Players you think are underappreciated

[MisterAmazing]

Players you think are underappreciated and don't get enough credit for his accomplishments, role, and/or what he did for his team.

What I think:

Chris Webber
Antoine Walker (to an extent)
Rick Fox
Ron Harper
Tim Hardaway
Glen Rice

[noosaman]

Dirk Nowitzki. He will go out as the most under appreciated great player/person in NBA history.

[Legends66NBA7]

After seeing this:

http://gyazo.com/42b41da6adcd6b2a7189ffcbe9726657.png

Wilt and Kobe have to be 1a/1b.

[RRR3]

After seeing this:

http://gyazo.com/42b41da6adcd6b2a7189ffcbe9726657.png

Wilt and Kobe have to be 1a/1b.
Foots Walker all-time great:bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown:

[MisterAmazing]

After seeing this:

http://gyazo.com/42b41da6adcd6b2a7189ffcbe9726657.png

Wilt and Kobe have to be 1a/1b.

lol what the fvck is that

[Legends66NBA7]

lol what the fvck is that

Fan rating on bball ref.

It's 1 on 1. You vote 1 player over the other with all their stats/accolades/etc... being shown. That said, someone easily put someone like Derek Fisher over Dwyane Wade.

Wilt is #537 and Kobe is #538 out of all the players of all-time, going at it with the likes of Foots Walker, Randy Breuer, and Dudley Brandley. A lot of Wilt and Kobe hating it seems...

[RaininTwos]

After seeing this:

http://gyazo.com/42b41da6adcd6b2a7189ffcbe9726657.png

Wilt and Kobe have to be 1a/1b.
Kobe is even further back, who is voting for this stuff?

This is sad and hilarious at the same time.

[Legends66NBA7]

Kobe is even further back, who is voting for this stuff?

Just the haters for Kobe and Wilt.

[RRR3]

Kobe is even further back, who is voting for this stuff?

This is sad and hilarious at the same time.
Jlauber and Deuce going at it most likely IMO:oldlol:

[HardwoodLegend]

http://www.theclevelandfan.com/images/stories/foots-walker-name.jpg

Foots Walker >>>>>>

Kobe is rated appropriately behind him.

[RRR3]

http://www.theclevelandfan.com/images/stories/foots-walker-name.jpg

Foots Walker >>>>>>

Kobe is rated appropriately behind him.
3rd in assists per game in 1980. GOAT :bowdown:

[L.Kizzle]

Some real answers.

Norm Van Lier
Otis Birdsong
Marques Johnson
Tom Gugliotta
Michael Finley

[HardwoodLegend]

I voted in that all-time head to head basketball-reference.com poll for the first time.

Jason Terry > Dale Ellis
Pau Gasol > Earl Monroe
Rory Sparrow > Paul Dunn
Sidney Wicks > Paul Silas

Did I get it right?

[BankShot]

Shawn Marion

I feel like its easy to forget his ultimate versatility with the Suns, and how vital he was to the Mavericks' champtionship.

[Freedom Kid7]

I think people forget Clyde Drexler was pretty damn good in his heyday.

[noosaman]

Shawn Marion

I feel like its easy to forget his ultimate versatility with the Suns, and how vital he was to the Mavericks' champtionship.

This is a great pick. In my view he was easily the 2nd best Mavs in the championship run.

[L.Kizzle]

Shawn Marion

I feel like its easy to forget his ultimate versatility with the Suns, and how vital he was to the Mavericks' champtionship.
Shawn Mario is this generations Chet Walker or someone like that.

[TheMarkMadsen]

Allen Iverson

Scottie Pippen.

[noosaman]

Allen Iverson

Scottie Pippen.

If anything he;s massively overrated and would have been out of the league within 5 years if he were white and had the same style of play

[Horde of Temujin]

Kurt Thomas - he's been a solid player his whole career. I remember not much fuss being made when PHX traded him AND 2 1st rd picks to SEA for cash, considering that he was their best and only interior defender.

[TheBigVeto]

After seeing this:

http://gyazo.com/42b41da6adcd6b2a7189ffcbe9726657.png

Wilt and Kobe have to be 1a/1b.

Nikkapleaze.

[L.Kizzle]

Kurt Thomas - he's been a solid player his whole career. I remember not much fuss being made when PHX traded him AND 2 1st rd picks to SEA for cash, considering that he was their best and only interior defender.
Poor man's PJ Brown.

[Chrono90]

Allen Iverson

Specially on this site

[MisterAmazing]

Some real answers.

Norm Van Lier
Otis Birdsong
Marques Johnson
Tom Gugliotta
Michael Finley

I thought about Finley too

[Reggie43]

Mark "Action" Jackson and Andre Miller

[tmacman]

Glenn robinson. totally forgot dude had a ring. Averaged 20ppg or more 8 times in his career.

[therammingman]

michael jordan
mychael thompson
derek harper
jack sikma
sabonis
bonzi wells
al harrington
bj armstrong
horace grant
penny
shawn bradley

[Sarcastic]

Allen Iverson

Scottie Pippen.

Pippen just got voted top 30, even though there are probably 10 players that should have been ahead of him.

[StateOfMind12]

James Worthy, people think that Magic created him and Worthy would have been no where without Magic which is full of B.S. Worthy was better than Nique and by a fair margin but nobody seems to recognize that.

[L.Kizzle]

James Worthy, people think that Magic created him and Worthy would have been no where without Magic which is full of B.S. Worthy was better than Nique and by a fair margin but nobody seems to recognize that.
He's better than Pierce too, right?

And he's not better than Nique, by a fare margin. He may be better than the other 80s sf's that are constantly ranked above him like Marques Johnson, Dantley and English. But Nique (and King) not sure about that.

[HardwoodLegend]

Glenn robinson. totally forgot dude had a ring. Averaged 20ppg or more 8 times in his career.

:lol @ his "ring"

His shooting dipped tremendously in the playoffs.

I was a big fan of Big Dog back in the day though. Fun player to watch in the regular season.

[StateOfMind12]

He's better than Pierce too, right?
I'm not sure, it's close though. I would probably go with Pierce, both are better than Dominique though.


And he's not better than Nique, by a fare margin. He may be better than the other 80s sf's that are constantly ranked above him like Marques Johnson, Dantley and English. But Nique (and King) not sure about that.
Worthy was easily better than Nique. Worthy was more consistent, a better playoff performer, and a better defender than Nique. There was poll in the 80s that stated that Nique was the least interested player in playing defense.

[fpliii]

Dr. J

[Horatio33]

Tim Duncan and Pau Gasol.

[el gringos]

Currently it's Carmelo and Bargnani. Because teams are build stupidly built around him and a lot of fans relate team success for pure talent

[Smoke117]

Neither Antoine Walker or Glenn Robinson are under appreciated. They were both chuckers. Who cares that Glenn Robinson averaged 20+ points for 8 seasons. He didn't do it efficiently and we know that Walkers level of efficiency was absolute crap. All Glenn Robinson did was take shots away from Ray Allen who was a far superior scorer.

[pauk]

Pete Maravich
Wes Unseld
Walt Frazier
Elvin Hayes
George Gervin
Kevin McHale
Dolph Schayes
Bob Pettit
George Mikan
Bob Cousy
John Havlicek
Neil Johnston
Glen Rice
Dale Ellis

and my number 1s.....

ADRIAN DANTLEY = How this 6'5" perimeter scoring behemoth that averaged at least 30 PPG at least 4-5 times on 55-58% FG goes under the radar i have no idea...

WILLIS REED = How a guy that dropped amazing numbers and accomplished 2 FMVPs & 2 Championships & 1 MVP amongst the toughest competition gets no Top 30 consideration (at least not on ISH)... i have no idea...

[wally_world]

Shawn Marion

I feel like its easy to forget his ultimate versatility with the Suns, and how vital he was to the Mavericks' champtionship.

This is a good one

Some guys on my list: Rod Strickland, Brian Shaw, Mike Bibby (prime), Kendall Gill

[colts19]

Mel Daniels
Freddy Lewis
Big Mac George Mcginnis
Charley Scott
Dan Issel

[blacknapalm]

bill walton
wes unseld
moses malone
cedric ceballos (guy averaged like 23.5 pts on 51.5% to go with 8 rebounds in his first six seasons. incredible offensive rebounder and had a knack of scoring layups inside. only knock on him was that he pretty much only looked for his own shot. think of him as a super souped up version of carl landry)
tony gugliotta
latrell sprewell
james worthy
kevin mchale
mitch richmond
adrian dantley
chris mullin
john stockton

[Optimus Prime]

I just logged on to say Foots Walker :bowdown:

:kobe:

[RaininTwos]

James Worthy, people think that Magic created him and Worthy would have been no where without Magic which is full of B.S. Worthy was better than Nique and by a fair margin but nobody seems to recognize that.
:biggums:

[rhythmic]

The posters in this thread already said the two players I consider extremely underappreciated.

Shawn Marion and James Worthy, I always thought they played under the radar and could have done more if needed. But just like Pippen, they were happy with their role and elevated their games when their teams needed them the most.

I also think Gerald Wallace is underappreciated as well, same with Andre Iguadala. I really value these type of players who genuinely try to do a little bit of everything for their team to win a game.

[Horde of Temujin]

Poor man's PJ Brown.

That's not necessarily a bad thing, as long as you temper your expectations, hes a solid role player.

[TaLvsCuaL]

Al Jefferson, Pau Gasol, Zach Randolph, Ginobili, Jose Calderon, Elton Brand, Glen Davis, Marc Gasol,Wesley Matthews, Kevin Love, Andre Miller, Millsap, Luis Scola, Gerald Wallace, Splitter and some others.

[Pushxx]

Dennis Johnson

[bizil]

In terms of a true superstar player who had notoriety, was great for a long time, revolutionized the game, and helped make the L huge during the Golden Era, Nique is the most underappreciated in that sense. Some superstars like English or Dantley are underrated too. But they didn't have the crossover appeal of Nique. Nor did they do as much for the L in terms of ratings and putting asses in seats all over the circuit. The All Star Weekend as we know it was built on Dr. J, Bird, Magic, Isiah, MJ, and Nique. Nique has scored more points in the NBA than ANY SF ever as well! But yet he's seen by many as a one dimensional player, selfish, not a superstar, etc. Which is all bull shit! During his era , Nique was one of the top 5-6 rebounding SF's in the L. Even with players currently in the L today, u can't name many SF's who have averaged at least 9 rebounds in a season. The only guy I can think of recently is a Gerald Wallace. And a couple of years before a guy like Marion.

In regards to Worthy vs. Nique, I gotta lean to Nique. Worthy may be the better all around player. But the better all around player ISN'T the better player in all cases. And trust me, it sure does help to have played with four other HOFers as well in their primes, peaks, or backend primes (Magic, Kareem, McAdoo, Wilkes) Not to mention very good All Star type guys in Nixon and Byron Scott. I'm not saying James wasn't Batman quality or a great player. But Nique never had close to that kind of team to play with. Nique was on the level of Dr.J, Bird, King, and Barry in terms of TOTALLY dominating a game scoring. All five of these guys are blood thirsty killers who can carry teams. So this shouldn't be just shoved to the side SIMPLY because Nique wasn't a NBA champ. Or because he wasn't a point forward type SF. Nique gave u premium scoring takeover ability like few others EVER in the L.

[bizil]

Reggie Theus
Dan Issel
Detlef Schrempf
George Mcginnis
Roger Brown (ABA guy but had to give him props)
Rod Strickland (arguably the best player to never make a All Star game)
Sam Cassell
Allan Houston
Steve Smith

[Raz]

cedric ceballos (guy averaged like 23.5 pts on 51.5% to go with 8 rebounds in his first six seasons. incredible offensive rebounder and had a knack of scoring layups inside. only knock on him was that he pretty much only looked for his own shot. think of him as a super souped up version of carl landry)


Holy shit. This is the worst and least accurate description of Ceballos.
-You must have been looking at his PER-36 stats.
-Knocks on Ced: non-existent D, couldn't create for others.
-Pros: scored 20 with barely touching the ball, great shooter within the 3 point line, strong rebounder for a SF, creative finisher over opponents and in tight spaces, used his butt well like CB34
-Carl Landry? Seriously man, Carl Landry? What a crappy comparison. There are no players currently in the league that remind me of Ced - maybe a little bit of Jamison, and a little bit of Marion. Though the 3 of them are all very unique in their own right, and none of them have comparable NBA players.

[lilgodfather1]

Elgin Baylor was the first that came to mind.

Another couple of players who I have never personally seen more than a handful of games of are The Ice Man, and Unseld.

Players who are currently underappreciated, or underappreciated lately are imo Marion (2004-2007), Odom (2008-2010), Kyrie Irving, George Hill, and LeBron (2007-2008).

[StateOfMind12]

In regards to Worthy vs. Nique, I gotta lean to Nique. Worthy may be the better all around player. But the better all around player ISN'T the better player in all cases.
The thing is though is that Worthy would have been just fine on his own and he deserves credit for being able to adapt on such a great team. Portability (i.e. being able to adapt on great teams) gets very underrated. I don't know why people care so much how some players can lead a bad team into a playoff team because it doesn't really matter if you aren't winning a title or close to it. It's a matter of winning championships and Worthy was great at it.

I'll make it more simple though...

Neither Nique or Worthy (although never proven) are capable of winning a title as the #1 guy but Worthy was much better as a 2nd/3rd/4th/etc. option than Nique was because of the way Worthy played. That is why Worthy was better than Nique to me.

[MiseryCityTexas]

Pau Gasol.

[MiseryCityTexas]

Holy shit. This is the worst and least accurate description of Ceballos.
-You must have been looking at his PER-36 stats.
-Knocks on Ced: non-existent D, couldn't create for others.
-Pros: scored 20 with barely touching the ball, great shooter within the 3 point line, strong rebounder for a SF, creative finisher over opponents and in tight spaces, used his butt well like CB34
-Carl Landry? Seriously man, Carl Landry? What a crappy comparison. There are no players currently in the league that remind me of Ced - maybe a little bit of Jamison, and a little bit of Marion. Though the 3 of them are all very unique in their own right, and none of them have comparable NBA players.

Richard Dumas was basically a taller Cedric Ceballos on crack.

[jlip]

any player who specializes in something other than scoring

[dunksby]

Stockton, Malone, Payton and Kemp are punished for something out of their hands.

[tmacattack33]

Wade.

Especially on here lately, as there was a Ray Allen peak vs Wade peak thread. Which was just hysterical.

Peak Wade was maybe the best in the league. Peak Ray Allen was probably top 10 at best.

[bizil]

The thing is though is that Worthy would have been just fine on his own and he deserves credit for being able to adapt on such a great team. Portability (i.e. being able to adapt on great teams) gets very underrated. I don't know why people care so much how some players can lead a bad team into a playoff team because it doesn't really matter if you aren't winning a title or close to it. It's a matter of winning championships and Worthy was great at it.

I'll make it more simple though...

Neither Nique or Worthy (although never proven) are capable of winning a title as the #1 guy but Worthy was much better as a 2nd/3rd/4th/etc. option than Nique was because of the way Worthy played. That is why Worthy was better than Nique to me.

I think u could win a ring with Nique as your number one scoring option. Or best player on the team. People tend to forget how the Hawks were rolling in the Eastern Conference BEFORE he was traded for Danny Manning. The reason why that team was so successful is because u had arguably the best defensive backcourt in the L during that time in Augmon and Blaylock. Blaylock was averaging 14 points and damn near 10 dimes. U also had a All Star PF in Willis who was getting 19 points and 12 boards. So when u have a guy like Nique who can takeover a game scoring the way he can, Nique can lead a team like this to the NBA Finals. With the Bulls outta the picture, the Hawks had enough to make it to NBA Finals.

And u can't just discount those Hawks teams in the 80's that Nique led to 50 wins multiple times. And u can't forget who Nique and the Hawks had to go up against back in the day. We are talking teams with multiple HOFers! Other than Nique playing with Moses, when did he EVER play with another HOFer in their peak, prime, or backend prime. U can't!

[D.J.]

Mitch Richmond
Shawn Marion
Detlef Schrempf
Kerry Kittles

[StateOfMind12]

With the Bulls outta the picture, the Hawks had enough to make it to NBA Finals.
The Bulls were not the team that was getting in the Hawks way. The only time the Hawks lost to the Bulls in the post-season was in 1993 in 1st round and they got completely swept.

Nique never made it to a conference finals in his career.


And u can't just discount those Hawks teams in the 80's that Nique led to 50 wins multiple times. And u can't forget who Nique and the Hawks had to go up against back in the day.
They were the same players that Worthy had to go up against...


We are talking teams with multiple HOFers! Other than Nique playing with Moses, when did he EVER play with another HOFer in their peak, prime, or backend prime. U can't!
I'm not sure if this is a valid argument because Nique's Hawks were still pretty good. Worthy could create his own shot and was unstoppable in the post. It's not like Magic spoon-fed him all the points like what most people think.

[blablabla]

Marbury

[imdaman99]

Glenn robinson. totally forgot dude had a ring. Averaged 20ppg or more 8 times in his career.
what team did he get a ring with?

[bizil]

The Bulls were not the team that was getting in the Hawks way. The only time the Hawks lost to the Bulls in the post-season was in 1993 in 1st round and they got completely swept.

Nique never made it to a conference finals in his career.


They were the same players that Worthy had to go up against...


I'm not sure if this is a valid argument because Nique's Hawks were still pretty good. Worthy could create his own shot and was unstoppable in the post. It's not like Magic spoon-fed him all the points like what most people think.

WOW! lol Worthy played on an all time great team in the Showtime Lakers!!! How dare u simplify shit by saying Worthy had to go up against the same teams. Shiiiiiiit! Look at the team Worthy played on. He had two of the GOAT five players of all time. He had two other HOFers in McAdoo and Wilkes. So Worthy was MUCH MORE EQUIPPED to battle those epic teams like the Sixers, Celtics, and Pistons out East. Or out West up against the Mavs, Rockets, Blazers, etc.

Nique's Hawks were pretty good due to Nique's excellence scoring the rock. If u take Nique off those Hawks teams, I don't think they even make the playoffs. U take Worthy off the Lakers, they still are a playoff team and threat out West to win it all. Magic, Kareem, Nixon, Scott, Wilkes, and McAdoo would have picked up their scoring more. I'm not saying they would have been as good, but they still would have been a title contender.

I never said Worthy couldn't get his own. Hell a Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles can see that shit. But let's say the Lakers have a team on the floor with Magic, Nixon (another very underappreciated PG, Norm was SICK!), Wilkes, Worthy, and Kareem. U got five all stars and four Hall of Famers. Just due to the epic talent, it lends itself for everybody to get easier shots. It's not about Magic spoon feeding. What about Kareem, who demanded a double team on the block. What about Wilkes who was a deadly combo of midrange game and slashing ability. What about Norm who could break u down off the dribble at will and drop dimes. And LAST BUT NOT LEAST what about Magic who was an awesome scorer when he needed to be himself. Not to mention later on during the dynasty when they could throw a lineup with Magic, Scott, Worthy, McAdoo, and Kareem!

In regards to the Bulls, how could u say they weren't in the Hawks way. The Bulls WERE IN EVERYBODY'S WAY OUT EAST. U do realize the Hawks and Bulls were BOTH in the Central Division don't u? With MJ going to baseball, it opened it up for the ENTIRE LEAGUE! Especially in the East and more SPECIFICALLY in the Central Division.

And Nique never made a conference final largely due to the teams he played on. Ask Bird, Isiah, Magic, MJ, Barkley, Walton, Dr. J, Ainge, and McHale. I've heard all of them say Nique is one of premier SF's of all time PERIOD! All were stunned that Nique didn't acheive accolades like 1st ballot HOF or the 50 greatest lists.

[D.J.]

what team did he get a ring with?


Spurs in '05.

[StateOfMind12]

WOW! lol Worthy played on an all time great team in the Showtime Lakers!!! How dare u simplify shit by saying Worthy had to go up against the same teams. Shiiiiiiit! Look at the team Worthy played on. He had two of the GOAT five players of all time. He had two other HOFers in McAdoo and Wilkes. So Worthy was MUCH MORE EQUIPPED to battle those epic teams like the Sixers, Celtics, and Pistons out East. Or out West up against the Mavs, Rockets, Blazers, etc.
I was referring to the players they went up against. I thought you were talking about how Nique had really tough competition at the SF spot but Worthy was playing at Nique's time as well and he also went up against the same competition at the SF spot.


Nique's Hawks were pretty good due to Nique's excellence scoring the rock. If u take Nique off those Hawks teams, I don't think they even make the playoffs. U take Worthy off the Lakers, they still are a playoff team and threat out West to win it all. Magic, Kareem, Nixon, Scott, Wilkes, and McAdoo would have picked up their scoring more. I'm not saying they would have been as good, but they still would have been a title contender.

The late 80s/early 90s Lakers were not a title contender without Worthy, not at all. The early 80s Lakers were because they were title contenders even before he joined the team but not the late 80s when Kareem started declining even more and as Worthy's role became more pivotal.

Plus, I don't think we can blame Worthy for playing on a great team. He did a great job adapting to the team which is something I'm not sure Nique could do because of his playing style.

Like I said, I'll take Worthy due to being more consistent, better all-around player specifically on defense, and a much better post-season performer. Worthy is one of the few players in NBA history that produces better numbers in the post-season than he does in the regular season.

[InspiredLebowski]

Glenn Robinson is one of the biggest wastes of talent in NBA history. The guy could've been an all timer if he hadn't gotten lazy once he got paid.

[TheBigVeto]

I hate the Lakers, but Pau Gasol is the correct answer to this thread. Saved the franchise and was instrumental in getting them 2 more rings, but all he got from that franchise fanbase was "Gasoft this" and "Gasoft that". This, after he almost singlehandedly beat the US basketball team in the recent olympics.

[Rnbizzle]

I agree, Pau Gasol is underrated.

[Teanett]

gasol