Most underrated bball players of all time. (Pick 2) | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Most underrated bball players of all time. (Pick 2)

Waquoit said:
I nominate Adrian Dantley. He was the NBA scoring leader twice in a 15-year career. Six-time All Star, ROY and comeback player winner. He could be unstoppable down low despite measuring but 6'5". An all-time NBA what if is...What if Dantley never gets knocked unconscious during the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals? He was the Pistons leading scorer that series and was killing the Celtics that game. The C's didn't have an answer for him until he got hurt and didn't come back. Boston won by 3 in the Garden.
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My favorite player as a kid. I used to give my big sports fan friends
the "name the top 20 NBA all time scoring leaders" question. They'd always leave a blank space for Dantley and English. Couldn't get it. Even with hints. That's underrated
 
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Jaydumo20 said:
Who are some of the most underrated bball players of all time. There is no criteria here. They could even be HoF guys who people rarely discuss or guys who haven't gotten in but are worthy. Or maybe great players that time and the hall have forgotten. Fair game.
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Bailey Howell and Dominique Wilkins. Both were phenomenal basketball players in college or the NBA.
 
Some of the players mentioned as underrated in this thread, i.e. McAdoo, King, Chamberlain, Russell..., were not necessarily underrated when they played. The all received a lot of accolades during their careers. I think they are being mentioned as underrated because their fame has faded with time.
 
Rip Hamilton. Best motor ever on a player. He just never stopped moving. His achievements include:

IMG_0350.jpeg


NBA Career Statistics
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CL82 said:
Rip Hamilton. Best motor ever on a player. He just never stopped moving. His achievements include:

View attachment 109353

NBA Career Statistics
View attachment 109354​
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Rip isn't underrated and sure as hell isn't overrated but he definetly gets talked about amongst general NBA fans, known the masked man. I say Caron and Cliff are more underrated.
 
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Scoe said:
Rip isn't underrated and sure as hell isn't overrated but he definetly gets talked about amongst general NBA fans, known the masked man. I say Caron and Cliff are more underrated.
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I think even among UConn fans, he is under appreciated. Not forgotten, but under appreciated.
 
CL82 said:
I think even among UConn fans, he is under appreciated. Not forgotten, but under appreciated.
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Agreed 100 percent with that, I got it now I think he's very underrated amongst college basketball including UConn fans. As far as NBA fans he gets talked about quite a bit.
 
CL82 said:
Rip Hamilton. Best motor ever on a player. He just never stopped moving. His achievements include:

View attachment 109353

NBA Career Statistics
View attachment 109354​
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I have consistently said he belongs in the HoF. It's not the NBA HoF, it's the basketball HoF and he has a consistent record of excellence in HS, college and NBA.
 
Devland said:
Some of the players mentioned as underrated in this thread, i.e. McAdoo, King, Chamberlain, Russell..., were not necessarily underrated when they played. The all received a lot of accolades during their careers. I think they are being mentioned as underrated because their fame has faded with time.
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I mentioned Chamberlain, who was indeed not underrated in his time. Not because his fame faded, but because he didn't win titles regularly, his greatness is a bit underrated. There's a real case that he's the greatest player of all time. He averaged 30 points and 23 rebounds a game for his career, with 4 assists (two seasons above 7 assists per game). They didn't track blocks then, but it would be a big number.

He's also reportedly the only player to record a quintuple double in a game with the Sixers vs the Lakers in 1968. 53 points, 32 rebounds, 14 assists, 24 blocks and 11 steals.
 
Gary Paton - the "glove" was sick on D, could score, and hey, great cannabis strain too!
 
Benard King, Calvin Murphy, Manu Ginobili and Kevin McHale
Sorry, I dont follow directions - I pick 4!!!!
 
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Chin Diesel said:
I have consistently said he belongs in the HoF. It's not the NBA HoF, it's the basketball HoF and he has a consistent record of excellence in HS, college and NBA.
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That he's not in the HoF means he's underrated to me. He was also more deserving of the playoffs MOP.
 
Hakeem comes to mind.... Got picked over Jordan and the team doesnt regret it. That is crazy, possibly best defensive player of all time, good passer great efficient scorer all for a long time, won two titles as well. I think he is a top 10 player of all time and probably closer to 5 than one would guess. But he does not get remembered or talked about as much
 
I like the choices of Cliff and KJ. Some people forget how good of an all-around player Dominique was. I know he won some rings, but I would love to see Joe Dumars playing the game today. I know guards have gotten bigger, but with the value of the 3 and open space some of the rules have created, he would be fun to watch.
There's still 2 guys who are top 50 players of all-time, but I still don't think get talked about enough sometimes. First is John Stockton. When Gary Peyton talks about a guy the way he talks about Stockton, you know the guy was something special. Malone often overshadowed him, but the guy was just that good. He didn't just find guys. He put the ball in the most optimal place for them to catch it and do something with it.
And it will sound crazy to some, but Tim Duncan. He wasn't flashy. He was just a great who got it done. I don't think he is talked about as much in some circles.
When I think of Stockton and Duncan, they remind me of Denzel Washington as Herman Boone in remember the titans when he says about his playbook that it just has has 6 plays but it's like novacaine. Give it time and it just works.
Finally, he seemed like he was still improving and died tragically young, but I still remember watching Drazen Petrovic evolve from a 3 point shooter into a guy who was starting to score at all 3 levels on the court.
 
PNolanFan said:
Hakeem comes to mind.... Got picked over Jordan and the team doesnt regret it. That is crazy, possibly best defensive player of all time, good passer great efficient scorer all for a long time, won two titles as well. I think he is a top 10 player of all time and probably closer to 5 than one would guess. But he does not get remembered or talked about as much
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There isn't one box he doesn't check as one of the all time greats. Championships, mvp, all star, etc. Not only the leading shot blocker, but number 10 in steals all time. Simply crazy. He beat all of his competition as well (Shaq, Ewing, Robinson). I'm not sure underrated would apply, but people don't seem to talk about him as much as they should.
 
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traitor71 said:
There isn't one box he doesn't check as one of the all time greats. Championships, mvp, all star, etc. Not only the leading shot blocker, but number 10 in steals all time. Simply crazy. He beat all of his competition as well (Shaq, Ewing, Robinson). I'm not sure underrated would apply, but people don't seem to talk about him as much as they should.
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Went to the Finals in his 2nd season outplaying Kareem, took the 86 Celtics to 6 games. His entire team was on coke in the 80s.
 
A lot of these guys aren't underrated. Olajuwon, Stockton, Malone, Russell are not underrated. I'll go with two undersized centers that I loved watching Cowens and Unseld.
 
There's an undertone in the thread of who's underrated/overrated.

For me? You're underrated if, right now, if you were in the uppermost tier of talent in your day and kids today do not know who you are. A guy like Olajuwon? His accolades are mentioned above and I would bet good money kids 20-25 couldn't name him if shown a picture. John Stockton is the NBA's all time steals and assist leader. Kevin McHale. Moses Malone. They're hall of famers but to me? If kids today don't recognize them and know who they are? They're underrated.
 
Dennis Johnson and Dennis Rodman. Before you laugh about Rodman, nobody played harder. Tremendous defender and rebounder and could run like the wind. One of my favorite players of all time. When I coached I would tell my players that and they thought I was nuts. I loved watching him play. 100% effort always.
 
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