NBA All-Overrated Team
PG - Mo Williams, Cleveland: Williams was an All-Star in 2009, but no one really wanted him there except for Cleveland, it seems. The fans didn't vote for him, the coaches didn't think he was worthy of being an All-Star and didn't vote him as a reserve. He made it on because the Cavaliers' players and brass wouldn't shut up, so David Stern gave in and had him replace an injured Chris Bosh. Also, Williams went missing in the playoffs. Look at his averages, which were all down across the board compared to his regular season. He barely showed up against the Magic, shooting 40% from the field. He may make fantasy ball players happy, but in the real world of basketball, Williams is just a mediocre point guard with an itchy trigger finger and an inability to distribute the ball.
(Dis)Honorable Mention - Baron Davis, LA Clippers: He has a lot of talent but the fact is he was signed to a huge contract to lead the Clippers and they ended up with the number one pick in the draft.
SG - Vince Carter, Orlando: I initially had Tracy McGrady here, but felt that he's pretty properly rated at this point in his career. We're all aware he's done. Carter, on the other hand, is still very much overrated. The Magic were in the NBA Finals last year for a reason. They were good, and they had a solid lineup that created a lot of matchup problems. Then they traded away promising youngster Courtney Lee and Tony Battie for the 32-year old Carter and Ryan Anderson. And while Carter is better right now than Lee, his arrival meant the departure of Hedo Turkoglu, who was instrumental in the Magic's success. The Magic didn't want to go beyond the luxury tax, so they essentially got rid of Lee and Turkoglu and their ability to create matchup problems for Carter. One player is not worth such advantages. Especially an older shooting guard with a "me-first" attitude.
(Dis)Honorable Mention - Michael Redd, Milwaukee: Far too one-dimensional to be worth the max contract he signed in 2005.
SF - Shawn Marion, Dallas: Marion can thank Mike D'Antoni and Steve Nash for this mention. Marion is a good talent and freakishly athletic, but he needs the right system to be useful, and really at no point was he worth the money that he was being paid the last few years. Once he was out of Phoenix, Marion became just a borderline power forward with Miami and then Toronto, albeit still a good defender. Maybe playing with Jason Kidd will help him, but that doesn't take away from how overrated he had been for so long in the league.
(Dis)Honorable Mention - Corey Maggette, Golden State: Scoring machine, but he's not worth $50 million on a team loaded with swingmen and backcourt players.
PF - Anderson Varejao, Cleveland: Varejao does have worth in this league, he's a solid rebounder and has a lot of energy. But he's not worth the $50 million that Danny Ferry just gave him. Varejao is a solid role player being payed starter money in a league with a declining salary cap. That's a terrible equation for a team trying keep LeBron James in the fold. He's considered by some as a good defender, but as the league has taken a more hardline approach against flopping, his main weapon as a defender has become neutralized. Finally, if you're 6'10'' and can't average even one block a game, then you're really not a good defender. Kudos to his agent for showing once again that Danny Ferry is a terrible general manager.
(Dis)Honorable Mention - Zach Randolph, Memphis: Good points/rebounds. Terrible defender and teammate.
C - Andrew Bynum, LA Lakers: Bynum is consistently getting hurt each year and when he does play he averages out at roughly 13 points and 9 rebounds. The Lakers had the opportunity to wait another year before making a decision on where to go with him, but decided to extend him by giving him $14.5 million a year for four years. He has talent, for sure, and has had a few good statlines. But Bynum has had absolutely nothing to do with the Lakers' success in the playoffs since he was drafted and he's really done nothing to prove he's worth such a contract.
(Dis)Honorable Mention - Greg Oden, Portland: Is it too early to call him a bust? Ignore the injuries and just look at his fouls. Not good at all.
Stay tuned for the All-Underrated team, coming soon!
