The Flex's Top 5 Small Forwards in the NBA

We have counted down the best point guards, and the best shooting guards in the NBA the last two days, including the top five at each position. In the next edition of our series, we countdown the best small forwards in the league at this moment. Lets begin.

Number 1: Lebron James

This isn't even a question. With Lebron in the league, all other players are playing for second. Not only is Lebron the most dominant and skilled small forward in the league, he is the best player in the league no matter what position. He can play four, maybe even five, positions on the floor but his natural position is small forward. He can shoot the three better at this point in his career than ever before, and he has taken that next step an become a guy that can take over a game and strangle the opposing team. Add a post game to his dynamic skill set, and factor in his incredible size and strength for the skills he has and he is like no one else that we have seen before. Not to mention his passing game which can be compared to that of Magic Johnson. He is a complete player. As long as he is in the league, Lebron can get comfortable at the top of our list, he isn't going anywhere anytime soon. By the way, he is better than Jordan. There, I said it.

Number 2: Kevin Durant

As good as Kevin Durant is, he simply isn't Lebron James. Due to that, he finds himself at number two on our countdown which is very respectable. Durant is an athletic freak in his own right, and he has proven his versatility in his seasons with the Thunder. He has maybe the smoothest shot in the game outside of Ray Allen, and can get to the basket with ease. His combination of elite perimeter shooting and ability to drive the lane and get buckets makes him as dangerous an offensive weapon the league has to offer. His defense needs to improve to take him to the next level, along with his passing skills which have improved but he still has some work to do. Also can I suggest lifting some weights Kevin? Just saying.

Number 3: Carmelo Anthony

Coming in at number three, is the leader of the Knicks, Carmelo Anthony. Anthony is one of the league's most natural scorers, seeming create his own shot on almost every possession. When it comes to scoring, he may be the best small forward in the league today, he is the modern day Bernard King. However, the reason he only ranks number three, is his lack of a complete and well rounded game. As much as his offensive game excels, his defense suffers just as much. This especially becomes apparent when he has to guard the games elite, Lebron, Pierce, or Durant. He simply cant lock down his man when it counts. He also has a little bit of Kobe in him as he can be a ball hog at times, and his passing game leaves some to be desired. He can score at will, and in bunches, but he will need to improve his all-around game to move up on this list.

Number 4: Paul Pierce

With age catching up to him, Pierce falls to number four on our list. A few years ago, Pierce would have been number three, or even number two, but now he has been overtaken. However, Pierce isn't dead yet. His shot is still there and even though he has slowed his game down and isn't getting to the foul line as much as in past years, he is still one of the best scorers the league has. In an NBA dominated by young stars, Pierce s one of the few veterans still getting it done. While he may not be at the level he once was when the big three were reigning in Boston, he still has plenty to offer the Celtics, or any team that he could be traded to near the deadline. He still locks down a spot in our top five at number four.

Number 5: Luol Deng

As I mentioned when I put Deng on The Flex's all-underrated team, the fact that he plays with two other big names, Derrick Rose and Carlos Boozer, overshadows Deng and his unique skill set. The fact that he is a rebounding threat, can get to the line at times, and is always a threat from the three point line make him one of the most versatile players in the NBA. Factor in his length that allows him to play at an lite level on the defensive side of the ball, and you have a top five small forward. He has been banged up the past couple of years, but when he is healthy he is a threat to dominate any part of the game not just with his scoring. He has all the tools that a team would want and if he can continue to stay healthy could wind up moving up on this list in the future. He has the potential to be a top player for years if healthy, and he claims the five spot.

Grizzlies trade Rudy Gay to Raptors

After days of rumors and speculation, it looks like a deal has finally been reached by the Grizzlies and Raptors to send Rudy Gay to Toronto. Memphis has been looking to trade Gay for some time now and it wasn't clear whether they would get an offer they liked, but that seems to be the case as they have agreed on the trade as of tonight.

This one looks to be a three team deal in which Gay goes to Toronto, Memphis gets back Ed Davis and Jose Calderon from the Raptors. Memphis will then send Calderon to the Pistons, the third team in the equation, and will receive Tayshaun Prince and Austin Daye in return for the veteran guard. Also, Memphis will receive a future first round pick from Toronto in the deal.

The Flex's Top 5 Shooting Guards in the NBA

Yesterday, The Flex brought you our list of the top 5 point guards in the NBA. Today we continue our week long series by counting down the five best shooting guards that the league has to offer. As with the point guards, only the top 5 make the cut so feel free to tell us where you think we went wrong. Here we go.

Number 1: Dwyane Wade

Since the arrival of Lebron in South Beach, many have forgotten the dynamic talent that Wade brings to the court. Let's be honest, he isn't just a sidekick. He is a superstar in this league. He is a perennial all star and although some have mistaken him giving more of the scoring load to Lebron, I'm not buying it. Wade can still take the best defenders off the dribble and get to the hoop at will. Even without Lebron and Bosh, the heat would have a superstar and future hall of famer. If you think he has lost a step or any inches on his vertical you are dead wrong. He can still bang on em like no other. D-Wade locks down the number one spot .

Number 2: Kobe Bryant

You might be asking why Kobe isn't number one on this list. Ill tell you why. He takes too many shots, doesn't get to the line nearly enough at this stage in his career, and his three point shooting percentage is down. Not to mention he doesn't play well with his teammates. With Dwight and Pau in the paint it is just inexcusable to take as many shots as he does. But hey, number two is still pretty good. He can still score at will when he wants, and still has a knack for creating his own shot that only Lebron can rival. He can still throw in the off balance layups in traffic, he simply doesn't do it enough to claim the stop spot. Kobe comes in second on our list.

Number 3: James Harden

When he was traded to Houston before this season began, many were skeptical as to whether Harden could carry a team on his own. Harden has definitely erased all doubt of those skeptics by leading the Rockets in scoring and emerging as a star without the help of Westbrook and Durant. Watch a game of Harden's and it soon becomes apparent that he not only is a sniper from the floor, but he is also an athletic freak of nature. His speed is very noticeable in the open court and his shine and strength show through thunderous dunks and his incredible ability to take physical punishment while driving to the basket leading to an absurd amount of and-1 opportunities. Harden could one day occupy the top spot on this list as I suspect he will, but for now he lands at number three.

Number 4: Andre Iguodala

After having to carry a Philadelphia team on his back for years after the departure of Allen Iverson, he was traded to Denver in the Andrew Bynum deal and has flourished. In Denver he isn't asked to do it all, and he thrives in doing the things he does well. In the open court, Iguodala has put many people on a poster since he can take it to the rim like a small forward. He also has a very well rounded passing game and can step out and hit a three during big moments in the game, just like the playoffs last year against Boston. His jumper is the weakest part of his game, but in a place like Denver on a team where he doesn't need to take the majority of shots in a game, he can thrive and that lands him at number four for us.

Number 5: Eric Gordon

Rounding out our list is a shooting guard who hasn't lived up to his full potential yet, mostly due to injury. Eric Gordon was traded to New Orleans in the Chris Paul trade after proving himself as a young star in L.A. After dealing with knee injuries with the Hornets he hasn't been what they thought he would be yet. After proving his potential as a scorer and one of the leagues best guards for years to come, the injury problems have kept him lower on this list than some may have thought a few years ago. Look for Gordon to rise on this list once he gets back healthy, but for now he finishes our list off at number five.

Nerlens Noel is a cheat code

If you watched the Kentucky-Ole Miss game last night, you witnessed two things. You witnessed the death of the Marshall Henderson hype. He was exposed for what he is, just a loud mouth chucker. If you watched him throw up contested threes including a thirty footer that barely hit the backboard, you realized he is just an over hyped punk who is going t end up losing games for his team down the road by taking twenty five shots a game. The media love affair with him is officially over.

The second thing you witnessed was the most dominant defensive performance that I have ever seen in college basketball. Nerlens Noel is simply ridiculous. Noel had a total of twelve blocks last night, which set the Kentucky single game block record. Something that his predecessor Anthony Davis never accomplished. Not only did Noel rack up twelve blocks, he had five of those blocks with four fouls. Yup, four fouls. Two of those being monstrous blocks on dunk attempts in crucial moments of the game. He blocked twelve but also altered about eight or nine shots that caused misses. All of those he either barely missed or caused the opponent to try and shoot over him resulting in a shot careening off of the backboard. Noel was responsible for thirty-five points taken away from Ole Miss. That is insane.

Comparing other players in the country to Noel is no contest. He is ten blocks ahead of anyone else in college basketball. So lets compare him to the one guy media and fans alike want to hold Noel up to for comparison, Anthony Davis. At this time last year Davis had ninety-three blocks through twenty game. Through the same amount of games, Nerlens has ninety-five blocks. He is on pace to break Davis' single season block record at Kentucky, and is possibly an even better defensive player than Davis. That statement is staggering but true. Through twenty games Noel has more than lived up to the comparison of the unibrow that was forced upon him, and for the rest of the year he will prove he is the most dominant defensive player college basketball has ever seen.

Go Cats.

The Flex's Top 5 Point Guards in the NBA

Over the next week, we at The Flex will be breaking down the top 5 players at every position in the NBA. Today is the best point guards in the game and the other four positions will follow. These rankings are based on opinion of our writers, mainly myself and Glenn Tyson, and feel free to dispute them. So lets start things off with your top 5 point guards.

Number 1: Chris Paul

Even when he was in New Orleans with some of the awful teammates that surrounded him, CP3 dominated the league in steals and shutdown fellow elite point guards whenever he set foot on the Court. Not to mention his uncanny ability to get buckets at will and set up his teammates for easy baskets. After being traded to the Clippers he has taken his game to an ever higher level, which lands him the crowning spot on our list. He has the likes of Blake Griffin and Deandre Jordan to throw picture perfect alley-oops to, and he has become the most clutch player in the NBA. If my team is down and need someone to get open for a shot, Chris is my man. For now he takes the number one spot on our list.

Number 2: Derrick Rose

Its easy to forget just how great Derrick Rose is at his position due to his injury that has kept him out all of this year and part of last year. Lets not let his torn ACL overshadow the ability of Rose. Athletically, no one on this list can come close to comparing, and that isn't even an argument. Rose might be the most athletic and explosive point guard the league has ever seen, and he hasn't even hit his prime yet. Had the injury not happened, Rose would have challenged CP3 for the top spot and may have even overtaken him. When he comes back we will see the high flying, acrobatic, scoring machine that set the league on fire and won him an MVP award. Don't forget about Rose.

Number 3: Kyrie Irving

This might be the most disputed ranking on the list, but Kyrie has earned his spot at number three, and we expect him to move up in the rankings in the next year or two. The young guard doesn't get near the attention he deserves because he plays on a bad Cleveland team that he has carried on his back the past two years. With him being a top scoring threat in the league and a double double threat every night, he is one of the rising stars in the NBA, and I believe he is the top up and coming player the league has to offer. Another tool Kyrie offers up is his ability to hit big, game winning shots and he has proved he is indeed cold blooded.

Number 4: Deron Williams

He plays in the league's newest city and is finally getting the media and fan attention that he has deserved since his days in Utah. Williams has walked into the Staples Center, or Madison Square Garden many times and shut the place down with his incredible scoring and a propensity for game winning shots in the clutch that is only topped by CP3 and Kyrie Irving. That's why Deron finds himself at number four on our list. He could wind up higher in future years, but for now fourth inst bad especially considering who occupies the first three spots. That's some good company to be in. Deron is younger than you think at only 28, and is just now entering the prime of his years. With a player like Dwight Howard or Amare Stoudemire possibly joining him in Brooklyn his assists could skyrocket in the future.

Number 5: Tony Parker

The veteran of our top 5 rounds out our list. Tony Parker may be the most consistent of our point guards, but considering his age and who is ahead of him, the number five spot on this list isn't too shabby. Parker lacks the athleticism and the explosiveness of the other guards on this list, but he makes up for those flaws with his incredible passing game and his uncanny ability to get to the basket. This crafty veteran hasn't lost his touch off the glass and still has a very solid jumper. Playing alongside Tim Duncan certainly hasn't hurt him and he is the perfect fit in San Antonio. His perfected old school game lands hm a spot along with the new wave of athletic point guards and keeps him in the top 5.

Kentucky and North Carolina rivalry renewed

After taking this year off, it looks like Calipari and ole Roy will be coaching against each other once again starting next year. News broke this afternoon that Kentucky and North Carolina will begin a new home and home series beginning next year with a game in Chapel Hill. A game will then be played in Rupp Arena in the 2014 season, and both sides have expressed interest in retaining the series for two more years after this new deal ends. The two programs could not reach an agreement to continue the series after the game in Rupp last year, so they did not square off this year and fans were robbed of a game between the two best programs in college basketball. 

With John Calipari bringing in a monster recruiting class next year that could possibly be his best at Kentucky, and could get even better with the addition of Julius Randle or Andrew Wiggins, this one most likely wont be close. Roy has had a few down years in recruiting and has lacked the star power brought in by Harrison Barnes. Next year has to be better than this year has been for the Tarheels, but they wont be able to compete with the Cats in 2013. With the Harrison twins paying him a visit in Chapel Hill I'm sure he will bust out some awful blazer to wear during the beatdown.

This is just good for college basketball in general who lacks competitive rivalries and fans will surely be elated that these to programs will be matched up again for the next few years. The last few games between these two, including an elite eight game, have not disappointed and i have no doubt the next two will be more entertaining than most other rivalries in the college game. 

Go Cats.

Kyrie Irving is cold blooded

Kyrie is starting to make a habit of hitting game winning shots for the Cavs, and yesterday he did it once again. With the Cavs down two to the Raptors and twelve seconds on the clock, Kyrie took the inbound and slowly walked up the court. He took his time and pulled up for a thirty-footer at the top of the key and rattled it home. Of course he did. Watch for yourself:

This guy has ice water in his veins and is simply cold blooded in pressure packed moments. He has done some version of this time after time hitting shots at the buzzer like its nothing. Kyrie is starting to assert himself into the conversation of top point guards in the league and shots like this only help his case. If my team is down late in a game, give me this guy to take the last shot.

Two 4-star defensive players commit to Kentucky

 

Mark Stoops is starting to put together one heck of a defense at the University of Kentucky. With tonight's commitments the ball keeps rolling. Kentucky has received commitments from 4-star safety Marcus McWilson who decommited from Nebraska earlier this year. They have also received a commitment from 4-star linebacker James Hearns who decommited from Florida earlier this week and is considered a major get for Stoops and his coaching staff.

Both recruits were on campus today for their official visits and both attended the UK-LSU basketball game earlier. Also on campus with the coaching staff were 4-star receiver Ryan Timmons, and 4-star defensive end Jason Hatcher. All reports indicate that the commitments will continue to roll in either tonight or early tomorrow. More news will be posted on The Flex as it rolls in.

Go Cats.

New Orleans Pelicans new logo

After finally deciding on a new name for thier franchise, the New Orleans Hornets announced they will be the New Orleans Pelicans starting next season. They also released their official logo for the New team name which you can see below.

I still like the New Orleans Unibrows better, but the logo isn't bad and will just take some getting used to.

Justin Upton traded to the Braves

After rumors swirling since before the trade deadline last year, it appears the Diamondbacks have finally traded Justin Upton. Upton has been traded to the Braves in a deal involving several prospects including the Braves top prospect in their farm system. I'm still puzzled s to why Arizona was so eager to trade a young star, but they have.

Justin's brother B.J. signed with the Braves earlier in the off-season as a free agent and this will be the first time the two brothers have played together in the major leagues. The Braves now have the outfield they wanted of Heyward and two Uptons that looks to be dangerous to the rest of the National League this upcoming season.

Lakers looking to trade Dwight Howard?

After turning down numerous trade proposals for star center Dwight Howard, rumors are that now the Lakers may in fact be looking to move Howard in the next few days. After firing one coach already this year, the struggles have continued in L.A. this year and rumors of unhappiness between Kobe and Dwight had been talked about constantly. Until now no real possibility of trading Dwight existed but now that the Lakers feel Dwight won't re- sign long-term with them, it seems they are looking to get back what they can in return and clean their hands of him.

If Lakers management really feels that Dwight won't re- sign with them, then I can't blame them for trying to trade him instead of simply letting him walk into free agency and ending up empty handed. At this point it's obvious the Kobe and Dwight experiment isn't going to work and if the Lakers can get back any type of good return for Howard then they shouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger.

Say hello to Brooklyn, Dwight.

Aaron Rodgers says stupid things

When Packers' quarterback Aaron Rodgers inst bust being offended by short jokes or making awful State Farm commercials, he throws lots of touchdowns, and apparently says stupid things. After being handily beaten by his hometown 49ers last week Rodgers was quick to dismiss the offense run by San Francisco  The same offense mind you, that had just knocked the little man out of the playoffs. Here's what he said:

"Things have come back around that have been used 20, 30 years ago. But this, too, I think, will pass. Some of the pistol, read-option stuff will eventually pass."

Rodgers must not be paying much attention to the success of the read-option offense in the NFL. Young stars in Cam Newton, Robert Griffin III, Russell Wilson and of course Colin Kaepernick, who sent Rodgers home last week, have nearly perfected that offense and with the exception of Cam, they all led their teams to the playoffs. Rodgers must be forgetting that his own offense in Green Bay, was once called a "fad" by the old grumpy players and coaches in the league who pushed away change and refused to acknowledge a system that came from the college ranks and took over the league. The spread offense. Rodgers runs the spread in Green Bay as well does Tom Brady and countless others. And thy have had huge success. Aaron even won a Superbowl running his supposed "fad" offense.

Apparently Aaron cant see how this new offense is bringing success along with the new athletic quarterbacks running it. Just because Kaep beat you down running the read-option doesn't mean you have to degrade it to try and save face. Quit being an old curmudgeon, take your cheesehead and go home Aaron.

Don't Hate Lance

Cheaters are nothing new to the world of sports. People use anything they can to get a leg up on the competition, especially athletes. However, most of the cheaters are fairly easy to hate or at the very least dislike. Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and lots more who have been caught cheating. But what about a cheater who raised millions of dollars to fight a deadly disease, beat the disease himself, and used his fame to help millions of people and try to stop their suffering. Cheaters aren't new, but a likable cheater? A respectable cheater? That's a new one. That's Lance Armstrong.


I hate cheaters in sports. They are selfish, lying athletes who only look after themselves and don care about hurting the sport of teammates. But what happens when a cheater seems so unselfish, so bent on helping others? Lance Armstrong raised millions on millions for his cancer foundation Livestrong. Now I know he made plenty of money for himself as well, but the good far outweighs the bad here. He is an inspiration to so many not because he won a bunch of bike races somewhere in France, he is a hero because he beat a disease that kills an affects so many people. He overcame that disease and used his fame gained by his Tour de France wins to help others fight the same battle. If Lance had to use PEDs in a corrupt sport to gain the fame necessary o help so many people battle cancer, how can I crucify him? How can we hate him for that?

I for one cant hate the guy. Like I said the good outweighs the bad and if duping the public and taking performance enhancing drugs if what it took to provide cancer research with 500 million dollars, then I hope more athletes use them. Yes he cheated but he used this fame from cycling to do something for the good of humanity and inspired millions. I simply can't demonize a person who has done so many things for people other than himself, even if the act of cheating is selfish. To compare Lance to someone like Barry Bonds or Mark McGwire would be silly. Bonds and Sosa wanted money in their pockets, and were by all accounts pretty awful people. That isn't Lance. Don't lump him in, not all cheating in sports is the same. Sometimes cheating turns into hope, and inspiration, and tons of money to fight a debilitating disease.

Yes he lied. Yes he cheated. And yes he has helped millions of people.

Don't hate Lance.

Manti Te'o's girlfriend didn't exist

We have all been duped. One of the Heisman finalists is a liar and a fraud. Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o drew sympathy and Heisman votes from the media when he gave us a story of his grandmother and his girlfriend dying within six hours of each other. His grandmother really did die. But his supposed girlfriend never even existed.

According to Deadspin, Manti's girlfriend was never real. Manti never met anyone named Lennay Kekua, much less fall in love with her. He never met her on the field in Stanford and never vacationed with her as he claims in interviews. He lamented with this story on twitter and in sideline interviews only to have the curtain pulled back. This heart warming story of triumph is nothing more than a lie. The supposed girlfriend was said to attend Stanford but they have no record of her graduating or even enrolling. And the government has no record of her death.

Te'o claims he was the victim of a hoax, and he was not in on the elaborate fraud. I'm not buying it for a second. Te'o claimed to have met her, talked to her every night and talked about being with her. In reality he never met her, and never dated her. I refuse to believe that he could go two years dating someone who didn't exist then have someone tell him she has died and not follow up on it, or even go to a funeral that oh by the way, didn't happen. Te'o led us on an attention grabbing, sympathy seeking journey that led to a complete lie.

Manti, this is even more pathetic than you're tackling against Alabama.

Chip Kelly changes his mind, chooses Eagles

After originally saying he will stay at Oregon, Ducks head coach Chip Kelly has been hired by the Philadelphia Eagles to the same position. Kelly told media earlier this month that after interviewing with several NFL teams with head coaching vacancies, that he had chosen to return to Oregon where he has had so much success. Apparently Chip has changed his mind and will become the coach of the Eagles starting next season.

Chip obviously didn't read my post giving him the advice to stay at Oregon, where he has a recruiting advantage as well as Nike granting him his every wish. This is a big hire for the Eagles, but an even bigger loss for the Ducks. Kelly's spread offense ran a muck in the Pac-12 again this year leading to a Fiesta bowl win over Kansas State. Now the future is uncertain in Eugene as their leader has bolted for the pro ranks.

Gronk done for the year

The New England Patriots ran through the Texans this Sunday with little problem, and are without a doubt the favorites the represent the AFC in the super bowl. However, in the Patriots victory also came a huge loss. Tight end Rob Gronkowski broke his right arm and will miss the remainder of the postseason.

Gronk will be sidelined until next year and this may be a huge blow to New England's championship hopes. Gronk is arguably the best tight end in the league, and without a doubt the most entertaining. The Pats will miss him as he is a huge weapon for them over the middle of the field, and is crucial to the two tight end sets the Patriots like to run.

The Patriots will miss him. And I will miss his antics on and off the field.

The Flex's NBA All-Overrated Team

If you read my earlier post, you know we at The Flex compiled a team of the most underrated players in the NBA. Well now we are flipping that around, and have come up with the all-overrated team. One player at each position who is the most overly hyped, and overrated by media, and fans alike.

Point Guard: Rajon Rondo

Rondo has been great on the Celtics as a complimentary player to Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen. Now those stars are aging, and one of them jumped ship to Miami. That leaves Rondo to be a star, but he simply isn't capable of carrying a team. Rondo still seems to have trouble hitting open shots, even when teams leave him wide open from 15 feet out. And you can forget about three pointers. If Rondo cant get to the basket he simply cant score, and he becomes very easy to guard when he is the main scoring threat on his team. Rondo also still has the maturity of a rookie, bumping into to refs and running Ray Allen out of town. He simply isn't a superstar, and I don't think he can even be a star on his own.

Shooting Guard: Monta Ellis

Before finding a new home in Milwaukee Monta played in Golden State and made a name for himself as the leading scorer, and even put up monster games from time to time. The thing is, people see his monster games but don't see his games featuring ten turnovers and also give him too much credit for his scoring. In Golden State he was simply the only scoring option and took the lion's share of the shots for his team. When he gets his shots he can score, but he will never be more than that. He is a solid sixth man at best in this league.

Small Forward: Tyreke Evans

Tyreke was scouted and drafted high out of Memphis mostly based on potential. Since his rookie year he has had one or two memorable moments, but a lot more disappointment has he has failed to be the leader that Kings fans hoped for when they saw him take the stage on draft day. Tyreke has been frankly overshadowed by Demarcus Cousins (who made our All-Underrated team) who has taken over the scoring load as well as stolen away the face of the franchise from Tyreke. The Kings may look to trade Tyreke once they are sold and depending on where he ends up he may not even start. His stock has steadily fallen since he was drafted and he remains a turnover prone, out of control mess.

Power Forward: Carlos Boozer

Can you say washed up? Despite being teamed up with the likes of Derrick Rose and Luol Deng, Boozer has failed to come close to proving he was worth the max contract given to him by Chicago. Boozer was a coveted free agent, and I cant seem to remember why. After a few years with the Bulls he has been exposed. He consistently gets out muscled on the boards and isn't a shot blocking threat at this stage in his career, and his footwork has dropped of tremendously. Boozer shows all the signs of a player who got his money and simply stopped working on his game. His jump shot is also starting to appear shaky at times, and he is quickly becoming a liability to the Bulls. A very expensive liability.

Center: Joakim Noah

Noah joins his Bulls teammate in the front court of the All-Overrated team as our center. Joakim being overrated isn't a new thing, if this blog had existed while he was at Florida, I would have had a few article about how over-hyped he was. Not much has changed since then, except his hair looks even more stupid nowadays and for some reason fans think he is a valuable player. Noah cant shoot, has no speed to speak of, little ball handling skills and somehow that adds up to an NBA star? Not a chance. Besides putting up solid rebounding numbers, Noah has no real skills on the basketball court. He has never had any type of jump shot and that makes him one of the easiest people to guard in all of the NBA. Some things never change, and Joakim Noah will forever he an overrated clown.

The Flex's NBA All-Underrated Team

If you are a casual fan of the NBA you know about Kobe, LeBron, D-wade, Melo, Dwight Howard and Kevin Durant. You know the superstars and most of the best players. But some names you might not know are some of the best values in the league at their position. Even loyal NBA fans can overlook players who are more than productive for their squad. The Flex writers have compiled a team of the most underrated players in the NBA.

Point Guard: Mo Williams

After being LeBron's sidekick in Cleveland for a few years, Mo was again overshadowed when he was traded to the Clippers in exchange for Baron Davis. Mo was unhappy with his playing time but still found minutes, hit big shots and lit it up from outside for the Clips before moving on to Utah. Those big shots and tendency to go off at anytime and takeover a game comes as no surprise to anyone that watched him in Cleveland. Mo has a way of sneaking into the spotlight of a game and taking over in the blink of an eye. Mo will run the show even if no one gives him credit for the player he is.

Shooting Guard: J.R. Smith

J.R. has made a habit of posterizing big men, throwing down alley oops, and hitting a number of buzzer beating shots for the Knicks. However, on a team with Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire, he doesn't get the media attention he deserves. Also, his demeanor keeps him from being a media darling. To me, his cocky, fired up, competitive attitude makes him even more endearing to me. Keep hitting big shots and keep talking trash J.R.

Small Forward: Luol Deng 

Again a solid player overshadowed on his team by a superstar, this time Derrick Rose, makes the team. Deng has been banged up the last two seasons, and some fans seem to have forgotten about him. Rest assured though, apposing teams have not. Deng is one of the most versatile players in the league and is a perfect fit in Chicago. Deng can score in multiple ways and is a threat from the three point line. He also has quite a height advantage against most NBA small forwards. He is a nightmare to guard and makes a perfect sidekick to Derrick Rose.

Power Forward: Zach Randolph

Playing in Memphis certainly hasn't helped Z-Bo gain any national exposure, and neither has his demeanor. Randolph is known as one of the toughest and meanest players out there, and some may not like that. Us at The Flex however, cant get enough of him. He may not have any vertical leap, but Z-Bo is a bully in the paint and can out rebound anyone in the game. He doesn't back down from anyone and can lead a team in the playoffs, which he did in the Grizzlies upset of the Thunder a few years ago. Oh, did I mention he can shoot the three? Yeah, good luck guarding this guy. 

Center: Demarcus Cousins

If I could make a prototype of what I would want my center to be, it would be Demarcus Cousins. Much like Z-Bo, Demarcus gets a bad rap from the media because of his demeanor. On the court he is the toughest and nastiest player on the court whenever he is on the floor. Of course you  cant deny his production on the court, he has been the Kings' leading scorer and is a constant threat to put up a double-double. He is one of the best, if not THE best, rebounder in the league and its a shame he is hidden away in Sacramento. He has been rumored to be traded soon so the national audience may soon see more of Boogie and realize is tremendous talent on the hardwood.