Is Allen Iverson one of the most under-appreciated players ?

[Onslaught]

Kobe hasn't practiced in 5+ years.  Nobody ever talks about that but with Iverson it's all you ever hear.

Proof?

And even if that's true, and I don't believe it is..... Kobe has rings.

[Edgar]

tough as nails..finals worthy ..not that smart

[byennie]

Iverson had his flaws, but "just a chucker" seems like cognitive dissonance against a player that became fairly unlikeable to a lot of serious fans and flamed out quickly after age 30.

Yes, he was a lower efficiency, high volume scorer. He also scored 8-10 pts per game from the free throw line in his prime, with a TS% higher than you might think as a result. He averaged 6 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2+ steals for his career. He played 42 mpg for years at a time. He could create a shot at any time against any opponent.

Here are some numbers... half are Allen Iverson and half are Kobe, from the same time period (01-06). I doubt anyone would argue that Kobe, in his prime, was amongst the greatest scorers in NBA history.

31 pts on 24 shots
35 points on 27 shots
33 pts on 25 shots
27 points on 20 shots
30 points on 24 shots
28 points on 22 shots
31 points on 25 shots
31 points on 24 shots

Overhyped in his day? Probably. Underrated a decade later? Absolutely.

Time warp a 25 year old Iverson to present day rules, and I believe he could score 35 PPG on 55% TS, with 5+ assists and league leading steals. And we would all be pretty darn impressed to see a guy under 6 foot doing it, calling him an All-Time great

[lightspeed5]

[fitzhickey]

He was very dangerous, tough as nails and could do it all on offence
He may have been overhyped in his prime, but I think people tend to underrate him a bit
Went and watched some of his old games, and although he wasn't mr efficiency he still led his team valiantly
Could score with the best of them and was getting solid assist numbers and 4 rebounds a game for someone who was 6'0" and 165 lbs generously is impressive
He was lightning quick on the court and a great score
Overhyped in his prime, maybe. I wasn't really concious to NBA when I was 2 years old
But people underrate him now IMO

[Finkelskyhook]

Obscenely overrated player.  The Antoine Walker of guards, honestly.

He was fun to watch... but in his prime when he was jacking up shots and averaging 31 a night, he was shooting 39% and 29% from three.  That's just disgustingly inefficient.  He also was averaging about 4.5 turnovers per game during his prime.   His teams improved when he left.  Literally the Antoine Walker of guards.   

Honestly, if Rajon Rondo started taking 28 shots a night like Iverson in his prime, Rondo could probably come close to averaging 30 a night as well.   Iverson was a completely selfish chucker.

Outstanding post. 

[Finkelskyhook]

He took a bunch of shots because he had no one to play with. Those Sixer teams were loaded with trash. Trash and AI - of course.

Extremely tough, extremely quick, and a downright unstoppable scorer at times.

this!  he brought the sixers to the finals with a team in which eric snow was the second best player.

people like to hate on AI for his image.  truth is, he was unbelievably good
[/quote

The Sixers built a perfect team for the overrated Iverson...So he could chuck all game long and not have to defend beyond cheating passing lanes...They had arguably the best coach of that era...Inarguably the best shot blocker in his prime (Sorry, Mutombo was their second best player and by far...It's most important.)  They had one of the game's best rebounders in Tyrone Hill.  That team was far from trash.

[pearljammer10]

I was always under the impression he was over valued. And overrated as well.