Derrick Rose, Eric Gordon and the Top 5 NBA Players Who Deserve More Respect
In today's game, some players get the respect they deserve, and some don't. Mainly due to media coverage. People will say LeBron James is known as one of the best players in the league, mainly because of how the media has blown him up into something he isn't.
The little people, like Derrick Rose and Eric Gordon are having career years, and are not getting the respect they deserve. Here are the top 5 most unappreciated players in the league.
Honorable Mentions: PF's Paul Millsap and LaMarcus Aldridge
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So far in the 2010-2011 NBA season, these two guys have been playing exceptionally well. Paul Millsap is making it easier to forget Carlos Boozer and LaMarcus Aldridge is showing he can handle a bigger role with an injured Brandon Roy and Greg Oden (again).
Paul MillsapโIn 21 games, he has averaged 35.5 minutes a game, 18.4 points per game while shooting 52 percent from the field. He is grabbing on average 8.4 rebounds a game.
His best games of the year so farย are a 46 point out burst against the Miami Heat and a 30 point, 16 rebound, six assist game against the Oklahoma Thunder. His PER this year is about six points higher so far than his PER last year. While I'm sure this will come down to earth for Millsap, he is a player any GM would love to have on his team.
LaMarcus AldridgeโIn 20 games, he has averaged 38.4 minutes a game, 17.5 points per game while shooting a career low 43 percent from the field. He is also grabbing 8.4 rebounds a game, a career high.
He has had to deal without another low post presence all year and an injured Brandon Roy, which would account for the terrible shooting percentage. He is having to jack up too many awkward shots because of lack of other scorers.If Roy gets healthy, his shot selection will be better.
His best games of the year have been a 24 point and 10 rebound game against the Denver Nuggets and a 19 point, 17 rebound game against Detroit. He doesn't seem like a guy who likes attention, but he is good enough to get more attention than he is getting right now.
5. Kevin Love
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What a breakout year Kevin Love is having this year.
The combination of Love and Michael Beasley has made the Timberwolves somewhat enjoyable to watch, but lets not get carried away with that. He has already had a career game that will be hard to accomplish again.
If you don't know what I'm talking about, he has a game with 31 points and 31 rebounds.
Not bad for an undersized big man. It just shows how great footwork and the ability to box people out help with rebounding. He is averaging 19.4 points per game, while shooting a not so great 43 percent. He is also averaging an outstanding 15.3 rebounds per game, best in the league.
The kid is only 22 and he is one of the best rebounders already. Some of his best games are his 31 point, 31 rebound game against the New York Knicks, a 32 point, 22 rebound game against the San Antonio Spurs and a 23 point, 24 rebound game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
His stock is on the rise, but because he is playing in Minnesota, he hasn't gotten the attention he deserves. He has played like an All-Star this year, and if he isn't selected to the All-Star game, it would be very disrespectful.
4. PF Luis Scola
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Another season, another great start for the Argentinian. In 20 games, he is off to a career high in points per game at 20.3, shooting 51 percent while playing 33.3 minutes per game. He is also rebounding at 8.7 rebounds per game. He is not spectacular, but he always gets the job done. He is scrappy and a workhorse.
He always give 100 percent and has the energy like a Joakim Noah and Kevin Garnett. He is a coaches dream. He hasn't been in the spotlight thanks to Yao Ming. Even this year with Yao playing a minor role, Scola has stepped his game up and it is barely getting recognized.
Some of his best games of the year are a 36 point, 16 rebound game against the Golden State Warriors, and a 28 point, 10 rebound game against the Denver Nuggets. He will always get you stats night in and night out.
It might not be pretty, but the stats don't lie.
3. PG Stephen Curry
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What "Sophmore Slump"? Second year PG Steph Curry is off to another great start, after showing us he had some amazing talent last year in his rookie season. He was known as a score-first point guard coming out of college, but has blossomed into a well-rounded point guard just 18 games into his sophomore year.
But, he still has his doubters and lack of media coverage for Golden State has made his impact on the NBA fans little to none. So far this year he is averaging 34.4 minutes per game; he is averaging 21.2 points per game while shooting 49 percent from the field and an outstanding 42 percent from downtown. He is also money from the foul line shooting 90 percent.
He has averaged so far 5.4 assists per game, but it is hard for him to average a lot of assist due to lack of talent around him, minus Monta Ellis. He has also shown he is one of the best steal specialistsย in the game today at 2.28 steals per game.
Some of his best games this year are a 39 point outburst against the Oklahoma City Thunder, a 25 point, 11 assist game against the Houston Rockets, a 34 point game against the Toronto Raptors and a 32 point game against the San Antonio Spurs.
2. SG Eric Gordan
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Three years in and we finally get the star we all thought would blossom. After a couple seasons dealing with injuries, heย is having a career averaging 37.6 minutes per game, dishing out 4.6 assists, scoring 24.1 points per game while shooting 45 percent from the floor.
He is a three-point specialist who is struggling right now with his shot, but he is making more of an impact even when his shot isn't going in. He has already gotten to the free throw line 178 times this year through 19 games.
He developed his game over the season playing for Team USA. He is on a Los Angeles Clippers team that is once again underachieving, but he still deserves more attention this year than he is getting. It could be because of the great season so far that Blake Griffin is having or the fact the Clippers are just looked down upon.
Some of his best games so far this season are a 32 point game against the Phoenix Suns and back-to-backย 30 point games against the New Jersey Nets and Minnesota Timberwolves.
1. PG Derrick Rose
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If you are a Bulls fan, thenย you know where I'm coming from.ย Derrick Rose is a star getting bench player treatment.
He is not only having an amazing year, but also a MVP type season. He is averaging career highs in points per game (25.7), assists (8.1), rebounds (4.4), and 3-point percentage (roughly 36 percent).
He made up for the lack of scoring in the early part of the season due to Carlos Boozer being out with a hand injury. The only downfall for Rose, is he can't get to the line. He is averaging only 5.6 free throws a game, which should honestly be about 10 per game.
He gets so much contact down low that usually you could call anywhere between 1-3 fouls on one play. Even against the Houston Rockets, the announcers said he should be averaging 10 free throw attempts a game and that they saw on one play, Rose getting fouled three times. He is trying to make believers out of non-believers.
People say he is a score first point guard. Yes, he is, but he is not in a situation or system where he needs to dish 15 assists like a Rajon Rondo. He also does not have the help yet offensively to get that many assists. Boozer will help, but time will only tell. He is averaging 8.1 assists per game, which isn't too shabby for a guy known for his scoring. His defense has gotten drastically better under Tom Thibodeau.
He has the stats, he has amazed us all, now it is time for the rest of the NBA world to start recognizing Derrick Rose for what he is, an MVP candidate and one of the best players in the NBA.
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