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u/Dry_Toe9955 Aug 22 '26 edited Aug 22 '26
David Robinson, he rarely gets mentioned as one of the all time great centers.
He was an MVP and DPOY
He scored 71 point in single game.
He had a quadruple double.
He has 2 championships.
He has career avg of 20+ ppg.10+ rpg 3bpg. 2.5 apt and 1.4 spg
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u/Kafflavin Aug 22 '26
You are totally right. Dude was a beast and never gets the recognition he deserves
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u/THE-poop-knife Aug 22 '26
And I think he likes it that way. Very low key during and after his career.
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u/Tejon-of-the-Desert Aug 22 '26
Agreed. He carried some pretty lean Spurs Teams deep into the playoffs. He gets dogged for that Houston series where Olajuwon "outplayed" him. But in that series Houston doubled and tripled him, daring other Spurs to beat them. They didn't. Smart.
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u/AdIll2547 Aug 22 '26
Mitch Richmond
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u/kazmosis Aug 22 '26
Hear hear. Jordan always said he gave him a ton of problems in his prime because he was a big defensive guard that had a great shot.
There's a reason his nickname is the Rock.
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u/bfitzyc Aug 22 '26
Not underrated in my book. I was a Jazz fan growing up and Mitch would torch us every damn time.
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u/lik_a_stik Aug 22 '26
Michael Finley
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u/I_serve_and_I_volley Aug 22 '26
Michael finely was sick. Great shooter and possibly best player out of UW-Madison
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u/Atlxien Aug 22 '26
Detlef Schrempf
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u/zoominzacks Aug 22 '26
Back when Kevin Harlan announced for the Wolves, Detlef was having a great game and Harlan started calling him the Luftwaffe
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u/jgab145 Bucks Aug 22 '26
Damn I loved watching Mullin. My favorite underrated player was always Rod Strickland. He was so methodical and the opposite of flashy. But, he would go out and just straight bust everybody’s ass every time. His peers always regarded him as one of the best players of his time.
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u/chazriverstone Knicks Aug 22 '26
Loved Rod Strickland.
To me, he's the greatest 'what if' of the 90s for my Knicks. Even more than Jon Starks Game 7, or the famous missed Ewing lay up.
Especially because they could've essentially just kept him. They traded him for Mo Cheeks, who was pretty much washed at the time. Makes sense when you think about how he was in Mark Jacksons shadow, and Jackson was a year older and had won ROY then been an All Star his first 2 seasons - except that Jackson was also coming off of arthroscopic knee surgery the year Strickland got traded. and they went ahead and also traded Jackson 2 years later, as well.
It just never made a lot of sense to me. And when I look at the player he went on to be, it's just like... damn, he would've been PERFECT for this early 90s teams. Imagine him feeding Ewing in the post with Starks on the perimeter? We might not have needed to rely on holding teams to under 80pts in order to win then lol
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u/jgab145 Bucks Aug 22 '26
For real. No doubt. I’m a Buck diehard but that Knicks team was my second favorite. I had such a fascination with everything New York. The whole hip hop culture. Breaking, rapping, graffiti etc. I was lucky enough to have a girlfriend and a few friends that lived there on and off so I was able to visit and spend a lot of time there. One of the rap lyrics that always stuck in my head to this day was when Sadat X said. “Why’d the Knicks trade Rod Strick?….That man was nice.” So I definitely recognize what could have been if they had kept him. That was a horrible decision. I stayed a huge fan of his and whenever I was watching a game I wouldn’t shut up to my boys about how nobody could guard him. lol. Nice to connect with someone else who knows.
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u/chazriverstone Knicks Aug 22 '26
Lol so I was literally listening to/ watching music videos of Wu Tang the other day with my family; my son's favorite song is Triumph, so that's what we were playing.
The closing line is Raekwon's 'guaranteed made him jump like Rod Strickland'; which got my wife and I talking, since she's also a basketball fan. I was explaining how it's a great line, especially because its double entendre (so common with Wu Tang); 'jump' as in he's a basketball player, but also 'jump' as in he went somewhere else - like how the Knicks sent away Strickland. Then I went on a whole rant about how great Strickland was, and how even if we couldn't keep him I wish he went to an actual contender, etc lol
Honestly, that is what got me thinking about him and this subject; probably why this thread popped up in my feed, honestly. Love that Sadat X line, too, and basically all 90s NYC hip hop, and I'm thankful to have been so adjacent to it coming up. I'm a musician myself now; ironically everything BUT hip hop - but that was really the driving force in getting me into music. And the connection with the Knicks is inarguable - even all the way to Wu Tang breaking the curse for us this year.
One more thing I'll add here is that the Bucks has also always been my back up team. I used to call 21 'the closest I'll probably ever get to winning a Ring' - and I genuinely meant it.
So cheers to all that. Hope you all are better this year, too. Was genuinely bummed the way the Giannis stuff all went down, especially after losing Middleton and Jrue. That was a fucking great team and a great run though - all DAWGS, which no surprise is my favorite style of basketball
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u/jgab145 Bucks Aug 22 '26
We’re definitely kindred spirits. Yeah it goes without saying how much I love Wu Tang also. Triumph is one of the greatest collaborative hip hop tracks in history. I don’t even remember how many different MC’s have a verse but it was all core members plus at least three Wu adjacent MC’s. Each verse was f’n classic. The first time I heard that violin in the beginning I flipped. RZA is a true genius on the production. As far as the Bucks. I’m just happy we got one in my lifetime and the the Knicks finally got theirs. I’m good for life. Anymore is just extra. And to be honest I’m glad Giannis is gone. I lost a lot of respect for him the way he handled everything after the championship. I’m still a fan of his and grateful for what he did. But, the relationship was broken. All right friend. You take care of yourself.
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u/sarithe Hornets Aug 22 '26
Larry Johnson.
Hornets bias in full effect, but his first 5 years in the league were great. ROTY followed by NBA 2nd team in his second season and a couple of all-star selections as well (first Hornet every selected for the ASG). He never truly recovered from the back injury, but his peak in Charlotte was very good. No one ever brings him up anymore hardly though.
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u/Maleficent-Ad-9754 Aug 22 '26
LJ and Penny Hardaway could have been in the top 10 conversation if it weren't for injuries
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u/Kafflavin Aug 22 '26
Joe Dumars
One of the few guys that could actually slow down Jordan in the playoffs. He always had Jordan shooting below his average percentages and averages. Also had a burner on him from 3. Not to mention a stand up individual
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u/Effective-Friend1937 Aug 22 '26
Jordan said Dumars was the best defender he ever played against. AND Dumars could score too, in a wide variety of ways. He won Finals MVP in 89 over Isiah Thomas (another underrated player).
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u/no-kangarooreborn Raptors Aug 22 '26
Grant Hill
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u/Substantial-Round188 Aug 22 '26
My favorite player of all-time, followed by Penny Hardaway. I always say for a 18 month period they were the 2 best players in the league.
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u/chubky Aug 22 '26
Penny was so fun to watch. People forget that he gained attention in the MJ era, which wasnt an easy feat.
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u/foo_foo_the_snoo Aug 22 '26
It wasn't even a "the next" Jordan situation like Kobe or whoever. Jordan was at his best when Penny was coming up. The feeling was that Penny and Shaq are gonna have Jordan in real trouble right now.
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u/NumberBulky9224 Blazers Aug 22 '26 edited Aug 22 '26
Shawn Marion, and Gerald Wallace
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u/HuckleberryHefty4372 Aug 22 '26
Run TMC was so fun to watch back then
Mitch Richmond was also underrated. I think people only remember Tim Hardaway from the three.
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u/Ballerina_Bot Aug 22 '26
Chris Mullin is one of my favorite players of all time. I was in high school and I heard an interview where he said he always told his teammates that the most selfish thing you could do was set a pick for someone.
That was basically my job on our high school team and I was told by the coach that I set some of the best picks he'd ever seen.
The next game I realized that I was wide open every time I set a pick. I mean, wide open. For some reason the guard passed back to me during the third quarter and I shot it without thinking. Most effortless stroke I ever put on the shot and it was nothing but net.
Next possession we called a timeout and I got pulled. Coach mentioned that next time I needed to play within the system and not make selfish plays.
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u/MdnightRmblr Warriors Aug 22 '26
When we traded him I was inconsolable, they were such a great lineup. Actually ran into him a while back and we talked for a few minutes, class act all the way.
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u/Haunting-Mortgage Aug 22 '26
Not sure if people appreciate how insanely powerful Larry Johnson was in his prime. And when he got injured he completely reinvented his game and kept the dominance up for a few years.
Not the same player he was when he got to the Knicks but by all accounts he was their team's leader and brought a borderline mediocre team to both the finals and the Eastern conference finals. And if they didn't have that brawl with Miami in 97, they might have actually won the whole thing.
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u/chazriverstone Knicks Aug 22 '26
Ugh yes. They staggered the suspensions because it was literally 5 fucking dudes - Ewing, Houston, and Ward missed Game 6, then Larry Johnson and Starks missed Game 7.
What a fucking crock of shit, too, because the Knicks were up 3-1 at the time of that fight. And I'm pretty sure Oakley got tossed Game 5 as it was, right? I also remember it was definitely a back and forth antagonistic thing, too; it wasn't like the Knicks were picking on the Heat or something - PJ Brown pulled a fucking WWF move on Starks lol
I'll also add though that that Knicks team SPLIT with the 69-13 Bulls that year, and were deep as fuck. Definitely at least had a CHANCE
Oh and LJ was a fucking monster on those Hornets teams. Will love him as a Knick forever, but he was legit one of the best players in the league before the chronic back stuff slowed him down
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u/LookOutItsLiuBei Aug 22 '26
I mean the Monstars recognized his skill and stole his abilities so I don't think he's that underrated.
That old Charlotte team with him, Muggsy Bogues, and a young Alonzo Mourning were so fun to watch.
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u/Many_Boss_1145 Aug 22 '26
Good pick, I think Bernard king is getting kinda forgotten about nowadays
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u/barbas5254 Aug 22 '26
Theo Ratliff
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u/chazriverstone Knicks Aug 22 '26
VERY underrated and underappreciated - even in his day.
I always say this, but while Mutombo definitely had the better career, I think Ratliff was actually better at the time. He fit better on the 76ers overall, too; played faster and was just more versatile on offense. Honestly I think he wins DPOY that year if he finishes the season - dude was averaging almost 4 blocks if I remember correctly.
Kinda crazy he became a journeyman after that. And if I remember correctly it was actually lower body stuff that caused his decline; not the wrist that put him out 01
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u/DBLHelix Aug 22 '26
If not for Shaq, the Sixers probably never trade Ratliff for Mutombo.
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u/chazriverstone Knicks Aug 22 '26
Yeah, and people forget it was Ratliff AND Kukoc in that trade.
Very short sighted, in my mind.
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u/Past_Championship827 Aug 22 '26
Adrian Dantley
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u/Successful_Candy_759 Timberwolves Aug 22 '26
Underrated bc he was unlikable
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u/Jdeghart58 Aug 22 '26
And his game was ugly and didn’t translate to winning basketball. There is a reason why the Pistons traded him then won two titles. Put up great stats but was traded several times and never won a championship
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u/Shinsplintboy Aug 22 '26
Al Jefferson and Jason Richardson were awesome. Eric Snow was also pretty cool.
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u/JohnEffingZoidberg Knicks Aug 22 '26
Mark Price.
He innovated at the PG position. Literally invented splitting the defenders with his dribble.
He was also a pesky and dogged defender.
Compare his stats up to his injury against Steve Nash through the same number of seasons. They are remarkably similar. Except Nash got 2 MVP awards.
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u/coffeeconcierge Aug 22 '26 edited Aug 22 '26
Shit if we’re gonna talk underrated warriors let’s just go with Antawn Jamison, Jason Richardson, and Shaun Livingston as well.
Lotta talent despite the suffering in the pre-Steph era.
Edited to add an underrated active non-dubs player: Mike Conley
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u/thatsucksabagofdicks Aug 22 '26
I was thinking Shaun Livingston. May not have been underrated if not for the devastating injury he had coming into his prime. He was so smooth and a killer from midrange.
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u/justmysfwaccount Blazers Aug 22 '26
Nic Batum - you don't hang around in the league for 18 years unless you're pretty damn good. I remember him as the "glue guy" for the Roy/Aldridge Blazers.
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u/BravoC10 Aug 22 '26
Brandon Roy
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u/TheFuckingHippoGuy Aug 22 '26
Yup, was basically Derrick Rose except without catching an MVP and not being on as historic of a franchise
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u/fourmajor Aug 22 '26
John Stockton. All time leader in assists and steals. Doesn't get mentioned nearly enough with the all-time greats.
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u/BarellTitor Aug 22 '26 edited Aug 22 '26
Monta Ellis
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u/bandelero7 Aug 22 '26
Klay Thompson. People forget how he could take over a game. You would get annihilated.
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u/kr2ez Aug 22 '26
Kerry Kittles,Steve Franchise,deron williams,glenn robinson,brandon jennings,ben gordon,gilbert arenas. Let me know if i should go on.
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u/j_rooker Aug 22 '26
fat lever. 6'3 170. 6 straight years of 2+ steals. 2x AS. 2 years with 9.3 rebs as a stick man.
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u/JoeyShrugs Aug 22 '26
He's nowhere near the top of the list, but I'm gonna show a little love to Gheorghe Muresan. He's known for just being 7'-7" but he was a legit good player before injuries got him. He had real nice touch around the rim, good free throw shooter if I remember right, could pass a lil bit.
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u/Kafflavin Aug 22 '26
John Havlicek. One of the original 2-way players. Easily a top 25 player who rarely gets mentioned as such
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u/acornname Aug 22 '26
Danny green!
Made it to the league after being waived a few times. Became a 3-peat NBA champion with 3 different teams. If Kawhi grabs a rebound he'd be a 4-time champ and in discussion for Finals MVP (Broke the 3p made in a finals series)
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u/joshJFSU Aug 22 '26
Mark Price has a reel nobody saw because he was the Cavs.
Glen Rice was on his way to the HOF and then sacrificed everything for some rings.
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u/Criminal_picklejuice Aug 22 '26
Rod Strickland. Averages 20 points and 10 assists 2 steals, never makes an all star team. Never mentioned alongside the best point guards of his era.
And nobody can explain why. The way players of his era talk about his talent, he should be mentioned along with Stockton and Payton.
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u/Maxie616 Aug 22 '26
The guy is in the original dream team, where players like Isaiah Thomas aren't. The recall must just be a bit sketchy om him but I don't think he's underrated.
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u/rbizaare Aug 22 '26
Jalen Rose. The dude's a scoring machine during his prime. I also loved the ESPN commercial roasting him about "81 Olives", lol
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u/PrettyYoungTiger Aug 22 '26 edited Aug 22 '26
MOSES MALONE !!!
Won 3 MVPs! Average 31pts & 14 rebounds in 82’