If Maurice Stokes was never injured...............

[Se]

Would we consider him one of the top 50 players of all-time?
-He had a unique skill-set, a LeBron James type at the time according to some.

Would he have helped Oscar win a championship early in his career?
-Maurice would have been in his prime (with Twyman) when Oscar was a rookie.
-Oscar Robertson was a territorial pick, so he would have ended up playing with Stokes and Twyman.

Would players have modeled their games around him?
-He was a very unique player at the time. Athletic, great rebounder, very good passer.

Would love to hear some opinions from older posters, or people that have old dads.

[JohnnySic]

Stokes and Len Bias are the 2 biggest "what ifs" in NBA history.

[Se]

Stokes and Len Bias are the 2 biggest "what ifs" in NBA history.

Gimme a Delorian (witha flux capacitor) already!

[Blzrfn]

I think that Stokes would have made a big difference for the Royals in the 60's. Him and Oscar would have brought them a few titles in the 60's, especially if the Royals weren't switched to the Eastern Conference in 1962 when the Warriors moved to San Francisco.

Stokes was the first Cincinnati sports star to be a victim of archaic medical knowledge and techniques. When he hit his head, nobody thought anything of it. He just kept playing when he should have rested, and he shouldn't have been flying for a few days after the injury. That is why he contracted encephalitis. The other Cincinnati sports star was Greg Cook, the Bengal QB who hurt his shoulder during his 1969 rookie year, kept playing through it, and was never able to play again.

Imagine how different the Cincinnati sports landscape could have looked if those two had long careers. Stokes and Cook probably would have brought at least one, if not a few, world titles to their teams, and the Royals may have stayed in Cincinnati.

[leopoldstotch]

yeah also add reggie lewis and hank gathers to the what if list.

reggie lewis was really starting to get into his peak years when he passed away unfortunately.

hank gathers we will never know what would have been. he had a heart condition, and could have passed away at anytime.

[Se]

hank gathers we will never know what would have been. he had a heart condition, and could have passed away at anytime.

He would have been a bum. All his teammates were bums. It was the offense that made them look good.

[Yung D-Will]

Stokes and Len Bias are the 2 biggest "what ifs" in NBA history.
I thought Grant hill was the biggest what If

[leopoldstotch]

[QUOTE=Se

[Se]

I thought Grant hill was the biggest what If

Haha, we got to see Grant Hill in his prime. He is a what if the same way Penny Hardaway or Larry Johnson are.

Maurice Stokes (3 years pro, career over at 24), Len Bias (drafted number 2, died the next day) and to a lesser degree, Hank Gathers (projected 1st round pick, dead before draft) are very interesting because their careers were finished before they were 25.

[Jailblazers7]

I used to go to summer bball camps at St. Francis (where he went to college) and the older instructors at camp used to rave about how incredible he was. From everything I've heard, I think he would be considered a top 50 player of all-time.

[Se]

true he was a product of the offense like bo kimble, but he could have luckily landed in a don nelson system like golden state wth TLC. then what would have happened?

I guess he could have developed as a shooter and become a small forward, or he could have bulked up and been an under-sized PF like Larry Johnson.

I think you mean TMC :)



yeah what if len bias was still alive, and teamed up with reggie lewis? boston wouldn't have depended much on kevin gamble, and with mchale, parish, and bird heading towards their later ages, they could have made it to the conference finals (but not the finals).

Check out my thread here:
http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showthread.php?t=176623

Thanks for posting here!

[Se]

I used to go to summer bball camps at St. Francis (where he went to college) and the older instructors at camp used to rave about how incredible he was. From everything I've heard, I think he would be considered a top 50 player of all-time.

Thanks man. Can you share a little bit of what the instructors said about him?

[Jailblazers7]

[QUOTE=Se

[Se]

Man, that's really cool. That's what I read about him basically. An original version of LeBron

[PHILA]

Would he have helped Oscar win a championship?

No question about it. Big O and the Royals were on the verge of knocking the Celtics out in 1966, as there is a detailed play by play video of the deciding 5th game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX8urOgwEBM


Bob Cousy has referred to Stokes as "Karl Malone with more finesse".


[I]"Had Maurice lived and stayed healthy, people wouldn't be talking about the Celtics dynasty as they do now. With Oscar Robertson, Jerry Lucas, Wayne Embry and myself -- with Maurice -- the Cincinnati Royals would have been much more of a factor.

[Showtime]

Oscar pushed the Celtics to 7 games in one postseason. So, perhaps with Stokes, he might have won.


Red Auerbach said Stokes was Magic Johnson before Magic Johnson.

"No one had seen a guy with that combination of strength, speed and size." - Twyman.

"competitive, hard-nosed, tough." - Gene Shue

Bob Cousy said of Stokes: "[Stokes was] The first great, athletic power forward...He was Karl Malone with more finesse."

"Maurice Stokes was a moose of a man, the first star the franchise had. At six feet seven and 250 pounds, he was stronger and a better shooter than Elgin Baylor." - Oscar Robertson

"I can remember a reporter asking me on a plane, since I had played with Baylor and Stokes, which was better. My response was that I thought Maurice could stop Elgin but Elgin couldn't stop Maurice." - Ed Fleming

“His quickness, passing ability, and court awareness were just unbelievable. When I first saw Magic Johnson play, it brought back memories of Maurice. You have to understand that Stokes was 6'7" and weighed 240 pounds. He could handle the ball like a point guard and rebound like a center. It was impossible not to rave about his abilities and potential. I'll always wonder just how great he might have become.” - Johnny Most

"If things had worked out differently, Maurice would have become one of the top 10 players of all time." - Bob Wanzer


So, these guys were talking about a forward with similar size to Anthony Mason, with ball handling ability, and rebounding second only to the likes of Wilt and Russell at his time. So essentially, he was the Lebron of the 60's with better play down low. Scary stuff.

[L.Kizzle]

He was Elgin Baylor with better passing/ball handling and lesser scoring ability.

[jongib369]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zvCjzoxL1s

[Myth]

Oden is a pretty massive what if.

[feyki]

Royals would wins multiple championships .

And Stokes would be in top 25 goat .

[Poetry]

Stokes and Len Bias are the 2 biggest "what ifs" in NBA history.

What about Alex Groza?

22.5 and 10.7 on .474 FG%.

[feyki]

What about Alex Groza?

22.5 and 10.7 on .474 FG%.

Groza > Dolph Schayes , peak to peak .

He could be one of the greatest top 30 players ever .

[Lebron23]

Just read about him he averaged 17/18/7 in his last season in the nba.

[Lebron23]

He was Elgin Baylor with better passing/ball handling and lesser scoring ability.

More like a better draymond green

[L.Kizzle]

More like a better draymond green
Nah, he was much more athletic. Maybe Larry Johnson.