I'd have to mention Brandon Roy. Portland was put on his shoulder and sadly that weight took away his knees' cartilage
Good mention. He'll be on this list very frequently now with his injuries. Another HOF career derailed by injuries.
I like the Brandon Roy mentioning. His first step was as quick as a hiccup, and he was as cold-blooded as they come when it was the 4th quarter. I think he lead the league in 4th quarter scoring one year didn't he? One person that I thought that could of revolutionized the game and his position if things went a bit different throughout his career; Chris Webber. The Fab Five is all that needs to be said; one timeout away from a historic moment in his career and in college basketball. When he was in the NBA, he was so athletic and skilled for a big man, and probably one of the best passing big men of all time. Those Sacramento Kings days were just unlucky going against the likes of the Lakers and such, but he also lacked the killer instinct to dominate games during his prime years. I think they could of beaten the Nets to win a championship in 2002 if Horry didn't hit that 3, or if they didn't choke away game 7 (Peja, Webber, and Christie all missing crucial 3's in the closing minutes of regulation/OT).
If we're bringing up guys whose career got cut short by injuries (rather than being lazy/blasé), then Ralph Sampson should be near the top.
Not to mention this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhlGYvIMPgQ I feel like womiting everytime i think about this.
<iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/J4TZEw20uQM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Watch and F off. What the hell do you have against Vince anyways. Vince was great.
All those big men that got their career cut short. And anyone remember Livingston? Unfulfilled promised. But was amaze that only one says Yao.
<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/i7rsqsNf4SE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Ralph Sampson, what could have been...
you can have your vince carter as the clutchest player in your universe, i think there's some people who've made the reputation consistently as clutch players and he wasn't one of them. sure he had a stretch, but that was it. That was nice, too bad he's a choker when it really counts. <iframe width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/lQ6lvChs7To" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Good for you to admit it. Initially, you wouldn't admit that. This is a "what could have been" thread tinman. Obviously, if he reached his potential, his reputation would have been different wouldn't it? The same case applies to Brandon Roy. His career as a star is most likely over. The guy was arguably a top 3 clutch player the last 2 years when healthy. But later down the line, most people's responses would be the same as yours in regards to Vince. Why? B/c Roy didn't reach his full potential either. Saying one player did this for a little bit, and couldn't sustain it b/c of various things, is not something offensive.
Well, I needed a video to remember his dunk on the Rockets, but his "clutch" winners weren't that memorable because they weren't done in the playoffs. People who still like this guy, think he's the guy who won the dunk contest, but there's a reason why he keeps getting traded. His game is soft.
The hell are you talking about. When did he keep getting traded. He started in Toronto and was a fan favorite, the fanbase was destroyed when he left the franchise. He had a solid time in Toronto other than the end where he kept on getting injured, then he had a solid 5 years in NJ. Ask any Raptors fan in Toronto. We might hate his guts for what he did, but every one of us appreciate what he did on the court when he did care about the team, and how he brought Raptors into relevancy in those years.
Manning was a great college player (who had a great run the year they won the title) because he did a lot of things fairly well which made him a lot better than most college players, but really wasn't truly great at anything and had a bit of the 'tweener (PF who played like an SF) problem in the pros along with injuries. When he turned pro, his abilty to do things on an "above average" level in college in many categories (rebound/pass etc) sort of got bogged down to "average" - especially banging inside, though he remained a decent scorer. Even if he's not injured, I don't see him rising above the sort of fringe all-star level that was at at his peak. Thank god the Rockets didn't swap Hakeem for him, that's for sure
Yeah, but he's on this thread for "what could have been" not guys who belong in the HOF thread. He did bring relevancy, and they even brought up the MJ comparisons.. they were completely wrong about that.. not even close.
Penny Hardaway: injuries Tracy McGrady: injuries, ego, general bad luck Grant Hill: injuries All the above have been mentioned. Not mentioned: Jay Williams pg drafted to Chicago from Duke. I think this dude would've been a perenial all-star. If not for his accident. Shocker: Shaquille O'neal: as good as he was, he could've been better. Shaq could've easily averaged 40points a game if motivated and gotten better with his free throws.
