10 Most overrated stars in the NBA

With the NBA season still pretty far away, we try to stay close to the game by taking a look at the 10 most overrated players in the league. I`ve always wondered how certain guys can be considered so good, so it was only a matter of time for this list to be ‘masterminded’. We`ll only look at players dubbed as stars and superstars.

Popularity and salary make a star. The list will contain only players who are top 25 in at least one of these two categories, with emphasis on popularity. How`s that for a well structured and objective input? No Monta Ellis, DeAndre Jordan or other players that are on every other ‘most overrated’ list out there.

Hey, these guys are good, nobody is saying otherwise. But are they as good as advertised? Who are the most overrated stars in the league?

10. Kobe Bryant (LA Lakers, 30.5 million $)

Kobe is a special situation, as he is so popular that he is actualy being overestimated and underestimated at the same time. His fans think so much of him that the rest of the people started underestimating him to the point of considering James Harden better (more on this later in the article). But one thing is for sure: his league-best contract is not deserving from a basketball standpoint, as he is not the best player in the NBA anymore. Also, he tends to miss too many shots and his clutch performance is not so legendary as people think. He is recovering from an Achilles injury (much health, Kobe) which can damage his athleticism. Surely it has to be the last place on this list for Kobe.

9. Dwight Howard (HOU Rockets, 20.5 million $)

Dwight is good, actually very good. His numbers are solid, and he truly is the best center in the league. But with people considering him the second coming of Wilt Chamberlain, you can`t help but feel he is overrated. Without a championship to his name and with doubts over his ability to make teams better, Howard still has a long way to go to be a legitimate superstar. He`s overrated but hey, he`s on the second to last place on our list, in front of his great friend Kobe (yea, right), so that should make him very happy (yea, right).

8. Chris Bosh (MIA Heat, 19.1 million $)

Bosh has received a lot of undeserving criticism for his numbers in the playoffs last season, when he was only trying to respect coach`s gameplan to complement Lebron and Wade. But when you earn as much money as James, you should come up with more than zero points in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

7. Jeremy Lin (HOU Rockets, 8.4 million $)

You gotta love Jermy Lin, but with 13.4 points and 6.1 assists per game as a starter for the Rockets last season (on poor shooting percentage), he is looking closer to a backup point guard than a fan sensation with a close to 9 million per year paycheck. He is still a good NBA player though, and is not earning so much in order to be considered a bust.

6. Rudy Gay (TOR Raptors, 17.9 milion $)

Rudy Gay is still seen as a franchise player and a superstar by some, including the Toronto Raptors front-office, who gave up some great assets to sign him. That`s mostly because of his tomahawk dunks and scoring numbers, but the reality is that Gay is a hugely inefficient scorer and he isn`t making any teammate better. Not now, not ever. Oh, and he makes more money than about 97% of the players in the league and every other non-playoff team player.

5. Amare Stoudemire (NY Knicks, 21.7 million $)

Poor Amare was plagued by injuries and actually he is not rated that high anymore by anyone. But looking at his humongous payroll you have to put him high on this list, as he isn`t producing anywhere near that 22 million $ contract. I said poor Amare? Ehm …

4. Joe Johnson (BK Nets, 21.5 milion $)

Joe Johnson has made a boatload of money in his career, as he is one of the best paid players in the league for years. If he could only throw shots the way people have been throwing dollars at him! Joe has shot around 42% in the last years, and is averaging just over 16ppg with few rebounds and assists. His fame has decreased a little bit, but he is still seen as a star and closer, despite him successfully closing something like 1 out of 10 matches. With his athleticism decreasing, one can wonder what will be harder for Johnson to close this year, games or the door to his cash-filled safe? Atlanta fans actually celebrated when their franchise player Joe left the Hawks, so I rest my case.

3. Carmelo Anthony (NY Knicks, 21.4 million $)

Carmelo Anthony is so overrated that he was actually dubbed as the MVP last season by many media idiots (ahem, experts). The fact is that Carmelo is a ball hog, he is inefficient with questionable basketball IQ and most importantly he does not know how to win at the highest level, never going further than the 2nd round of the playoffs. His playoff win-loss record stands at a lowly .350, which is laughable for a so-called MVP candidate and top 5 player in the league.

2. Derrick Rose (CHI Bulls, 17.6 million $)

Jesus is a nobody in Chicago compared to this guy. Virtually everyone is expecting him to have the same impact on the franchise as Michael Jordan. Before his ACL tear (much health, Derrick), Rose was mostly bricking shots (under .400 FG% in the 2012 playoffs) and he didn`t do much with this Chicago team in the playoffs. He can win games as easily as he can lose them. His laughable 2011 MVP, arguably the most undeserving ever, is a testament to how overrated he is. Rose is so far an inconsistent talent who is not even the best at his position, despite being considered by many the second best player in the league before his rough injury.

1. James Harden (HOU Rockets, 13.7 million $)

James Harden has to be the most overrated player of the moment, despite some tough competition from Rose. Pretty much everybody is considering him the best Shooting Guard in the game, and many are viewing the bearded man as a top 5 player in the league. It is not even a debate for people if Harden is better than Kobe, they say he`s way better. Well, James Harden in his best year so far was below a 34 year old Kobe`s numbers in absolutely every department, from points to field goal percentage and assists. And his defense is rather poor. How is this guy the best Shooting guard, how does he make his teammates better by not passing and bricking shots, and how can he be a top 5 NBA player considering all this and his defense? He can`t, and he is just developing into a superstar, he is by no means there yet.