Is Pierce the most underrated player in league history?

[HarlemHeat37]

great pick tkb..

Pierce really isn't underrated at all, and he's probably overrated right now..not surprising considering the finals he just had though..

leading a team to the playoffs with 36 wins isn't impressive..

[Point forward]

Apart from Sam Jones, Jojo White and some other "forgotten" Celtics greats, one of my fav underrated players is Dave DeBusschere. He was the best PF of his generation, a defensive rock made of granite and more than capable on the offensive end. For peak performances, DeBus shut down Wilt (!!) in clutch moments of the 1970 NBA Finals when Willis Reed went down and was integral part of the great 1973 Knicks ring winning team.

Apart from pure stats, DeBus was a gym rat, a model of work ethic, extremely high in bball IQ (he was player coach on the Pistons when he was TWENTY FOUR!!), and the greatest 1970s hustler not named Dave Cowens. He was also loved by NY fans: while Walt Frazier attracted the blaxploitation fans and Bill Bradley was the smart upper class guy, DeBus was the honest blue collar work horse. You can make a case that DeBus was a more valuable player than Charles Barkley. But does he get any love today? Nope!

RIP DeBus, you went too soon...

[shawngoat23]

Unless I missed some posts (5:35 AM now), David Robinson hasn't even been mentioned in the thread.

He's one of my picks for most underrated player ever. Hakeem isn't really underrated on RealGM at least (I see him in top 10 lists regularly). Robinson was about as good as Hakeem, but that one series where they went head to head is everything people remember.

Agreed. I believe prime D-Rob is better than prime Duncan, but I'll have a tough time convincing most people of that. I don't think they're even that close in terms of ability, but Duncan's championship rings help him out in this argument.

[ronnymac2]

POINT FOWARD's post reminded me of somebody I think is highly underrated: Willis Reed. I know his longevity isn't really there too much, and I admit that I do focus on prime, but man was he great at his best. MVP, finals MVP, and all-star MVP. Along with an NBA title. He owned the league for a whole year. And if you look at his stats against a young Kareem in I think 70 and 71, or 71 and 72, you'll see he actually got the best of Kareem. Didn't dominate him, but decisively got the best of him. Then by 73, he changed his role for the good of the team, and they won a title then, too.

[celticfan42487]

great pick tkb..

Pierce really isn't underrated at all, and he's probably overrated right now..not surprising considering the finals he just had though..

leading a team to the playoffs with 36 wins isn't impressive..

He meant for his the Celtics first playoff appearance in 7 years.

The next year they improved to 49 wins and an ECF appearance based on tough defense and Pierce+ Wiggles 3s. Their backline for that tough defense was Battie and Walker..then Eric Williams+Pierce+an aging Kenny Anderson.. that team was more a show of how defense that can be done with will rather then talent and skill.

Pierce has always been a very good defender people just ignore this fact because he's a great offensive force. Also that following year after the first appearance for the Celtic franchise in 7 years Pierce was the main force behind the greatest 4th quarter comeback in NBA history against the Nets in the ECF.

Walker was an all-star the same way Maglorie and Marbury was one. Something sad that happened.

[Blame Rasho]

POINT FOWARD's post reminded me of somebody I think is highly underrated: Willis Reed. I know his longevity isn't really there too much, and I admit that I do focus on prime, but man was he great at his best. MVP, finals MVP, and all-star MVP. Along with an NBA title. He owned the league for a whole year. And if you look at his stats against a young Kareem in I think 70 and 71, or 71 and 72, you'll see he actually got the best of Kareem. Didn't dominate him, but decisively got the best of him. Then by 73, he changed his role for the good of the team, and they won a title then, too.

I would say Walter Frazier more so. I think everyone circle jerks way too much about his finals performance when it was Frazier who had a crazy 30 point /19 assist night to seal the championship.

[ronnymac2]

POINT FOWARD's post reminded me of somebody I think is highly underrated: Willis Reed. I know his longevity isn't really there too much, and I admit that I do focus on prime, but man was he great at his best. MVP, finals MVP, and all-star MVP. Along with an NBA title. He owned the league for a whole year. And if you look at his stats against a young Kareem in I think 70 and 71, or 71 and 72, you'll see he actually got the best of Kareem. Didn't dominate him, but decisively got the best of him. Then by 73, he changed his role for the good of the team, and they won a title then, too.

I would say Walter Frazier more so. I think everyone circle jerks way too much about his finals performance when it was Frazier who had a crazy 30 point /19 assist night to seal the championship.

I understand about how Frazier might have actually had more of a claim to the finals mvp and all. And that maybe he was better than reed. But I don't think Frazier is underrated by any means, whereas I think Reed gets overlooked a lot.

[Bgil]

Hakeem is borderline GOAT IMO. Talent-wise no one really compares. IIRC he didn't even start playing basketball until college and 4 years later he was the no.1 pick in the draft. He was elite in EVERY phase of the big man game on both sides of the ball. I don't think there's another player in the history of the game that was elite in every phase of the game for a player at there position. Too bad Sampson went down or else he's be ranked much higher on people's all-time lists.

[Datruth345]

he is clearly underrated

people cite his lack of team success, look at the players on the rosters of those bad years

the degree to which someone is underrated, it is impossible to gauge that

i'll say this, and will likely catch hate but oh well, if you put Paul Pierce with Yao Ming, they get out of the first round, pierce got out of the first round with Antonie Walker, and Yao Ming is better than walker ever was

[Blame Rasho]

Well I think Frazier is without question the best point guard defender and many people don't even acknowledge him being a good defender.

[Blame Rasho]

[quote]i'll say this, and will likely catch hate but oh well, if you put Paul Pierce with Yao Ming, they get out of the first round, pierce got out of the first round with Antonie Walker/quote]

Not hate... just laughter.

You want to compare getting out of the east compared to getting out of the west? Great analysis if there was ever one.

[Collinto]

i'll say this, and will likely catch hate but oh well, if you put Paul Pierce with Yao Ming, they get out of the first round, pierce got out of the first round with Antonie Walker/quote]

Not hate... just laughter.

You want to compare getting out of the east compared to getting out of the west? Great analysis if there was ever one.

No, I think he wanted to compare Pierce to T-Mac...He never said 'get out of the west', meaning to win the WCF, rather win a series. Four years with Yao and no series won.

Work on the reading comprehension before getting snarky.

[Blame Rasho]

i'll say this, and will likely catch hate but oh well, if you put Paul Pierce with Yao Ming, they get out of the first round, pierce got out of the first round with Antonie Walker/quote]

Not hate... just laughter.

You want to compare getting out of the east compared to getting out of the west? Great analysis if there was ever one.

No, I think he wanted to compare Pierce to T-Mac...He never said 'get out of the west', meaning to win the WCF, rather win a series. Four years with Yao and no series won.

Work on the reading comprehension before getting snarky.

I know exactly what he meant...

Getting out of the first round is no joke in the west and it is beyond silly to compare compare such things as if they the east/west were the same.

[Datruth345]

paul pierce and yao ming would get out of the first round in the west

[celticfan42487]

T-Mac was up 3-1 in the East and failed to get out of the first round