cpawfan

I'll toss two names in that I believe are underrated Dan Issel and Dave Bing. Yes they are both in the HOF, but both of these scorers had lower than you'd expect PERs for the stats they put up.

I guess I should add, that I term them underrated because they aren't players you hear a lot about unless it is about Bing's after NBA success in business.

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Minstrel

I'd say Kareem was overall his best teammate, though Worthy was for a few years. But it wasn't that the team was filled with superstars. It was just a team loaded with talent top to bottom. With Magic Johnson as its central hub. I've never denied the greatness of Magic...give him good players, and he'll turn them into a machine. Abdul-Jabbar was very good to great for a while, Worthy was always very good.

Maybe not in the playoffs (and I don't think anyone can explain Worthy's playoff performance...if he was capable of that level, did he slack off in the regular season?), but in the regular season numbers, they were comparable. 59% compared to 56% isn't enormous, when you consider the system Worthy was in. It also makes their TS% standings relative to their league irrelevant...the same edges Worthy got from Showtime over Pippen, he got over every other player of his generation (except teammates).

I'd say they were pretty comparable scoring weapons, with perhaps a small edge to Worthy. But Pippen had a massive edge in passing. It's just not consistent to say Worthy was "as good an offensive weapon as anyone" (really? You'd place him with the likes of Jordan, Chamberlain and Abdul-Jabbar in their primes?) and Pippen was unexceptional.

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Minstrel

I'd say Kareem was overall his best teammate, though Worthy was for a few years. But it wasn't that the team was filled with superstars. It was just a team loaded with talent top to bottom. With Magic Johnson as its central hub. I've never denied the greatness of Magic...give him good players, and he'll turn them into a machine. Abdul-Jabbar was very good to great for a while, Worthy was always very good.

Maybe not in the playoffs (and I don't think anyone can explain Worthy's playoff performance...if he was capable of that level, did he slack off in the regular season?), but in the regular season numbers, they were comparable. 59% compared to 56% isn't enormous, when you consider the system Worthy was in. It also makes their TS% standings relative to their league irrelevant...the same edges Worthy got from Showtime over Pippen, he got over every other player of his generation (except teammates).

I'd say they were pretty comparable scoring weapons, with perhaps a small edge to Worthy. But Pippen had a large edge in passing. It's just not consistent to say Worthy was "as good an offensive weapon as anyone" (really? You'd place him with the likes of Jordan, Chamberlain and Abdul-Jabbar in their primes?) and Pippen was unexceptional.

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kflo

i meant among his peer group at the 3 at that time. and the 59% vs 56% was career avg vs career high.

Minstrel

That's more fair, but I think Adrian Dantley was a significantly better scorer than Worthy (and Pippen!).

I don't think being among the best scoring small forwards in the 1980s and nothing else is Hall of Fame-caliber.

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kflo

and i meant they were extremely successful the years worthy was his best teammate.

Minstrel

No it wasn't, it was a peak average.

Their career averages are .559 for Worthy and .536 for Pippen. Which is not huge, especially considering...etc, etc.

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kflo

and yet dantley, when surrounded by talent, became a far less prolific scorer. and when they played against each other in the finals, nobody was declaring a big advantage for detroit there (or any advantage). either leading up to, or in hindsight.

kflo

i clearly said worthy's career average at his peak (till his decline in '91), vs pippen's career high.

Minstrel

Detroit played a slow-down halfcourt game most of the time that limited chances. That's why his scoring fell. The Lakers played a wide-open, fast-paced style that got everyone lots of chances. Had Dantley played as a Laker instead of a Piston, he wouldn't have dropped off that much "when surrounded by talent."

Dantley was pretty clearly a better scorer. He had a seven year peak that Worthy never even approached, let alone touched.

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