Preseason awards at FoxSports.com - Rafer wins Most overated First Team

I could write better analysis than all of that crap he wrote.

He is talking like Rafer is going to take a lot of shots and Francis is the number 2 option.

No mention of Scola, Yao, rest of bench.

 

It really sucks. Poor analysis

 

It's pretty unprofessional in the first place to write an analysis just based on pre-season games.

 

How can you be "Most Disappointing Team" when we haven't even played a regular season yet!?

 

Ask the writer....It's pretty funny

 

this guy is a friggin idiot

 

Does this guy even understand what preseason means in the NBA?

 

If he gets hurt or struggles dramatically, it will have proven to be the most over-hyped draft in NBA history. Since top overall pick Greg Oden is out for the year after microfracture knee surgery, there's no choice but Durant, who was the best freshman college basketball player since Lew Alcindor. He moves like Tracy McGrady, but plays bigger. And yet, he is just 19 and very skinny. On such a young team with nobody to take their share of the load, it could be rough. Nonetheless, he is incredibly gifted. Should Durant suffer, Al Horford (Atlanta) and Corey Brewer (Minnesota) will both have ample opportunity to excel on bad teams.

this guy is an idiot. the other posters have pointed out some of his dumb stuff. this is another one.

ok, let's get it right, he LOOKS like tracy mcgrady in terms of lankiness and length. but THAT'S IT.

 

Did he get paid to write this? I don't see any insights, just bunch of bashing and spur kissing.

 

I'm starting to wonder if some of these writers have even watched Durant play. His lack of athleticism surprised me the first time I saw him after hearing all the "KG/Tmac hybrid" talk. To be honest, Durant's game and athleticism remind me more of Adam Morrison than Tmac.

 

Wow, not a single regular season game played, with a new coach and basically a revamped roster, and we're already the most disappointing team? It seems that the Rockets even have to dominate the preseason to satisfy some of these dumbasses. That writer seems to be threatened by the fact that the Rockets might make huge strides this season, and they might actually beat his precious San Antonio.

 

How can Rafer Alston be "overrated" when all I heard from the national media is guys piling on him and talking about the fact that he sucks?

How do you get "overrated" without actually being positively rated? The only guys who say anything positive about Rafer are his coaches Van Gundy and Adelman, Darly Morey, and maybe Feigan at the Chronicle.

 

It's funny this same writer Mike Kahn wrote this article calling Yao the best center in the NBA

Rocket's Yao is best of the bigs

Under normal circumstances, it would be natural to assume Yao Ming passing Shaquille O'Neal as the preeminent center in the NBA would be the story going into the 2007-08 season.

But it's not.

You see, it really happened last year, but it seemed logical to give O'Neal one more season at the top of the class coming off his 2006 championship with the Miami Heat. But 15 seasons of pounding on that 7-foot-1, 300-plus-pound frame have taken the toll. He can crank it up for a game or two and dominate ... but that's about it. He's still Shaq Daddy, a huge presence, and one of the great characters in sports history. His game, though, is doing a better fade than any haircut he has ever gotten.

Moreover, Yao is just a better player in virtually all facets of the game now — scoring, rebounding and shot-blocking. Yao is a superb passer and even makes superstar Tracy McGrady a better all-around player. The only catch? The duo has yet to become winners in the postseason.

Yao is also at the forefront of an NBA trend. For all the moaning and groaning that there are no longer true centers in the post anymore, it couldn't be further from the truth.

Portland's No. 1 overall pick Greg Oden is a classic example. His unfortunate microfracture surgery notwithstanding, he is representative of the reality of the game today. Granted, the back-to-the-basket post players may not all rank at the head of the class, as is reflected by the inclusion of hybrid forward/centers Amare Stoudemire, Marcus Camby, Ben Wallace, Mehmet Okur and Brad Miller in this crew.

But 7-3 Zydrunas Ilgauskas can play the post with a lot of versatility, and then you go through youngsters Dwight Howard, Tyson Chandler, Chris Kaman, Eddy Curry, Samuel Dalembert, Andris Biedrins and Andrew Bogut — yes, they are centers. You may not confuse them with the likes of Walt Bellamy, Nate Thurmond and Tom Boerwinkle, but they are legit centers.

And it all begins with Yao. He came to the U.S. from China in 2002 with little command of the English language and even less of a game suited for the NBA. But in the process his adjustment to the country, the language and the game has been impeccable. From his sense of humor to his respect for the game and American culture, he has been masterful.

Next on the agenda is learning to win, and chances are this is the season he and McGrady take it to another level.

And with that, let's look at how they rank:

1. Yao Ming, Houston Rockets

Vitals: 27, 7-6, 310: 25.0 pts., 9.4 reb., 2.0 ast., 2.0 blk., .516 FG; .862 FT

This would appear to be the year of Yao. Injury problems have clouded his growth as a player, and it's hard to know whether he'll ever get past that. Nonetheless, he has adjusted well to the NBA game, has refined skills in shooting, passing, rebounding and blocks, and McGrady loves playing with him because Yao makes him better.

Will Amare Stoudemire become the NBA's best center? Not if Yao Ming can help it. (Barry Gossage / Getty Images)

But the Rockets lost in the first round of the playoffs, blowing leads of 2-0 and 3-2 to the Utah Jazz — extending the frustration of Yao and McGrady, neither of whom has ever made it out of the first round. A year later, it again falls at their feet, and it will be interesting to see how Yao's vast center skills will fit with the open offensive scheme that new coach Rick Adelman brings to the table.

2. Shaquille O'Neal, Miami Heat

Vitals: 35, 7-1, 325; 17.3 pts., 7.4 reb., 2.0 ast., 1.4 blk., .591 FG, .422 FT

At 35, O'Neal has seen better days as a center, though he is unquestionably one of the top three or four to ever play the game. He still showed last season that he was eminently capable of dominating games for extended periods of time at both ends of the floor. His free-throw shooting has never been worse, however, and it continues to haunt both him and his teammates down the stretch.

Shaq played in only 99 games out of a possible 164 the past two seasons, and apparently seems to think all that matters is being healthy for the playoffs. But there is no guarantee that he will be healthy in the spring even if he does cut back during the season, and the past three postseasons have featured career lows in scoring, rebounding and blocks. Nonetheless, he's still a force — the force just isn't with him all the time.

3. Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix Suns

Vitals: 24, 6-10, 250; 20.4 pts., 9.6 reb., 1.0 ast., 1.3 blk., .575 FG, .781 FT

Were it not for another knee surgery — however minor it may have been — Stoudemire may have moved ahead of O'Neal. But at such a young age with knee problems, it will be interesting to see how Stoudemire perseveres for the Suns. It helped a lot last season having veteran tough guy Kurt Thomas as a sidekick, but the Suns unloaded Thomas' salary and replaced him with the less-accomplished Brian Skinner.

Stoudemire's shooting range has continued to improve, and he is a terror on the offensive boards just because he is such a fierce competitor. But he is still developing as a defensive rebounder and needs to channel more energy on that end of the floor — shot-blocking in particular — if the Suns are to seriously challenge the much bigger teams such as the Spurs, Mavericks, Rockets and Jazz in the West. Undoubtedly, a large part of that will be hinging on the endurance of Stoudemire's knees.

4. Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic

Vitals: 21, 6-11, 265, 17.6 pts., 12.3 reb, 1.9 ast., 1.9 blk., .603 FG, .586 FT

After such an incredible start last season, things began to deteriorate for the Magic and Howard, to the point that they virtually backed into the playoffs. Howard struggled offensively as the season progressed, with such a huge percentage of his points coming on dunks — thus the exceedingly high shooting percentage. Some of the problems were pointed at coach Brian Hill — with Howard leading the chorus — but a lot of it has to do with his immaturity. His talent is unmistakable, but he has to develop a much stronger post game and a better understanding of defensive rebounding.

To improve his stock, Dwight Howard needs to develop an offensive arsenal beyond dunking. (Fernando Medina / Getty Images)

Bringing in coach Stan Van Gundy will help, and the addition of free agent Rashard Lewis' great perimeter shooting should open up room for Howard. Nonetheless, his numbers are already exceptional and he has superstar written all over him. But for the Magic to be serious competitors in the Eastern Conference, his overall game has to grow at both ends of the floor.

5. Marcus Camby, Denver Nuggets

Vitals: 33, 6-11, 235, 11.2 pts., 11.7 reb., 3.2 ast., 3.3 blk., .473 FG, .729 FT

After years of being considered as an injury-prone underachiever, Camby has become one of the most underrated performers in the league the past three years in Denver. He has had more blocks than anyone else, is consistently in the top five in rebounding and runs the floor as well as any player his size in the league. Heck, he's even hit a few from the top of the key, although coach George Karl would prefer he didn't take that shot.

The question is how he'll fit in this season. The bigger and stronger Nene made great strides last season and is a much better fit in the middle of the offense. And Kenyon Martin is back this year after more knee surgery. Nonetheless, Camby goes about his business and does it very well. Those trade rumors were nothing more than idle chatter, and he figures to again play a significant role in the middle of the defense, coming off the weak side, or just pounding the boards.

6. Tyson Chandler, New Orleans Hornets

Vitals: 25, 7-1, 235, 9.5 pts., 12.4 reb., 0.9 ast., 1.8 blk., .624 FT., .527 FT

Chandler finally made great strides and began to be a dominant factor in games last season after years of being lost as a player — one who never developed basic basketball skills to go with his natural gifts and great work ethic. He recorded double-doubles throughout the season — virtually every night from the end of January until he was hurt the first week of April — so the progress is evident. But he is not a finished product by any means.

This season, presumably with a healthy Chris Paul and Peja Stojakovic, the microscope on Chandler's consistency will be more evident. He has to develop some semblance of an offensive post game and learn how to stay out of foul trouble while he continues to develop outstanding shot-blocking skills. The best part about it is that he works hard, and that has to be encouraging to coach Byron Scott as these guys attempt to become serious playoff contenders this season.

7. Ben Wallace, Chicago Bulls

Vitals: 33, 6-9, 240, 6.4 pts., 10.7 reb., 2.4 ast., 2.0 blk., .453 FG, .408 FT

As the big free-agent signing during the summer of 2006, there was concern early in the season that Wallace would be a big bust. The circus, as always, came to Chicago, giving the Bulls their annual elongated road trip that caused many of the faithful to panic as the losses mounted and Wallace longed for the days with his buddies on the Pistons. But as the Bulls came home and the season progressed, so did Wallace's adjustment. He gave them the defensive presence and leadership they sorely needed, according to coach Scott Skiles.

They even humiliated the Heat in the first round of the playoffs, which was a bonus. Wallace was solid and will continue to be. The question is, at age 33, was he worth four years at more than $60 million? Can he provide the kind of tutelage to youngsters Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah to become the kind of defensive post players the Bulls need now and in the future. It's a tough call, and sometimes it's hard to believe they didn't stick with Chandler, considering his size and age differential with the comparable work ethic. Still, he is the one and only Big Ben — the most consistently tough post defender of the decade.

8. Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Cleveland Cavaliers

Vitals: 32, 7-3, 260, 11.9 pts., 7.7 reb., 1.6 ast., 1.3 blk., .485 FG, .807 FT

Although LeBron James rightfully gets the bulk of the credit for the Cavs' first-ever Eastern Conference title, it really does validate the time and money they put into Ilgauskas, considering how close he was to having no career at all with the foot problems that marred the first five years of his career. But he's missed only 11 games the past five seasons while averaging nearly 16.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks.

Granted, his feet have reduced his agility and frequently rendered him awkward while rebounding or defending, but only Yao has comparable hands when it comes to catching, shooting and passing the basketball. It's why James wanted him back badly as he approached free agency. "Z" had a fine year and some exceptional games in the playoffs. The Cavs gambled and won, and they can only hope he can hang on for a couple more years of productivity.

9. Mehmet Okur, Utah Jazz

Vitals: 28, 6-11, 265, 17.6 pts., 7.2 reb., 2.0 ast., 0.5 blk., .462 FG, .765 FT

Okur had a career year for the Jazz, even making the All-Star team. His superb shooting touch, range and hands are certainly reminiscent of his predecessor in Detroit, Bill Laimbeer. But he lacks tenacity and that showed in the playoffs, when he was a bust for a good portion of the time. He did rebound the ball fairly well, and played better as time went on. Nonetheless, now that he's gotten the money, the opportunity and the chance to win, he has to be more consistent.

The advantage he has is that the Jazz have a number of tough post players who allow him to shoot from the perimeter. The big question is how he handles it on the defensive end. It's the kind of thing that might give coach Jerry Sloan headaches — if Okur can't hold his own on the defensive end. And yet, he has become a prolific scorer and has great hands rebounding the basketball.

10. Chris Kaman, Los Angeles Clippers

Vitals: 25, 7-0, 265, 10.1 pts., 7.8 reb., 1.1 ast., 1.5 blk., .451 FG, .741 FT

Kaman was a lot more noteworthy when his improved play helped the Clippers nearly reach the 2006 West finals. He has great hands, is tough and can pass the ball a lot better than people recognized. And yet, with injuries crippling the team in the backcourt and up front to a lesser extent, Kaman earned a lot more defensive attention and the result was diminished effectiveness last season.

The injury situation isn't much better now with All-Star power forward Elton Brand out for a couple of months, so we'll get a much better idea of where Kaman's career is headed. The skills are there without question. What we don't know is if he has the mental toughness to consistently compete at a high level in the West.

Also receiving strong consideration: Eddy Curry, New York Knicks; Brad Miller, Sacramento Kings; Andrew Bogut, Milwaukee Bucks; Andris Biedrins, Golden State Warriors; Samuel Dalembert, Philadelphia 76ers; Erick Dampier, Dallas Mavericks; Jamaal Magloire, New Jersey Nets.

 

Exactly.

Rafer is an overrated player just like Ben Wallace is an overrated free throw shooter.

 

LoL good analogy there.

 

I spit on him. I'll spit on his grave. I spit on his mother's grave. If his mother is alive, I spit on her.

 

Learn to "Read to Achieve".

 

Some of you guys really missed the concept of the article. It wasn't based on the preseason games, it is a preseason prediction of his "awards". How the Rockets played in the preseason has nothing to do with it, this guy just thinks they are not going to meet expectations (although the 4-6 seed most "experts" are picking them for seems very attainable).

 

I didn't know Rafer got that much hype to be on the all nba most overrated team. What did I miss?