http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/lists/NBA-2010-All-Overrated-Team#sport=NBA&photo=11579864 Not as good as everyone says Don’t be fooled by stats, fan-voted All-Star Game appearances, highlighted plays, and/or media hype. While every combatant in the NBA is a truly great player, too many of them are gauged by these grossly misleading standards. Here is Charley Rosen's collection of the NBA’s most over-valued not-so superstars, along with their backups at each position, as well as the one coach who likewise gets far more credit than he deserves. Point guard: Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets One reason why CP3 racks up so many assists is that he dominates the ball as much as Steve Nash and LeBron do but, to be fair, he does have extraordinary court vision and can pass equally well with both hands. Still, Paul’s biggest negatives are his almost total dependence on screen/rolls to create his own and his teammates' shot opportunities, which means double teams render him virtually impotent. His defense mostly relies on his stealing opponents’ careless passes and dribbles; plus bigger, stronger opponents (practically every other point in the league) can easily maneuver Paul to their favorite spot and then shoot over him. BACKUP: Jason Kidd (Mavs) is way past his prime, can’t get his dribble to the hoop in half-court sets, and can no longer adequately defend quick opponents. Shooting guard: Joe Johnson, Atlanta Hawks Doesn’t play aggressive defense anymore. Is virtually useless on offense unless the ball is in his hands and is therefore easy to double-team when he does have possession. His sticky fingers frustrate his teammates by limiting their own scoring opportunities while, at the same time, delaying the natural maturation of some of the younger Hawks. "Iso Joe" also takes far too many shots and must shoot over 50 percent to be the difference between Atlanta’s winning or losing. BACKUP: Vince Carter (Magic) is one of the most highly skilled players extant. But he can be rendered relatively impotent when forced left, and his own lack of heart routinely makes him prone to all kinds of miscues in the clutch. Small forward: LeBron James, Miami Heat Massages the ball every time he touches it and therefore creates stagnation in the offense. Despite his awesome size and strength, James has never worked to make himself a legitimate threat to score in the low post. Plays and lives as though he’s desperate for the spotlight to always shine on him. Can play hustling open-court defense and can’t be overpowered in half-court defense, but LBJ’s defensive stance is top heavy so he’s helpless against quicker opponents. The most questionable aspects of his game are his off-ball play, his erratic shooting stroke, and the sincerity of his commitment to winning. Simply put, The Chosen One is really a volunteer. BACKUP: Tayshaun Prince (Pistons) has absolutely lost his passion for the game. His once lock-down defense is now ordinary, and his offensive moves have become both casual and predictable. Power forward: Carlos Boozer, Chicago Bulls He can score from the low post with his turnaround jumpers and his left-handed drives, and he’s a fairly accurate mid-range shooter. But because Boozer’s lateral movement is extremely limited, he’s only a two-space rebounder. He can’t complete anything except the simplest of passes, has difficulty handing in even modest crowds, and is too small to defend centers and too slow to defend power forwards. Boozer will usually fill up his stat line with some late-game jumpers, but good teams easily neutralize him when a game is on the line. BACKUP: Chris Bosh (Heat) shoots as much as possible. Passes as little as possible. Rarely grabs a tough rebound. Registers more turnovers than assists. Blocks an occasional shot but can’t defend. Center: Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic Making movies in the offseason is obviously more important to him than working to improve his low-post offense, so it’s no surprise that Howard’s offense remains crude and is easily stymied by the better-coached teams in the league. In addition, Howard can’t complete complicated passes when two-timed; can be fouled for profit; is so eager to swat shots that smart teams can sucker him into following the bouncing ball; and is unable to contain opposing bigs who can turn, face and attack. Even so, Howard believes that he’s already the best he can be. BACKUP: Al Jefferson (Jazz) is a one-trick pony who can score in the low post. Period. He shuns playing defense, passing, and assaulting the defensive glass with the same determination with which he goes after easy put-backs. Coach: Stan Van Gundy, Orlando Magic He's much too emotional on the bench, which sometimes causes him to lose his concentration. His offenses lack any element of surprise. He pleads with his players to follow his instructions instead of demanding the same. His in-game and between-game adjustments are too elementary. And Howard let the cat out of the bag last year when he indicated that SVG isn’t totally respected by his players.
Wow is he serious? Lebron James overrated? Dwight Howard overrated? Boozer's a stiff defensively but offensively he's one of the most efficient low-post scorers in the league. Isn't Charlie Rosen like 70 already? You've got to lose it sometime.
not often at all that i read something about basketball on this board and am left amazed by something so dumb. lebron james overrated? he will probably have very very close to a triple double this next season. he will be super overrated then
box score stats are overrated still, rosen is an idiot because Lebron has consistently been a leader in win shares (1st overall last two years) and PER. Goes beyond the obscure stats as well when you realize the quality of teams he has dragged around him to surprisingly good results.
Agree with him on SVG. The players he listed either are great or most people already realize they aren't all that great. Who in their right mind still thinks JJ and VC are great players? Rosen is so over-the-hill I can't see him anymore.
Someone tell me how Tayshaun Prince is overrated? He's never made the All-Star team, has an unspectacular but extremely steady game, and you don't hear much about him. to this.
You put these overrated guys on a team and they'd easily win a championship for the next decade...some of these are not overrated by ANY means
The only guys on that list I see as overrated are Bosh (most overrated player in the NBA), Jefferson, Howard, and Joe Johnson to a lesser extent. Vince Carter, Tayshaun Prince, Chris Paul, Lebron James, Jason Kidd, and Boozer are not overrated at all.
He's right about just about all of these guys. Keep in mind that he's not saying that these players are not good, he's just saying that the public perception of these players is much greater than they actual are. For instance, Lebron. Yes, he's amazing but a lot of the public believes he's the next coming of Jordan and much better than Kobe when neither of these is the case. As for Prince, people still think he's a good defender and all this guy says is that he isn't the defender he once was or people think he is.
You can be the best . . and still overrated Thinking Mike Jordon can take a team of Ryan Bowens to the finals IMO . . is overrating MJ a bit Rocket River
The public perception of Vince Carter these days should not lead to him being on an All Overrated Team list.