What are some unpopular NBA opinions you have?

[kumquat]

- Phil Jackson is the GOAT coach, but with the players he had playing for him, it's no surprise he won 11 championships. I think almost anyone could've done what Phil did with the same players, as long as they had defense on their minds as well, which means D'Antoni probably wouldn't have managed shit.

Mike Brown has made me realize how great a coach Phil Jackson was.

[NugzHeat3]

Reggie was a GREAT scorer. His scoring was low on the Pacers due to the fact that he was the ultimate screens guy. In 1989-90 he scored 24.2PPG on almost 52% shooting, over 41% from 3, and like 88% from the FT line.


And even more than being a screens guy, Larry Brown does go out of his way to play team ball. But in the playoffs, Miller's PPG averages are crazy. When you needed him. He carried them many years.

He's too limited for my taste.

I don't think Brown held him back, either. I think it's more due to the fact that Miller could only succeed in the particular offense and Brown knew his strengths and weaknesses.

He was good in the playoffs and just used to get in the zone but he's far from what I'd consider great.

He's really a shooter that benefits from how good his shot is since it opened the game for him because of how much respect you had to give him and how tightly you had to play him. He was also very smart at drawing fouls whether off-ball (cause he got caught up at times and often got under his defender's skin) or leaning in on the jumper trying to create contact with the defender. He never really drew fouls like Wade or AI do for instance when they break the defense down with dribble penetration and create contact in the paint. He had his fair share of fouls drawn via penetrations but those were right after he'd come off the screen and lost his defender allowing him to drive. He was also notorious flopping whether kicking his leg out on jumpers or exaggerating at minimal contact.

Dale and Antonio Davis deserve a lot of credit for those screens they used to set because they really allowed him to flourish though they used to benefit from Miller too. When he'd come off the curl, a baseline screen, a double screen, they'd try sending another guy at him and that's how he mainly used to get assists. He'd pass to the screener (usually Dale or Antonio) coming right off the screen and they'd slip in for easy buckets.

I'd consider him a great scorer if he had a better first step or a creative handle or even a low-post game which he didn't. He had the size but not the strength/weight to do so.

There's too many instances in the playoffs for me to really say he's a great scorer.

Games like game seven vs Orlando where he couldn't get open and Larry Brown said this after that game:

"I know people are going to say Reggie didn't do this or that, but I've always said it's a team thing for him," said Brown. "He has trouble getting his own shot, beating people off the dribble. He's not what people make him out to be."

http://www.nytimes.com/1995/06/05/sp...anted=2&src=pm

Or game seven vs the Bulls in 1998 where Miller couldn't get free off Jordan in the 4th quarter, didn't score a single point and got one shot off which was an air ball and saw the Pacers blow a lead.

Game two vs the Knicks in 1993. Starks shut him down in the second half not allowing him to get open and get shots off. Miller only had one field goal in the fourth and the last 20 minutes or so. Game four vs the Knicks in 1993, he had 30 points through three quarters but scored 3 points the rest of the way (4th quarter and OT combined) partly due to Starks really fighting through screens, sticking with him and partly due to exhaustion I'm sure.

Game six vs the Knicks in 1994. He has 12 points in the 4th but couldn't score late in the stretch where his ability to create his own shot came into play. Indiana was held without a field goal in the last 5 minutes. He wasn't that great in game seven either and had a stretch late in the game where he missed six shots in a row then finally made a bif three. But he also air balled a potential game tying shot and got called for a bogus flagrant right after.

When they finally beat the Knicks in 1995, he scored 0 in the 4th in game seven and it was Rik Smits who carried them in the 4th though he did benefit from the focus on Miller. Brown and Miller said Smits carried the team and was the MVP.

A disciplined defender that really focused on shutting him down, fighting through screens and not getting caught up in the mind games could really take him out of the game. He's just too limited as a scorer for my liking.

A guy that used to up his game in the playoffs and had some legendary streaks but can't call him a great one.

[Micku]

I dunno how unpopular it is or not, but it's my opinion.

-Ron Artest and Ben Wallace totally changed the way the NBA looks, feel, and rules because of the brawl they had in 04. No more contact anymore because of that brawl

- NBA is too sensitive with fights and physical play because they're afraid the NBA would look "thuggish"

[NugzHeat3]

I dunno how unpopular it is or not, but it's my opinion.

-Ron Artest and Ben Wallace totally changed the way the NBA looks, feel, and rules because of the brawl they had in 04. No more contact anymore because of that brawl

- NBA is too sensitive with fights and physical play because they're afraid the NBA would look "thuggish"

I'd agree but I'd say that's a pretty wide spread opinion.

[AngelEyes]

To all of them

agreed

[jbryan1984]

Reggie Miller not being a first ballet Hall Of Famer in 2011 was the biggest joke I have ever seen in anything concerning basketball.

The 2009 Cavaliers were good. The 2010 ones were better. They should had won the title both years and LeBron did not have a bad cast.

Shaquille O'Neal is the man. In my mind, he is not a top 5 center he is the GOAT center.

Anderson Varejao is very, very, very underrated.

Mike Brown is a good coach.

Penny Hardaway was a superstar and its unfortunate that injuries prevent this generation from knowing that.

Delonte West is underrated and unappreciated. I think Boston and Dallas fans would agree with me?

Somebody needs to give Allen Iverson one more chance.

[CAstill]

The top of all time is :
1. Jordan
2. Kobe
3. Wilt
4. Larry
5. Shaq

Shawn Kemp in 96 on his best day is the most unstopable player ever
and would of had the greatest playoff run in history had he won the finals.
Beating Richmond, Hakeem, Malone, and Jordan on the way to the chip and fmvp would of done wonders for his legacy.


Kobe only had to take backseat to Shaq because he was younger.
You plug any player in the league onto that laker team other than Kobe
and every Laker team possibiltiy losses to the Kings(Jordan not included). That's why Kobe is considered the best by his stans. Any reasonable fan knew the Kings had Shaqs number everytime. Ask any Kings fan that was there, Shaq could score 50 for all they cared the Lakers would still lose everytime. Kobe killed them and ripped their hearts out in the way and time that he scored. So while Shaq could have 35 points in the game on 60%
with 15 rebounds that meant nothing during crunch time when he couldn't hit a free throw in a super intense moments or drill a shot when he was getting bodied by Vlade or picking up offensive fouls becuase Vlade was the king of getting away with flops. Making Shaq useless because he stayed in foul trouble and created turn overs. Beating the Kings was the only thing that mattered and Kobe was the only player in the world who could do it. Sac still loves to hate Kobe till this day and is the reason the Kings don't have a chip in their history.

Prime Vince>>>Prime Tmac


They say there never has been a person as big, fast, and strong as Lebron who could jump out the gym and attack the rim as well as he could, yeah there has his name was Shawn Kemp in 96.

Prime Barkley>>>Prime Lebron

Gasol was the reason the Lakers lost in 08.
If Bynum was present the Lakers probably would of won as well.

Kobe's assist to Artest's late 3 in Game 7 of the 2010 finals was the real reason the Lakers won, not Kobe's 15 boards and definitely not Gasol's play.

Tony Parker was by far the Finals MVP(yes i know he won the FMVP) and the Playoff MVP in 07 and Duncan stans try there hardest to discredit that fact saying it goes further than stats when in reality sometimes it does but tony situation isn't that case. Tony really did kill everyone and was unstopable at points.

He Got Game is a good movie!

Ben Wallace was the real Pistons MVP.

Robert Horry should be a HOF'er and in his prime makes a great 2nd option on a team and could be paired with an alpha player and bring home a chip with a good supporting cast. He was not just some glorified role player. Big Shot Bob had game.

Rik Smiths was a good player.

Jason Terry is the most underrated 2nd team option ever on a championship team. The guy Tatt'd him being the next champ on his arm before the season, swagged on everybody and delivered a ring in the end while hitting clutch J's in the face of Lebron in the finals. Props! And i hate him too.

The Garbage Man was garbage in the playoffs.

Jeff Hornacek was the most underrated SG ever. He should at least be
Manu status but he isn't, probably because he has no rings compared to him but when can you do when you face jordan?

Kobe and Jordan are the only players ever to be able to do anything on the court while having the best defender playing at their peak on them and still not being able to stop them. Kobe and Jordan in their prime could D up any player in history except for themselves.


There's more but we'll see how this goes lol.

[HurricaneKid]

I love his one
every player, gm, coach, ect says he was the best, but internet poster's opinion >

Its an unpopular opinion. So be it. Kobe would be hands down the player of the 21st century. Not disputing that at all. But there was no single year where he was the best player. I actually do believe that. I think he still throws childish tantrums.



Here is another one: half the officials including almost all of the guys whose names you know, should be kicked out of the league. Its despicable that Crawford still has a job and I assume it is because he has information detrimental to the league.

"The Mavs have a 2-16 record in playoff games officiated by Crawford, including 16 losses in the last 17 games. Dallas is 48-41 in the rest of their playoff games during the ownership tenure of Mark Cuban, who has been fined millions of dollars in the last 11 years for publicly complaining about officiating. The Mavs have been called for 2.3 fouls per game more than their opponents in playoff games officiated by Crawford, compared to a nearly even foul differential in their other playoff games since 2001. Dallas has averaged 6.8 fewer free throws than their opponents in playoff games Crawford has worked. Opponents have an edge in free throw differential in the rest of the Mavs' playoff games, but it's only by a little more than one attempt per game."

Disgraced referee Tim Donaghy has claimed on ESPN Radio that Crawford is "proud" of the Mavericks' record under his officiating

[Deuce Bigalow]

"The Mavs have a 2-16 record in playoff games officiated by Crawford, including 16 losses in the last 17 games. Dallas is 48-41 in the rest of their playoff games during the ownership tenure of Mark Cuban, who has been fined millions of dollars in the last 11 years for publicly complaining about officiating. The Mavs have been called for 2.3 fouls per game more than their opponents in playoff games officiated by Crawford, compared to a nearly even foul differential in their other playoff games since 2001. Dallas has averaged 6.8 fewer free throws than their opponents in playoff games Crawford has worked. Opponents have an edge in free throw differential in the rest of the Mavs' playoff games, but it's only by a little more than one attempt per game."

Disgraced referee Tim Donaghy has claimed on ESPN Radio that Crawford is "proud" of the Mavericks' record under his officiating

I got to admit, I laughed

[Brickz187]

Almost everyone in most peoples top 5 is overrated due to their rings. Most don't care who THEY like, their list just has to look as close to everyone else. Just my opinion though.

[blacknapalm]

- oscar robertson is overrated. everyone wants to tout the triple double line but when you adjust for pace, his numbers look much less impressive. he didn't develop a solid jumper until late in his career and didn't take it into another gear in the playoffs that legends are expected to do. he was an athletic and skilled guard in a time where mostly bigs were the athletic and skilled ones. all-time great, but i can't cosign on a top 12 ranking. maybe a top 15 ranking.

- kobe and AI had one of the best individual skillets ever. it didn't always translate to impact on the court, but when those guys were on, they were among the best. question their decision making but never their heart

- at his peak, bill walton was the best center ever. shaq may have been more dominant, but the way walton commanded double teams, passed out, reposted, used his jumper and played defense (esp help defense) was almost second to none. he was also a great passer out of the high post. because of that, he was basically a major secondary playmaker. he even had good lateral quickness and could defend the pick n' roll. he practically had almost no flaw in his game. he could take over games on consecutive plays and in multiple ways. injuries killed his career but hopefully folks don't forget the player that he was

- if he stayed healthy, penny would have been a top 25 player of all-time. he had a complete offensive game: stepback J, crossover, fadeaway, up and unders, baby hook shots, pull up J, could come off screens, etc. he was just polished and a competitor. he was no slouch on D. he was essentially a PG in a SG's body with potent skills

- this one is a bit of a confession. c-webb is one of my fav players to watch ever. he was so smooth and heady. however, the perception that he was a choker is mostly truly. he did choke in playoff moments and at the very least he didn't kick his game into a higher gear. a lot of that was mental and webber never seemed to get over some huge misses and TO's. he was a regular season beast but just not that clutch. i know people think he's unfairly labeled in that regard, but going back and watching his games, he did miss a few opportunities. had big games too, but can't discount those others

- melo is the most overrated player in today's league (thought that for years)