Who Is the Most Overrated Player in the NBA?
Sometime last week, Kelly Dwyer wrote an article on Yahoo in their Ball Don't Lie area in regards to Stephen Jackson asking upper management of the Warriors for a contract extension.
In the article Dwyer is quoted as stating "Stephen Jackson is the most overrated name in the NBA Game these days outside of Jason Kidd."
Really now? Kelly Dwyer, come on—what have you been watching lately?
But that got me thinking of who in the NBA actually lives up to being the most overrated.
The first name I can come up with is Steve Nash. Yes, I know many of you will disagree, which is fine with me. In other articles I've been written I've gone over the reasons why he is overrated. The reasons are relatively simple though.
The main two factors are that he doesn't know the meaning of the word defense, and he doesn't know how to take care of the ball—leading the league in turnovers. Some blame it on the offense he's been running, but you can't—you absolutely can't—allow that excuse, because there are others who play that up and down style who don't average nearly as many turnovers as Nash.
The second name that comes to mind is Luke Walton. The only reason why he's in the NBA is because of his father, Bill Walton.
Walton has some skills, but he has never harnessed them. He flops trying to get offensive fouls, he doesn't shoot the ball particularly well, he can do some things like pass, but that's about it. He often gets into foul trouble because he doesn't have the athleticism to guard the quicker players, and he doesn't have the strength to guard the bigger players.
The third player I can think of who is truly overrated is Vince Carter. There is no doubt that he has a ton of ability and a ton of talent, but it seems like when things are not going his way he quits on the team. He did it in Toronto and he's done it in New Jersey. Not too the extreme of what he did when he was with Toronto, but he seems to have taken it as a challenge to play better this year—we can only see.
The fourth player is another Laker—Pau Gasol. He was supposed to be the missing link to help the Lakers win the championship. It turns out it wasn't that great of a trade for the Lakers. We'll see if it works out this year.
He has got a variety of moves in the paint, and a decent midrange jumper, but what makes him overrated is how soft he is. Boston clearly frustrated him by using stronger players offensively and playing him tough defensively.
He is not a strong rebounder, and that is why Andrew Bynum was so valuable to the team—they don't have anyone else who can get those tough rebounds.
The fifth player is Eddy Curry. He was supposed to be this huge talent for years to come when first drafted by the Bulls. He hasn't found a niche in the league since he came in. He did receive a big contract after the '06-07 season, when he played relatively well for the Knicks. Now he's going to be lucky to crack the rotation in Mike D'Antoni's system of run and gun.
