We were talking about ubuntu at work, and it made me think back to Game 4 of the 2011 Playoffs and about Brandon Roy. So now I'm thinking, if injuries hadn't sidelined them, who would have had the best career: Brandon Roy, Grant Hill, or Penny Hardaway? All three were destined for the Hall of Fame. Only Grant Hill will likely get in. What do y'all think?
Penny. Guy could do it all... athletic 6'7 point guard who could shoot and was a matchup nightmare for other PG's (even took them in the post)... I remember watching him during those few prime years, and it was unreal. He was like a skinny version of LeBron.
Yeah, but so was Penny. And Brandon Roy just oozed potential and heart even as good as he was. Man, I loved him.
Grant Hill, no question. I mean, after all he's been through and a million lost games to injury and countless surgeries, the guy is still playing for goodness sake. Even at 25% of what he once was, he is now still an effective, above average player. People forget that when Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady signed with Orlando the same summer, Grant Hill was the superstar, and McGrady was the sidekick.
Let's not forget, Penny also had these: and THIS GUY: The Foamposites and Lil Penny will always be a fond memory of my childhood lol.
I might sound crazy, but I think if Oden stayed healthy, he would have had a much better career then Roy.
Yeah, but don't forget Grant Hill had these: <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/OqEjnUkbB-Y" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8AdRVjOETjY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
You're right. That does sound crazy. I think Oden would've been good, but I never felt he had the love for the game to be truly, truly great. I was upset the Blazers didn't take Durant on draft day. It wasn't because I was some basketball Nostradamus. It's really because I used to sit in front of the TV yelling at every Texas player to pass the ball to Durant. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING? KEVIN DURANT IS ON THE FLOOR. WHY ARE YOU TOUCHING THE BASKETBALL? GIVE THE BALL TO... YES. NO! KD! WHY ARE YOU PASSING?"
A lot of people forgot just how good Grant Hill was. Before his injuries, he was such an unstoppable force. Also, Penny was such a special player before the injuries... Its a toss up between the two but I think Hill has the ability to really impact a franchise more than Penny. Brandon Roy may not be the most physically gifted player but he had a ton of skills. He's not as talented as some of the top tier players but he had unlimited skills and the fearlessness that got him to be successful. Even though Roy used to destroy the Rockets, it was always a joy to watch him perform.
Not to derail the thread, but you can't talk about NBA what-ifs without mentioning Len Bias... what if he didn't do coke that night... <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/1DGVlXxG2Pk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Grant Hill. People may say Penny because he was more flashy, had the cool shoes, commercials, nice uniforms and played alongside Shaq but Grant Hill could do it all yet he was always improving each year. Extremely high IQ and cerebral. Also, he was super athletic pre-inury but he didn't need to rely on that to get by as evidenced even today.
No offense but Roy and Penny aren't in the same class as Grant Hill. Hill was the Lebron before Lebron, he could do anything and everything he wanted on the court. Penny was great because he was a tall PG but I never thought he would go down as a Top 15 all time like Hill. Roy was just another all star, not truly transcendent yet.
It was like the Sonics in the '90s. I had no love for the Sonics, but I RESPECTED them. And now? I look back and miss the days of Payton, Kemp, Schrempf, Perkins, and Hawkins. I loved seeing the Rockets beat the Sonics (and the Blazers) in the Playoffs, but I always loved watching them too. And the jazz? I would disassemble every piece of that area and launch them all into different corners of the galaxy. Also, I'd try to prosecute malone for statutory rape.
I chose other because my vote is Tmac. If not for injuries he'd be in the greatest ever conversations.
