You're good, but not that good
Brooks Seeley
Issue date: 10/3/05 Section: Op/Ed
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Between sports fans and the media, athletes get blown into superstars of their sports. But, as in many cases, the athletes aren't as good as they appear.
The most common mistake I see is teams paying way too much money for players who don't deserve it when they could get a player equal or better than this supposed star. I hate seeing athletes who don't deserve the credit they are given when all they do is show up and don't have to perform. So, here is my list of the top five most overrated athletes of my generation:
5. Jake Plummer- At Arizona State, he became known for his fourth quarter comebacks, and was looked to by the Cardinals to be a savior.
Plummer could never get over the hump and win any big game, other than beating Dallas in 1998 in the first round of the playoffs. Statistically, Plummer has five years of twenty-plus interceptions and has only had three seasons of 3,000 or more passing. If you are going to put your team on the back of a guy who has a career rating of 73.0, please do not sign him to a seven year, $40 million contract. That's just a waste of money.
4. Scottie Pippen- What a great opportunity it was for Pippen to play right beside the best basketball player ever and get credit for helping the Bulls to all those championships. For whatever reason, Pippen was also named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1997 when the list was announced. Come on, Pippen doesn't even compare to any of the other names on the list.
This stat line sounds like an average player to me, but take a look: 16.1 points per game, 6.4 rebounds per game, five assists and only shot 70 percent from the free throw line and 47 percent from the floor. There is just nothing exciting about Pippen. Do you remember when Jordan retired? Pippen was supposed to carry that team and he failed miserably.
I do agree that Pippen was a good wing man for Jordan, he took a little bit of the load off of him. But still, to be considered a top 50 basketball player, you better be more than a wing man.
The most common mistake I see is teams paying way too much money for players who don't deserve it when they could get a player equal or better than this supposed star. I hate seeing athletes who don't deserve the credit they are given when all they do is show up and don't have to perform. So, here is my list of the top five most overrated athletes of my generation:
5. Jake Plummer- At Arizona State, he became known for his fourth quarter comebacks, and was looked to by the Cardinals to be a savior.
Plummer could never get over the hump and win any big game, other than beating Dallas in 1998 in the first round of the playoffs. Statistically, Plummer has five years of twenty-plus interceptions and has only had three seasons of 3,000 or more passing. If you are going to put your team on the back of a guy who has a career rating of 73.0, please do not sign him to a seven year, $40 million contract. That's just a waste of money.
4. Scottie Pippen- What a great opportunity it was for Pippen to play right beside the best basketball player ever and get credit for helping the Bulls to all those championships. For whatever reason, Pippen was also named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1997 when the list was announced. Come on, Pippen doesn't even compare to any of the other names on the list.
This stat line sounds like an average player to me, but take a look: 16.1 points per game, 6.4 rebounds per game, five assists and only shot 70 percent from the free throw line and 47 percent from the floor. There is just nothing exciting about Pippen. Do you remember when Jordan retired? Pippen was supposed to carry that team and he failed miserably.
I do agree that Pippen was a good wing man for Jordan, he took a little bit of the load off of him. But still, to be considered a top 50 basketball player, you better be more than a wing man.