hmm, if u say an average anime is something that you would watch if there is nothing better to watch,
then Naruto is definitely an above average anime.
Why?
it has the most downloads by FAR.
and dont tell me popularity and quality doesnt go together, because in this case, Naruto is #1 in downloads.
(that argument can be used if it was around #5.)

Combat: yea kenshin and others have done it before (ive read the manga for kenshin, but only saw couple
episodes of the anime where i thought it wasnt too good), but i wont agree on better. Some will say
Kenshin did it better, and others would say Naruto does it better (prolly preference between Kenjutsu and
Ninjutsu).

I dont agree with u saying Tenjou Tenge does it better.

Naruto the character, does get annoying to some people, but he gets better later on.

poor spacing + storyline: cant really say much here cuz i dont know how the anime is paced (again, I'm
only up-to-date with the manga)

about your 60+ episodes = dont care theory...
1)Are you saying 60 episodes is about a good length for anime in general? (like watching a 2 hour movie)
or
2)you dont like anime/manga that has a super long story.

if #1, then ok. Yea thats partly true cuz for somereason, most of the animes start adding fillers, etc degrading the anime.
(i think Kenshin was one of those animes). But if it follows the manga properly, this doesnt happen (example:Naruto)
if #2...that has nothing to do with the quality.
to name some anime that was cut short tremendously,(and are usually people's favorites) are Akira, Nausicca of the
Valley of the Wind, Berserk.
The manga, which has more then triple the amount of the anime, is far superior. If the anime was made to follow the manga,
(becoming much more in length wise), it would have turned out fine, if not better.

Naruto IS original with its deep ninjutsu ideas (taking Ninjutsu in a DragonBall-ish style).
if you say its unoriginal because the main character gets stronger fighting against stronger and stronger guys....
then dont watch anymore fight related anime.

if you still think long episode animes suck, or dont feel like watching them, then I highly recommend you to read the manga and
just forget about the anime.