I wasn’t a part of the fanbase at the time of Smits, but outside of the three pointer him and Myles have nearly identical stats. Even advanced stats like Ortg, Drtg, VORP, and win shares are essentially the same. So why is it that Rik Smits is universally loved and held as a legend, but it seems half the fan base hates Myles? Stats of course don’t tell the whole story, so can any veteran fans weigh in here?
No. Most people here are still butt hurt about Sabonis that get mad at Myles.
The issue stems from the very beginning, where people wanted a back to the basket, low post center.
Myles never has been that. He’s a tall 4 playing the center. But he has always been weighed down with that expectation. The complaints stemmed from two things. He didn’t average double-digit rebounds, and he didn’t play down in the post.
The Pacers tried to solve this when a player like that fell in their laps.
Editing… gimme a sec