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[h2]Their numbers just don't add up[/h2]
In basketball, not everything is quantifiable. That's why it can be misleading to judge a player's value solely by his statistics. Stats don't measure small but significant things like setting a solid screen or playing good positional defense. They don't measure intangible qualities like competitiveness or a positive attitude. FOXSports.com NBA editor John Galinsky lists 10 current players who put up big numbers but aren't as valuable as their stats suggest. Some are All-Stars. Some aren't. But for all these guys, the whole really is less than the sum of its parts
1
[h2]Zach Randolph, F-C, Memphis Grizzlies[/h2]
2008-09 stats: 20.8 ppg, 10.1 rpg
When does 20 plus 10 equal zero? When you're adding up the contributions of Randolph, whose prolific scoring and rebounding stats are negated by his deficiencies. He's a poor passer, a worse defender and is useless in transition. His last three teams - the Blazers, Knicks and Clippers - have been more than happy to find a taker for his services. Now in Memphis, he'll be paid like a superstar ($33.3 million the next two years), score and rebound like an All-Star, and lose 60 games a year
[h2]Jamal Crawford, G, Atlanta Hawks[/h2]
2008-09 stats: 19.7 ppg, 4.4 apg
Drafted in 2000, the 29-year-old Crawford has produced points everywhere he's gone. In fact, he's one of four players to score at least 50 in a game for three NBA teams. (Wilt Chamberlain, Moses Malone and Bernard King are the others.) Yet in a league where more than half the teams make the playoffs, he's never played a single postseason game. His 597 games without a playoff appearance mark the sixth-longest streak in league history. Some of that is bad luck, of course. But it also might have something to do with Crawford's abysmal shot selection, reluctance to pass and aversion to defense. Grossly overpaid by Isiah Thomas, Crawford's last two teams have been desperate to unload his contract. Now with the Hawks, he should end his playoff drought unless he messes up a good thing in Atlanta.
3
[h2]Al Harrington, F-C, New York Knicks[/h2]
2008-09 stats: 20.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg
Harrington is known for scoring a lot in the first three quarters, then disappearing in crunch time. But his high spot on this list is more about representing all of the guys whose value has been wildly inflated by Mike D'Antoni's system. Harrington is the Knicks' leading scorer, but there's also David Lee, who led the NBA with 66 double-doubles, and Nate Robinson, who averaged 17.2 points off the bench. Lee and Robinson thought their fat stats would earn them fat contracts as free agents, but the league's GMs haven't been fooled by the eye-popping numbers. If only Isiah Thomas were still around to give them $100 million.
4
[h2]Kevin Martin, SG, Sacramento Kings[/h2]
2008-09 stats: 24.6 ppg
Let's not be too harsh on Martin, who deserves credit for a diverse offensive game that includes deadeye accuracy from long range, a sweet midrange game and over 10 free-throw attempts per contest. But despite finishing seventh in the league in scoring, he's no one's idea of an All-Star. At 6-7 and 185 pounds, he's proved to be brittle, missing 52 games the past two seasons. And when he scores 25, the man he's guarding often gets 30
5
[h2]Corey Maggette, F, Golden State Warriors[/h2]
2008-09 stats: 18.6 ppg, 5.5 rpg
Maggette is the epitome of a player who contributes little besides points, points and more points. A good enough athlete to be a lockdown defender, he doesn't play with much intensity on that end of the court and generally coasts through games. A black hole on offense, his numbers are inflated by "Nellieball," but you can say the same about most of the Warriors
6
[h2]Josh Smith, F, Atlanta Hawks[/h2]
2008-09 stats: 15.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 1.6 bpg
Few players can fill up a stat sheet like the absurdly athletic Smith, a 6-foot-9, 240-pounder whose vicious dunks and ferocious swats regularly populate the nightly highlights.But he's one of many talented young players around the league who don't do the little things necessary to win games. He doesn't always play hard. He pouts. He complains. He racks up techs. He forces bad shots. At 23, his immaturity may be temporary. But not everyone grows out of a bad attitude
7
[h2]Carlos Boozer, F, Utah Jazz[/h2]
2008-09 stats: 16.2 ppg, 10.4 rpg
Why have most Utah fans soured on Boozer despite his big numbers and two All-Star Game selections over the past five years? Because he hasn't been durable, missing 134 games in that span. Because he's a lousy team leader. Because of his matador defense. And most of all, because he's greedy. Boozer planned to opt out of the last year of his Jazz contract before he realized he wouldn't get more than $12.6 million elsewhere. Even now he's trying to force a trade, but the league-wide consensus is clear: He's not as good as he thinks he is. You can bet he won't be on Team USA in 2012
8
[h2]Marcus Camby, C, Los Angeles Clippers[/h2]
2008-09 stats: 10.3 ppg, 11.1 rpg, 2.1 bpg
Offensive stats aren't the only ones that can be misleading. Camby won the 2007 NBA defensive player of the year award based on his monster block and rebounding totals. But in truth, the slender center is easily overpowered in the post. He gets most of his blocks in weak-side help and frequently takes himself out of good defensive position by going for highlight swats. The Nuggets were criticized for trading Camby to the Clippers before last season, but Denver's defense actually improved in his absence
9
[h2]Vince Carter, SF, Orlando Magic[/h2]
2008-09 stats: 20.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 4.7 apg
Though it's been a while since he jumped over a 7-foot Frenchman, the 32-year-old Carter remains among the most extraordinary scorers and athletes in the game. He's averaged at least 20 points for 11 straight seasons, but there's a reason he's never sniffed a championship. When it comes to toughness and competitive intensity, no one's ever confused Carter with his fellow UNC alum, Michael Jordan. The NBA runners-up Magic traded for Carter, presumedly to put them over the hump. But if he keeps launching fadeaway jumpers in crunch time and failing to facilitate as well as the departed Hedo Turkoglu, Orlando may end up taking a big step back
10
[h2]Allen Iverson, G, Free agent[/h2]
2008-09 stats: 17.4 ppg, 4.5 apg
He'd be higher on this list if his stats hadn't taken a nosedive last season in Detroit, but Iverson gets the nod here for career achievement. In NBA history, only Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor have averaged more points per game than Iverson's 27.1. But all of those points, and his admirable toughness, have been undermined by A.I.'s bad qualities. His inability to play well with others. His ball hogging. His poor practice habits - yes, we're talkin' 'bout practice! - and atrocious defense. At 34, he should have a few good years left in him, but there's a reason no team seems interested. Like Pete Maravich, Iverson will be best remembered as an uniquely gifted offensive player but, ultimately, a sideshow, not a winner.
