard, and Nelson has no shot at regaining peace of mind or salvaging his reputation without a production overhaul.

Amar'e Stoudemire

Amar'e Stoudemire is a special kind of teammate, most evident by the fact he refuses to allow Carmelo Anthony to be the New York Knicks' lone representative here.

Stoudemire is known for being an athletic fiend, but thus far, the man who helped revive a dying franchise has looked absolutely lost on the basketball court.

How lost? So much so that his name has meandered its way into not only Dwight Howard trade rumors, but the Philadelphia 76ers rumor mill as well.

For Stoudemire to recapture the label of team savior, he must begin to let the offense come to him and show some sort of an interest on defense. Anything less and fans will be calling for his exit before James Dolan's.

Okay, perhaps that's going too far.

Kevin Martin

Kevin Martin may be the Houston Rockets' leading scorer, but his defense has long been criticized and the team rendered him all but expendable when it agreed to deal him and Luis Scola to the Los Angeles Lakers for Pau Gasol.

The trade fell through and the Rockets are surging, but they have shown they can do so without Martin. Houston tapped other resources in Chase Budinger, Chandler Parsons and Courtney Lee during Martin's brief absence as the team barely missed a beat.

If Martin wants to end any speculation regarding his status with the organization, he needs to buckle down not only on offense but on defense as well.

The Rockets have already proved to be able to find offense elsewhere, and if Martin craves stability, he must make himself irreplaceable.

Boris Diaw

Boris Diaw can still play any of the five available positions, but he has long been a conditioning liability.

Diaw's inconsistencies have led the Charlotte Bobcats to place the versatile underachiever on the trade block, provided they are not asked to take back a sizable contract in return.

The 29-year-old's season reached a low point when he was benched for his shortcomings. He has since shown flashes of a player with motivation, but only a minimal amount.

If Diaw wants to become an integral part of any organization's rotation and salvage what's left of his career, he must exert actual effort. Should he refuse to, self-inflicted demons will continue to plague him.   

LeBron James

Find someone who says there has been a time when LeBron James didn't desperately need to silence his critics in the past five years, and I'll show you a person void of sensible logic.

While reports that James is unhappy with the Miami Heat and plotting his extrication to the Cleveland Cavaliers two years from now hold little to no weight, they are nonetheless musings he must disprove.

And what better way to shoot them down than to lead the Heat to an NBA title?

Winning a championship is easier said than done, but the Heat are in the second year of this Big Three experiment, and if James and company want to finally silence the advocates of controversy, a title is the only achievement that will shut them up.

James himself will not be fully satisfied until he has a ring. Consequently, baseless reports, citing unnamed sources, that claim the self-proclaimed King will abscond from Miami won't cease to exist until he has one.

Dwight Howard

There is still two-thirds of this truncated season left to play, yet Dwight Howard is already burning bridges with the Orlando Magic.

Thus far, Howard has created a wish list of potential destinations that he has expanded on multiple occasions, requesting a trade to the New Jersey Nets and calling out his teammates more than once.

As likable a personality that Howard was thought to have, his saga is becoming uglier than the Carmelo Anthony drama the league endured last season.

Howard must be reminded that the trade deadline is more than a month away, and even then, an early escape is not guaranteed. There is a legitimate possibility Howard stays in Orlando for the remainder of the season, and until his future transitions into the present, he has to save face or risk tainting his image LeBron James style.

Exhibiting the qualities of a supportive teammate would be a great place to start.

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