Refresher course: "NBARank" was ESPN.com's attempt to rank all of the active players in order, based on the "current quality of each player."
Ranking 500 players in order is hardly an easy task, but I expected better from a panel of 90 "experts." That being said, I started ripping the list awhile back and continued with another post.
After volume II, I took a little break because I was afraid there would be no season at all. And when I say "afraid," I mean I was extremely pissed at the players for their lack of sensitivity to the current financial state of affairs in America.
Anyway, I digress. Let's get back to the action...
First, here's the running list of the most overrated players in NBARank:
Rautins (471), Collins (383), Thabeet (376), Ross (372), Najera (367), Walton (318), Udoh (300), Mason, Jr. (279), Murphy (263), Blake (241), Splitter (226), Hayward (221), Rubio (204), Oden (184), Childress (175), Lopez (163), Casspi (158), Maynor (157), Redick (143), Fernandez (142), Dunleavy (141)...
140. Kyrie Irving, PG
This rookie, who was injured and barely had the opportunity to showcase his true abilities in his single season at Duke, is already better than Kris Humphries (145, should be 106), Nick Young (146, " " 104) and Andray Blatche (147, 82)?
I don't think so. I'd like to see him stay healthy and play effectively at the professional level before I rank him ahead of players with legitimate, proven NBA skills.
I have him ranked 188th -- one behind Mike Dunleavy and one ahead of Mickael Pietrus -- heading into his rookie campaign with the Cavs.
Rautins (471), Collins (383), Thabeet (376), Ross (372), Najera (367), Walton (318), Udoh (300), Mason, Jr. (279), Murphy (263), Blake (241), Splitter (226), Hayward (221), Rubio (204), Oden (184), Childress (175), Lopez (163), Casspi (158), Maynor (157), Redick (143), Fernandez (142), Dunleavy (141), Irving (140)...
139. Mehmet Okur, C
Last season he averaged five points per game and shot 35 percent from the floor. I have him 223rd. He's old, injury-prone and no longer a starter.
138. Derrick Favors, PF
As a Nets fan, I know a lot about this kid. Decent finisher around the rim, but not nearly as explosive as I expected a youngster like him to be. He doesn't have "hops" or "springs" which is both surprising and alarming to me.
The bright side is that he's already a very solid defensive player in the paint. That's not enough for him to be in the top 140 though -- I have him at No. 176. Even that seems a little high to me. The list gets thin around there, I suppose.
136. Marcus Thornton, SG
NBARank loves big men who do absolutely nothing, but the voters don't seem to like players who can create offense for themselves against tenacious, professional defense. See Nick Young, Lou Williams, John Salmons, Randy Foye, Al Harrington, Shannon Brown and Carlos Delfino.
Mr. Thornton is another prime example. Here's a guy who can score in bunches in a variety of different ways, but NBARank seems to think these kinds of players are a dime a dozen.
And of course they are dead wrong. It's easy to find shooters (see Omri Casspi, Matt Bonner, J.J. Redick and Steve Blake) but it's very difficult to find and retain scorers. Shooters need playmakers to get them the ball; scorers are playmakers. I'm sure almost every coach would love to have a true scorer as their sixth man and offensive leader of their second unit.
128. Landry Fields, SF
The Knicks are one of my favorite NBA teams but I'm not a "Fields guy," so to speak. Landry surprised many when he cracked Mike D'Antoni's starting lineup early on, and proceeded to post impressive numbers through the first half of the 10-11 season.
Fields is a relatively athletic swingman who plays hard, but his early statistical output was entirely a result of D'Antoni's wide open offensive style. Once Carmelo Anthony joined forces with Amar'e Stoudemire and the Knicks became more of a halfcourt team, Fields' production tapered off and his value diminished.
He is a seventh man on a decent-to-good team. I have him ranked 174th; one behind teammate Toney Douglas who was unfairly No. 193 in NBARank.
Most overrated (cont.): Rautins (471), Collins (383), Thabeet (376), Ross (372), Najera (367), Walton (318), Udoh (300), Mason, Jr. (279), Murphy (263), Blake (241), Splitter (226), Hayward (221), Rubio (204), Oden (184), Childress (175), Lopez (163), Casspi (158), Maynor (157), Redick (143), Fernandez (142), Dunleavy (141), Irving (140), Okur (139), Fields (128)...
125. J.J. Hickson, PF
Tough treatment for this explosive power forward whom I've ranked 80th in the league. Not too many big men have Hickson's raw athleticism in combination with ball skills. Needs to work on his jump shot but shows promise overall. A very nice pick-up by the Sacramento Kings franchise.
121. Vince Carter, SG
The artist formerly known as "Half-Man, Half-Amazing" is obviously on the downside of his career, but I believe he's still a top 100 player. He rarely cracks the highlight reels anymore, but still knows how to get to the rim and be a go-to scorer when his team requires it.
I have him 95th. NBARank has Aaron Brooks (37% FG), Nick Collison and DeAndre Jordan ahead of him -- c'mon, really? Collison (don't get me wrong, I'm a fan) barely even touches the court some nights. Talk about getting caught up in a solid postseason run.
120. DeJuan Blair, PF/C and 118. Aaron Brooks
Blair is clearly getting credit for being one of the only young players on a veteran, championship team. Unfortunately, he's been unable to lock down a spot in Pop's starting lineup because of a lack of versatility and a tendency to be banged up. He ends up sharing minutes with guys like Matt Bonner, Antonio McDyess and Tiago Splitter.
Blair's not one of the most overrated players in NBARank, but he's definitely overrated (I have him 161st behind Andris Biedrins), and the same goes for Brooks.
Brooks has NBA skills as an offensive performer, but he often ends up being a negative more than a positive. He's extremely small, his shot selection is generally questionable and with the exception of an occasional steal, he's a detriment defensively.
If I'm going to have a shoot-first player on my team, I want one who connects on better than 37% of his attempts and has more size and overall value.
116. Carl Landry, PF
Here's a "Fro guy," as my friends would say.
I like Landry a lot because there are no glaring weaknesses in his game at the power forward position. He's a very good offensive player -- faces up well at the elbow, shoots well from short-to-mid range and has a surprisingly deep repertoire in the post -- who is also committed to solid team defense.
There is absolutely no question that he is one of the top 100 players in the NBA. I have him 78th, one behind Taj Gibson and one ahead of Thaddeus Young.
115. Nick Collison, PF
Of the 90 (or so) voters in NBARank, not a one could have possibly ranked Collison ahead of Landry. And yet, that obviously wasn't the case if Collison finished ahead of Landry on their laughable list.
Let's look at the stats:
Landry: 11.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 50.2% FG in 76 games
Collison: 4.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 56.6% FG in 71 games
As you can see, Landry nearly tripled Collison's points per game, and was able to do so despite a logjam at his position during his time with the Kings. Once Landry was traded to the Hornets and inserted into David West's spot in the lineup, he really thrived as a full-time starter.
Landry also played in five more games because he would never be a DNP-Coaches' Decision. Collison has been exactly that at times.
As far as skills go, Collison gets his rare buckets from hustle, whereas Landry gets many of his from refined basketball ability. I have Collison 162nd.
Most overrated (cont.): Rautins (471), Collins (383), Thabeet (376), Ross (372), Najera (367), Walton (318), Udoh (300), Mason, Jr. (279), Murphy (263), Blake (241), Splitter (226), Hayward (221), Rubio (204), Oden (184), Childress (175), Lopez (163), Casspi (158), Maynor (157), Redick (143), Fernandez (142), Dunleavy (141), Irving (140), Okur (139), Fields (128), N.Collison (115)...
And the NBARank obsession with size continues...
Jordan is a big, long, excellent athlete with sure potential, but he's completely raw at this stage of his young NBA career. Guys like Landry (116), Carter (121), Richard Hamilton (126) and Mo Williams (127) are refined professionals who have already developed into consistent, trustworthy players.
NBARank's explanation said it was based on the "current quality of each player" and Jordan has a long, long way to go before he's a higher "quality" player than his teammate and starting point guard Mo Williams.
Running around like a maniac, dunking and blocking shots isn't high-quality play, that's a raw athlete following his gut. I have him 166th.
Most overrated (cont.): Rautins (471), Collins (383), Thabeet (376), Ross (372), Najera (367), Walton (318), Udoh (300), Mason, Jr. (279), Murphy (263), Blake (241), Splitter (226), Hayward (221), Rubio (204), Oden (184), Childress (175), Lopez (163), Casspi (158), Maynor (157), Redick (143), Fernandez (142), Dunleavy (141), Irving (140), Okur (139), Fields (128), N.Collison (115), Jordan (114)...
109. Michael Beasley, SF
I know he's a difficult man to understand, but Beasley is one of the more gifted scorers in the game. Lefties are already tough checks because of their unorthodoxy, and Beasley makes it even tougher because of his willingness to commit to his mid-range game.
Defenders are used to righties who shoot threes or drive, and instead they get a lefty who favors the forgotten area of the court. There is no debate...he is unquestionably a top 100 player. I have him 65th, one behind Devin Harris and one ahead of Mike Conley (another lefty).
Beasley is likely one of the top 15-20 scorers in the entire league.
104. Udonis Haslem, PF
All he does is shoot wide-open jumpers from the elbow and rebound. Let's not give him too much credit for simply being on the same roster as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. He's 136th for me, barely ahead of Darrell Arthur.
103. Taj Gibson, PF/C
Like Landry at 116, here's another big "Fro guy." There's nothing not to like about Taj: he's long, athletic, relentless, rebounds, blocks shots, scores and provides all-purpose offense when Joakim Noah and Omer Asik cannot.
As I mentioned earlier, he's No. 77 for me.
Top 100 coming if I ever get the itch...
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