- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
re: Greatest What If NBA Player
Posted on 11/15/12 at 2:09 am to BoardReader
Posted on 11/15/12 at 2:09 am to BoardReader
Penny Hardaway i know he was already great but them knee injuries shortened his career by alot. Coulda been one of the best ever.
1
Posted on 11/15/12 at 2:21 am to dsloane
grant hill and tracy mcgrady come to mind recently for me - grant was derailed by injuries, tracy by shitty motivation.
for that matter (even in spite of being one of the greatest ever) IMO Shaq could have been much better - his physical tools were just that superior
for that matter (even in spite of being one of the greatest ever) IMO Shaq could have been much better - his physical tools were just that superior
Posted on 11/15/12 at 5:58 am to BoardReader
Len Bias is almost certainly the answer, so let's take him off the table and come up with other interesting choices:
David Thompson: (
My dad used to get Street & Smith's magazine every year, and for some reason he held onto them. I found the year where Jordan was a HS senior, and the description on him said that he had the potential to be next David Thompson (or something like that). Thompson was Jordan before Jordan but unfortunately was a big fan of the cizzell for his nizzell.
Very good grantland.com article on David Thompson. Lost Moments in Basketball History
Bernard King:
Was averaging 33 ppg on 53% shooting 55 games into the 1984 season when he tore his ACL. Nowadays he might have made a full recovery in less than a year and come back as good as ever. But in the 80s when ACL reconstructive surgery was in its infancy, if you tore your ACL, you were basically done as an athlete. And King was never the same.
"I have never feared anybody that I've played against -- Bird, Magic, Doctor, Michael -- and I respect and love all of those guys. Bernard King is the only guy that ever scared the hell out of me."
--Dominique Wilkins
"the best scorer I've ever seen or played against."
--Larry Bird
David Thompson: (
My dad used to get Street & Smith's magazine every year, and for some reason he held onto them. I found the year where Jordan was a HS senior, and the description on him said that he had the potential to be next David Thompson (or something like that). Thompson was Jordan before Jordan but unfortunately was a big fan of the cizzell for his nizzell.
Very good grantland.com article on David Thompson. Lost Moments in Basketball History
Bernard King:
Was averaging 33 ppg on 53% shooting 55 games into the 1984 season when he tore his ACL. Nowadays he might have made a full recovery in less than a year and come back as good as ever. But in the 80s when ACL reconstructive surgery was in its infancy, if you tore your ACL, you were basically done as an athlete. And King was never the same.
"I have never feared anybody that I've played against -- Bird, Magic, Doctor, Michael -- and I respect and love all of those guys. Bernard King is the only guy that ever scared the hell out of me."
--Dominique Wilkins
"the best scorer I've ever seen or played against."
--Larry Bird
This post was edited on 11/15/12 at 5:59 am
Posted on 11/15/12 at 6:04 am to bobbyray21
More than a few of his peers have said that Tracy McGrady was even more talented than Jordan. But i don't know that "what if Tracy Mcgrady wasn't lazy" really counts as a legitimate "what if" type question.
Posted on 11/15/12 at 7:14 am to dsloane
Dr J
Posted on 11/15/12 at 7:29 am to dsloane
Len Bias.
Posted on 11/15/12 at 7:30 am to BoardReader
Greg Ostertag
Posted on 11/15/12 at 7:40 am to rondo
Sebastian Telfair
Michael Ray Richardson
Bernard King
Michael Ray Richardson
Bernard King
This post was edited on 11/15/12 at 7:42 am
Posted on 11/15/12 at 8:01 am to Dubosed
quote:
Penny Hardaway i know he was already great but them knee injuries shortened his career by alot. Coulda been one of the best ever.
Surprised it took this long to get a mention of him. While he had a great career before the injuries and a decent one after, it would have been interesting to see him have a healthy career and see how high the assist board he could have gotten, while still averaging 20+ PPG
Posted on 11/15/12 at 8:08 am to GeauxAggie972
Didn't greed also help ruin Penny's career though?
Also, one answer could be Derrick Rose depending on how his knee holds up (or doesn't).
Also, one answer could be Derrick Rose depending on how his knee holds up (or doesn't).
Posted on 11/15/12 at 8:12 am to CocomoLSU
Drazen Petrovic- averaged above 20 points the last two seasons before his death.
Posted on 11/15/12 at 8:13 am to CocomoLSU
Len Bias just because of who his teammates would have been for the early part of his career.
Posted on 11/15/12 at 8:22 am to dsloane
I'll throw Derek Anderson in there. I was living in Kentucky when he played HS ball and dude was one of the toughest stories around. fricking horrible childhood
Anderson was one of the few "next Jordan" comparisons I've ever heard that looked legit. His speed , lift off, and ball handling was off the charts.
After an ACL tear after he transfered to UK he was never the same. In the NBA for a good while but couldn't put back to back healthy seasons together for shite
Anderson was one of the few "next Jordan" comparisons I've ever heard that looked legit. His speed , lift off, and ball handling was off the charts.
After an ACL tear after he transfered to UK he was never the same. In the NBA for a good while but couldn't put back to back healthy seasons together for shite
Posted on 11/15/12 at 8:39 am to CocomoLSU
quote:
Didn't greed also help ruin Penny's career though?
Or Shaq's arrogance, depends on which way you want to look at it
Posted on 11/15/12 at 8:49 am to bobbyray21
Bobby beat me to it. After Bias, David Thompson was a man amongst boys. Cocaine is a hell of a drug.
Bernard King's also a great call. He was pretty darn good even after blowing out his knees, though no longer a superlative player.
Also, Connie Hawkins. His career was nothing but missed chance after missed chance. Still a legend, but he never became quite the player people thought. Sort of like the 1970s version of Ralph Sampson.
Bernard King's also a great call. He was pretty darn good even after blowing out his knees, though no longer a superlative player.
Also, Connie Hawkins. His career was nothing but missed chance after missed chance. Still a legend, but he never became quite the player people thought. Sort of like the 1970s version of Ralph Sampson.
Posted on 11/15/12 at 8:53 am to dsloane
Almost 2 full pages and no one has said...
Posted on 11/15/12 at 8:55 am to dsloane
Ben Voogd or Tack Minor
Posted on 11/15/12 at 8:57 am to hehateme2285
DeMarr Johnson
Posted on 11/15/12 at 8:57 am to Baloo
Ralph Sampson is a good one. The guy was 7'4 and could run the floor like a gazelle and dribble like a guard. The league has never seen anything like him. He showed what he could do early in his career -- can you imagine if he and Hakeem had matured together? And with the guards they had (before the coke suspensions).
Page 2 of 6
Popular
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News