The younger brother of Pau Gasol, Marc Gasol carved a spectacular career in his own right and is far more than just the "second best" Gasol.
Gasol first arrived in the NBA with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2008, and he played there for over ten seasons, going to three All-Star Games, albeit on a level of obscurity, considering Memphis was not very good when he played. The Spanish Center developed into one of the better defensive players who still could score, as shown by his eight 14-plus PPG years. Twice named an All-NBA player, Gasol won the 2012-13 Defensive Player of the Year, again a fantastic accomplishment considering how rare Memphis was on any form of national television.
Late in his career, Gasol was traded to the Toronto Raptors, and his veteran presence aided the Raps in winning their first NBA Championship (2019). Gasol concluded his NBA career with a final year as a Laker, but he will (and should be) remembered as one of the greatest Grizzlies of all time.
If you go by Gasol's NBA career, he might not have a Hall of Fame resume, but never forget the international components matter in Springfield. A champion in the Spanish Leagues before he came to the States, Gasol represented Spain many times, winning two Olympic Silver Medals, two World Cup Gold Medals, and five medals (two Gold, one Silver, and two Bronze) in Eurobasket. That is a big deal, making Gasol one of the most successful International players ever.
We honestly think that Tyson Chandler is among one of the most underrated players in the history of basketball, and is that not a strange thing to say out a former second overall pick who played twenty years. So why would we say that?
Chandler began his pro career with the Bulls, and the hype around him and Eddy Curry was bloated. They could not bring Chicago back to the promised land, and the five years he spent with Michael Jordan's former team was arguably a bust.
Traded to the New Orleans Hornets in 2006 and to the Charlotte Bobcats in 2010, it was his lone year in Dallas (2010-11) where he put it all together. Chandler was outstanding in this environment, and his defensive skills were finally perfected. Dallas won the NBA Championship, shocking the LeBron James-led Miami Heat, and he entered free agency as a star.
Chandler signed with the Knicks after, and he was one of the best defensive players in the league. The Californian won the 2011-12 Defensive Player of the Year, and while he was known mainly for that side of the ball, he led the NBA in Field Goal Percentage that year (.679), and from 2010-11 to 2014-15, he led the league four of five times in Offensive Rating. Chandler also played for Phoenix, the Lakers, and Houston and was a Gold Medalist for the United States in both the 2010 World Championships and 2012 Olympics.
Chandler likely won't get into the Hall, but his numbers are much closer than you think.
Yes, we know that this is taking a while!
As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity. As such, we are very happy to present our post-2021 revision of our top 50 Jacksonville Jaguars.
As for all of our top 50 players in football we look at the following:
1. Advanced Statistics.
2. Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Football League.
3. Playoff accomplishments.
4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.
Last year, the Jaguars were abysmal, finishing last overall with a 3-14 record, and a team this bad is not expected to have anyone new in a top 50, and they didn’t, though there was one elevation.
As always, we present our top five:
1. Jimmy Smith
2. Fred Taylor
3. Tony Boselli
4. Mark Brunell
You can find the entire list here.
The only rise was Linebacker, Myles Jack, who played his last season with the Jaguars last year, as he is now a Pittsburgh Steeler. He moved up to #35 from #38.
We welcome your input and comments and as always, we thank you for your support.
Ryan Anderson was a late First Round Pick (21st Overall) from California in 2008 by the New Jersey Nets, and after playing there only one year, he was traded to Orlando, where in 2011/12, he was named the Most Improved Player in the NBA. Anderson, who led the league in 3-Point Field Goals that year, never built on that season, and he arguably never had a better season.
Anderson continued his career with New Orleans, Houston, Phoenix, and Miami retired after the 2019-20 Season and is currently in the top 100 all-time in Offensive Rating.