Why is Steve Nash so overrated?

I agree Nash may be a little over hyped. However, the most overrated athlete in the history of all the major professional sports is Derek Jeter. I was curious what others thought.

Steve Nash is EXTREMELY overrated. END.OF.STORY. I actually think Nash is a fantastic player (along the lines of a Mark Price), but he is HANDS DOWN the worst two-time (and I even say very possibly one time) NBA MVP of all time. I am ready to debate anyone on this subject, and have looked at this from many, many angles. Again, he is a great player, an All-Star even, but no way in hell should he have been a back-to-back MVP.

Now, as far as the most overrated athlete in the history of major professional sports - Bill Walton, hands down. Check that man's stats and tell me that he should be as lauded as he is currently or that he should have been voted as one of the NBA's top 50 players of ALL TIME. Ludicrous!

Basically, Steve Nash is the Bill Walton of the 2000s. And guess what? Both were white dudes and sort of hippy-type, fun-loving guys. That's why media types love(d) both.

jkl-

You have it on the head squarely. Nash is a nice NBA player, that is all. I live in greater PHX and of course a guy like that sticks out here like few other places. Interestingly with your mention of Mark Price, I think this argument about Nash arises frequently as a debate over the best "pure shooter" from some "study" that is often cited. In that regard only would you put him up there on a list of only the best pure shooters among Price who may have set the standard. Nash supporters often mention the 50-40-90 stat that drives me and I'm sure you crazy but has little bearing on his ability to win games. Thanks for any feedback.

jkl; wrote:

Now, as far as the most overrated athlete in the history of major professional sports - Bill Walton, hands down. Check that man's stats and tell me that he should be as lauded as he is currently or that he should have been voted as one of the NBA's top 50 players of ALL TIME. Ludicrous!

I tend to think overrated might be one of the most over-used words in sports, but in this case you might be right -- definitely not a Top 50 guy. I think in a lot of people's minds Walton has been held as highly as he has been because he is a "what if" guy. When he was even semi-healthy he was a tremendous player. The year he won the title with Portland he averaged 19 pts, 14 reb, 4 ast and 3 blocks a game. He wasn't Kareem or even Mo Malone but when he was healthy he could seriously play -- in both college and the NBA -- but just didn't do it long enough to deserve what accolades he has received.

If it were all about stats, the most over-rated pro team player of the last 50 years in any sport is definitely, and there's no contest, Joe Namath. Essentially two good years, tons of rally-killing interceptions

Derek Jeter, who will be the next guy to reach 3000 hits, is not over-rated. He can field and his leadership skills are well respected on his very successful team. If you want to talk over-rated, it may surprise you that Jeter's on base percentage is higher than Ichiro Suzuki's.

Regarding the use of the word, 'overrated' in reference to Steve Nash:

...or any other athlete for that matter. Perception skews everything. If you think he is over rated, then he is, in your mind. If one thinks he is rated about right, then that person is correct.

What I do know about Nash, being from Victoria, where he is from and his family still reside. While coaching soccer, in the basketball off season, I can watch Steve take part in soccer practices metres away - with the elite team here. He fits right in. They run some complicated drills and he is completely in-tune with the rest of the players. His brother Marty is a professional soccer player in England. His father is very involved in soccer as well and still plays.

Steve had literally carried the Canadian Basketball team on his back in tournaments, to win games they otherwise had no business winning.

He sat for the first half of his NBA career, clearly wasting his talent.

As a passer, he certainly has a great vision. When he gets compared to Gretzky in terms of his vision and passing skills then it must be assumed he is at least good. Gretzky was the MVP something like 8 years in a row?

Is he worthy of two consecutive NBA MVPs? Well he was perceived to be so according to the NBA - I think they may be a better authority than a bunch of Monday morning quarterbacks like we are.

Wet Coast wrote:

Is he worthy of two consecutive NBA MVPs? Well he was perceived to be so according to the NBA - I think they may be a better authority than a bunch of Monday morning quarterbacks like we are.

No. The MVP is voted by sportswriters and broadcasters. Most of whom are armchair quarterbacks like the rest of us.

There is much more involved in the vote beyond playing ability. It is a popularity contest. Karl Malone won it twice including a victory over Jordan in 1997. That alone invalidates the award.

Karl Malone was popular? Since when?

very popular. 2 time MVP and finished top 5 MVP scoring hosts of other times.

on to the point though. steve nash is the greatest offensive point guard the league has ever seen, ever. he is not overrated. his defense may not be gary payton like (i do not think stockton played AMAZING man2man D), but he is not a complete liability and he makes up for it on the other end ten fold. compare him to jason kidd who is nearly the complete opposite of steve in every way. they both are 1st ballot hall of famers, although i do believe steve nash is the "better" basketball player and a top 5 PG of all time.

13:09:41

bill walton is the greatest passing big man of all time. injuries killed him. he madhandled kareem abdul-jabbar during portlands 2 year run at the title (in which he won one title and a finals mvp). had bill had 10-13 healthy seasons he would be regarded as one of the top 5 centers to ever play. greatest college player ever, and backed it up (when healthy). shows how much you know lol? stat whores are silly, just watch a game.

Wet Coast wrote:

As a passer, he certainly has a great vision. When he gets compared to Gretzky in terms of his vision and passing skills then it must be assumed he is at least good. Gretzky was the MVP something like 8 years in a row?

.

Why I like to compare him to Gretzky is that he plays BEHIND the basket more than any other point guard much as Gretzky did in hockey.

I have been saying for years that I would like to see the endlines (not the distance between the baskets) moved back a couple feet to give even more room to play from behind it. Also, the players are so athletic, they are making regular moves to the bucket and grabbing rebounds and stepping out of bounds because there isn't enough room. In the last 70-80 years, the court has continued to get bigger. It is again time for a bigger court.

Pad Berson wrote:

Derek Jeter, who will be the next guy to reach 3000 hits, is not over-rated. He can field and his leadership skills are well respected on his very successful team. If you want to talk over-rated, it may surprise you that Jeter's on base percentage is higher than Ichiro Suzuki's.

Ichiro has started his career with 9 straight 200 hit seasons (including the all-time record 262) after coming from Japan at age 27. Ichiro has game changing speed. He has stolen over 50 bases to lead the league and over 40 2 other times. Jeter has only been in the 30's 4 times in 15 years. Ichiro has won 9 straight gold gloves and is considered by many scouts to be the best defensive right fielder when you combine arm strength with speed. Jeter has never lead the league in any major offensive category. He has never won an MVP award, and among baseball insiders he is considered a horrific defensive SS. His range is so limited it is painful to watch him try to get to a ball up the middle. I think this all surprises you because the media can really skew things. Just because they show every one of those unnecessary jump throws doesn't make him great.

Also, for a supposed contact hitter he may be the next player to 2000 career K's and he rarely walks for a guy at the top of the order. If you need more surprising info on Jeter let me know.

Ask the women who bore his children.

Jeter does not even have 1500 strikeouts yet. It's unlikely he'll be the next to get 2000.

mark cuban let him go as a free agent to PHX and he took a team from 20 wins a year before to 62 and the hottest team on the west. the following year amare & boris diaw go down with an injuries and steve is forced to become the offense for the team and averaged something like 35/15 over the second part of the season after the all star break...which is f***ing incredible. he's the most efficient PG (factoring in 3's) of all time and one of the greatest offensive players ever. watching him run an offense is a treat to a true basketball fan. now...he DID deserve his first MVP for taking that trash team to the top in one year. but the second should have definitely been kobe bryant. to be a one time MVP, leading some of the greatest offensive teams of all time statistically (2010, 2007), and shooting 40/50/90 multiple years is just incredible. and the fact he's 37/38 years old...

All-around shooting... There have only been two players in NBA history to shoot in one season at least 50% of field goals, 40% of 3-pointers and 90% of free throws and to do this more than once. Larry Bird did it in two NBA seasons. Steve Nash has done it four times!

jkl; wrote:

Steve Nash is EXTREMELY overrated. END.OF.STORY.

Well gee, if you put it that way, then who are any of us to argue? How eloquent and concise.

May I try? "jkl; doesn't know crap about basketball. END.OF.STORY." Hey, the all caps and the periods prove it!