HoopsHype.com Columns

Overlooked, but indispensable
by Rich Thomaselli / March 11, 2002

No, they don't have the flashiness of a Mike Bibby or the experience of a Vlade Divac. They possess neither the sweet shooting stroke of Predrag Stojakovic nor the montter talent and contract of Chris Webber. Not to mention an involvement with Tyra Banks, but let's not tick off C-Webb right now. (No, really, I've never seen that Victoria's Secret commercial.) But one of the keys to the Sacramento Kings' great season so far has been the often underrated, sometimes overlooked but always indispensable play of guards Doug Christie and Bobby Jackson.

It's not that the two aren't integral parts of the team. It's just that compared to their aforementioned four teammates, Christie and Jackson are shrubs dwarfed by the Redwoods known as Webber, Stojakovic, Bibby and Divac. In fact, some of the biggest pub Christie is getting on the west coast is whether the planned construction of his 11,500 square foot mansion in Bellevue, Washington, will uproot some bridle trails on the three acres he has purchased.

Nearly every team -and, certainly, most title contenders- has that one blue-collar player that gets little notoriety but plays a vital, essential role in the makeup and success of the franchise. Think of Bobby Jones' role with the great Philadelphia 76ers teams of the early 1980s, or Kurt Rambis with the Lakers.

Christie averages 12 points, 4.6 rebounds, almost four assists and 1.83 steals (good for 10th in the league) while Jackson checks in at 10.9 points, 3.1 boards and two assists. Both are strong, athletic guards who bring a toughness to the Kings. In fact, in a recent column by Sacramento Bee writer Martin McNeal, Webber, Stojakovic, Bibby , Divac and Hedo Turkoglu were singled out for being soft. McNeal, however, made it a point to say that Christie, Jackson and Scot Pollard were not. Those players, McNeal wrote, use their bodies and mentalities to challenge their men not only to score but to catch the ball where they want -- even to stand where they want.

These are the same players who most likely are willing to take a hard foul and prevent a layup, as Jackson did by wrapping up the 6-10 Dale Davis in a loss to Portland. They're not the only ones who sometimes toil in anonymity.

Here's one man's opinion of some of the most underrated talent in the league (in no particular order):

PAT GARRITY, ORLANDO - Behind T-Mac's game, Grant Hill's injury problems, the emergence of second-year man Mike Miller and the dependable Darrell Armstrong, Garrity is averaging 10.7 points and 4.0 boards in 28.5 minutes of play. When Orlando needs the big, back-breaking 3-pointer, Garrity is there (9th in the NBA in 3-point field goal percentage at .416).

BEN WALLACE, DETROIT - Until a recent feature article in a national magazine, Wallace might have been best known for his wild afro. What he should be known for is what NBA players and coaches are already familiar with:
an amazing ability to get to the basketball. He averages 12.2 rebounds (second in the league) and 3.41 blocks (first) per game, giving the Pistons a defensive presence perhaps behind only Shaquille O'Neal and Dikembe Mutombo.

RASHEED WALLACE, PORTLAND - Rasheed, underrated? Well, yeah. When you are best known for throwing temper tantrums and collecting technical fouls as if they were lap dances, everything else kind of gets overshadowed. The bottom line is, Wallace can score inside, has a nice touch from the inside, is a pretty decent passer for a 6-11 guy, logs over 38 minutes a game and is an outstanding defensive player.

MATT HARPRING, PHILADELPHIA - When the Magic let Harpring go two years ago after getting McGrady and Hill, players, coaches and the media all said that was one player Orlando would miss. How right they were. After a year in obscurity in Cleveland, Harpring is averaging 12 points and 6.9 rebounds per game for the Sixers.

TODD MacCULLOCH, NEW JERSEY - The big man is averaging 9.9 points and 6.2 rebounds in just over 24 minutes a game. Double those numbers to see what he would produce in a full outing. Or, better yet, gnaw on this: since going down with a left foot injury and missing the last eight games, Eastern Conference-leading Jersey is 3-5 in those games.

TONY DELK, BOSTON - And you thought the Celtics' days of acquiring players from Kentucky were done when Rick Pitino left, right? Well, doesn't matter where Delk played his college ball because this was a smart acquisition for Boston. Delk, who started the season in Phoenix, came to Boston on Feb. 20. He is averaging 7.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists and giving Celts coach Jim O'Brien more options with his frontcourt.

DONYELL MARSHALL, UTAH - Malone and Stockton, Stockton and Malone. Blah, blah, blah. Utah's best player ranks second in the NBA in field goal percentage, hitting almost 55% of his shots. He's averaging 15.7 points and 7.5 rebounds, and playing steady, solid basketball after coming in last year out of shape and incurring what passes for the wrath of coach Jerry Sloan.

TIM THOMAS, MILWAUKEE - Got into a war of words with Orlando's McGrady during the first round of the playoffs last year, but backed it up. He has shown steady improvement every year and while Glenn Robinson, Ray Allen, Sam Cassell and Anthony Mason get the pub and head coach George Karl continues to wax outlandish in national magazines, Thomas is turning into a solid big man with a good floor game. He's averaging 13.6 points in 28 minutes.

RICK FOX, LOS ANGELES LAKERS - Yeah, yeah, so they're a team blessed with an abundance of talent in Shaq and Kobe, led by the chanting mantras of their head coach. But you still need a guy who is willing to do the dirty work, somebody who will leap into the seats for a loose ball or who doesn't mind bodying up the opposition's best player. And, Fox has shown time and again -particularly during the playoffs- that he can hit the big shot.

MALIK ROSE, SAN ANTONIO - Rose, who attended the same high school as Wilt Chamberlain, is nicknamed "Horse". Maybe it's because he works like one. He averages 9.1 points and 6.0 rebounds in 21 minutes, numbers that translate to a healthy 20.8 and 13.7 over 48 minutes. While some thing Antonio Daniels or Terry Porter might be better candidates here -and it's not such a bad argument-, Rose nonetheless gives the Spurs a little toughness.

CHAUNCEY BILLUPS, MINNESOTA - A couple of years ago, you might have had Billups on the overrated list. After all, he was the third overall pick in 1997 but has played on four teams in five six seasons. He's found a home in Minneapolis, where he averages 12.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and nearly five assists a game. Oh, and why is he on the court at the end of games? He's eighth in the league in free throw percentage at 88%.

Rich Thomaselli writes about the NBA and WNBA for several newspapers and magazines and is a regular contributor to HoopsHype.com

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