Re-evaluating NBA Ranks for the Sixers

Over the summer during the times where we all thought there would be no season and basketball fanatics were more bored than ever before, NBA rank sorted the top 500 NBA players from worst to first. Now that the season is a little bit underway, I can safely say if the players were overrated or underrated.

Lavoy Allen - Rank: 500. Verdict: Extremely underrated.

Lavoy is a long shot away from being the worst in the NBA.

Craig Brackins - Rank: 454. Verdict: Correct.

Can't really judge him with such little playing time. Besides Elson, I would say he is the worst player on the Sixers, so this ranking makes sense.

Nikola Vucevic - Rank: 391. Verdict: Underrated.

Vucevic surprised everyone, can't blame the guys over at ESPN.

Tony Battie - Rank: 362. Verdict: Overrated.

Battie over big Nik? No.

Jodie Meeks - Rank: 274. Verdict: Slightly underrated.

Only underrated because he is ranked behind Jimmer Freddette. Really?

Spencer Hawes - Rank: 219. Verdict: Underrated.

Spencer was a big surprise with his hot start. At the time NBA Rank was released, this seemed reasonable, but now I'd put him as a top 150 player.

Andres Nocioni - Rank: 197. Verdict: Horribly overrated.

I'm sorry Noce, 5.4 MPG doesn't get you a top 200 ranking.

Lou Williams - Rank: 173. Verdict: Underrated.

His 23.32 PER, third among point guards, gets Lou a top 100 ranking. No questions asked. He's also shooting very well and turning the ball over at a very low rate.

Evan Turner - Rank: 171. Verdict: Correct.

Maybe slightly overrated, but he has vastly improved from last season and is a vital cog to the Sixers. Chase Budinger is at 170, which is about Turner's area right now. (NBA Rank completely whiffed with Gilbert Arenas at 172. Whoops.)

Thaddeus Young - Rank: 84. Verdict: Slightly overrated.

I know it breaks my heart to call Thad overrated but can you blame me? His stats in points, rebounds and field goal percentage are down from last year despite the fact that he is playing more minutes and he's a year older. You could say the emergence of Hawes, the addition of Vucevic, and the effects of the lockout are taking his stats down a notch, but 84 is not where Thad is right now.

Jrue Holiday - Rank: 83. Verdict: Slightly overrated.

My Sixers bias says this ranking is correct. I'm not saying basketball is all about stats, but Jrue's PER is 30th among point guards and his true shooting percentage is 33rd. He's been turning the ball over a decent amount too. I would not put him this high. He has shown signs of improvement, but he's a little behind this ranking in my opinion.

Elton Brand - Rank: 61. Verdict: Correct.

Elton's realized he can't take as many shots as he used to and bought into Doug's system. He's been a leader on and off the court and has stepped up when the Sixers need him to. I think this ranking is good for him.

Andre Iguodala - Rank: 34. Verdict: Slightly underrated.

Maybe this is my Sixers bias, but his PER is at a career high and he has really accepted his role on this team. His 10-10-10 game showed off his balance and versatility as a basketball player. I truly think he is a top-30 guy. I really do.

Feel free to discuss.