Clyde Drexler is underated.

[L.Kizzle]

I am currently watching the NBATV Hardwood Classisc game, between Porltland and Dallas from 1985's 1st round playoffs. Clyde Drexler is currently in his secod season and 1st as a full time starter. He is matched up against current All-Star Rolando Blackman.


One of the knocks on this board about Clyde is that his defense is horrible. He was playing some good defenseolando Blackman, as the announcers point out every 3 minutes or so. When compared to players like Pippen, most say he isn't 1/10th the defender Scottie is. WhilemI know he is not as good as a defender as Pip was, he was not that bad.

[DreamRockets]

drexler's defense wasn't bad, but it was undisciplined at times, and he didn't bring his A game on D night by night, thats the same knock used on tmac's and kobe's defense.

[dejordan]

love clyde the glide. think that for a guy who took two teams to the finals as a #1 option and then was the #2 man on a title team, he is sometimes overlooked. his numbers pale next to michael's, but they stand out over guys like reggie and mitch. also he's one of those grant hill / garnett types who moved the ball around maybe more than he should have and might have been a little too unselfish for the good of his team (besides which you know how rick adleman likes to spread the wealth and get everybody open j's instead of running isos). defensively he was kind of like karl malone. he could always do a great job, but he only really gave it the 100% effort when he felt like he had to. he was however a superb shot blocking guard and passing lane player and rotated very well in a team concept. i think clyde's playmaking and rebounding are somewhat overlooked because they don't make the highlight vids, especially his offensive rebounding (averaged more than 2 offensive boards per game for his career). as far as him being overall underrated, i don't know. he gets a lot of love on the boards i think.

[GMATCallahan]

I am currently watching the NBATV Hardwood Classisc game, between Porltland and Dallas from 1985's 1st round playoffs. Clyde Drexler is currently in his secod season and 1st as a full time starter. He is matched up against current All-Star Rolando Blackman.


One of the knocks on this board about Clyde is that his defense is horrible. He was playing some good defenseolando Blackman, as the announcers point out every 3 minutes or so. When compared to players like Pippen, most say he isn't 1/10th the defender Scottie is. WhilemI know he is not as good as a defender as Pip was, he was not that bad.

Drexler was an incredible force, easily one of the greatest off-guards and open-court players of all-time. He could slash to the basket and finish with anyone, he was Michael Jordan's equal as a pure athlete and he might have been even more dangerous in the open court, he combined speed with strength to creating whipping power, and he was an excellent rebounder and passer for his position. Indeed, his wingspan was amazing and he fused fluidity with economy. Drexler could also shoot from the perimeter and defend, and he led two teams to the NBA Finals and won a championship as the number-two guy in '95.

Even though "Clyde the Glide" is in the Hall of Fame, I think that Drexler and Kevin Johnson might be the two most underrated players from the late 1980s and 1990s. After Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan, Drexler and K.J. are right there with any guards in NBA history.

[GMATCallahan]

love clyde the glide. think that for a guy who took two teams to the finals as a #1 option and then was the #2 man on a title team, he is sometimes overlooked. his numbers pale next to michael's, but they stand out over guys like reggie and mitch. also he's one of those grant hill / garnett types who moved the ball around maybe more than he should have and might have been a little too unselfish for the good of his team (besides which you know how rick adleman likes to spread the wealth and get everybody open j's instead of running isos). defensively he was kind of like karl malone. he could always do a great job, but he only really gave it the 100% effort when he felt like he had to. he was however a superb shot blocking guard and passing lane player and rotated very well in a team concept. i think clyde's playmaking and rebounding are somewhat overlooked because they don't make the highlight vids, especially his offensive rebounding (averaged more than 2 offensive boards per game for his career). as far as him being overall underrated, i don't know. he gets a lot of love on the boards i think.

And Drexler was still a much better pure scorer than either Hill or Garnett, hence his vastly superior playoff success.

One knock on Drexler was that he didn't play hard every night, but that appearance might have stemmed from his seemingless effortless style. After joining the Blazers, Danny Ainge stated that he learned that Drexler actually played harder than anyone he'd ever played with, including Larry Bird.

[PMshooter]

Troublesome.


(audio is nsfw) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-b2Jtv4qJI (audio is nsfw)

Clyde's my favorite baller ever. Just ahead of Chuck and Ewing. I think he's getting a little more props recently, I don't know why that's changed. Maybe now that we're a little removed from Jordan, people are generally more aware of the great players that were his contemporaries.

[malek4980]

Drexler was named one of the top 50 players of all time. That suggests that he was overrated if anything.

[DreamRockets]

nope, that suggests there weren't 50 players better than him.

[PMshooter]

nope, that suggests there weren't 50 players better than him.

That must hurt. 1s and 0s hurt. All 4,980 of you.

[Loki]

Drexler was a tremendous passer and rebounder from the SG position, and it's something that most people overlook. Not just open court or flashy passes, either, but passes in the halfcourt off screen/rolls and on the interior, too. Just great vision and good touch. One of the best rebounding guards ever (only guys in the last 15 years who belong in that convo with him are MJ and Kidd, unless I'm forgetting someone).

[Derek]

The thing is Clyde is remembered simply for his dunking and leaping ability when he was in fact a tremendous scorer. He was also a good rebounder for a 6'7" guy playing the 2. During his potential MVP season, he averaged like 25/6/6. His defense was decent at times, but like McGrady, Kobe, and some others, only used it at certain times. You have to bring your defensive game every night.

[DreamRockets]

and people always discredit his ring cause of hakeem, but some forget clyde was great that year too, in the last game vs the spurs he had 40 pts, one of few times in history 2 players in the same team score 40 a piece in a playoffs game.

[L.Kizzle]

and people always discredit his ring cause of hakeem, but some forget clyde was great that year too, in the last game vs the spurs he had 40 pts, one of few times in history 2 players in the same team score 40 a piece in a playoffs game.

21/5/7 in the playoffs that season. Also, in his 2nd season he averaged 9.2 assist in the playoffs. He is one of the top rebounding guards along with Oscar, Magic, Fat, MJ and Kidd.

[glidedrxlr22]

He's my favorite alltime player, hence my name. He didn't garner as much attention back in the day because he played for a small market team. I think he got his due back then, but nowadays some of you might not remember him because we're in a different era.

He played with a high level of athletecism....think Shawn Marion with a better jump shot, but not as good a rebounder as Marion. He was a gazelle on the fastbreak and he had this jumping style where he bends his knees back and it looks like he got major air and hangtime because of that style. Back in 1989 he's the player that made me a Blazers fan. That and the fact that he's classy.

[DreamRockets]

true, i'll choose him over prima donna kobe bryant anyday :D

glide easily replaces kobe those years,

and yes im a kobe h@ter i won't even try to deny it.

[plupiter]

Yes, absolutely an incredible player.

I was thinking about him tangentially the last couple of days after I saw Ric Bucher argue for Hakeem being ahead of Shaq on the all-time center list. Bucher's only argument was that Shaq had more help than Hakeem, which seems strange because Russell, Wilt, and Kareem all had more help than Hakeem, so why single Shaq out in this regard?

Clearly in '94 Hakeem seemed to be surrounded primarily with role players. But who was the better second banana Drexler in '95 or Bryant in '00? Here's a look at their regular season stats:

Drexler (in Houston): 21.4 pts, 7 rebs, 4.4 asts, 1.8 stls, 51% fg
Bryant: 22.5 pts, 6.3 rebs, 4.9 asts, 1.6 stls, 47% fg

Here are the playoff stats:

Drexler: 20.5 pts, 7 rebs, 5 asts, 1.5 stls, 48% fg
Bryant: 21.1 pts, 4.5 rebs, 4.4 asts, 1.9 stls, 44% fg

[GMATCallahan]

and people always discredit his ring cause of hakeem, but some forget clyde was great that year too, in the last game vs the spurs he had 40 pts, one of few times in history 2 players in the same team score 40 a piece in a playoffs game.

Actually, that double-40 effort came in Game Four of the 1995 First Round versus the Jazz, but certainly the Rockets wouldn't have sniffed the championship without Drexler that season. In Game Seven of the Western Conference Semifinals, he out-scored Barkley 29-18, which was important because Kevin Johnson out-scored Olajuwon 46-37. As it turned out, Houston won 115-114.

[DreamRockets]

really ? cant believe i was so off, to be honest i was just talking out of my ass regarding in what game it happened :D but i was sure it happened that year.

[GMATCallahan]

Drexler was a tremendous passer and rebounder from the SG position, and it's something that most people overlook. Not just open court or flashy passes, either, but passes in the halfcourt off screen/rolls and on the interior, too. Just great vision and good touch. One of the best rebounding guards ever (only guys in the last 15 years who belong in that convo with him are MJ and Kidd, unless I'm forgetting someone).

You could argue for Paul Pierce when he's played guard, but Drexler was way up there, literally and figuratively.

[Loki]

You could argue for Paul Pierce when he's played guard, but Drexler was way up there, literally and figuratively.

Yeah, Pierce is great too. Dude's a horse. Don't know why I always took him for 6'7"-6'8". NBA.com and bbr.com have him at 6'6". He's thick, though.

[GMATCallahan]

He's my favorite alltime player, hence my name. He didn't garner as much attention back in the day because he played for a small market team. I think he got his due back then, but nowadays some of you might not remember him because we're in a different era.

He played with a high level of athletecism....think Shawn Marion with a better jump shot, but not as good a rebounder as Marion. He was a gazelle on the fastbreak and he had this jumping style where he bends his knees back and it looks like he got major air and hangtime because of that style. Back in 1989 he's the player that made me a Blazers fan. That and the fact that he's classy.

And Drexler was a vastly superior passer and ball-handler compared to Marion.

If Drexler had played in New York, he'd be a legend.

[Derek]

Yeah, Pierce is great too. Dude's a horse. Don't know why I always took him for 6'7"-6'8". NBA.com and bbr.com have him at 6'6". He's thick, though.


6'5"-6'6", but a solid 230. Kind of like Q Richardson. These guys are built like tanks.

[L.Kizzle]

And Drexler was a vastly superior passer and ball-handler compared to Marion.

If Drexler had played in New York, he'd be a legend.

He is a Legend .... Oh that type of Legend.

[GMATCallahan]

Yeah, Pierce is great too. Dude's a horse. Don't know why I always took him for 6'7"-6'8". NBA.com and bbr.com have him at 6'6". He's thick, though.

It's a shame that Danny Ainge has been wasting Pierce's prime. I know that Ainge means well and he does possess an eye for talent, but he's let precious year after precious year evaporate. Players with Pierce's pure scoring ability combined with an all-around game come along once every ten years for a franchise (at best).

Also, Doc Rivers needs to go. Why is everyone but Ainge aware that a change is needed?

[Derek]

It's a shame that Danny Ainge has been wasting Pierce's prime. I know that Ainge means well and he does possess an eye for talent, but he's let precious year after precious year evaporate. Players with Pierce's pure scoring ability combined with an all-around game come along once every ten years for a franchise (at best).

Also, Doc Rivers needs to go. Why is everyone but Ainge aware that a change is needed?


Their first shot was 2002. They were half way to beating the Nets for the East title. They blew that. They regained Antoine Walker in 2005 and won the Atlantic. Couldn't even defeat an Artest-less Pacer team. Two chances and they blew both. Pierce could have been so much better if 1)They kept Antoine Walker or 2)Traded him after the 2002-03 season.

[GMATCallahan]

Their first shot was 2002. They were half way to beating the Nets for the East title. They blew that. They regained Antoine Walker in 2005 and won the Atlantic. Couldn't even defeat an Artest-less Pacer team. Two chances and they blew both. Pierce could have been so much better if 1)They kept Antoine Walker or 2)Traded him after the 2002-03 season.

Well, they did trade Walker after '03.

'02 marked the Celtics' best shot, but they ran out of steam in a series that they certainly could have won. That summer, they traded Kenny Anderson and let Rodney Rogers go and have been slowly declining ever since.

[DreamRockets]

Yes, absolutely an incredible player.

I was thinking about him tangentially the last couple of days after I saw Ric Bucher argue for Hakeem being ahead of Shaq on the all-time center list. Bucher's only argument was that Shaq had more help than Hakeem, which seems strange because Russell, Wilt, and Kareem all had more help than Hakeem, so why single Shaq out in this regard?

Clearly in '94 Hakeem seemed to be surrounded primarily with role players. But who was the better second banana Drexler in '95 or Bryant in '00? Here's a look at their regular season stats:

Drexler (in Houston): 21.4 pts, 7 rebs, 4.4 asts, 1.8 stls, 51% fg
Bryant: 22.5 pts, 6.3 rebs, 4.9 asts, 1.6 stls, 47% fg

Here are the playoff stats:

Drexler: 20.5 pts, 7 rebs, 5 asts, 1.5 stls, 48% fg
Bryant: 21.1 pts, 4.5 rebs, 4.4 asts, 1.9 stls, 44% fg

if hakeem had only won a ring in 95 and hadnt won without drexler then shaq would be WAY above him, because as you point out bryant wasn't much of a superstar in the 1st championship they got, in fact he averaged 15 ppg on 38% shooting in the finals vs indiana, but because of that ring in 94 hakeem ranks above shaq IMO, what i don't see is why is seen as sacrilege to suggest that shaq or hakeem could be above wilt ? shaq won WAY more, and while wilt didnt have the sidekicks shaq had he had Hof supporting casts from top to bottom, russell get's far too much credit IMO, he is no doubt top 5, but all the top 5 have multiple championships, and all of them could carry the scoring load, escept russell, he should be 5th behind kareem, wilt, hakeem and shaq, in that order.

[Shep]

But who was the better second banana Drexler in '95 or Bryant in '00?
bryant. easily. kobe was the best shooting guard in the nba in '00 and top six overall, drexler, while also being the best shooting guard, was 14th overall in '95, while kobe was the sidekick for a 67 win team compared to drexler with a 47 win team.

he should be 5th behind kareem, wilt, hakeem and shaq, in that order.
all time centers? i'd say wilt, abdul-jabbar, robinson, olajuwon, shaq

[Loki]

bryant. easily. kobe was the best shooting guard in the nba in '00 and top six overall, drexler, while also being the best shooting guard, was 14th overall in '95, while kobe was the sidekick for a 67 win team compared to drexler with a 47 win team.

all time centers? i'd say wilt, abdul-jabbar, robinson, olajuwon, shaq

Kobe was certainly not top 6 in the NBA in 2000. Guys who were ahead of him based on impact, stats etc.:

Shaq
Duncan
KG
Malone
Payton
Webber
Mourning
Hill
Kidd
Iverson

Maybe one or two of those are arguable, but not 5 of them. Also, is Drexler at #14 your personal ranking, or are you going by some stat? I only ask because to have ranked guys all the way down to #14 is a bit unusual.

[DreamRockets]

bryant. easily. kobe was the best shooting guard in the nba in '00 and top six overall, drexler, while also being the best shooting guard, was 14th overall in '95, while kobe was the sidekick for a 67 win team compared to drexler with a 47 win team.

the lakers had better chemistry, a better bench, a better coach, and shaq had simply one of the greatest individual seasons of all-time that year, whereas hakeem's best season was 1994, not 1995, kobe was so high in the Sg's scale because of weak competition at the 2, drexler was so low because of great competition at the 2, bryant 2000 and drexler 1995 are highly comparable, people always underrated clyde so much, he averaged a near triple double in the finals (21/9/7 and shot 50%) kobe averaged 15 ppg on 37% shooting and shaq pretty much had to beat the pacers himself.


all time centers? i'd say wilt, abdul-jabbar, robinson, olajuwon, shaq

i just don't like the notion of "russell has 11 ring so he is the best, end of the story" logic, he gets far too much love IMO, like the babe ruth of baseball.

[GOBB]

Only guy who could dribble with his head down the majority of his career. :lol:

[L.Kizzle]

Only guy who could dribble with his head down the majority of his career. :lol:

And know whos behind him.

[Shep]

Kobe was certainly not top 6 in the NBA in 2000
actually, he was

Guys who were ahead of him based on impact, stats etc.:

Shaq

correct

Duncan
correct

KG
correct

Malone
incorrect

Payton
correct

Webber
correct

Mourning
incorrect

Hill
not even close

Kidd
incorrect

Iverson
incorrect

Also, is Drexler at #14 your personal ranking, or are you going by some stat?
personal ranking :D

I only ask because to have ranked guys all the way down to #14 is a bit unusual.
i have every player ranked from every season in nba history, provided they qualify

a better bench
cassell > fisher

whereas hakeem's best season was 1994, not 1995
1993 actually

kobe was so high in the Sg's scale because of weak competition at the 2, drexler was so low because of great competition at the 2
lol..i said drexler was the best 2 in the game in 1995.

bottom line is this dude.. you can make excuses about how dominant shaq was, how phil is the greatest coach ever, only to an extent.. but the undeniable facts remain: kobe had slightly better stats, won 20 more games, and was all defense first team. houston was only 17-18 with drexler.

[Zan Tabak]

When he was playing he wasn't underrated..now it looks like he might be..

[DreamRockets]

bottom line is this dude.. you can make excuses about how dominant shaq was, how phil is the greatest coach ever, only to an extent.. but the undeniable facts remain: kobe had slightly better stats, won 20 more games, and was all defense first team. houston was only 17-18 with drexler.

he didnt win those games, thats the whole point, you and i probably were watching a different league but that was the year when shaq averaged 30/14/4/3 and won MVP in the biggest landslide in nba history, HE won those games, kobe was nothing but robin to shaq's batman.

[dejordan]

he didnt win those games, thats the whole point, you and i probably were watching a different league but that was the year when shaq averaged 30/14/4/3 and won MVP in the biggest landslide in nba history, HE won those games, kobe was nothing but robin to shaq's batman.
also clyde joined the rockets late in the season, so they had to adjust to life with a new big scorer and a departed bigtime rebounder. on top of which they had a very tough schedule to end the season. i looked it at in an argument earlier (with you dreamrocket if i recall:cheers: ) and they had to deal with utah, orlando, new york, san antonio, phoenix, seattle, and san antonio, most of them multiple times. anyway i don't know that that proves that 95 clyde was better / more valuable than 2000 kobe, but you can't drop a tough late record for the rockets entirely on glide.

[DreamRockets]

clyde's overall stats were better, he shot better (51%) and averaged 7 assists, in game 5 vs utah drexler scored 40 points, hakeem also scored 40 something, to become one of few duos to scored 40 in a playoff game in history, bryant didn't crack 40pt even once in the 2000 lakers run, and barely scored 30+ a couple times, while shaq scored 40pt+ 6 times, grabbed 20+ rebounds 6 times, scored 40pt 3 times in the finals, bryant averaged 15 ppg and shot 37% in the finals, clyde averaged 22 ppg and shot 50% in the finals vs a better team than the indiana crew LA faced, just admit it, 1995 drexler was better than 2000 kobe in the playoffs and finals (the stages of the nba that TRULY matter) so stop underrating him :banghead:

[Shep]

he didnt win those games
:oldlol: did drexler win games in houston? hakeem won games in houston, and when drexler arrived, hakeem didn't even do that for .500 :roll:

you and i probably were watching a different league
more than likely

but that was the year when shaq averaged 30/14/4/3 and won MVP in the biggest landslide in nba history
wilt chamberlains 1967 was the biggest landslide in mvp history

HE won those games, kobe was nothing but robin to shaq's batman
and i'm not denying this, but drexler was the same, albeit winning less than half of his games

also clyde joined the rockets late in the season, so they had to adjust to life with a new big scorer and a departed bigtime rebounder
:violin: ..you trade a crap player for legitimate star, and you lose more than you win..makes sense :confusedshrug:

on top of which they had a very tough schedule to end the season
:violin: heh, lost 3 times to san antonio :D

anyway i don't know that that proves that 95 clyde was better
you're right, it doesn't

clyde's overall stats were better
wrong

he shot better (51%) and averaged 7 assists
when did this happen?

bryant averaged 15 ppg and shot 37% in the finals
brought down by playing 9 minutes in game 2, because of a sprained ankle. in games where he played more than 9 minutes on a sprained ankle: 19 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.25 steals, and 1.5 blocks. the lakers lost game 3 because kobe didn't play, but he came back in game four and sparked the lakers to a huge road victory showing the world he how good he really is WHEN IT COUNTS and in the clutch, after shaq had fouled out. bryant scored 8 of his team's 16 points in overtime, falling one short of the Finals record. on a bad ankle bryant had played 47 minutes, scoring 28 points, reminiscent of michael jordans 1997 game 5, but obviously to a lesser extent.

just admit it, 1995 drexler was better than 2000 kobe in the playoffs and finals
just killed it

so stop underrating him
i'm not underrating him, i've said drexler was the 14th best in the nba in 1995, and best shooting guard..you're the only one who's underrating someone here..

[tenzan]

Uh no, Drexler was widely considered the second best 2 guard of his time only behind Jordan.

[dejordan]

:violin: heh, lost 3 times to san antonio :D


:cheers: heh, beat them 4 times in the playoffs :pimp:
can't find clyde's stats for the series, but i know he dropped 40 on them in one game, and since his overall average for the playoffs was 20.5 [(48% shooting), 7 brds, 5 dimes, 1.5 stls], i'm pretty sure his numbers for that series must have been pretty nice for a second option perimeter player on an inside - out team (just like kobe was). again, i don't claim that anyone can PROVE that clyde was better than 2000 kobe in that title run, but your lazy dismissals and lack of backup aren't proving the opposite either.

[Da_Realist]

I just wanted to show off this reverse layup

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slzLBKaXP5g

[OldSchoolBBall]

I just wanted to show off this reverse layup

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slzLBKaXP5g

One of my favorite plays by Drexler. The extension and english he puts on the ball is amazing.

[eliteballer]

He's not underrated. He gets his pub because of his Finals appearances and Houston years.

It's Nique thats underrated...

[Collie]

Nah, Nique was as one-dimensional as they come. Pure scorer in the Gervin, Dantley, Carmelo mold.

[Lebron23]

He was a good all around player. I only watched the Houston's version of drexler, and he was a 20/6/5 type of player. Drexler and Jordan had a great rivalry in the early 1990'.

[bizil]

I am currently watching the NBATV Hardwood Classisc game, between Porltland and Dallas from 1985's 1st round playoffs. Clyde Drexler is currently in his secod season and 1st as a full time starter. He is matched up against current All-Star Rolando Blackman.


One of the knocks on this board about Clyde is that his defense is horrible. He was playing some good defenseolando Blackman, as the announcers point out every 3 minutes or so. When compared to players like Pippen, most say he isn't 1/10th the defender Scottie is. WhilemI know he is not as good as a defender as Pip was, he was not that bad.

Agreed! I would go so far to say he was a very good defender. In others words, I would give Clyde a B to B+for defense. The guys like Pippen and MJ are A+. In other words, I think Clyde was actually above average. But not a guy like Cooper, Rodman, Alvin Roberston, Moncrief, Payton, Frazier, etc. who will give the top perimeter scorers headaches defensively.

[tontoz]

Drexler was an incredible force, easily one of the greatest off-guards and open-court players of all-time. He could slash to the basket and finish with anyone, he was Michael Jordan's equal as a pure athlete and he might have been even more dangerous in the open court, he combined speed with strength to creating whipping power, and he was an excellent rebounder and passer for his position. Indeed, his wingspan was amazing and he fused fluidity with economy. Drexler could also shoot from the perimeter and defend, and he led two teams to the NBA Finals and won a championship as the number-two guy in '95.

Even though "Clyde the Glide" is in the Hall of Fame, I think that Drexler and Kevin Johnson might be the two most underrated players from the late 1980s and 1990s. After Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan, Drexler and K.J. are right there with any guards in NBA history.


Drexler is underrated because of Jordan's shadow. KJ was just born at the wrong time. That was a rough era. Small slashing guards like KJ and Isiah got beat up and didn't last long.

[SamuraiSWISH]

Drexler is underrated because of Jordan's shadow. KJ was just born at the wrong time. That was a rough era. Small slashing guards like KJ and Isiah got beat up and didn't last long.
Yup came by just a little too early. KJ, Isiah, Tim Hardaway, hell even Rod Strickland who got roughed up given the rule set, cutting years off their career, who still couldn't be stopped from getting to the cup in today's no touch league? Yea. Good luck.

[Collie]

You know what? Wiggins can potentially be similar to Drexler as a player. Worse playmaking, but better defense. Clyde is what comes to my mind when you talk about a player with mediocre handles but still got to the ring at will.