Name players that had huge changes in their game. Whether it was an undrafted player with no game into becoming a pretty good player or a player that was huge and fell sharply Bad- Shawn Kemp. He dominated basketball for like 2 years and then went on to dominate 20 kids and dominated Golden Corral's all you can eat buffet. Good- Ben Wallace Undrafted and is one of the biggest reasons they are vying for Eastern Conference Finals and Maybe finals
Good - Hakeem Olajuwon. Started his career as a physical beast, but gradually came to rely less on his athleticism and more on his brains. Stoudemire reminds me a lot of the young, unpolished Dream. Bad - Damon Stoudamire. Not so much a change in his game, but a change in address. I guess he's only a star on a mediocre team.
Kemp dominated for a lot more than 2 years. He made 5 straight all-star appearances and averaged a double-double for 7 straight years in Seattle. He came back from the strike shortened season very overweight but ironically that we the year he had his highest scoring average.
Bad: Karl Malone... Being born Good: Gilbert Arenas... No one thought he would put numbers close to thop 5 point gaurds in the league...
Bad: Steve Francis - game was killed by the zone. Good: Cuttino Mobley - second round pick became a great all-around player
I'm talkin about one of the greatest player of the years. Barkley and Malone were probably a little more dominant than kemp, but when kemp and payton went to the finals against MJ is when I think that he was just dominant.
I don't know for good or bad, but Dan Majerle and Robert Horry came in as defensive slashers who couldn't really shoot and ended up as 3 pt. specialists. And it happened in their primes, too.
Not so sure about that. Kemp only broke the 20 ppg barrier once (in Cleveland w/ 20.5) and didn't really have that much of a one on one game. He was a fantastic athlete of course but he didn't have the basketball skills that other great players had, I seem to recall him not really creating his own shots but scoring in transition and off P&R's and putbacks a lot.
I'd say Shawn Kemp's success is mostly the result of a very good team-building job by George Karl (plus, some talent on his own part, I guess). He was a great coach. I don't know what happened with him in Milwaukee.
Just 2 bads that come to mind: Penny Hardaway. This guy looked to be a superstar for years to come, always heard the term, prototype point guard of the future, unfortunately, his future was not guaranteed. Grant Hill Injuries have in all likelihood ended any kind of real career he might have. A great player but fate was just unkind.
Agreed. Kemp hovered around 18 to 19 ppg throughout his career and never really had much of an offensive repertoire. He had amazing athleticism and scored alot on dunks and fastbreaks. He certainly had an above average postup game, but nowhere near the myriad of moves seen by most of the elite. He worked hard to develop a mid range jumpshot in Seattle which became somewhat reliable. But dominant? Hardly. Shawn Kemp in his prime couldn't hold a candle to the Duncans, Garnetts, and Barkleys of the world. He's basically yesterday's Amare Stoudemire with better defensive ability. Not shabby at all, but hardly dominant.
Good - Brad Miller; very not bad for a guy who wasn't even drafted. Made the All-Star team in the East, and the rap on him was that his stats were inflated by the fact that he was playing in the "leastern" conference. Went on to make the All-Star team the following season in the West after being traded to Sacramento. Bad - Nick Anderson. Game 1. Four free throws. 'Nuff said.
That said, who was much better at that time at his position? Can't really think of anyone except Malone.
Do you mean LJ is one of the bad? or the good? because i think LJ was one of the best Team players since i started watching basketbal. He was a star in charlotte, and when he came to New York he knew he would have a different role. and he changed his game for the Team. i loved LJ as a player. But if you did not mean LJ was one of the bad then my appology for misunderstanding you
GOOD:Yao Ming- foreign number 1 pick who everyone doubted and some on this board even wanted to trade . Became the second best center in the league. BAD: eddie Griffin( no explanation needed) Jay Williams ( fate was unkind, but i think he screwed up his own career.
