There are certain players who never receive the recognition they deserve during their time in the NBA. These players are not the stars of the teams, nor are they all eventual Hall of Famers. Yet, without them, their teams would not win as many games or, in some cases, win a championship.

"When you come to the NBA, you compete against the best and you're going to have more talented guys, more skilled guys than yourself," said Eduardo Najera, currently one of the best glue guys in the league for the Denver Nuggets.

"The thing about doing this job is that if you say, "I'll do this" or try to be a star, eventually you get out of the league. That's why a lot of guys are not playing in the NBA. They think they have to score twenty points to stay on the court, when the truth is there are more jobs available if you focus on other things, other aspects of the game that help the team win. That's why I like doing it because I know it's going to put me on the floor and play, especially down the stretch and that's what it's all about: having fun and competing against the best."

"It's just the kind of player I am," adds Ryan Gomes, Minnesota Timberwolves new glue guy.

"It's nothing that I want to do. It's just the will to continue to do the things some other guys don't want to do or find areas where other guys are relaxing. That's where I can get things done such as offensive rebounds and going after loose balls. If you go after it with more force than the next guy, you'll come up with the ball. That's how I think. If I'm the first to react and if I'm there aggressive, I have a better chance."

Imagine the Chicago Bulls first three-peat without Horace Grant, the Detroit Pistons without Vinnie Johnson or Magic Johnson's Laker teams without Kurt Rambis. On paper, these players seem to be expendable, but in reality, their teams would not be the same without them. Throughout the history of the league, countless players have filled these roles, contributed greatly to their teams, then disappeared from fan's minds. That is unfortunate, as these players are some of the most cerebral basketball players to spend time in the league.

"You definitely have to be a pretty smart player. Not just anybody can do it,"  Najera told HOOPSWORLD.

"You've got to know how to play the game and you've pretty much got to know your teammates very well and study your opponents all the time, so you can help your teammates get open and set screens. Rebounding-everybody is going to do that. Defensively, I feel I have to focus a little bit more because I want to be there on the rotations, I want to make sure I do the right thing all the time and I want to make sure I help my teammates like Carmelo and A.I. that put up all the points. I've got to make sure I help them defensively and help them out also to get easy baskets as well."

"To get to this league, you've got to do a lot of things, but I think every guy can put the ball in the basket," said Gomes. "I'm athletic enough and have been playing basketball long enough to do that, so I'm going to try and do something different. That's what I try to do."

At no fault of his own, the emergence of Michael Jordan in the 1980sshifted the focus on great teams to individual players. Jordan's Bulls were able to accomplish amazing things during their run, but as a whole, the focus was on "His Airness". Yet, when the Detroit Pistons were able to shock the world by defeating the star-studded Los Angeles Lakers in the 2004, the palpable shift towards team ball has slowly begun to reemerge.

"Think about it; look at the San Antonio Spurs," said Najera. "They're not necessarily a team that's exciting to watch, but they've managed to win championships and a lot of ball games, so they've got all the respect in the league and everybody's trying to build like them. The truth is they've got great balance because it's very hard when you only have one superstar and a bunch of role players who are trying to get to that star level, so it's kind of hard."

"I don't want to say Detroit is the team that shifted it, but they did have a group of guys that were there four, five years together, so they built up to that," adds Gomes. "They learned each other's ins and outs, no matter what. If they ran a play and closed their eyes, they know where someone's going to be. I think the Spurs have done the same thing and I think teams are trying to reach that."

Players such as Eduardo Najera and Ryan Gomes make huge impacts on their respective teams. Without players doing the dirty work, life becomes harder for the stars on the court.

Although the recognition might not come as frequently as their more talented teammates, their heart and hustle is noticed and appreciated by those who know the game.