Top 25 Busts in Houston Sports History

[PhiSlammaJamma]

Who are your all time top 10 busts in Houston History


1. Mike Rozier
2. Alonzo Highsmith
3. Andre Ware
4. Eric Anthony
5. David Klingler
6. Daryle Ward
7. Ralph Sampson
8. Carl Pickens
9. Mitch Meluskey
10. Webster Slaughter
11. Bryce Drew
12. Joe Barry Carroll
13. Sleepy Floyd
14. Buck Johnson
15. Derrick Chievous
16. Eric Piatkowski
17. Chris Sanders
18. Gerald Young
19. Cameron Drew
20. Jeff Alm
21. Henry Ford
22. Mike Simms
23. Floyd Bannister
24. Eric Bullock
25. Rickey Winslow

Honorable mention:
Jeff Juden
Willie Davis
Shandon Anderson
Dave Jamerson
John Turner
Chris Truby
Morgan Ensberg
Richard Hildago
Joe Sambito
Charlie Kerfeld
Frank Williams
Scott Elarton
Eric Yelding
Alton Montgomery
Willie Ansley
Cody Carlson

[MadMax]

1. Scottie Pippen
2. Scottie Pippen
3. Someone else
4. Scottie Pippen
5. Scottie Pippen

[MadMax]

was cody carlson a bust? he was a really serviceable backup QB for Moon. not a starter...but i don't know i'd call him a bust. i remember him winning some big games for us when moon was out.

klingler and ware were pro busts...but they were both immensely successful on the college level here in houston.

buck johnson almost immediately came to mind when i read your thread title..the quest for a 3 went on until we ultimately drafted horry. a really long time.

[Kam]

dave jamerson never got the chance to play from what i can remember 11 years ago or whatever it was.

[Rocket Fan]

eddie griffin maybe...

[gunn]

Your 2004 Houston Astros has to take the cake, in my opinion.

[MadMax]

Originally posted by gunn
Your 2004 Houston Astros has to take the cake, in my opinion.

i was thinking about this last night while at the freaking game. i honestly think i was more disappointed by the 2000 team. that may sound weird...but that team NEVER played well. they were out of it from game 1. and that was the first year of the new ballpark. i was so disappointed after 3 straight playoff appearances at how over they were..so early.

also..the 87 'stros were disappointing.

the rockets with pippen, barkley and hakeem.

but the kings of disappointment?? the houston oilers. seriously, they rewrote the books.

[JPM0016]

Originally posted by MadMax
i was thinking about this last night while at the freaking game. i honestly think i was more disappointed by the 2000 team. that may sound weird...but that team NEVER played well. they were out of it from game 1. and that was the first year of the new ballpark. i was so disappointed after 3 straight playoff appearances at how over they were..so early.


2000 was a pretty disapointing year. Actually they did get off to a great start, well at least the first 2 games.

At Pittsburgh - Win 5-2
At Pittsburgh - Win 11-2

then the bottom fell out

[deadlybulb]

Why Sampson? Cuz of the knees? He had great years w/ us.

[MadMax]

Originally posted by deadlybulb
Why Sampson? Cuz of the knees? He had great years w/ us.

he was supposed to be a franchise player...a guy who would bring you rings. ultimately, injury kept that from happening.

[the futants]

#1 = Houston Oilers vs. Buffalo Bills...PERIOD. nothing i can remember felt like more of a "bust" than that.

[MadMax]

Originally posted by the futants
#1 = Houston Oilers vs. Buffalo Bills...PERIOD. nothing i can remember felt like more of a "bust" than that.

except maybe the next year when they won 11 straight games, including a big Christmas day game at Candlestick...only to go out with a whimper vs. the Chiefs at home in the playoffs.

[Nick]

Originally posted by MadMax
i was thinking about this last night while at the freaking game. i honestly think i was more disappointed by the 2000 team. that may sound weird...but that team NEVER played well. they were out of it from game 1. and that was the first year of the new ballpark. i was so disappointed after 3 straight playoff appearances at how over they were..so early.

I started thinking about this last night, and while they may have played much worse than this years team... this year has to be more dissapointing because there is NO obvious solution, and this was their LAST chance.

That 2000 team simply lacked pitching... both as starters and in the bullpen.... and this couldn't have been foreseen because nobody knew just how much of a hitter's park MMP would be (and ex-Astrodome pitchers were doomed no matter what...)

But, that 2000 team offered far more optimism than this year's bunch: Their lineup was stacked, as Bagwell and Hidalgo had MVP-type years.... that is no longer a given. Also, younger players like Lance Berkman and Julio Lugo (at the time) showed much progress. We saw glimpses of how effective Dotel could be in the bullpen. Additionally, the farm system was STACKED with players like Wade Miller, Roy Oswalt, Carlos Hernandez all due in the majors within the next year or two.

I remember thinking all those things towards the end of the 2000 season, and coupled with a healthy Wagner, I saw no reason why they couldn't compete in 2001 (and alas, they won the division).

Now, unfortunately, there is NOTHING on the horizon... not much to think that they can bounce back just by next year. The farm system is all but dead, with only Burke guaranteed a shot at the majors next year. Tavares will need to see time at AAA before he'll be here (hurry up and get on that Drayton), but its not a given that these guys will be all-stars.

The rest of the lineup is old, nobody has had a BIG year since Lance in 2002, and Wade and Roy are now miles away from where they were projected to be at the start of 2002.

But... they may find a way to suprise just yet (Albert Pujols came out of nowhere... maybe somebody else could do that) ... I just don't have the same optimism now that I did back in 2000.

[Another Brother]

Great thread.

I would like to humbly submit Matthew Maloney. I know it's a stretch but....

[dwil8686]

Cody Carlson belongs at the top of that bust list.

[Austin70]

I want to throw Mirsad Turkan name on the list.

[Lil Francis]

1. 2004 Astros
2. 1998 Astros
3. 1993 Oilers
4. 1999 Rockets
5. 1992 Oilers

[Lil Francis]

Originally posted by MadMax
except maybe the next year when they won 11 straight games, including a big Christmas day game at Candlestick...only to go out with a whimper vs. the Chiefs at home in the playoffs. I remember when Kerry Cash caught that touchdown in the 4th quarter and threw the ball at a Buddy Ryan "46" poster.

[mateo]

Pedro Estacio
Tom Gordon
Pat Listach
Tony Boselli
Roderick Rhodes
Derek "Operation Shutdown" Bell

[Groogrux]

No way Pike should be on that list.

[BobFinn*]

If any of you ever saw the 1979 Oilers-Chargers playoff game, you would not say Gifford Nielson was a bust.

[TheFreak]

Buck Johnson was not a bust- I believe he was picked 20th back when there were only 23 picks in the first round. He was a starter for a couple of years as well. Not sure I'd ever call a late-first rounder a bust anyway.

No Drabek or Swindell?

[thegary]

phi slamma jamma losing to nc state :mad: :mad: :mad:

[BobFinn*]

Originally posted by MadMax
he was supposed to be a franchise player...a guy who would bring you rings. ultimately, injury kept that from happening.

Steve Francis (without the injuries)

[MadMax]

Originally posted by TheFreak
Buck Johnson was not a bust- I believe he was picked 20th back when there were only 23 picks in the first round. He was a starter for a couple of years as well. Not sure I'd ever call a late-first rounder a bust anyway.



i just remember the expectations for buck being pretty high. i thought he was a higher pick than that, too.

jim clancy should be added to that list, if he's not there. huge bust.

[pgabriel]

Originally posted by BobFinn*
Steve Francis (without the injuries)

Steve Francis may have been dissappointment, but calling him a bust is silly. The guy was still very productive, and he did lead this team to 3 seasons above .500.

[giddyup]

Who was Cameron Drew?

[BobFinn*]

Originally posted by PhiSlammaJamma
Who are your all time top 10 busts in Houston History



7. Ralph Sampson
8. Carl Pickens
10. Webster Slaughter


Honorable mention:

Joe Sambito


Sampson's stats were improving every year. Even made it to the finals in 1986. Far from a bust.

Pickens and Slaughter came on board at the end of their careers. Pickens still remains one of the best recievers in Bengals history. Instead of them you should have said Steve Largent who was cut by the Oilers.

Joe Sambito, 1979 All-Star. Far from a bust

[BobFinn*]

Originally posted by pgabriel
Steve Francis may have been dissappointment, but calling him a bust is silly. The guy was still very productive, and he did lead this team to 3 seasons above .500.

Well if Max is calling Sampson a bust, then I say Francis was a bust:p

[Austin70]

Originally posted by TheFreak
Buck Johnson was not a bust- I believe he was picked 20th back when there were only 23 picks in the first round. He was a starter for a couple of years as well. Not sure I'd ever call a late-first rounder a bust anyway.

No Drabek or Swindell?

Speaking of Drabek, I saw the Seinfeld episode a couple of days ago where Kramer was bitching about the Yankees losing the young prospects and Drabek was one of the guys he mentioned.

I hate to say this but he was a bust for the Astros. Nice guy though, he went to my high school and graduated a few years ahead of me, but he would come back and pitch batting practice to us before he went to spring training.

[PhiSlammaJamma]

Cameron Drew:
Really it's kinda mysterious. The guy was drafted # 12 in the nation in '85 and hit .291 during his first pro season at Auburn, then took off. . .Led the South Atlantic League for 1986 in home runs and RBI's, while finishing second in batting average, and swept the league's MVP award. After being promoted to AA Columbus the next year, was an All-Star in the Southern League, too, hitting .313 with 14 home runs through the July 13 break. Fell to .280 for the season during the second half, but then torched the PCL during the first half of 1988, and was actually at .373 when an inflamed knee shut him down for five weeks. Only hit .188 in his September call up to the dome, but that probably wasn't a big deal, right? Entering 1989, Drew had made his league's all star team every year but his first. He must have gone into spring training as the favorite to make the Houston roster. . .Then nothing. He never played another game in the Astros organization

[rockets-#1]

1. Scottie Pippen
2. Snotty Quiten
3. Scottie "I couldn't do anything without MJ" Pippen
- Matt Maloney
- Mirsad Turckan
- Daryle Ward
- Tony Boselli
- Jermaine Lewis
- Any reliever on the 2004 Astros not named Lidge


Oh I'm forgetting someone.....oh yeah, the 2004 Astros...



One last bust, that's right the 2004 "we suck so damn bad" Disastros.

[SamFisher]

Originally posted by BobFinn*
Sampson's stats were improving every year. Even made it to the finals in 1986. Far from a bust.



If by "improving every year." you mean "declined every year after his second year" then you're correct.

http://www.basketballreference.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=SAMPSRA01

[BobFinn*]

Originally posted by SamFisher
If by "improving every year." you mean "declined every year after his second year" then you're correct.

http://www.basketballreference.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=SAMPSRA01

Notice the "Games Played" column Sam.

Assists, rebounds as well as steals all improved even with less "games played"

[Groogrux]

Originally posted by BobFinn*
Notice the "Games Played" column Sam.

Which is one of the reasons he was a bust.

[BobFinn*]

Originally posted by Rocketman95
Which is one of the reasons he was a bust.

All-Star, Finals, Rookie Of The Year

What do you guys consider a success?

[Groogrux]

Originally posted by BobFinn*
All-Star, Finals, Rookie Of The Year

What do you guys consider a success?

He was supposed to do that for many, many years. He didn't live up to his potential due to his injuries. I consider that a bust.

[Mummywrap]

Wilbur Marshall
Mel Grey

[RIET]

I still have Cameron Drew's 1986 minor league baseball card.

He was an "athlete" that had superstar potential until knee injuries really screwed him up.

I would never consider someone who was injured a bust.

Busts are those players who are expected to do well and then just sucked.

Eddie Griffin is a bust.

[pgabriel]

Originally posted by Mummywrap
Wilbur Marshall
Mel Grey


Those guys were just old when they got to Houston.

[Dr of Dunk]

I don't follow baseball anymore and have forgotten most of what I knew about it, so it could come as a surprise my contribution to this thread will be a baseball player. Has anyone mentioned :

Ty Gainey? :)

[KaiSeR SoZe]

Andre Ware was probably the biggest flop coming out of Houston

[bottlerocket]

#3 Andre Ware & #5 David Klinger were great when they were in Houston (UH). The problem started when they left Houston.
Things that make you go Hhmm...

[Dr of Dunk]

Thought of a few more. Not really huge busts as much as they came in with a lot of promise and left with a whimper :

Derrick Chievous (the man who claimed he could get his shot off against anyone and promptly was rejected so many times in his short NBA career that he has permanent whiplash. He did leave us his gaping maw and that migratory band-aid, however).

Can we talk high school busts? :)

Lance Blanks (great high school player - never amounted to much)
Sean Gay (see above)
Elmer Bennet
Ben Gay
David Clyde (phenom baseball player that went nowhere)

[bottlerocket]

Originally posted by BobFinn*

Instead of them you should have said Steve Largent who was cut by the Oilers.



You can blame O.A. Bum Phillips for that one. What a joke he was. He traded most of the Oilers draft picks away for players at the tail end of their career. The nickname Snake for comes to mind.

[Groogrux]

Anyone mention Jon Peters?

[IROC it]

Originally posted by Dr of Dunk
Derrick Chievous

As I read the thread, this name was on my lips... sure enough the Dr. got it 3 posts before mine.


btw- Webster Slaughter was a washed up Browns reciever when we got him.

Hannah (WR) was the bust that year. Everyone said he was "so fast." Well he was, but he couldn't catch a Moonbeam.

Recently? Jabbar Gaffney maybe.

Broadcaster wise, Cynthia Cooper. :D

[outlaw]

Originally posted by IROC it


Broadcaster wise, Cynthia Cooper. :D

Chris Wragge
Eddie Sefko
Russ Small
Matt Jackson (as a source anyway ;-) )

[SamFisher]

Originally posted by BobFinn*
Notice the "Games Played" column Sam.

Assists, rebounds as well as steals all improved even with less "games played"
I trust your referring to 86-87, in which these numbers were up in 79 games? I saw his scoring average and shooting percentage drop as well. At best it's a wash, and he had plateaued.

However, to say that he improved every single year in the league, when it only appeared to have occurred for sure in the first two of his nine seasons, and when a steep decline kicked in in his 4th season, is misleading.

[Phillyrocket]

Gotta throw in Rodney McCray #3 overall pick who was only here like 4 seasons. Reason he was a bust?

WE COULD HAVE DRAFTED CLYDE DREXLER!!! IT'S NOT LIKE HE WAS HARD TO MISS HE ONLY PLAYED IN THE DAMN CITY!!!

Sorry... anyway biggest draft bust coming in the same context, the 1998 Rocket first round!!!!

Michael Dickerson
Bryce Drew
Mirsad Turckan

when (as every Rocket fan remembers) Rashard Lewis was crying in the green room wondering why his home team in need of a SF and having three picks would not take the chance.

I will never ever forgive CD and co. for that screwup. Decisions like that make me wonder if the GMs are really that much smarter than the fans.

[King of 40 Acres]

Biggest Bust.... Anna Nicole Smith hands down.

[JamesC]

Originally posted by PhiSlammaJamma

20. Jeff Alm


Wasnt he the one killed in the car accident?

[outlaw]

Originally posted by JamesC
Wasnt he the one killed in the car accident?

sorta. his passenger was killed in the accident.
he killed himself with his shotgun shortly thereafter.

We traded Rodney McCray for Otis Thorpe so he wasnt a total bust

[Davidoff]

Brent Price

[Supermac34]

Originally posted by Phillyrocket
Gotta throw in Rodney McCray #3 overall pick who was only here like 4 seasons. Reason he was a bust?

WE COULD HAVE DRAFTED CLYDE DREXLER!!! IT'S NOT LIKE HE WAS HARD TO MISS HE ONLY PLAYED IN THE DAMN CITY!!!


Well, a lot of teams didn't think Drexler had an NBA shot. He didn't, but he developed one good enough so his athletisism could make him a superstar.

Reminds me of the old thing were the Rockets "could" have had Hakeem, Jordan, and Drexler.

Basically, if we had drafted Drexler like the entire city of Houston had wanted...that would have been step one.

The Bulls offered us their pick for Sampson...we kept Sampson, they took Jordan...so if that trade had happened, we would have taken Jordan...so we would have had Jordan and Drexler in the backcourt with Hakeem up front.

I can see why we didn't do that, though.

At the time, the front court of Hakeem...er...Akeem and Sampson would have won us several championships. Stupid Ralph Sampson knees. The Rockets probably would have been in the Finals and won some all through the late 80's and early 90's if Sampson's knees hadn't turned to mush.

[edwardc]

Bucky Richardson should be added to the top ten .

[Austin70]

Originally posted by edwardc
Bucky Richardson should be added to the top ten .


He shouldn't be on the list much less the top ten. He was a third string quarterback coming in and he did the best he coud do with his skills.

[codell]

Originally posted by Austin70
He shouldn't be on the list much less the top ten. He was a third string quarterback coming in and he did the best he coud do with his skills.

And he was an 8th round pick.

[shsu33]

Sampson should not be on the list. If he is on the list then JR Richard should be too. I don't believe either one should be on it but their careers were both very short lived and ended because of injuries. Sampson actually did more in his short career than Richard. Pippen, Griffen, Boseli gotta be tops in my book.

[Ric]

Originally posted by Supermac34
The Bulls offered us their pick for Sampson...we kept Sampson, they took Jordan...so if that trade had happened, we would have taken Jordan...so we would have had Jordan and Drexler in the backcourt with Hakeem up front.
actually, or so the story goes, portland offered us their pick, #2 overall, for sampson. they were desperate for a big man and settled for the now infamous bowie-over-jordan.

i'm 84% certain this has been confirmed by various rocket officials over the years.

[sabirk]

Toni Boselli

[junglerules]

Originally posted by Rocketman95
Anyone mention Jon Peters?

Are you talking about Jon Peters, the Brenham High school pitching phenom who won like 50 or 60 straight decisions? My dad's side of my family is from Brenham, and that story was HUGE back then. Didn't he make the cover of Sports Illustrated as well? Anyway, who knows what happened to the guy. I think I heard he ran into injury problems, but I'm not sure....

[RIET]

Originally posted by junglerules
Are you talking about Jon Peters, the Brenham High school pitching phenom who won like 50 or 60 straight decisions? My dad's side of my family is from Brenham, and that story was HUGE back then. Didn't he make the cover of Sports Illustrated as well? Anyway, who knows what happened to the guy. I think I heard he ran into injury problems, but I'm not sure....

He was supposed to make the cover of SI until Nolan Ryan threw a no-hitter and bumped him off the cover.

He signed a baseball scholarship with A$M.

Case of overacheiver with a great curveball. Very few HS kids can hit curve balls. Unfortunately, he didn't have a great arm.

Great story about a kid who just enjoyed playing HS baseball and was good at that level.

Calling him a bust is distasteful and unnecessary.

[JBIIRockets]

I personally think Kevin Willis was a bust. He did a great job handing the Jazz the 97 western conference championship. He had 3 of the most ineffective games I've ever seen in the games at Utah.

John Lucas was a bust to some degree.

[nyrocket]

Originally posted by Dr of Dunk
Can we talk high school busts? :)

Elmer Bennet


I must speak in defense of Elmer Bennett, a high school teammate of mine.

El ha sido el rey de la balconesta española desde hace muchos años. ¿Un bust? Creo que no.