Dime Magazine Ten Softest Players in the NBA By Andrew Katz Look yourself in the mirror and admit it!Why weren’t the Rockets able to come away with a win against the Nuggets last night? Well you could attribute it to the fact that T-Mac was out and Houston’s backcourt looked like they’d never played together. You could attribute it to Luther Head’s 1-7 night from the floor for 3 points. Or, if you were as anti-Yao as I am, you’d just blame it on him. Nene outworked him, grabbing five offensive boards throughout the night as the Nuggets claimed a 42-38 edge on the glass to help push them over the edge. That was one night after he played 28 minutes against the Spurs and only managed one rebound for the entire game. There’s only one explanation for that: he’s soft. As reader Big Shot BOB put it recently, “Soft is his middle name: “Ming Soft Yao.” With Yao right at the top of my list of the Ten Softest Players in the NBA, here are my other nine guys: * Yao * Eddy Curry * Jerome James * Channing Frye * Roy Hibbert * Walter Hermann * Yi * Kyle Korver * T-Mac * Dirk ------------------------------------ The 10 Most Overrated Players in the NBA By Dime Magazine Mike Bibby, Dime #17In one of the best games of the NBA season so far, the third highest-paid guy on the court was invisible. Luol Deng was a total non-factor in last night’s Bulls/Jazz thriller, playing 13 minutes off the bench and collecting more turnovers (three) than points (two). Granted, Deng was coming off a hamstring injury, but even before he got hurt, he was hardly living up to the $72 million deal Chicago signed him to over the summer. During the game, the Dime crew was back-and-forth e-mailing about Deng’s place amongst the League’s most overrated players. It’s a list that changes constantly, but as of today, here’s who we’ve got as the 10 most overrated players in the NBA: (Note: We’re fully aware that the whole overrated/underrated thing is never a player’s fault, but that of the fans and media. We’re the ones who put a player on a pedestal or under a rock, and when he exceeds — or falls short of — the expectations we said, he falls into the overrated/underrated pool. That said…) 1. Mike Bibby — Still living off his reputation from the ‘02 playoffs. Think about it: every Hawks game you’ll hear about how clutch Bibby is, but how many big-time shots have you seen him hit in the last five years? 2. Luol Deng — Again, one great playoff series (in ‘07), and Deng hasn’t been nearly as good since. 3. Andrew Bynum — Does he have a chance to be a great center in this League? Absolutely. The skills are there, the physical tools are there, but everyone needs to chill out for a minute. Bynum’s mere presence alone does not guarantee the Lakers would have won it all last year. But one good half-season, and the die-hard L.A. fans wanna retire his number 17. 4. Ray Felton — When D.J. Augustin is about to take your job, it’s time to acknowledge you’re a full two notches below CP and Deron, maybe more. 5. Rodney Stuckey — Classic case where it’s not his fault, but so much was put on Stuckey’s shoulders after his ‘08 postseason breakout that his early-season struggles have really stood out. 6. Richard Jefferson — They don’t seem to miss him much in New Jersey, do they? Another guy who owes Jason Kidd a lot of money. 7. David Lee — With our offices in New York, over the last two years we haven’t gone two days without hearing the ridiculous statement that Lee is the Knicks’ best player. And this dates back to when Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph were on the roster, when Eddy Curry was in reasonably good shape, and Stephon Marbury was actually playing. Maybe it’s true now after the LeBron fire sale. 8. Rashard Lewis — The reason why Hedo Turkoglu won’t be in Orlando next year. If Rashard is getting $100 million-plus to be the third banana, why would Hedo accept anything less? 9. Andre Iguodala — Exciting? Yes. Has potential? Yes. A legit star? Not yet. 10. Daniel Gibson — That jump shot is textbook, but when it’s not falling, he’s pretty much useless ------------------------------------ The Top Ten Good-Bad NBA Players By Andrew Katz J.R. BucketsLast Wednesday, J.R. Smith was late for practice, so he was benched against the Clippers. On Thursday, he dropped 32 against the Hornets. Two days later, he played seven minutes against the T-Wolves without scoring. And then last night against the Rockets, Smith sunk five three’s and tallied 19 points off the bench. That way-up, and then way-down trend got George Karl talking. “J.R. is a good-bad player, and we’re trying to take the bad out and magnify the good. . . . And consistency, defense and a positive, good attitude would keep him on the court,” Karl said. “But I don’t think he gives us always those three every night we play. Some nights I’ll tolerate his bad and some nights I’m probably going to go someplace else.” That’s a perfect way to describe J.R. - he’s a good-bad player. His shot selection can be atrocious. But he can also spark the team’s offense with deadly three-point shooting and explosive drives to the cup. In fact, this opens up an entire category of players who are generally too elusive to put into the “I’d Like to Have Him on My Team” or “I’d Absolutely Hate to Have Him on My Team” boxes. For all of these guys, there’s a reason that they’re not good basketball players. (J.R.’s fatal flaw is that he is Capt. Jack Sparrow.) But at the same time, there’s something that you like about their game, so much so, that you actually can be convinced that they’re someone you actually want to play for your squad. * J.R. Smith * John Salmons * Louis Williams * Damien Wilkins * Al Harrington * Eddie House * Emeka Okafor * Tim Thomas * Ray Felton * Stromile Swift --------------------- The Top 10 Jackers in the NBA By Dime Magazine Jamal CrawfordLast night, Warriors fans got their first real introduction to one of the League’s most prolific jack artists. Though Golden State might think that living with Stephen Jackson for years means that you’ve seen it all, think again. Jamal Crawford is statistically, and practically, the biggest jacker in the League - and he proved that in his home debut at ORACLE. When the Warriors had opportunities - with the lead - to slow it down in overtime and get a good shot, JC took one dribble right into his man’s outstretched arm and hoisted a three before five seconds came off the shot clock. Therein lies the biggest difference between he and SJack. Jackson will take ill-advised three’s. He’ll take a lot of them. But in late-game situations, he generally limits those three’s to transition or to when he’s open in the half court set. Crawford doesn’t care at all what the situation is - if he wants to shoot, he’s shooting. And that shows in the books. 42% of Jamal’s shots are taken from beyond the arc, and only 28% of them are assisted. Looking through the NBA’s numbers, the next guy who takes over 40% of his shots from three is Roger Mason, Jr. who is assisted on 58% of his makes. In other words, the less often a player is assisted, the less often that they’re likely to be open. And Crawford pulls an awful lot when he shouldn’t necessarily have the green light. Knowing that Crawford and Jackson are on the list, who rounds out the rest of the Top Ten Jackers in the NBA? * Jamal Crawford * Stephen Jackson * J.R. Smith * Ben Gordon * Louis Williams * John Salmons * Hedo Turkoglu * Vince Carter * Mo Williams * Anthony Roberson Honorable Mention: Kevin Durant, Mike Bibby, ‘Melo, Zach Randolph --------------------- Ten NBA Players Who’d Excel Under Don Nelson By Andrew Katz JCJamal Crawford is making his debut in Golden State tonight, and is itching to prove that he’s not going to spend his whole career on a losing team. Crawford is justifiably excited about the new opportunity - not just because he won’t have to hear about the arrival of LeBron James in New York every day. Don Nelson seems to have knack for bringing the best out of guys who love to jack - so maybe this will be a good fit for ‘Mal. Aside from Crawford, who are ten other guys in the League who would really excel under Nellie? The criteria is fairly simple in my mind. You have to be able to run the floor, and you have to be able to shoot. Cockiness is required. And playing D is an added, but unnecessary bonus. * Kevin Martin * Ben Gordon * Gilbert Arenas * Kevin Durant * Mike Miller * Aaron Brooks * Shawn Marion * Michael Redd * Jason Kapono * Steve Nash ------------------------