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NBA's Top 5 "Overrated" Underrated Players
Tue, Jul 22, 2008 by Pandaemonaeon
If you've somehow stumbled into this page then you've probably been on an internet message board before about basketball, where non-sensical trade ideas that defy the basic tenets of the CBA (or common sense for that matter) and ridiculous player comparisons run rampant.
There's also a strong likelihood you've been exposed to a cult movement of posters who pride themselves in the number of unknown, under-appreciated and under-valued players they can attach themselves into, be it scouring NBADraft.net for next year's top pick to proclaim that they were first (at times even adopting them as their username such as RickyRubio32 or BGriff-OK for added security), masturbating to David West and Jeff Foster's intangibles, or name dropping Carl Landry and Ramon Sessions. Very few people know and appreciate them, but you do!
However just like any other foray in being cool and different, it stagnates, and ultimately leads to the player being over rated as a result of ubiquitous name-dropping and undeserved kudos, as then-Philadelphia 76ers swingman John Salmons (the first recipient of this tag) found out. These players are the Donnie Darko of basketball. They are: the "OVERRATED Underrated".
Below are a small sampling of players representing this genre and it's a toss-up which of them deserves to be the official torch bearer. These are in no particular order so get off my case, you retarded fanboys. They're all equally overrated!
5. Marcus Camby (LAC)
What the idiots say: Outstanding defender, heart and hustle.
In truth: Glass bodied weakside shot blocker.
The skinny: A perennial "Defensive Player of the Year" candidate who eventually brought one home in 2007 while anchoring the middle for the worst defensive team in the league, the Denver Nuggets. You might be wondering what he's doing here but that's only because his defensive ability has been greatly exaggerated. Camby is not a great defender; he's a good weakside shotblocker and help defender (where gets most of his blocks) but defensively? You probably won't see anyone gamble more to pad stats (maybe 2004 Larry Hughes) and his post defense is atrocious. But then, these are all commensurate with his body not falling apart yet.
Recently been traded to the LA Clippers for a measly 2nd round pick which is great news for the oft-injured big man given their quality medical facilities.
4. Mickael Pietrus (ORL)
What the idiots say: Hyper-athletic swingman, great defender, never got the chance, upside.
In truth: Shitty version of Moe Evans.
The skinny: Drafted by the Golden State Warriors as the 11th over-all pick of the 2003 Draft after hearing of his "French Michael Jordan" moniker, a nickname that's surprisingly quite accurate -- if you're playing for the opposing team that is. Known for his uncanny athletic ability and terrific defense, these skills however are overshadowed and rendered nil by his glaring weaknesses leading Warriors fans to anoint him as the "one-man momentum wrecking crew" with his ability to destroy hard-fought leads or any semblance of momentum with his dazzling array of idiotic moves whether it's bonehead fouls, blowing a wide-open three-pointer by forgetting that he's standing out of bounds, passing the ball to the bleachers or get called for traveling more frequently than an article about Bianca Gonzales's collection of Chuck Taylors. But these all pale in comparison to his basketball IQ which resembles that of Eddie Griffin's corpse.
3. Josh Howard (DAL)
What the idiots say: Great all-around player, should have been an all-star.
In truth: A one-dimensional chucking machine... these days at least.
The skinny: I know you've heard this saying far too often but if I had a penny every time someone uses the word "underrated" to describe Josh Howard, poverty would be a thing of the past given the astronomical amount of money I would have amassed. There was a time Howard was a fine all-around player, yep, those were the days. That Howard has been gone for quite a while (since 2006 to be precise), trading away all aspects of what made him so good for the watered-down, first quarter 20ppg chucker that we're seeing now. Josh will routinely chuck and chuck to his heart's content in the first quarter, making most of it as he races to a quick 15-point start and coast for the rest of the game. Much worse is the flipside of this coin as he tends to disappear completely if his shot isn't falling. But who gives a shit? He should have been an all-star!
2. Matt Barnes (PHX)
What the idiots say: The "poor man's Shawn Marion".
In truth: A heartthrob to female teenagers who are drawn to his dark, mysterious aura. For serious.
The skinny: Much like Shawn Marion, Barnes was a career journeyman. 10-day contract guy, waiver wire material, trade fodder, you name it. Then came Don Nelson and his Golden State system where poor shot selection and wanton disregard for set plays reigned supreme - Barnes not surprisingly, became an instant sensation. Nevermind that he was connecting on only 40% of his shots, he's putting up 20 points goddamnit! His popularity even soared further as a wider national audience (who normally don't give a shit about other teams) became exposed to him via the NBA Playoffs and thus proclaimed him as an underrated budding superstar.
This all got to Barnes's head, approaching the 2007 off-season with the mentality that he's indeed a budding superstar by firing his agent and setting a full MLE price tag. Disappointed at the disinterest of NBA GMs, Barnes decided to re-sign with the Warriors leading to the worst season of his career as airballed 3-pointers and flagrant fouls comprised his entire in-game arsenal. Hubris, it really hurts.
1. Jamario Moon (TOR)
What the idiots say: See the first page of your favorite internet message board.
In truth: He can dunk.
The skinny: After signing with Toronto in the summer of 2007, nobody knew who Jamario was. When the season started and Moon put up some remarkable all-around stats, an underground movement devoted to fellating the rangy 6'8" swingman mushroomed by the day. Topics about Jamario sprouted on the frontpages of forums - basketball, videogames, yeast infections, it didn't matter. With the amount of hype he's received you would think that he's a super being created from the cells of Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain, bred inside a dilapidated, war torn court to eat, sleep and breathe basketball and eventually unleashed into the unsuspecting world... but in reality, Jamario is essentially a roleplayer who's entirely dependent on his raw athleticism.
Tue, Jul 22, 2008 by Pandaemonaeon
If you've somehow stumbled into this page then you've probably been on an internet message board before about basketball, where non-sensical trade ideas that defy the basic tenets of the CBA (or common sense for that matter) and ridiculous player comparisons run rampant. There's also a strong likelihood you've been exposed to a cult movement of posters who pride themselves in the number of unknown, under-appreciated and under-valued players they can attach themselves into, be it scouring NBADraft.net for next year's top pick to proclaim that they were first (at times even adopting them as their username such as RickyRubio32 or BGriff-OK for added security), masturbating to David West and Jeff Foster's intangibles, or name dropping Carl Landry and Ramon Sessions. Very few people know and appreciate them, but you do!
However just like any other foray in being cool and different, it stagnates, and ultimately leads to the player being over rated as a result of ubiquitous name-dropping and undeserved kudos, as then-Philadelphia 76ers swingman John Salmons (the first recipient of this tag) found out. These players are the Donnie Darko of basketball. They are: the "OVERRATED Underrated".
Below are a small sampling of players representing this genre and it's a toss-up which of them deserves to be the official torch bearer. These are in no particular order so get off my case, you retarded fanboys. They're all equally overrated!
5. Marcus Camby (LAC) What the idiots say: Outstanding defender, heart and hustle.
In truth: Glass bodied weakside shot blocker.
The skinny: A perennial "Defensive Player of the Year" candidate who eventually brought one home in 2007 while anchoring the middle for the worst defensive team in the league, the Denver Nuggets. You might be wondering what he's doing here but that's only because his defensive ability has been greatly exaggerated. Camby is not a great defender; he's a good weakside shotblocker and help defender (where gets most of his blocks) but defensively? You probably won't see anyone gamble more to pad stats (maybe 2004 Larry Hughes) and his post defense is atrocious. But then, these are all commensurate with his body not falling apart yet.
Recently been traded to the LA Clippers for a measly 2nd round pick which is great news for the oft-injured big man given their quality medical facilities.
4. Mickael Pietrus (ORL) What the idiots say: Hyper-athletic swingman, great defender, never got the chance, upside.
In truth: Shitty version of Moe Evans.
The skinny: Drafted by the Golden State Warriors as the 11th over-all pick of the 2003 Draft after hearing of his "French Michael Jordan" moniker, a nickname that's surprisingly quite accurate -- if you're playing for the opposing team that is. Known for his uncanny athletic ability and terrific defense, these skills however are overshadowed and rendered nil by his glaring weaknesses leading Warriors fans to anoint him as the "one-man momentum wrecking crew" with his ability to destroy hard-fought leads or any semblance of momentum with his dazzling array of idiotic moves whether it's bonehead fouls, blowing a wide-open three-pointer by forgetting that he's standing out of bounds, passing the ball to the bleachers or get called for traveling more frequently than an article about Bianca Gonzales's collection of Chuck Taylors. But these all pale in comparison to his basketball IQ which resembles that of Eddie Griffin's corpse.
3. Josh Howard (DAL) What the idiots say: Great all-around player, should have been an all-star.
In truth: A one-dimensional chucking machine... these days at least.
The skinny: I know you've heard this saying far too often but if I had a penny every time someone uses the word "underrated" to describe Josh Howard, poverty would be a thing of the past given the astronomical amount of money I would have amassed. There was a time Howard was a fine all-around player, yep, those were the days. That Howard has been gone for quite a while (since 2006 to be precise), trading away all aspects of what made him so good for the watered-down, first quarter 20ppg chucker that we're seeing now. Josh will routinely chuck and chuck to his heart's content in the first quarter, making most of it as he races to a quick 15-point start and coast for the rest of the game. Much worse is the flipside of this coin as he tends to disappear completely if his shot isn't falling. But who gives a shit? He should have been an all-star!
2. Matt Barnes (PHX) What the idiots say: The "poor man's Shawn Marion".
In truth: A heartthrob to female teenagers who are drawn to his dark, mysterious aura. For serious.
The skinny: Much like Shawn Marion, Barnes was a career journeyman. 10-day contract guy, waiver wire material, trade fodder, you name it. Then came Don Nelson and his Golden State system where poor shot selection and wanton disregard for set plays reigned supreme - Barnes not surprisingly, became an instant sensation. Nevermind that he was connecting on only 40% of his shots, he's putting up 20 points goddamnit! His popularity even soared further as a wider national audience (who normally don't give a shit about other teams) became exposed to him via the NBA Playoffs and thus proclaimed him as an underrated budding superstar.
This all got to Barnes's head, approaching the 2007 off-season with the mentality that he's indeed a budding superstar by firing his agent and setting a full MLE price tag. Disappointed at the disinterest of NBA GMs, Barnes decided to re-sign with the Warriors leading to the worst season of his career as airballed 3-pointers and flagrant fouls comprised his entire in-game arsenal. Hubris, it really hurts.
1. Jamario Moon (TOR) What the idiots say: See the first page of your favorite internet message board.
In truth: He can dunk.
The skinny: After signing with Toronto in the summer of 2007, nobody knew who Jamario was. When the season started and Moon put up some remarkable all-around stats, an underground movement devoted to fellating the rangy 6'8" swingman mushroomed by the day. Topics about Jamario sprouted on the frontpages of forums - basketball, videogames, yeast infections, it didn't matter. With the amount of hype he's received you would think that he's a super being created from the cells of Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain, bred inside a dilapidated, war torn court to eat, sleep and breathe basketball and eventually unleashed into the unsuspecting world... but in reality, Jamario is essentially a roleplayer who's entirely dependent on his raw athleticism.
panda
i dont know if i like you or hate you, cause youre dissing too much.
i dont know if i like you or hate you, cause youre dissing too much.
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