You can check the NCAA Basketball Odds and compare them to the John Hollinger Draft Projections all you want; predicting a career is nearly impossible. For the same reasons, slamming a career that didn't work out as planned is not fair. We have just heard so much talk about the present all stars, but what about the players who should have been all stars, but never fully cashed in on their potential?
They are the butts of jokes, get bad press or get no press at all. But is it all their fauls? FCP presents a loose list of the Unrealized Potential All Stars. Is someone missing? Feel free to comment below.
Starters:
Point Guard: Steve Francis
He had so much potential he was nick named 'Stevie Franchise' before he had actually proven himself. He peaked in his 3'rd year with a 21/7/6 season using his incredible athletic ability to get to the rim to dominate the entire league from the point. Unfortunately his durability was an issue and his stats would gradually decline and as pointed out in this space before, he lacked the pure skills to overcome it. Instead of carrying teams to the playoffs and the HOF, Steve became one of the worst contracts in league history. He was paid 17 million a year to play for dreadful Orlando teams and then sank the second franchise of his career (the first being the Grizzlies when he refused to play there) when he became the proverbial nail in the coffin of the Isiah Thomas era Knicks.
Shooting Guard: Drazen Petrovic
If you haven't watched the 30 For 30 documentary by Vlade Divac about his relationship with Petrovic, Once Brothers, I highly recommend it. You'll get to see more of Petrovic's incredible game that we only truly saw for two seasons with the Nets establishing himself as one of the best guards in the NBA. The following summer Petrovic was killed instantly in a car crash with his girlfriend as he was sleeping and didn't buckle his seat belt ending his life and NBA career. So hey kids, buckle up! The point is, not many basketball players are good enough to have a statue in their image made of them and Petrovic was.
Small Forward: Grant Hill
In 1995 GQ ran a special issue called "The Future Of Sports." On the cover they asked "Can Grant Hill save sports?" They counted off the 50 most important people in sports and Hill was #1. When I saw this issue on news stands did I laugh? No, it made sense. Grant Hill was bigger then basketball, he was a mega-star in the making who transcended all pro sports. And he was only a rookie. I'm not sure anyone has had more potential then Hill and he looked poised to reach it putting up triple doubles like he was ordering them in a coffee shop.
Then the injuries started. And Hill started trying to play through him to prove his toughness to Detroit's fans. Then Hill didn't play another injury free legitimate season till he was 35 years old in Phoenix. And just like that, the man who was the Future Of Sports had an insignificant career.
Power Forward: Len Bias
Len Bias never played in the NBA, but he for sure made it. That's because the night after he was selected by the Boston Celtics in the draft he overdosed on cocaine and never got to step on a court. Highlights, games, player/coach/scout testimonials all point to Len Bias being a bona fide superstar. He was going to a team with enormous talent that was ageing and would be a perfect fit to slowly take over a la Tim Duncan. It's hard to know how good he would have been, but it's easy to tell he fulfilled less potential then nearly any player in history.
Center: Greg Oden
Oden was a monster in college. Perhaps never better exemplified then his NCAA Final game when his control of the paint kept his Ohio Buckeyes in a game they had no business in. Oden blocked or altered nearly every single shot within 10 feet. With his dominant hand broken. And in the NBA? Oden made more news when his gargantuan penis was leaked online then with his play. Injuries have kept him down and prevented him from playing anything more then bench minutes. Tragic for the man who was drafted before Kevin Durant.
Bench
Point Guard: Jay Williams
I first read about Jay Williams in an issue of Slam magazine when he was a child of 13 or 14 years old. They said watch out for this kid, so I did. And they were right. ACC Rookie Of The Year. National Freshmen Of The Year. He won the Naismith and Wooden awards as the NCAA player of the year after leading Duke to the championship game and scoring over 25 PPG. He was selected 2'nd overall after only Yao Ming.
After his rookie season Williams crashed his motorcycle into a street light and nearly lost his life. He was not wearing a helmet, or to drive a motorcycle in the state and was violating his contract by riding one. The Bulls played nice and bought him out for 3 million (when they could have given nothing, per a voided contract). Williams signed years later with the Nets, but wasa waived. Then signed with a d-league team, and again was waived.
Shooting Guard: Adam Morrison
Like the real all star team, we are playing with positions to fit Chris Webber on. :) And Morrison could play the 2.
"The Stache" built up his potential in college where he starred at Gonzaga where he averaged 28 PPG on 50% shooting and 42% from the arc. If history is kind it will view his famous crying after his team was beaten out of the NCAA bracket as 'passionate' instead of weak and remember how he was one of the best scorers in college history. If history is kind, it also won't bring up his NBA career since it's invariably going to be misjudged. Perhaps the Larry Bird comparisons were exaggerated, but you don't get that kind of hype without having some serious game.
Morrison did not have a spectacular rookie season averaging 12 PPG, shooting under 40%. To be fair though, when he did start the majority of his games he scored over 15 PPG. What's unfair to Morrison is that while most rookies have a few years to get used to elite level basketball, Morrison blew out his knee after a merely average rookie campaign to become a severe liability. His career ended with his rookie contract. Had he not hurt his knee Morrison could have in the very least been a solid shooting role player, or, had a multiple all star ceiling.
Small Forward: Chris Webber
When I read writers slam Chris Webber's career, they bring up things like inability to take big shots. I've never understood. Chris Webber had more then just taking big shots. 'Big Shots' are a simple method writers use to spin engaging stories and compare everyone to Michael Jordan. Webber had serious game and it was more then just taking shots. How many countless games were won on Big Passes? Lots. But that's still not the issue with Webber's career.
Webber, in my mind, won one championship. I will never give credit to the Lakers for their 2003 ring because winning from cheating is not winning but stealing. Just like in court, whether you steal someone's property or are in possession of it, you're still guilty of a crime. That's still not the issue.
Webber came into the NBA by storm. He was a threat to be a top 10 player of all time. People often forget, but injuries hampered him from his second year in the league. His athleticism never fully returned or was capitalized on from his rookie days on the Warriors. He missed nearly half his second season and nearly his entire third season in the NBA due to a serious knee injury. He missed more time in 2002 due to his knee. Every time Webber lost a little of what he had. But in 2002 the camel's back finally broke and Webber lost any semblance of his promising athletic ability.
He still managed a few productive seasons on skill/talent alone after this, but eventually his career ended with an embarrassing stint playing 14 MPG where it all started on the Golden State Warriors under his first coach, Don Nelson.
Power Forward: Pervis Ellison
Never Nervous Pervis was drafted first in a 1989 draft featuring Danny Ferry, Sean Elliot, Glen Rice, Nick Anderson, Mookie Blaylock, Tim Hardaway, Dana Barros, Shawn Kemp, BJ Armstrong, Vlade Divac, Sherman Douglas and Clifford Robinson after leading Louisville to a National Championship in his second year.
When he got to the NBA, injuries already started to take their hold on him as he missed the majority of his rookie season leading Danny Ainge to dub him "Out Of Service Pervis." Once healthy and given minutes on the Bullets Ellison put up 20 PPG, 11 RPG, 2.7 BPG and shot 53% from the field to win the league's Most Improved Player award playing at a level merely expected in his rookie season. Unfortunately this was his peak and the knee injuries kept piling up till he finished his career playing 4 MPG on a 44 win Settle Supersonics team
Center: Ralph Sampson
Sampson, if anything, was a player with limitless potential. When he and Dream put it all together, they formed a nearly unstoppable offensive and defensive force. Sampson averaged 20 PPG, 10 RPG 2 BPG and a steal over his first three Rockets seasons. When they met the defending champion Lakers in the West finals the Rockets lost the first game, and then destroyed the Lakers in 4 straight games. The series was never really close. They lost the finals in 6 games to the arguable GOAT team Celtics after which their coach, K.C. Jones, called them "The New Monsters On The Block."
The next season, Sampson suffered back and knee injuries that led to him being traded and was never the same. There is also an alleged 'nose injuries' that Sampson and his team-mates suffered. It is rumoured that from time to time, Sampson would trip in his home and mysteriously find his nostrils stuffed full of cocaine.
Utility 1: Orlando Woolridge
How many times have you heard someone make this 'obvious' statement.
Then Orlando's nostrils, implanted with some kind of cocaine magnets, led to a league suspension 15 games into his next season. Cocaine like many hard drugs is actually quite clean. Within a day or two, all traces of it leaves your system. Therefore, it can only be imagined how often Orlando was likely snorting to get caught by a drug test.
He then played a role on the Lakers winning attempting and filing to win a ring. Then gave it one last shot to become a true star on the Nuggets. He almost did it too scoring 25.5 PPG with 7 RPG under "The System", Paul Westhead's offensive genius run and gun offence. For much of the season Woolridge actually led the league in scoring but it fell apart when he sustained an eye injury and missed almost half the games. He would never play over 30 MPG again and was out of the league 3 years later.
Utility 2: Sam Bowie
The historical laughing stock of the NBA draft. He's brought up as many times as the career of Michael Jordan is brought up. People call him the biggest draft mistake in history. I named my fantasy league "Sam Bowie Is The Greatest!" to commemorate the event. But was it fair?
Not really. Sam Bowie had promise. Lots of it. In his second year he averaged 17 PPG, 9 RPG and 3 blocks. A defensive center who's also an efficient scorer == wins in the NBA. Especially 'that' NBA of the 80's. People expected Bowie to partner with Clyde Drexler for one of the most potent inside outside teams in the NBA. Instead Bowie was never able to take off. He peaked out with a 17 PPG 10 RPG 2 BPG season but spent an entire career re-injuring and rehabbing.
There you have it. The Unrealized Potential All Stars! Additions? Hate? Love? Post it in the comments below.
The best sports with Dish TV
They are the butts of jokes, get bad press or get no press at all. But is it all their fauls? FCP presents a loose list of the Unrealized Potential All Stars. Is someone missing? Feel free to comment below.
Starters:
Point Guard: Steve Francis
Shooting Guard: Drazen Petrovic
If you haven't watched the 30 For 30 documentary by Vlade Divac about his relationship with Petrovic, Once Brothers, I highly recommend it. You'll get to see more of Petrovic's incredible game that we only truly saw for two seasons with the Nets establishing himself as one of the best guards in the NBA. The following summer Petrovic was killed instantly in a car crash with his girlfriend as he was sleeping and didn't buckle his seat belt ending his life and NBA career. So hey kids, buckle up! The point is, not many basketball players are good enough to have a statue in their image made of them and Petrovic was.
Small Forward: Grant Hill
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| Unrealized All Star MVP |
Then the injuries started. And Hill started trying to play through him to prove his toughness to Detroit's fans. Then Hill didn't play another injury free legitimate season till he was 35 years old in Phoenix. And just like that, the man who was the Future Of Sports had an insignificant career.
Power Forward: Len Bias
Len Bias never played in the NBA, but he for sure made it. That's because the night after he was selected by the Boston Celtics in the draft he overdosed on cocaine and never got to step on a court. Highlights, games, player/coach/scout testimonials all point to Len Bias being a bona fide superstar. He was going to a team with enormous talent that was ageing and would be a perfect fit to slowly take over a la Tim Duncan. It's hard to know how good he would have been, but it's easy to tell he fulfilled less potential then nearly any player in history.
Center: Greg Oden
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| Snap A Pic! |
Bench
Point Guard: Jay Williams
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| Again Kids, Safety First! |
I first read about Jay Williams in an issue of Slam magazine when he was a child of 13 or 14 years old. They said watch out for this kid, so I did. And they were right. ACC Rookie Of The Year. National Freshmen Of The Year. He won the Naismith and Wooden awards as the NCAA player of the year after leading Duke to the championship game and scoring over 25 PPG. He was selected 2'nd overall after only Yao Ming.
After his rookie season Williams crashed his motorcycle into a street light and nearly lost his life. He was not wearing a helmet, or to drive a motorcycle in the state and was violating his contract by riding one. The Bulls played nice and bought him out for 3 million (when they could have given nothing, per a voided contract). Williams signed years later with the Nets, but wasa waived. Then signed with a d-league team, and again was waived.
Shooting Guard: Adam Morrison
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| FCP Has A Soft Spot For Facial Hair |
"The Stache" built up his potential in college where he starred at Gonzaga where he averaged 28 PPG on 50% shooting and 42% from the arc. If history is kind it will view his famous crying after his team was beaten out of the NCAA bracket as 'passionate' instead of weak and remember how he was one of the best scorers in college history. If history is kind, it also won't bring up his NBA career since it's invariably going to be misjudged. Perhaps the Larry Bird comparisons were exaggerated, but you don't get that kind of hype without having some serious game.
Morrison did not have a spectacular rookie season averaging 12 PPG, shooting under 40%. To be fair though, when he did start the majority of his games he scored over 15 PPG. What's unfair to Morrison is that while most rookies have a few years to get used to elite level basketball, Morrison blew out his knee after a merely average rookie campaign to become a severe liability. His career ended with his rookie contract. Had he not hurt his knee Morrison could have in the very least been a solid shooting role player, or, had a multiple all star ceiling.
Small Forward: Chris Webber
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| My Favouritism Chris Webber, Was This Chris Webber |
Webber, in my mind, won one championship. I will never give credit to the Lakers for their 2003 ring because winning from cheating is not winning but stealing. Just like in court, whether you steal someone's property or are in possession of it, you're still guilty of a crime. That's still not the issue.
Webber came into the NBA by storm. He was a threat to be a top 10 player of all time. People often forget, but injuries hampered him from his second year in the league. His athleticism never fully returned or was capitalized on from his rookie days on the Warriors. He missed nearly half his second season and nearly his entire third season in the NBA due to a serious knee injury. He missed more time in 2002 due to his knee. Every time Webber lost a little of what he had. But in 2002 the camel's back finally broke and Webber lost any semblance of his promising athletic ability.
He still managed a few productive seasons on skill/talent alone after this, but eventually his career ended with an embarrassing stint playing 14 MPG where it all started on the Golden State Warriors under his first coach, Don Nelson.
Power Forward: Pervis Ellison
When he got to the NBA, injuries already started to take their hold on him as he missed the majority of his rookie season leading Danny Ainge to dub him "Out Of Service Pervis." Once healthy and given minutes on the Bullets Ellison put up 20 PPG, 11 RPG, 2.7 BPG and shot 53% from the field to win the league's Most Improved Player award playing at a level merely expected in his rookie season. Unfortunately this was his peak and the knee injuries kept piling up till he finished his career playing 4 MPG on a 44 win Settle Supersonics team
Center: Ralph Sampson
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| FEAR ME, WHITE BOYS! |
The next season, Sampson suffered back and knee injuries that led to him being traded and was never the same. There is also an alleged 'nose injuries' that Sampson and his team-mates suffered. It is rumoured that from time to time, Sampson would trip in his home and mysteriously find his nostrils stuffed full of cocaine.
Utility 1: Orlando Woolridge
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| Woolridge's Talent Has Fallen Through The Cracks of NBA History |
Michael Jordan only had crap players around him for the first 7 years. Of course he didn't win with a garbage supporting cast!I've heard it many times and it may just become the subject of another article. Why it's coming up now though is because it perfectly reflects how under-rated Orlando Woolridge has become. Woolridge never made an all star team but peaked averaging 23 PPG on 55% shooting playing 'with' Michael Jordan. He put up similar numbers the next year when Jordan was injured for most of the entire season and again on the Nets as their best player.
Then Orlando's nostrils, implanted with some kind of cocaine magnets, led to a league suspension 15 games into his next season. Cocaine like many hard drugs is actually quite clean. Within a day or two, all traces of it leaves your system. Therefore, it can only be imagined how often Orlando was likely snorting to get caught by a drug test.
He then played a role on the Lakers winning attempting and filing to win a ring. Then gave it one last shot to become a true star on the Nuggets. He almost did it too scoring 25.5 PPG with 7 RPG under "The System", Paul Westhead's offensive genius run and gun offence. For much of the season Woolridge actually led the league in scoring but it fell apart when he sustained an eye injury and missed almost half the games. He would never play over 30 MPG again and was out of the league 3 years later.
Utility 2: Sam Bowie
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| Retired == Promise |
Not really. Sam Bowie had promise. Lots of it. In his second year he averaged 17 PPG, 9 RPG and 3 blocks. A defensive center who's also an efficient scorer == wins in the NBA. Especially 'that' NBA of the 80's. People expected Bowie to partner with Clyde Drexler for one of the most potent inside outside teams in the NBA. Instead Bowie was never able to take off. He peaked out with a 17 PPG 10 RPG 2 BPG season but spent an entire career re-injuring and rehabbing.
There you have it. The Unrealized Potential All Stars! Additions? Hate? Love? Post it in the comments below.
The best sports with Dish TV
which webber? that run tmc pic you copied from another site has bosh, mopete and ford on it, not mullin, richmond or webber.
ReplyDeleteand to make matters worse, webber was not a member of Run TMC
TIM
MITCH
CHRIS MULLIN
get it?
Jeez... this blog sucks
Heh, yes, I'm sorry your panties got in a bunch because I committed the egregious uploaded the wrong pic out of 12 to my article I wrote maybe a little too quickly. I also apologize for whatever girl dumped you or won't have sex with you to fill you with this much anger that you felt a need to bring this much hostility to my little site. I would reccomend not going to blogs that 'suck' in the future if you can't handle it.
ReplyDelete