A substantial panel of "experts" ranked the top 500 players in the NBA. Obviously, it's impossible to agree with even a majority of their rankings, but seriously, the list is offensive. I'm appalled.
I walked away from my laptop...steaming...214 times while reading.
KEY: BLACK = OVERRATED, BLUE = UNDERRATED
477. Marcus Banks, PG
Banks is a lightning-quick floor general with good strength and toughness. Never became a consistent outside shooter but here's a list of the bottom feeders who are ranked ahead of him: Darius Morris (473), Andy Rautins (471), Hassan Whiteside (470) and Jon Leuer (465) to name some.
By the way, Rautins is easily one of the worst 10 players in the NBA. He's a small, weak guard who can't get a look at the hoop unless he's the only player on one particular side of the court.
Running list of the most overrated players: Rautins (471)...
463. Jawad Williams, SF
Worked his way into the Cavs' regular season rotation last year, but is ranked behind 50 guys who never even touch the hardwood.
398. Samardo Samuels, PF/C
Is overweight, but surprisingly skilled for his unusual proportions. The raw, valueless DeMarre Carroll (397) is definitely not better than him.
383. Jason Collins, C
As a long-time Nets fan, I can promise you that this big oaf is one of the worst 100 players. List of players he is CLEARLY worse than: Samuels (398), Da'Sean Butler (401), Sundiata Gaines (402), Luther Head (403), Manny Harris (405), Joey Graham (408), Lazar Hayward (409) and Armon Johnson (419) -- just to name some.
Running list of the most overrated players: Rautins (471), Collins (383)...
376. Hasheem Thabeet, C
I went to UConn while he played for the Huskies, and that's when he was "good." He's been nothing but an embarrassing bust since being drafted No. 2 overall by the Grizzlies, and somehow he's ahead of 123 players? I thought this was a panel of experts...they obviously have Thabeet here because they recognize his name more than many of the lower-ranked guys.
Most overrated: Rautins (471), Collins (383), Thabeet (376)...
372. Quinton Ross, SG/SF
Here's a "defensive specialist" who is undersized, weak, ineffective and has no actual position. He isn't fast, he isn't explosive, he can't make shots of any variety and has no value whatsoever. He's POSITIVELY one of the worst five players in the NBA. He would be a bench player in the 21+ men's league I play in.
Renaldo Balkman (374) is 10 times better than him.
Rautins (471), Collins (383), Thabeet (376), Ross (372, MOST overrated)...
367. Eduardo Najera, SF
This one really pisses me off. This is another obvious case of name recognition trumping actual basketball value and ability. Najera is another "defensive specialist" who used to be a decent defender, and is now slow, old and totally useless. He couldn't shoot a basketball into the ocean, either. I can't figure out who is more overrated, Najera or Ross.
Alonzo Gee (368) is actually a legitimate NBA player. He can slash, has good ball skills for a small forward and provides tangible value to a roster. He's 400 times better than Najera, who is less than one-dimensional -- if that's even possible.
Rautins (471), Collins (383), Thabeet (376), Ross (372), Najera (367)...
318. Luke Walton, SF
Another frustrating case of name recognition. Phil Jackson always loved this guy and even he couldn't find a way to keep Luke in the rotation. He's just...not...good. Slow reactions, horribly inconsistent shooter and thinks he's a far better passer than he actually is. Another player who hurts more than he helps.
List of superior players: Maurice Evans (320), Sebastian Telfair (322, wayyyyy better) and A.J. Price (324), to name a few.
Rautins (471), Collins (383), Thabeet (376), Ross (372), Najera (367), Walton (318)...
307. Mike Bibby, PG
I know he's getting older and isn't nearly the player he once was, but this ranking is ridiculous. He's clearly nearing retirement but is still blatantly better than Brandan Wright (305) and Ekpe Udoh (300).
300. Ekpe Udoh
I don't know what to say.
Rautins (471), Collins (383), Thabeet (376), Ross (372), Najera (367), Walton (318), Udoh (300)...
283. Reggie Williams, SF
One of the most prolific collegiate scorers of his generation, Williams has also shown that he can score against legitimate, NBA defenders as a member of the Golden State Warriors. Up to this point, he earns the distinction as my most UNDER-rated player in NBARank.
279. Roger Mason, Jr., G
Directly from my Twitter @RedSoxAuthor:
@NBAonESPN #ShawneWilliams (303) completely outplayed #RogerMason last season and was ahead of him in the #Knicks rotation (279)...? #NBA
There's no logical explanation for Mason being ahead of Williams except: the voters don't follow each team closely enough to truly rank all 500 players.
Rautins (471), Collins (383), Thabeet (376), Ross (372), Najera (367), Walton (318), Udoh (300), Mason, Jr. (279)...
276. Willie Green, SG
Severely underrated here. This is a proven, high-octane bench scorer with good all-around offensive skills.
272. Earl Boykins, PG
I know he's a little engine that can, but I also know he's inferior to Willie Green, Dahntay Jones (277), Reggie Williams (283) and Earl Watson (295).
267. Kemba Walker, G
As one of the greatest players in the history of UConn basketball, I don't have to see Kemba play a game in the NBA to know that he's lightyears ahead of Jared Jeffries (264), Troy Murphy (263), Lou Amundson (257) and Keith Bogans (255).
Kemba has NBA speed, quickness, ballhandling and penetrating skills.
263. Troy Murphy, PF
The members of the NBARank panel should be ashamed at themselves for this. This broken-down, has-been "power" forward was the WORST player in the NBA last season. Slow, oft-injured and arguably the worst defensive big man of the past decade, Murphy is a total disaster at this stage of his career.
Seriously, just ask Nets and Celtics fans how this loser played for them last year. Under the definition of "team cancer," there's a picture of this dude's ugly face.
Rautins (471), Collins (383), Thabeet (376), Ross (372), Najera (367), Walton (318), Udoh (300), Mason, Jr. (279), Murphy (263)...
251. Jordan Farmar, PG
I can't say I understand the lack of love for this guy. He's a natural scorer at the point guard position who can also dish out double-digit dimes when given extended playing time. He proved this while Devin Harris was injured (before being traded) last season. Farmar should probably be in the top 200.
Worst Rankings of the First Half:
3. Willie Green (276)
2. Quinton Ross (372)
1. Troy Murphy (263)
Look out for the second half of my analysis in the coming days...
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