The Shareef Abdur-Rahim Award; Empty Stats/Fake Stars

[SmashMouthRod]

This reward should be opened up to executives and General Managers. They are the ones who put together teams (with no direction)/players who dont complement/fit together; or simply choose scrub draft picks. Sometimes players dont meet their potential because they are put in systems or roles that dont fit the players skill set. This stuff just gets swept under a rug (even after the team never progresses and the exec gets fired). Some Gms will luck up and select one good player that gets tasked with making up for all the dead weight around him. This happens every year in real time. An real time example is Michael Porter. Played a good role on a championship/contending team. Got traded to a bad franchise. Currently putting up huge numbers on a BKN team as the best player headed no where. Porter has nothing to do with the players assembled around him.

[Effigy]

D-Aaron Fox

[TroubleS0me]

But he would be good in this era. Ahead of his time.

[GiggitySmalls]

LaMelo Ball

Sent from my SM-S936U using RealGM mobile app

[bonita_the_frog]

SAR played 830 games, and only 375 of them were with Vancouver, so his -2904 was more so because he played with other bad teams after leaving Vancouver, and because he retired young...
Hawks were a lottery team with SAR, but at least the Blazers were a .500 team in SAR's first year there but only 27 wins the next season, and SAR's Kings made the playoffs in SAR's first year there but not thereafter.

[California Gold]

James Harden

[FuShengTHEGreat]

Hardaway was young at that time. It’s understandable the team hasn’t yet peaked. But Golden State wanted Billy Owens and the rest is history.

Richmond had zero weaknesses on offense. His only flaw was playing on trash Sacramento teams during his prime where his best teammates were Spud Webb, Tisdale or Brian Grant at any given time. The fact he led one of those teams to the playoffs is a testament to his value.
He could have easily one a couple rings if you slot him into the Dumars role on those Pistons teams or put him next to Hakeem on those Rockets teams. I just don’t think people realize how godforsaken those Kings teams were.

Puhleeze. He had peak Mullin who was a top 5 SF for 3 seasons, and Hardaway was a all star in his 2nd season. Hardaway and Mullin missed no significant time during that span so injuries were not an excuse. With that much talent they should've been much better than a .500 team.

How does Richmonds career look any different from much of Bradley Beals in Washington who was getting criticized for putting up big numbers on teams headed nowhere?

But because MJ gave him his flowers he was suddenly elevated.

Those GSW teams were imbalanced too. Starting dudes like Alton Lister/Jim Peterson/Uwe Blab at center. They had precious little talent outside of those three players. I get they wanted to use Owens as some point center to try and get bigger…but Richmond wasn’t why those teams struggled.

Richmond at his peak was a top-15/20 MVP guy despite his trash teams.

Oh gimme a break. A lot of teams back then in that era were lucky enough to have more one good player leading their team. Even luckier two. GS with Richmond had 3 all star calibre players his last year there.

They replaced him with rookie Billy Owens and little else and they won 55 games.

He somehow gets a pass for what Bradley Beal was criticized for in Washington.

He just was not that impactful of a player as far as I'm concerned, no matter what MJ said lol.

[bonita_the_frog]

SAR made the 2006 playoffs with the Sacramento Kings, and they lost in 6 games to the San Antonio Spurs.
In Game 2, SAR score 27 points, 12-19 field, 9 rebounds, 1 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover in 34 minutes, and the Spurs won 128-119 in overtime.

[Scalabrine]

This thread is probably a bad idea, but, if you’re gonna take nominees, you definitely gotta include Zach Lavine.

and Demar Derozan.

Poor Kings fans.

[Mirotic12]

For me it's James Harden or Russell Westbrook. Not for the fake stars part, but for the empty stats part.

[sackings916]

For me it's James Harden or Russell Westbrook. Not for the fake stars part, but for the empty stats part.

How were Harden and Westbrook empty stats? I don’t understand this narrative or this thread in general. So if a player is a bad defender, it means his stats are empty?

[Liam_Gallagher]

Russell Westbrook.

[maverick_41]

For me it's James Harden or Russell Westbrook. Not for the fake stars part, but for the empty stats part.

How were Harden and Westbrook empty stats? I don’t understand this narrative or this thread in general. So if a player is a bad defender, it means his stats are empty?

Because making the Finals and coming agonizingly close to beating historically great 2016 and 2018 Warriors teams is considered empty, I guess.

[maverick_41]

Anyone mention Tracy McGrady yet? He got out of the first round once as a scrub for the 2013 Spurs.

While TMac had struggles getting out of the first round, TMac stats positively influenced his teams ability to win games and he helped his teams get to the playoffs more than once, so an empty stats argument doesn't make much sense.

Agree. 2003 Magic team had no business being a treat to the Pistons, yet TMac won 3 games. The Jazz series, the Mavs series ended in 7 games as well. Not the best leader, but a lethal SG with no weaknesses in his offensive game.

[Quattro]

Kevin Durant

[zero rings]

Demar Derozan has scored 25,555 points in his career and has a -1.6 on/off. He’s the empty stats GOAT.