Your Favourite Non All-Star/Role Players

[Its_asdf]

Since the NBA board is kind of just NBA news threads, I thought it would be a nice change of pace to actually get some discussion going on.

I'm curious as to what kind of player everyone here enjoys watching, but it would be kind of lame seeing everyone just post big names like Kobe Bryant or LeBron James 24/7.

So I want you to post and talk about your favourite player in the NBA, present or past, and why you enjoy watching that player. The rule however, is that you cannot name and talk about a player who has an all-star appearance under his belt. I guess you can say this is an appreciation thread of sorts to the forgotten second/third bananas on your favourite team or simply just a solid glue guy or bench player that you have or had become enamoured with.

One player that I've enjoyed watching is Luol Deng. I love his versatility and I'm a sucker for small forwards who have all around games. From what I've seen, he moves well without the ball, has a nice mid range game, works hard on both ends of the court and doesn't really seem to have an ego. He's kind of overpaid, but I think he can be a very good complimentary player for Rose and whatever 2 guard they bring in.

Another player that I might have to take out of this thread in a season or two if he continues to develop is James Harden. He's kind of the 2 guard version of Deng at the moment in the fact that he's a fairly well rounded player that plays at his best when he's going against the opposing team's second unit or feeding off the attention that Durant/Westbrook receive on the offensive end. He's still very young and kind of reminds me of a poor man's lefty version of Brandon Roy. I honestly think that if he was drafted by a team sorely lacking talent on the perimeter like Sacramento, he might have progressed much quicker due to more minutes and would have been more heavily talked about as a rookie that year.

Now post yours!

[Kenny]

Andre Miller: I've always enjoyed watching him play because he's a great passer and is also good in the post.
Marcus Camby: His defensive plays are exciting to watch.
Chris Andersen: Also fun to watch defensively and his dunks are nice too.
Josh Childress: Moreso back in his Atlanta days. I like what he brought off the bench for the Hawks and it was a shame they couldn't keep him.
Thabo Sefolosha: Excellent defensive stopper.

[Its_asdf]

Andre Miller is one of those players who doesn't seem to make sense in the NBA, yet still manages to pose a threat on the offensive end.

He's not that athletic for a position that is highly dependent on quickness and athleticism nowadays. Has a very shady perimeter game and doesn't really have good height or weight to him.

I love his game though. He just finds a way to contribute.

Also another player I've really grown to love last season is Ed Davis. Just a hardworking guy and does everything with a very quiet confidence. He's always got that "I really don't give a fuck" look permanently etched on his face which makes him pretty bad ass. He's also one of the better big men that the Raptors have had in a really long time. His game really brings me back to the Antonio Davis days when the Raptors actually had a respectable defensive presence.

[iPrototype]

I think one of the best players to ever play yet was never talked about because he was behind some big players was Toni Kukoc. The Croatian Senesation was a GREAT player, he could score, pass, rebound but in a team where Jordan is SG and Pippen is SF, he came off the bench but was an excellent sixth man to have and could easily start if called upon.

[shadowgrin]

Andre Miller is one of those players who doesn't seem to make sense in the NBA, yet still manages to pose a threat on the offensive end.

He's not that athletic for a position that is highly dependent on quickness and athleticism nowadays. Has a very shady perimeter game and doesn't really have good height or weight to him.

200 lbs. is already good (or bad) weight for a 6'2 PG to push opposing PG's around.

[[Q]]

I'm really not a big fan of Deng. he's always been lauded as someone who has great potential or one of the best players on the Bulls but he has made a career of being a below average or average player. can't stand him. if i was a bulls fan, i would hate that my team wasted their pick on someone like him who hasn't helped the team get to the next level

Zaza Pachulia- ZAZA always comes in and plays tough defense
Delonte West- One of the best defenders at the PG spot and is a bit crazy too. That year in cleveland he shut down rip in round 1 and joe johnson in round 2, but was too short to guard turkoglu
J.J. Barea- was a fan before he busted onto the national scene this year. i was a hater at first, called him a "midget" and whatnot, but in 08 or 09, i bet on Dallas to beat San Antonio in the playoffs and they did, so i had no complaints about him again.
Jeremy Lin for obvious reasons.
Lamar Odom- could be the most versatile player in the league and a perennial all-star, if he actually wanted it.
Matt Barnes- always been a fan of his toughness, his UCLA roots, and his "Sac-Town's Finest" tattoo that he covered up this season.
Ish Smith- kid's got potential.
Mike Miller- been a fan of his shooting ability and versatility
DeJuan Blair & George Hill- I hate the Spurs, so i hate that they are on the team because blair is a beast on the boards

[Andrew]

Tough call, a lot of the players that immediately come to mind do actually have an All-Star appearance or two to their credit, so don't count for the purposes of this discussion. I'd definitely have to go with Toni Kukoc along with Luol Deng. I enjoyed watching J.J. Barea play in the Finals, though he still needs to settle down a bit and grow as a player before he'll be ready to succeed Jason Kidd at the point. I'd have to include Jason Terry as well. Muggsy Bogues was always fun to watch back in the day.

I'm really not a big fan of Deng. he's always been lauded as someone who has great potential or one of the best players on the Bulls but he has made a career of being a below average or average player. can't stand him. if i was a bulls fan, i would hate that my team wasted their pick on someone like him who hasn't helped the team get to the next level

For a few years I would've agreed with you, but he had a really good season last year as the third option on the team, a role he seems to be more comfortable with. A couple of years back I was all for seeing him traded, but I was glad to be proven wrong last season. So for the moment, he'd probably make my list.

[shadowgrin]

I still say the Bulls should have held on to Ben Gordon rather than Deng.

[Andrew]

I would've agreed with that a couple of years back too but I'm not so sure about that either. The thought did cross my mind in the ECF when Korver couldn't make a shot and no one outside Rose was really doing much offensively, but I believe things are on the right track nevertheless.

[JaoSming]

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[Axel The Great]

Kevin Martin - I've always felt he's been underrated, given the fact that he scores very efficiently and gets to the free throw line at will.
Luis Scola - Used to be the same case as Martin, but got some attention two seasons ago. Just a solid, hard-working power forward that could start on pretty much any team.
Kyle Lowry - I thought he was a decent candidate for MIP this past season not because his minutes and numbers went up, but because he really improved his shooting. I feel a lot better with him starting at the point and giving a good defensive spark (which is what the Rockets lack) than Aaron Brooks.
The entire Rockets team. No All-Star presence there.

Lamar Odom - Given the fact that I hate the Lakers, I still have respect for Odom's game. Really hard to find that kind of versatility and it's surprising how he's never been an All-Star.
Ty Lawson - He's got game. It's so fun to watch him play because of his speed, not to mention that one game where he sunk 10 threes.
Landry Fields - It's safe to say the Knicks found a diamond in the rough with this guy. Really good rebounding numbers for a guard.
Joel Anthony - Doesn't need to make flashy plays to be known. He just goes out there and works hard and that's that.

[The X]

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I LOVED that Celtics team. Travis Knight as stating centre, who cares, I luv Walter!!!

[NovU]

Jared Jeffries: The guy may be a noob but the guy's selfless plays are great to watch. The guy just doesn't care about the stats and will just play any roles.
Joel Anthony: The guy may be a god but he does all the dirty works and comes cheap. No teams in the league can refuse such a full package deal.
Tyson Chandler: The guy may be a moron ever since he became a Maverick but for some reason I always enjoyed watching his stiff body moving around the paint. Perhaps he's likeable because of his days with Chris Paul.
DeMar DeRozan: The guy may be young and inconsitent but his plays are just amazing at times. He's pretty humble and shy and he plays hard as fuck. And he's a raptor. You just gotta like this kid.
Luis Scola: The guy may be only an European but his basketball sense is just stellar. His NBA transition was smooth and imagine if the Spurs kept the right to him. Tim and Luis? What might have been is just downright scary.

[Fresh8]

Derek Fisher - I just like the Lakers as a whole but Fisher is my favourite after Kobe. And I got to admit, although frustrating, I love to watch Odom and Artest/World Peace.

Call me biased but I don't really like any other players around the League in the present day.

From the past, I like Tyronn Lue. Even got nostalgic a while ago and looked for college highlights for him.

My favourite non-Lakers, non-star player would probably be Juan Carlos Navarro. And it's based on him from years ago, not this past Summer.

Honourable mention for Andrew Gaze. I remember him from the Sydney Olympics in 2000. That's when I started to get hooked on bball.

[atlwarrior]

I love this topic.

Pg- Ty Lawson - This guys speed and quickness absolutely amazing. He has to be one of the quickest guards in the entire league or maybe I'm being biased because he is a former Tar Heel.
G- James Harden - Sees the floor fairly well and handles the ball pretty well too. I just hate that sometimes he doesn't seem to show up in games.
F- Wilson Chandler - Knows his role and plays it well. Many people do not realize this guy can score in many different ways.
PF- Paul Millsap - Guy can flatout score
C- Demarcus Cousins - 6'11" 270 lb Center that can actually put the ball on the floor. Who wouldn't want that?

[Lamrock]

[rise]

Richardson, Stephen Jackson, Felton, Tyson Chandler, Aldridge, Shannon Brown, Odom, Josh Smith, Iggy, Dudley, Augustin, Henderson, Batum, Nene, Wilson Chandler, Lawson, JR, JJ Barea, Harden, Ibaka, Maynor, Eric Gordon, Curry, Ellis, Acie Law, Jerryd Bayless, Nate-rob, Big Baby, Marcus Thornton, Rudy Gay, Tony Allen, Bargs, Kemba, Tyreke, Biyombo, and The Greatness That Is Joel Anthony.

[Stress Fracture]

Chase Budinger- he's got the hops!
Shane Battier- the defense he plays is just tough. Especially on Kobe.
Serge Ibaka- Tough D. enough said

[Axel The Great]

Luis Scola: The guy may be only an European but his basketball sense is just stellar.

Scola is Argentinian. He played in Europe. But agreed on how much of a steal he was for the Rockets when they traded for him.

[NovU]

My bad. He was a MVP in one of league in Europe though so thought he a Euro. So to rephrase...

Luis Scola: The guy may be only an Argentino who should be playing soccer but his basketball sense is just stellar.

[Mavs4Life]

Jason Terry

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[Kenny]

Andre Miller is one of those players who doesn't seem to make sense in the NBA, yet still manages to pose a threat on the offensive end.

He's not that athletic for a position that is highly dependent on quickness and athleticism nowadays. Has a very shady perimeter game and doesn't really have good height or weight to him.

I love his game though. He just finds a way to contribute.

I think that's what I like about him and it's a reason for his longevity; he knows how to work within his limitations.

Also, I can't believe I forgot about Shane Battier. He's one of my favourite role players as well.

If we're talking about retired role players as well, it's hard to go past Robert Horry.

[The X]

Kyle Korver
Arron Afflalo
Louis Amundson
Acie Law
Luis Scola
Shane Battier
Eddie House
Carlos Delfino
James Harden
J.J. Redick
Jared Dudley
Sean Marks

[Stress Fracture]

Luis Scola: The guy may be only an European but his basketball sense is just stellar.

Scola is Argentinian. He played in Europe. But agreed on how much of a steal he was for the Rockets when they traded for him.

Poor Spurs.

[Kenny]

I have to agree with the X on most his selections... particularly Afflalo and Redick.

And I don't think the Spurs were hurt too badly when they let go Scola