Mario Chalmers Still Thinks He’s a Top-10 NBA Point Guard
What Mario Chalmers may lack in statistical output and basketball performance, he more than makes up for it in self-confidence. The Miami Heat point guard continues to insist that he’s among the very best floor generals in the NBA. Per Fox Sports: “I’d say top 10,’ the Miami Heat fifth-year man said of where he ranks. ‘I’m not in the lower part (of the top 10), I’m in the middle part. I just have confidence in myself. I think I can compete with the best of them.’ All of this is coming from a guy averaging 7.7 points and 3.4 assists. But Chalmers doesn’t care how many snickers are heard about where he believes he ranks among point guards. ‘That’s how I feel no matter what people say or what people think,’ Chalmers said. When asked if he could be the most confident player in the NBA who hasn’t made an All-Star Game, Chalmers agreed. If there any doubts about his bravado, just read his arms. ‘He’s got ‘Mister Clutch’ tattooed on him, so he’s one confident guy,’ Heat forward LeBron James said. ‘He’s always been a confident guy, and that’s why we love him.’ [...] ‘I’ve always had a chip on my shoulder for being from Alaska,’ Chalmers said. ‘A lot of people said I wouldn’t make it. A lot of people said I wouldn’t be able to do what I’m doing now, and that has kept me going.’ [...] At Kansas, Chalmers’ stats also weren’t that impressive, although he is second in school history in steals. Chalmers averaged a pedestrian 12.2 points and 3.8 assists, including highs of 12.8 and 4.3 as a junior before he bolted to the NBA. But look who will be having his jersey retired at Kansas during halftime of the Feb. 16 game against Texas. Chalmers will have his No. 15 raised to the rafters at Allen Fieldhouse, even it might not be a popular decision. In a poll conducted by the Topeka Capital-Journal, 71 percent of respondents believed Chalmers’ overall Jayhawks career does not warrant his jersey being retired. The other 29 percent believed his miracle shot makes him worthy. ‘Hey, my jersey is going up there,’ Chalmers said while shrugging off results of the poll. ‘So no matter what people think, I’m up there.’”
Read the SLAMonline Discussion Rules before posting.