I was thinking that many great college players have a very disappointing pro career, didn't even make it anywhere, or simply had a very short career: My list would include: Rickie Winslow Michael Young(played mostly in Europe) Sam Bowie Christian Laettner Chris Jackson Brad Daugherty Who would appear on your list?
In terms of some sort of bite per hype ratio, Felipe Lopez has got to be real low. He was the next everything coming out of highschool, but dissapointed in college and has only recently made anything out of himself on the pro level. Kwame Brown seems destined down that path for the time being as well. I always thought BRad Daughtery was decent when he was healthy, which unfortunately for him wasnt for long. You can't forget about Danny Ferry. Joe Smith dissapointed for a while, but I like his workhorse attitude nowadays.
I would have to say most duke players minus Hill, and Brand. They make good role players, but never seem to match their play in college. Battie may prove me wrong, but few duke players make great NBA players. Same goes for most Indiana players, except Isaiah Thomas.
Actually this is a guy who to me was a better pro than a college player. He wasn't the great college player Worthy or Perkins was but Daugherty had a nice pro career--especially considering his injuries. Here were other guys who had college skills that didn't translate much: Stevie Thompson John Wallace Micheal Graham Reggie Williams Walter Berry Anderson Hunt Brian Oliver Steve Alford Calbert Chaney Danny Ferry Laettner Hurley Thomas Hill Cherokee Parks (I guess most Duke guys do suck) Randolph Childress BJ Tyler Travis Mays Todd Day Lee Mayberry The other Arkasas SG (played with Corliss, name slipping me) Anthony Peeler Terry Dehere Shawn Respert Chauncy Billops
Desert Scar, i am guessing you did not watch the Twolves highlights before posting Billups on your list.
Miles Simon, too. (insert name of tall white stiff here) A lot of them that I can think of have been covered, however.
I recognize he is playing better, but he still isn't consistently playing like a top 5 pick from a draft. Peeler, Laettner and Chaney are not total busts either, but they all play far lower than their expectations coming out of college. Oh, a another couple: Baby Jordan (think god we didn't draft him). Anthony Daniels (not a terrible player, but very bad considering where he was drafted).
other players that come to mind: William Avery Bryce Drew Terry Dehere Tyus Edney Obannon Brothers Tobey Baily Bo Kimble Kenny "Sky" Walker Jeff Shepeard Jimmy King Ray Jackson George Ackels (UNLV) Alaa Abdelnaby Rony Seikaly Jacque Vaughn Minor from Okla - but he plays MLB Skeeter Henry from Okla - i loved him Big Country - Ok state Chris Herren Miles Simon -the entire 2000 draft
Another to add to my list would be Larry Johnson. He didn't do much after he was traded to New York and didn't do much when he was in Charlotte.
Those are some real good ones. Seikely was actually not such a great college player but a pretty good pro. A top 8 or so center for many years in the league. What must be embarrasing for Jim B. is that a team of 4 solid pros in Seikley, Coleman, Owens, Douglass plus another great college player in Thompson and maybe some good bench players too lost to a team whose best pro was Steve Alford or Dean Garrett. I guess the jerk on the other sideline could coach.
What do you guys think about Billy Owens and Danny Manning? They might have long careers but has either lived up to their billing.
Manning was fantastic before he got injured. Hell, he put the LA Clippers in the playoffs. That's like winning a championiship, with any other team...
LJ was a really solid player, in fact an all-star, before he injured his back. He was never the same after that. I don't think injuries should play into this thread. Daugherty was also an all-star before he had chronic injuries. Laettner I would agree with, even though he had one all-star appearance and has pretty good career numbers. I also agree that Billups should be on the list.....what was he drafted? Harold Minor JR Rider (mental issues) KENNY ANDERSON Shawn Respert Scott Williams Sharone Wright (was it injuries for him??) Oliver Miller Todd Day Lee Mayberry Stacey Augmon Anderson Hunt Greg Anthony Danny Ferry Joe Barry Carroll Derrick Chievous Anyone remember Acie Earl????
Johnson was a beast before his injuries. Athletic, strong, almost unstoppable. Then he got hurt, and he came back, but was decent, but not great, still could score, and it was a bad team. Then he went to the Knicks where he was a 4th option and his numbers fell, and his back eventually forced him out of the leauge.
Jimmy King has had more success post-michigan. He bounced around on some rosters, and i believe he was the CBA mvp one year. I know he was a multiple time all-star. Ray Jackson made a couple of rosters here and there, but not quite as successful. All in all, they might both be bouncing around in the NBDL, but King more likely than jackson. Also, my nominee for player who thrived in college, sucked in the NBA....the "L-Train!" Lionel Simmons from LaSalle was bad ass in college, but he flamed out as a King. Acie Earl was awesome in college with that bad high top hairdo of his I thought that Iowa team would rip it up in the tourney, but they fell pretty early....
1. Mel turpin - Got traded out of the league to an international team. Now that is sorry. 2. Harold Minor - Extremely explosive, could score, could jump, and absolutely nothin came out on the pro court. Thank god we didn't draft him! 3. Steve Alford - Here's a guy who could do no wrong at Indiana. He was awesome. He has a head for the game, he could shoot, he could do it all... and then he ends up being a bunch of nothing. Shocking. Honorable mentions: Sampson, Ellison, and Laettner all had decent careers, but way below the hype. Stevie Thompson - He never got his chance. Never. He destroyed CBA competition, but no NBA team ever game him a real chance. Too bad too. He couldn't hit free throws, but for a little guy he could dance like Alex English. Brad Daugherty - He had a pretty good career considering he had virtigo and would see multiple players on the court. An All Star a few times, I think. So I couldn't put him on the list. Shoot, he guided Cleveland to the playoffs.
PJS, we see a lot of this list similarly. I thought Daughtery was a better pro when healthy than he was a stand out college player. Stevie Thompson was the first guy on my list as well. That Syracuse team was so loaded--Thompson (a match up nightmare for college opponents) was the only non-long term starter in the NBA. It is amazing Knight beat them with no future starting pro of any renown on his team. The @sshole could coach, got to give him that.
