ajam wrote:JT_55,
I'd rather have someone like Magic then Jordan, you get more from Magic then MJ.
Well, you'd certainly get more assists from Magic than MJ more often than not but I would disagree that you'd get more on the whole. You make it sound like MJ was a one dimensional ballhog who succeeded only because of the help of the league and the referees, which has become a popular school of thought amongst some people but that certainly doesn't make it right. That's another topic altogether though.
I think that player comparisons are somewhat misleading when it comes to touting a player as overrated. A player's flaws and shortcomings don't make him overrated unless they are constantly being glossed over or he's touted as being far better than he could reasonably and objectively considered to be. Because "overrated" is such a subjective term, pretty much every noteworthy star player in the league is overrated by someone (or a certain group of fans/sportswriters) at some point or in some way.
Vince Carter doesn't really strike me as someone who's overrated because he's also widely criticised at the same time as being acknowledged as a star player in the league. Not many people who aren't Carter fans would nominate him as the best player in the league or similar status that he could be suggested as being unworthy of.
In contrast, I'd say players like Manu Ginobili and Eddy Curry are more overrated much more often than someone like Vince Carter or anyone considered to be amongst the NBA's elite. Ginobili strikes me as a really good player, the kind who might make an All-Star team or two when he's having a noteworthy year but a lot of people would (or have) pegged him as being much better than that. Curry's the same this past season; he showed improvement and had a career year but I personally wouldn't say he's become the new Shaq or has established himself as the dominant centre in the league for years to come as has been suggested. He still has flaws and shortcomings that are being glossed over due to his improvements in other areas.
It isn't what a player does or doesn't do that decides whether he's overrated or not; it's how he's subsequently judged, rated and ranked. To that end, I'd say players who are on the fringe of superstardom or are up-and-coming players are more likely candidates as being overrated than established stars who will always be overrated (and for the matter, underrated) by certain contingents within the NBA fanbase.
