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| Dwight Howard is not an elite player in the NBA, though he's got elite skills. |
C-Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic
People are going to scream and jump all over my back on this one, and I understand that, just hear me out. Dwight Howard has a chance to be the greatest big man of all-time, yet he has shown us very little of that. He's 6'11 265 lbs, built like a titan and gifted with an insane vertical usually suited for our 6'5" wing player. D12's stats are impressive, and always have been, averaging 18 points and a little less than 13 rebounds a game. So why do you say he's the most overrated?
What has he done to improve himself? His offense has barely improved, yet he towers over his opponents and his physicality is unmatched. I'll admit he's had some statistical games that are mind-blowing, reminding us that Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain's out-of-these-world games are still possible. But what has he done to win? He's been to 1 NBA finals thanks to Mr. 3/4ths and the Cleveland Cavaliers inability to do anything, and 2 ECFs. The Magic squads around him haven't been that bad, though everyone thinks they have. He simply hasn't used the talents he's been given. I believe Dwight Howard has the talented enough to average 30 and 20 a game, yet his all-smiles attitude has led him to some soft fourth quarters, ugly losses, and underachievement. The skills are there, his mindset is not. Greatness is a full package.
PF-Carlos Boozer, Chicago Bulls
Carlos Boozer could be the single reason why this version of the Chicago Bulls does win an NBA Championship. Boozer had some great seasons in Utah but that's because he was a primary scoring option. But the seasons he forgot how to play defense, and still hasn't learned. Defensively he's worse than Amar'e Stoudemire because he couldn't even block Lil Bow Wow's shot in Like Mike.
But let's get off his defensive inability. Boozer hasn't been worth a penny Chicago spent on him last season. His numbers are down offensively, which makes sense because D-Rose is more of a scorer than D-Will was in Utah, but the problem is that his rebounding numbers are down. He's not hitting the glass like he used to, potentially because of Joakim Noah's ability to clean glass, but I'm just not sure he's that tough. Carlos Boozer is a solid NBA player, don't get that wrong, but I'm positive he isn't worth 5 years and 80 million.
SF-Rudy Gay, Memphis Grizzlies
Gay might only be 25, but his value isn't as high as the contract he'll probably receive in a few years. The Grizzlies small forward can absolutely leap out of the building, that is undeniable. He's been tagged as an elite scorer, but his stats don't concur. Rudy has only reached the 20 point average in one of his five seasons and sits at a 17.8 PPG average. If that doesn't scream decent, then I'm not sure what does.
During last year's surprising eighth seed run to Game 7 of the WCSF, Gay wasn't around. That is a telltale sign that his "team" importance doesn't override his underwhelming stats. I'm always down to watch Rudy Gay put someone on a poster, but I'm not so sure he's a savior for the Grizzlies.
SG-Joe Johnson, Atlanta Hawks
This all-NBA overrated team could simply be called the Atlanta Hawks, but Joe Johnson is the ring leader. The Hawks SG is a phenomenal scorer both on the drive, on the pull up and from deep. But he really doesn't bring much else to the table. He's not a leader, his assist numbers have dropped literally every year he's been on the Hawks and his defense is average at best.
Johnson doesn't get any better in the playoffs and has been a big reason to why the Hawks have sputtered in each of their ECSF appearances. People might not talk about Joe Johnson anymore, but his contract(6 year, 119 million) is severely overpriced.
PG-Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
I know, I know, Curry is only in his third NBA season. But, it's pretty apparent that he is not a point guard. In the high-flying system that is Golden State's offense, Curry has been a solid scorer, yet a lack luster passer. That's probably because he shouldn't be playing point guard. Despite being skinny, he's by not that undersized for the #2 guard position.
Curry has shown that he could become a deadly scorer in the NBA, but until someone in Oakland realizes that this guy can't run an offense he will be overrated. Players need to be good at their positions in order to thrive in the NBA, and not just good at basketball in general. His spot on the All-NBA overrated team isn't really his fault, it's the Golden State organizations fault.
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