Overrated and underrated

Chris Webber, Kings. Last year, Webber was stopped for speeding and later charged with resisting arrest and possessing marijuana. Is he worth the hassles? Well, when a former Rookie of the Year with so much promise has already played for three teams in his first six seasons, that sends up a red flag the size of a circus tent. Webber is only 25, so there's plenty of time to lose the underachiever label, but where does doing so rank on his priority list?

"Webber has the potential to be the best player in basketball," says Rivers. "He has a great body, tremendous quickness and he can jump and score. Talent spills out of him, but he lacks commitment."

underrated

Antonio McDyess, Nuggets. He doesn't get the credit he deserves; his dunks get plenty of air time on SportsCenter, his rebounds and blocks go unnoticed. It hasn't helped his profile to have played on a woeful Denver team during his first two seasons and on a Phoenix squad that was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by San Antonio last year. It was McDyess, however, who led the Suns in scoring (17.8) in their four postseason games. And he was seventh in the NBA in field-goal percentage during the regular season.

Ron Harper, Bulls. He was a 20-point scorer his first eight years as a pro, but age, bum knees and the presence of two all-time great scorers in the lineup changed his role soon after he arrived in Chicago in '94. Harper's defensive prowess played a huge part in the Bulls' last two championships. In the NBA Finals of '97 and '98, Harper's long arms and great sense of anticipation frequently choked off Utah's passing lanes and disrupted the rhythm of Stockton. And yet, despite his efforts, Harper has never made the NBA All-Defensive Team. A true injustice.

Allan Houston, Knicks. Quiet guys are easy to overlook, and Houston is a calming force on a team full of tightly wound characters. He was a huge disappointment in '96-97, his first season in New York, but his improved play was the main reason the Knicks didn't unravel during Ewing's absence last year. No longer part of an offense that had to run every play through Ewing, Houston flourished. He combined perimeter sharpshooting with a previously unseen willingness to take it to the hoop and the result was an 18.4 scoring average.

"If you're talking about shooting guards with a live dribble, you mention him in the same breath with Mitch Richmond," Rivers says. "Houston's one of the top options in the game with five seconds left because he always gets off a good shot."

Mark Jackson, Pacers. Too many behind-the-back passes, "shimmy shake" celebrations and other camera-craving antics have earned Jackson a well-deserved reputation as a hot dog, but it has overshadowed the fact he can cut the mustard. Sure, he's too slow to defend against the quickest point guards, but he's a superb playmaker with excellent court vision.

Theo Ratliff, 76ers. Ratliff is a well-kept secret because he hasn't put up any eye-popping numbers yet, but he finished second in the league in blocked shots last year (258) and fourth in blocks per game (3.15). Splitting time between Detroit and Philadelphia last season, Ratliff averaged career highs in points (9.9) and rebounds (6.7).