#42 – Michael Redd
He was called the league’s most underrated player; a torrid shooter on a terrible team that never got national recognition ‘cause he played in a small market. He was called the league’s most overrated player; a one-dimensional long-range gunner who could never lead his team far into the calm pastures of the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Somewhere in between his contrasting labels lies the real Michael Redd; an offensive force who can go to work against any defensive set, but who’s spent his career thrust into a role he just isn’t made to play. He’s a scorer in the purest definition of the word; a sharpshooter who’s consistently among the league leaders in all three shooting clips. Like the three players preceding him on this list, his other skills were never liabilities but not even noteworthy relative to his ability to put the ball in the hoop.
While he can stroke the three with the best of them and smoothly cruise by a dishonest defender who gave the jumper too much respect, Redd’s just not a franchise player. He doesn’t seem to have the versatility or the killer instinct to propel his team to the next level. I’ve longed for him to team with Lebron or J-Kidd, but now that the Bucks have another marquee talent (and a slashing scoring threat to keep defenses honest), it’ll do wonders for his game; opening up the floor and easing the burden on his shoulders. Even with the recent acquisition of RJ, expectations can’t be sky high in Milwaukee after years of sub-par basketball. It could be the Bucks’ season to surprise a lot of people, and if the real Mike Redd stands up, they could make some serious noise.
He was called the league’s most underrated player; a torrid shooter on a terrible team that never got national recognition ‘cause he played in a small market. He was called the league’s most overrated player; a one-dimensional long-range gunner who could never lead his team far into the calm pastures of the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Somewhere in between his contrasting labels lies the real Michael Redd; an offensive force who can go to work against any defensive set, but who’s spent his career thrust into a role he just isn’t made to play. He’s a scorer in the purest definition of the word; a sharpshooter who’s consistently among the league leaders in all three shooting clips. Like the three players preceding him on this list, his other skills were never liabilities but not even noteworthy relative to his ability to put the ball in the hoop.
While he can stroke the three with the best of them and smoothly cruise by a dishonest defender who gave the jumper too much respect, Redd’s just not a franchise player. He doesn’t seem to have the versatility or the killer instinct to propel his team to the next level. I’ve longed for him to team with Lebron or J-Kidd, but now that the Bucks have another marquee talent (and a slashing scoring threat to keep defenses honest), it’ll do wonders for his game; opening up the floor and easing the burden on his shoulders. Even with the recent acquisition of RJ, expectations can’t be sky high in Milwaukee after years of sub-par basketball. It could be the Bucks’ season to surprise a lot of people, and if the real Mike Redd stands up, they could make some serious noise.
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