It seems that today a player’s road from underrated to
overrated is a short one. I remember the
first time I consciously witnessed this transformation of a player going from
underrated to overrated. As the Pistons
were making deep playoff runs I remember hearing how Ben Wallace was far and
away the most underrated player in the NBA; he did all the dirty work for the
Pistons team while Richard Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace, and Chauncey Billups took
care of most of the scoring. I heard
this phrase over and over again coupled with highlights on Sportscenter of Ben
Wallace’s blocks. It didn’t take long
and Ben Wallace was universally regarded as an overvalued player for his last
years in Detroit and all of his time in Chicago. Not surprisingly, the pendulum has swung back
and Ben Wallace is once again regarded as underrated, although playing at a
significantly lower level than in his prime.
