Most Overrated Athletes

[naiwf]

After seeing Roy Jones get KO'ed last night, Tim Duncan's season end and Derek Jeter go 1-7 (he's now in a 1 for 19 skid, following his 0 for 30something earlier this year), I got to thinking, why were/are these three guys treated like the "greatest of all time" by local or national media.

Roy Jones has all kinds of skill, but I can't think of ONE great fighter he beat convincingly while that fighter was at the top of his game. Sure beating John Ruiz was nice, but Ruiz is perhaps one of the worst "champions" I've ever seen.

The Tim Duncan hype is almost the same thing to me. His 2nd MVP award was bogus, I think we all agree that Jason Kidd deserved it more. The fact he won 2 titles with David Robinson around should not be lost on the fans. I don't see "Timm-ay" as the All-Universe player he's made out to be. His vanishing act in the clutch games of this Lakers series just underscores the fact that he is overrated. I'd go so far as to say if you swapped him and KG, Garnett would have the same number of titles and MVP's and Duncan would not have made the playoffs all those years KG was bounced in round one. He's a great regular season player, but he's got no heart when everything's on the line.

And now my least favorite, Derek Jeter

  

G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	AVG	

TOTAL  	1247	5025	939	1577	129	628	523	902	181	49	.385	.456	.314

Statistically he's an average player. Everyone talks about his intangibles as making him great, but why is it that the "Captain" is talked about as a first ballot Hall of Famer when he's never been even one of the top 3 or 4 at his position in his LEAGUE? I don't see how Nomar, A-Rod, Tejada and a few others would not have succeeded in his position like Yankees fans seem to think. Jeter's a .300 hitter who scores 100 runs, knocks in about 70 and plays terrible defense yet people act like he's a perennial MVP candidate. Am I the only one who doesn't understand why Jeter gets so much hype?

There are a few others, but these three struck me yesterday and I don't feel like typing any more. Anyone else you think should be on this list?

[Guest PacaVeli777]

LeBron James is the ultimate overrated........

[naiwf]

LeBron James is the ultimate overrated........

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He was one of the other people I was going to mention, but I figured everyone would think he's overrated and I wanted to list some of the people who are annoyingly overrated.

[Typical Phenom]

LeBron James is the ultimate overrated........

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Right. Because at 18 years of age, he went into the NBA and put up numbers in his rookie season that only Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson have matched. Nobody's saying he's a first ballot hall of famer, but he has the potential and that's what the hype is based on.

Allen Iverson is one of my favorite players to watch, but highly over-rated. He's a warrior and a leader, but not that great. Kinda goes with the Tim Duncan, except Duncan's a great player who's not a warrior or a leader. No one else really comes to mind, I may have some later though.

[HailtotheYo]

I don't see how anyone can call LeBron overrated after his performance this year.

[naiwf]

I don't see how anyone can call LeBron overrated after his performance this year.

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The NBA shills were trying to call him an MVP candidate near the end of the season when he wasn't even the best rookie in the league, and didn't guide his team to a playoff berth in the East. Statistically he was well rounded if not almost identical to Carmelo, but I don't remember people acting like Carmelo was one of the top 5 players in the league this year. That's the very definition of overrated to me. Selling jerseys/tickets has nothing to do with on court performance.

[cthemason]

My two big overhyped athletes have to be Jeremy Shockey and Mike Alstott.

[Guest PacaVeli777]

for the fact that NBA Analyst's granting LeBron as the next Jordan, while LeBron was still playing in High School. Everyone makes a big deal of numbers, buthe didnt lead all rookies in any of the 3 major categories, didnt make the playoffs, money made him popular, not basketball skill...........

[HailtotheYo]

As a 19 year old rookie with no college playing experience LeBron was in the top 15 in the NBA in all of the following:

PPG

SPG

Minutes

Ass.

Points

APG

FGM

Steals

He was in the top 5 in all rookies in all major statistical catagories. Of course, his ROY Award means nothing too I'm sure. Carmello had a better cast surrounding him than LeBron did, and LeBron had the Cavaliers in the playoff race until literally the last few days of the season. He also doubled the Cavs wins from last season (Mello did the same I know) and generated interest in a team that has had a dead fan base since Brad Daugherty left. Yeah, I said Brad Daugherty.

None of that says overrated to me. The difference between what Mello did and what LeBron did, was that Mello came in with the experience of playing against something other than HS players. Going through the tournament (and winning it) is one of the single greatest learning tools for an amatuer player. LeBron didn't get that. He made the straight jump, and showed he MORE than belonged. Hell, James joined Oscar Robertson and Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history to average more than 20 points, five rebounds and five assists per game in their rookie season.

Here's a look at the last few Hyped up HS'ers compared to LeBron in their rookie years:

http://www.kfba.net/Articles/19892.aspx this shows how they don't stack up to LeBron who's rookie line. LeBron had more PPG (20.9), loses out only to Kobe in FT% (75.4), is beaten out in RPG by only Stoudamire and Garnett (5.5), blows them away in APG (5.9), and he also is in the upper half in blocks with .7 PG.

He's not overrated.

[naiwf]

You're not accepting the fact that when one is proclaimed as the "Second Coming", the standards are much, much higher than those of mere mortals. LeBron was hyped up as just about the greatest player ever to step into the NBA, which he is not. He's great, an All-Star caliber player, but he is not going to singlehandedly save the league (which doesn't need saving mind you), therefore he is overrated.

If LeBron was only expected to be Carmelo's equal he'd be the most underrated player in the league, since he's supposedly MJ 2.0, he's overrated. It all comes down to the level of expectation. Had Dwyane Wade put up LeBron's numbers we'd all be floored, but when the hype says LeBron's gonna average a triple double and win the MVP in his first season, we're not.

I'm embellishing, but the point still stands.

[ACCBiggz]

The deal with LeBron is the NBA want to capitalize on him, and I agree with what TP said about it. Jeter isn't overrated imo, and Kidd didn't deserve the MVP.

[HailtotheYo]

You're not accepting the fact that when one is proclaimed as the "Second Coming", the standards are much, much higher than those of mere mortals. LeBron was hyped up as just about the greatest player ever to step into the NBA, which he is not.

You're mistaking James for Kwame Brown in the not delivering part. You're also not accepting the fact that he didn't benefit from college as Jordan did (not to mention arguably the best college program ever mind you), and did this as a 19 year old rookie. In five years, if LeBron hasn't risen above the line he put up this year, then yeah he'll fall victim to being overrated. I know exactly how he was heralded, and he delivered on all but very few accounts. Does he match up to MJ's rookie year ? Not so much, but he does match up, and even blow by SEVERAL "legends" of the game, as well as many of the recently "hyped to hell and back" stars.

Here's the link to compare them for yourself and see: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/lebron/line?compId=1035

Did you honestly believe he'd put up MJ numbers ? I didn't. I did feel though, that he'd be in the top 10-15 players in the league, and he was. You can't bash him for not being the greatest player to ever step in the NBA, because he's played only one year. You have no idea what he's going to do. Remember Kobe at this age ? Or Garnett ? He's already better than both of them were at the same time in their careers. Kobe also played on a team infanitely better than LeBron.

[SeanB]

I'd go so far as to say if you swapped him and KG, Garnett would have the same number of titles and MVP's and Duncan would not have made the playoffs all those years KG was bounced in round one. He's a great regular season player, but he's got no heart when everything's on the line.

Wow I agree 100 percent with that statement. Tim Duncan is a big reason I say the Spurs lost to the Lakers, he didn't dominate any of the games. He just seemed to disappear in the crunch time, and aside from Game 5 he was virtually invisible. He didn nothing. Yet some say he should have won his 3rd consecutive MVP this year. If you ask me, KG should have won the MVP Last Year along with this year's.

But anyways back on topic. There are a bunch of guys out there in the sports world I find overrated, but here's just a few.

I find Dirk Novitski(sp?), Warren Sapp, and Brian Urlacher to be 3 of the most overrated athletes.

[Typical Phenom]

You're not accepting the fact that when one is proclaimed as the "Second Coming", the standards are much, much higher than those of mere mortals. LeBron was hyped up as just about the greatest player ever to step into the NBA, which he is not. He's great, an All-Star caliber player, but he is not going to singlehandedly save the league (which doesn't need saving mind you), therefore he is overrated.

If LeBron was only expected to be Carmelo's equal he'd be the most underrated player in the league, since he's supposedly MJ 2.0, he's overrated. It all comes down to the level of expectation. Had Dwyane Wade put up LeBron's numbers we'd all be floored, but when the hype says LeBron's gonna average a triple double and win the MVP in his first season, we're not.

I'm embellishing, but the point still stands.

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Who said Lebron was going to be the second coming THIS YEAR? Nobody. He's matched Jordan's rookie numbers, so why would you think he's going to falter and become a mediocre player? There is absolutely nothing to show that he won't become one of the greatest of all time.

Singlehandedly save the league? He doesn't have to, but he's already singlehandedly saved Cleveland. Yea, Boozer had a great year too, but make no mistake that the franchise made more money this year than any year since Mark Price (screw Daugherty) because of Lebron. And yes, being number 1 in jersey sales does mean he could singlehandedly put the league on his back. He's already making them TONS of money.

I don't know what kinda fucked up people you listen to, but I don't remember anyone expecting Lebron to average at triple double, although he came closer than anyone in the league. He may have been hyped beyond all belief, but he's certainly met those expectations. His numbers will only continue to grow. He's not even 20 yet and you call him over-rated. There's just no pleasing some people.

[naiwf]

You can't bash him for not being the greatest player to ever step in the NBA, because he's played only one year. 

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I don't disagree with you except that when any player doesn't meet their INDIVIDUAL level of hype, they are by definition overrated. LeBron probably had one of the 5 best rookie seasons of all time for a non-center, but the media would have had you believe he was going to do things no one else is or ever was capable of.

in the longterm, he'll be a Hall of Famer barring injury, but if he doesn't win 5 or more championships and score roughly 40,000 points he won't meet the preposterous level of expectations presented to him by those who have been heralding him since he was 16 or 17. As for just this one season, I still maintain he didn't deserve ROY, so he has to be overrated in the sense that he wasn't unanimously "good" enough to be the top rookie.

Another example of this is a guy like Michael Vick. If he doesn't win Super Bowls (note the plural form), he'll be a bust in the sense that he's supposedly a once in a lifetime, revolutionary player that cannot and will not be duplicated. Granted, he may turn out to be one of the best QBs ever in time, but for now he's not even top 5 in the league, so he too is overrated.

[Guest PacaVeli777]

are people still trying to argue about this, i thought it had been proven(LeBrons overrated).

Still making a big deal of his age? isnt Carmelo 19?

Nobody is taking away from his ability or his physical ability, but this year he was overrated, if he was so special he would have been able to lead his team to the playoffs?

Its partially his fault that he is overrated but then again NBA analysts hold some blame. I mean Bill Walton coming in & saying Lebron would be the leagues savior (from what?) Sean Elliot saying he was the best player in the eastern conference? Pierce? McGrady? Iverson? J O'Neal? Starbury? J.Kidd? i mean c'mon......Oh yeah & the talk about if Cleveland made the playoffs Lebron should be MVP, this kid overrated out of his mind.......

Edited May 17, 2004 by PacaVeli777

[naiwf]

Who said Lebron was going to be the second coming THIS YEAR?. . .  He may have been hyped beyond all belief, but he's certainly met those expectations.  His numbers will only continue to grow.  He's not even 20 yet and you call him over-rated.  There's just no pleasing some people.

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Virtually every analyst thought LeBron was going to come in and dominate the league like no rookie since Jordan, Johnson or Bird. The fact that two guys were just as good as him this year, and actually you know, MADE THE PLAYOFFS, shows that he didn't live up to the advanced billing. If he would have led his team to the playoffs in the horrid Eastern Conference, I don't think I'd consider him overrated, but he failed at the one thing that matters most. Before you tell me Carmelo had a better team, he was in the West. And D. Wade's supporting cast was not great, yet they finished with the #4 seed! LeBron should have led his team to scrape out the 8th spot.

LeBron is supposed to be the next Jordan, not the next T-Mac (a stat sheet stuffer who will never win a ring). Again, the argument is not that LeBron is great, he's just not as great as the shills say he is. Same point I was trying to make about Roy Jones, Tim Duncan & Derek Jeter in my 1st post.

[Drezdon]

I'm not going to argue about Tim Duncan, because i love the guy, i love the Spurs, and it will all be biased, whatever is said. LeBron James, is a class act, but as Naiwf said, he didn't lead his team into the playoffs, and into the promised land, which just shows that for all his hype in his first season, he didn't really deliver. Now i'm not doubting that he's a quality player, they just put too much hype and promise on such a young mans shoulders. If they had just left him to be LeBron James, the 18 year old playing basketball, trying to live up to some great hype, but the not kinda hype that he's been given, it's just way over the top, and because of that, you have to say that he's been overatted.

[Jook]

English sports wise, David Beckham is hugely overrated. Sure, he's a great player, but he's nowhere near the best player in the world like some people say.

[Herr Matzat]

Anna Kurnivkova is way to big of a star without ever having won annything to important