Is Joe Johnson the most overrated max player of all time?

It's not just that ATL re-signed him for too much money. It was a mistake for them to hitch their wagon to that horse years ago when they lured him over from Phoenix. He's not good enough to build your team around, but that's what they tried to do. It only appears to work because it's so easy to make the playoffs in the East. That front office doesn't know what they're doing.

 

this is what kills me about collective bargining, not saying that this is the heart of the economic problem but if every team has a smart gm, joe johnson would never make max money. its a shame when the average fan knows better. you don't have to spend money just because you have it and if another team wants to sign that contract, let them. don't say, as in the rashard lewis case also, well these are the best players out there, give them the max.

 

Wasn't Tim Thomas and Jalen Rose max guys. Neither deserved even half of that.

 

1) Amare is worth his contract, dude's a monster, best pf today along with Dirk.

2) I think you can't count somebody being overrated max because of injuries.. Yao, Brandon Roy were both amazing players without injury.. and there was a period of time where Michael Redd was the most feared 3 point shooter in the league, I remember when he dropped 57 on the Jazz. To be fair Arenas was a fantastic player a few years ago, I would've gave him the max contract maybe not right away though.

JJ isn't overrated, he's overpaid. JJ as 2nd option would be lethal and would well be worth the MLE.

So I'll say it's a tie between Rashard and Juwan.

 

Not even close.

JJ is still an all-star this year. There have been plenty of players who got the max and never made the all-star team again.

 

Hes heavily overpaid, but not overrated.
He is what we thought he was

 

he never got better

 

Everybody who keeps saying he's not overrated but just overpaid kills me.

If people didn't rate him so high (specifically the Hawks) then they wouldn't have paid him the max. Why in the world would you pay max dollars to someone whom you think is only a midlevel player at best?

Maybe what you're trying to say although JJ is overrated, he's still a good player.

 

"Nobody forgets about Antonio Walker, suckas!"

 

not the worst of all time, but definitely not a good decision by the hawks. He's a good player sure.. but nowhere close to a max.

 

During his max contract tenure, he has so far been the most over-paid player probably ever. Before he was given the max contract, he was a legit borderline superstar. But you don't give a contract to reward past performance. You give one to pay for future performance. Hence ex post, that contract ranks up there as the most egregious ones ever given.

Ex ante? Well it's not like Arenas had been healthy. The dude had major injuries two years in a row before that contract was handed out. Hence even ex ante, that contract ranks up there as one of the most foolish ones ever given, a testament to the impotent Washington management.

In addition, even in his prime, Arenas was no more than a explosive scorer. The guy could not defend and had no discipline. His performance in his prime was probably worth the max, but he has never been a player who could lead a team to the promised land of championship.

 

No no no. The Hawks might have overrated JJ, but everyone else thought they were nuts for giving him that much.

No need to die over something simple.

 

rashard lewis

 

Can't believe that three pages in, Tom Gugliotta still hasn't gotten a single mention. Shame on you. Shame on you all.

[/Rick Reilly]

 

His contract looks straight up like EW. Point proven, not as bad as Stoudemire's but just as grossly enflated.

 

He is still a good player, and honestly probably worth more than MLE. But, he still hasn't been overrated. The Hawks were the only ones who rated him so high. I doubt the market would have given him that money. I don't think one irrational participant shoveling cash at him sets the general concensus.

And, it wouldn't be the first time the Hawks defied common knowledge to make a boneheaded move. Remember when they made a draft promise to Shelden Williams to draft him #5 in 2006 when everyone was projecting him to be drafted much, much later. I actually didn't believe the draft-promise at the time, thinking it was either BS or that Atlanta would trade down to pick him. But, sure enough, he was drafted #5, before Brandon Roy and Rudy Gay, and went on to have a mediocre career. I don't even think they picked up his option for the 3rd and 4th years of his rookie contract. That's a franchise that doesn't have it's **** together.

 

Ever heard of a term called market price?!
JJ is an all star caliber player, and the market for that kind of player last off season was ridiculous. He was going to get paid regardless. So it's really up to Atlanta to decide whether they let him walk or retain him --- at least they will be making the playoffs in the next few years.

He got overpaid because the market was set, not because he's overrated. We alrdy know who he is.

 

Juwan Howard

 

Jesus. Yes, Houston was a huge bust. Pretty good list of overpaid dudes on this thread. I'm still amazed how Juwan Howard amassed almost $150M in salary during his tenure in the NBA.