Biggest Waste of Talent in NBA History

[Boogaboog]

Who are some candidates?

[Peteballa]

http://images.covers.com/editorial/2010/383x165/derrick_coleman090310.jpg

[bagelred]

Michael Ray Richardson

[blondie]

JR Smith, Darius Miles, Lamar Odom


Odom is a key player on a dynasty but he should have been the main guy and a multi-time allstar, a 6'10 player with handles and passing ability and athleticism like he has, plus his amazing rebounding, he should have been a superstar

[jtj5002]

Stevie Franchise

[Dasher]

Michael Ray Richardson
+1

[JohnnySic]

Derrick Coleman could have been the best 4 of all time and a top 10-15 player all time. No hyperbole.

[VanillaThunder]

Len Bias

/thread

[JMT]

Richard Dumas
Roy Tarpley
John "Hot Plate" Williams

[JMT]

Lamar Odom


Odom is a key player on a dynasty but he should have been the main guy and a multi-time allstar, a 6'10 player with handles and passing ability and athleticism like he has, plus his amazing rebounding, he should have been a superstar

So being the main man on an average team vs being an integral piece of a dynasty means he wasted his talent?

[xfactor99]

Tim Thomas

[LEFT4DEAD]

Vince Carter first comes to my mind. I have heard he was able to dunk when he was 12 years old. And I still remember this quote: "When you are this talented you don't need to work so hard!".

Michael Ray Richardson was such a huge talent. I mean, when Magic say that he would not be looked at as such a great player if Ray were playing his whole career that says smt.

I was fan of Grant hill as a kid. He could have been superstar if not for injuries. Too bad.

[SinJackal]

Just throwing some other names out there.

Rasheed Wallace and Jay Williams (the motorcycle accident one).

Sheed could have been much better. He had a decent length career, but pissed most of it away with laziness.

[Nastradamus]

JR Smith, Darius Miles, Lamar Odom


Odom is a key player on a dynasty but he should have been the main guy and a multi-time allstar, a 6'10 player with handles and passing ability and athleticism like he has, plus his amazing rebounding, he should have been a superstar

Ok, sure Odom underachieved, but to put him in a class of guys with similar talent who had shit for careers, that's just retarded. An All Star is not the biggest waste of talent ever, sorry.

[AirTupac]

This dude.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgdyWZqTM3U

[crisoner]

http://images.covers.com/editorial/2010/383x165/derrick_coleman090310.jpg


I second this!!!

[JMT]

Ok, sure Odom underachieved, but to put him in a class of guys with similar talent who had shit for careers, that's just retarded. An All Star is not the biggest waste of talent ever, sorry.

Exactly. Same reason responses like Derrick Coleman...who I hate with the white hot hatred of a thousand suns...and Sheed are insipid.

[ATL_Bball_King]

T-Mac

[ATL_Bball_King]

Kwame Brown

[IN-PAX-WE-TRUST]

DARIUS MILES

[b0bab0i]

Len bias, died of a cocaine overdose

[32jazz]

http://images.covers.com/editorial/2010/383x165/derrick_coleman090310.jpg


Derrick Coleman made $100 million during his LOOOONg NBA career.
Just because he didn't become what others thought he should means his career was a waste.


But guys harshly criticizing other successful people(NBA players) on the internet & making personal attacks?

Now that's a waste.

[alwaysunny]

no question Darius Miles (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oSLGRTR2e4)

[steve]

Derrick Coleman made $100 million during his LOOOONg NBA career.
Just because he didn't become what others thought he should means his career was a waste.


But guys harshly criticizing other successful people(NBA players) on the internet & making personal attacks?

Now that's a waste.
Didn't he file for bankruptcy last year?

This argument never really holds much weight because you're not talking about the same thing as everyone else. By this definition, any player that makes the NBA is considered a success because they've proven they're one of the elite basketball players within the world population. But then, no one's really talking about this, but they're talking about the hyper specific confines of NBA players. This is where players are judged based on the comparisons of their immediate peers and not the rest of the world.

[delmar]

http://www.examiner.com/images/blog/wysiwyg/image/399px-Roy_tarpley.jpg
Roy Tarpley

[Peteballa]

Derrick Coleman made $100 million during his LOOOONg NBA career.
Just because he didn't become what others thought he should means his career was a waste.


But guys harshly criticizing other successful people(NBA players) on the internet & making personal attacks?

Now that's a waste.

WHOA Defensive much, lmao? :roll:

I never said the guy was unsuccessful. He made more money in a year than I will in a lifetime. But as an NBA player, he was an epic failure. He could have been one of the greatest players of all time.

[Thumdar]

TMac & Vince Carter. It clearly runs in the family.

[Lakers_Kobe_Fan]

Lebron and Wade....Clearly...dont get me wrong I would have loved them to compete on their own and going against each other...

its just my opinion

[Noyze]

Derrick Coleman definitely.

Rasheed Wallace, man i remember Duncan when he got the 1st of his 2 MVP's he said couldn't guard him. Which was big cause it seemed like Duncan could lock down any power forward. One game he lit Duncan up for 38 and Mike Fratelo was like "Wallace's reach in the post is so long and so soft that I don't think anyone could disturb it."

Vince Carter, I thought he was multi talented too till 2001 (arguably his biggest year) when i got older and started to analyze basketball more. Athletically he had no equal but I looked at his dribbling and overall floor game and didn't see him on par. I couldn't see him consistently break down a set defense the way McGrady and Kobe did. So in essence I felt people overrated how great VC would be.

Baron Davis, I mean wtf. He just wasn't a leader and that obviously effects how great you can be. Talk about natural talent, he could shoot, loved to pass (alot of pg "like" to pass but don't "love" it), played great defense (When he was motivated he was superior actually), had a perfect blend of quickness and strength (like Starbury), could shoot well from the outside and had a whole lot of moves. He could breakdown any defense, oh and he could jump out the gym. The sky was the limit for Baron Davis.

T-Mac doesn't count, but he did have bad work ethic. Guess it runs in the family.

[Noyze]

TMac & Vince Carter. It clearly runs in the family.
lol, just saw this.

[ronniec]

TMac.
Super talented but no heart.

[Rose]

Michael Ray Richardsonhttp://images.cheezburger.com/completestore/2009/11/10/129023951760607974.jpg

[Faberg]

Derrick Coleman

[B-Low]

Steve Francis
Darius Miles
EDDIE GRIFFIN (rip)
Jay Williams (the Duke one)

[Robens24]

T-mac

[StroShow4]

Hate to do this, but...

http://www.basketball-reference.com/images/players/swiftst01.jpg

[Bernie Nips]

Isaiah Rider

[MasterDurant24]

Derrick Coleman made $100 million during his LOOOONg NBA career.
Just because he didn't become what others thought he should means his career was a waste.


But guys harshly criticizing other successful people(NBA players) on the internet & making personal attacks?
Now that's a waste.

Wow. So it's a waste because we criticize one's basketball skills?

Anyway,

Darius Miles
MRR
Jay Williams
David Thompson

It's hard to say All-Stars were wastes, they're more like disappointments. Unless they only played a couple of years like D-Thompson.

[6thManOfTheYear]

drazen petrovic

[jlitt]

Ralph sampson. one word comes to mind when thinking about him....FREAK. 7 foot 4 and could run and jump like a gazelle, not to mention he had great soft hands.

[ihatetimthomas]

Hate to do this, but...

http://www.basketball-reference.com/images/players/swiftst01.jpg

Waste of athleticism, not talent. Dude never had any real bball skills

[nbacardDOTnet]

http://images.covers.com/editorial/2010/383x165/derrick_coleman090310.jpg

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn200/nbacardDOTnet/zz%20NBA%20Photo%20Gallery/y%20NBA%20etc/1%20New%20Jersey%20Nets/Derrick%20Coleman/920211.jpg

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn200/nbacardDOTnet/zz%20NBA%20Photo%20Gallery/y%20NBA%20etc/1%20New%20Jersey%20Nets/Derrick%20Coleman/derrick-coleman-cross-over.gif

[kobelamarjackson]

Michael Dickerson
Jonathan Bender

[KobrickCryant]

Vin Baker
Tim Thomas
Jonathan Bender
Stephon Marbury
Eddy Curry

[LastChanceToWin]

Christian Laettner

[Stoney]

JR Smith, Darius Miles, Lamar Odom


Odom is a key player on a dynasty but he should have been the main guy and a multi-time allstar, a 6'10 player with handles and passing ability and athleticism like he has, plus his amazing rebounding, he should have been a superstar

Exactly, doesn't see any reason for him to not be as great as a prime Chris Webber, his size and skills reminds me very much of him

[AirJordan&Magic]

Len Bias, Derrick Coleman, Darius Miles, Michael Ray Richardson, Isiah Rider

[Stoney]

Also like to mention Walton and Sabonis

even though Walton won a MVP and a ring, he was only healthy for 1 and a half season in his prime, so in that way his talent was wasted.

Sabonis' talent was wasted partly due to politics and injuries. Drafted by blazers in 86 as a supremely talented center, he wasn't allowed to travel to America by the Soviet Union. From 1990 and onwards his career was plagued by injuries and as most of you probably know he first played in the NBA at age 31 in 95. He never played at 100 % in the years that should have been his prime, that's one of the biggest wastes of talent in the history of the game, though it was not his own fault

[necya]

Derrick Coleman and Richardson come first to my mind.
i remember betting with a friend that Coleman would score 40pts on Daugherty in the first game of the 93 playoffs (we were kidding at that time, never be good at reading the crystal balls)
result he had a near quadruple double later in the series. nice memory.

[G.O.A.T]

Some strong suggestions here.

Throw in Marvin Barnes, Warren Jabali, Charles Smith, Darryl Dawkins and Orlando Woolridge

[VIP2000]

Shawn Kemp
Stephon Marbury
Glenn Robinson
Larry Hughes
Kerry Kittles

[FatComputerNerd]

Michael Beasley could be a candidate, although he seems to be turning things around some this season.

[AirJordan&Magic]

Some strong suggestions here.

Throw in Marvin Barnes, Warren Jabali, Charles Smith, Darryl Dawkins and Orlando Woolridge

This is another guy who comes to mind.

[G.O.A.T]

This is another guy who comes to mind.

Woolridge was so ahead of his time in terms of athleticism, but he never seemed focused and never addressed his weaknesses.

He frustrated the **** out of me.

[Samurai Swoosh]

Woolridge was so ahead of his time in terms of athleticism, but he never seemed focused and never addressed his weaknesses.

He frustrated the **** out of me.
Dude he was too busy being high off blow. That's why he was never focused.

:oldlol:

[G.O.A.T]

Dude he was too busy being high off blow. That's why he was never focused.

:oldlol:

I think drugs are a major factor for a lot of these waste of talent stories.

See that kids.

[the_wise_one]

Adam Morrison although it's not his fault.

[wagexslave]

Greg Oden

[DatWasNashty]

I think drugs are a major factor for a lot of these waste of talent stories.

See that kids.
How much potential did you see in Woolridge? I'm pretty sure he was leading the L in scoring at some point. I think it was with Denver in that high octane offense.

[G.O.A.T]

How much potential did you see in Woolridge? I'm pretty sure he was leading the L in scoring at some point. I think it was with Denver in that high octane offense.

He was never consistent. His best years were in Chicago, but he did have a big year with Westhead in Denver. But what I remember from him is that his teams always lost and when he went to LA, to play for a winner, he and they got worse. He replaced Kurt Rambis in essence and yet the Lakers didn't get better.

[Geezer]

VC by far...

[L.Kizzle]

Vin Baker
Tim Thomas
Jonathan Bender
Stephon Marbury
Eddy Curry
Baker was pretty good, what did you expect, the second coming of Karl Malone? He was like a 5 time All-Star and multiple All-NBA Teams and a Gold Medal.

[G.O.A.T]

Baker was pretty good, what did you expect, the second coming of Karl Malone? He was like a 5 time All-Star and multiple All-NBA Teams and a Gold Medal.

The problem with Baker was how rapid his decline was.

Two years into his career he looked like a major star, if he could have remained a factor the idea of him, Big Dog and Ray Allen with a three year simultaneous prime window is pretty intriguing.

[blondie]

Ok, sure Odom underachieved, but to put him in a class of guys with similar talent who had shit for careers, that's just retarded. An All Star is not the biggest waste of talent ever, sorry.
Odom has never been an allstar

[3243]

Roy Tarpley
William Bedford
Richard Dumas
Marvin "Bad News" Barnes
Derrick Coleman
Isaiah (J.R.) Rider

Had several good seasons, but could have been more consistent game-changers:
Spencer Haywood
John Lucas
David Thompson
Orlando Woolridge
Darryl Dawkins

I wouldn't necessarily include someone who had injury problems, like Warren Jabali, Ralph Sampson, or Yao Ming.

[Lebron23]

Steve Francis

[TheGreatBlaze]

Assuming he's done, Greg Oden.

[LA KB24]

Kobe Bryant.

[HB40TheNextStar]

Carter could have been the GOAT. Had the athleticism, shooting touch, killer instinct, and the support from the fans.

Len Bias is the obvious answer.

Or if you want to put in those who were hampered by injuries, you must mention Walton. I know he's in the HOF, but I mean really... The guy started like two whole seasons worth for his entire career.

[East_Stone_Ya]

I had high hopes for this guy when he entered the league, needless to stay how dissapointed i am still to this day:cry:

http://i.cdn.turner.com/sivault/si_online/covers/images/2000/0410_large.jpg

[d.bball.guy]

Oden :cry: feel sorry for him :cry:

[goldenryan]

Vin Baker
Tim Thomas
Jonathan Bender
Stephon Marbury
Eddy Curry

the Isiah Thomas dream team. :facepalm

[Cerebral Jedi]

Benoit Benjamin deserves a mention.

[For_Three]

Oden
Darius Miles
Ed O'bannon anybody?

[Robens24]

Kobe Bryant.Please tell me you joking?:facepalm

[LA KB24]

Please tell me you joking?:facepalm
http://www.threadbombing.com/data/media/13/75378-TrollFace.png

[sannguyen19]

http://www.examiner.com/images/blog/wysiwyg/image/399px-Roy_tarpley.jpg
Roy Tarpley

^ dude had everything....could have been a Tim Duncan type player..no lie

[IGOTGAME]

Tyson Chandler. he should be a dominant big man but has never learned to play offense.

Lamar odom...one of the most talented players to ever touch a ball. Imo he is more naturally talented than Kobe and pau. It's just that he never put in the time to become a dominant player. Put Kobe work ethic in odoms body and you odoms would have had two he has an mvp or two by now.

Odom has top 20 player of all time natural talent. His mentality and laziness hold him back though. That is why he is so frustrating me. He shouldn't be in awe of Kobe, he should wondering what is Kobe doing that I'm not that allows him to dribble with hands and shoot.

[magnax1]

I think some guys like Chandler don't really deserve to be on the list. There is such a thing as being athletically smart, and it's obvious that some players like Magic have it because they're just so co-ordinated and guys like Chandler obviously don't.

[TennesseeFan]

See: Clippers starting lineup

[FindingTim]

so much of sports is mental, and this thread supports that notion.

The guys mentioned have everything they need except the right brain!

I will get back to you guys later with my theory that emotional intelligence and success in sports have a positive correlation.

[Niquesports]

so much of sports is mental, and this thread supports that notion.

The guys mentioned have everything they need except the right brain!

I will get back to you guys later with my theory that emotional intelligence and success in sports have a positive correlation.

Great post :bowdown: So many are blown away with media hype that if the player doesnt live up to it he fails.There are more guys that are street legends. That didn't make the league but had as much if not more talent then some of the people that have been named. DC Roy Tarp and some of the others had the talent but didnthave the mental part of the game. The focus to work on their weakness, the desire to be an All Time Great,The will to not let outside influences distract them from the game.All thats part of why the Great ones are Great .Every player named so far reached the peek that their skill had for them except David Thompson. DT if his mind was clear would be in the same convo with Elgin,DR J Connie and now Lebron. Yes he was that Good better than any other player listed so far.

[1rkrage]

DJ Mbenga

[Blzrfn]

Chris Washburn: #1 pick by Golden State in 1986.

Rob Williams: Was drafted by the Nuggets in the first round of the 1982 draft out of Houston. When I watched the Top 5 Reasons show about Phi Slama Jama, Reid Gettys, former teammate, said that Williams was Iverson before Iverson. He only played two seasons in the NBA because of laziness. Doug Moe called him a "fat little man" when he arrived to training camp as a rookie.

[me_]

Jordan...in a way he wasted his talent taking those "breaks"

[TheOne]

Shaq. He should have won MVP led team to championship in every single season and been the GOAT.

[Johnni Gade]

Vince Carter

[Derka]

Len Bias

/thread

Agreed.

[redhonda76]

Coleman and Baron Davis. Both would had been one of the very best if it wasn't for their laziness and wrong attitude to the game.

[nbacardDOTnet]

Coleman and Baron Davis. Both would had been one of the very best if it wasn't for their laziness and wrong attitude to the game.

agree

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn200/nbacardDOTnet/zz%20NBA%20Photo%20Gallery/2%20All-Star%20Weekend/Slam%20Dunk%20Contest/2001/a6d4381e.gif

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn200/nbacardDOTnet/zz%20NBA%20Photo%20Gallery/z%20Funny%20NBA%20Photos/0%20Players/Baron%20Davis/aaaaaaavi_000004291.jpg

[d.bball.guy]

agree

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn200/nbacardDOTnet/zz%20NBA%20Photo%20Gallery/2%20All-Star%20Weekend/Slam%20Dunk%20Contest/2001/a6d4381e.gif


:roll::roll:

[Round Mound]

Coleman at top: Left handed, great passer-ballhandler and strong PF 6`10 plus and 260-270 lbs.

I would also add Vince Baker (lazy, only wanted money), Latrell Spreewhel, Walt Williams etc

[dkmwise]

Isiah Rider
T-Mac
Harold Miner
Kwame Brown
Ricky Davis
Stephon Marbury


If we're including because of injury:
Yao Ming
Grant Hill
Greg Oden (looks like so far anyway)

[john_d]

Jordan.

seriously baseball... really really really???

j/k

[EvanW]

Maurice Stokes