College star who you thought would be a great pro..but wasnt.

[O'Cafe]

it is killing me to not make the most obvious tasteless post here

I will take Len Bias for $1,000 Alex.

 

[PeteCalvin]

Chucky Brown. Dennis Scott turned into a legit role player but he looked like the best player in the universe at Tech. Same deal with Calbert Chaney. Also Randolph Childress. Miles Simon. Ron Mercer.

For football, Joey Harrington.

F Ron Mercer and the 20 he dropped on us in 1996. We shut everyone else down and he had the game of his life. Kiss my arse, Ron Mercer. Smoochy smooch.

 

[PeteCalvin]

Rex Chapman. That kid could ball. How guys like Hinrich and Reddick could make it and he didn't baffles me. He was more athletic than either one.

 

[PeteCalvin]

I will take Len Bias for $1,000 Alex.

I think death counts as an injury. A kinda serious one. Career ending.

 

[JDubbin]

Name a great college player that you thought would be a solid pro but for some reason (besides injury) just didn't make it?


-For me, its Scottie Thurman. To this day I'll never figure out how this guy wasn't at least a rotation guy in the league.

Great post question, one of the best in a while... I honestly thought Jimmer Fredette would make an impact in the league, I thought his handle and finishing ability in the lane was underrated, combined with his shooting ability. I mean a deep 3 pointers were renamed on courts across the country as a "Jimmer" for goodness sake. Yeah, I was wrong.

 

[cto]

Walter Berry. 1986 player of the year. Totally disappeared.

He did reappear, however, 24 years later to graduate from St. John's.

http://www.redstormsports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/052110aaa.html

 

[UnderHisOwnPower]

Actually I'll throw one out there. I didn't think he would be GREAT by any stretch, but I thought he would be able to be a rotation player because he was 6-8 and had one very distinct skill (shooting): Adam Morrison. The fact that a guy like Matt Bonner is still in the league, but Morrison could never really even get his career started, always baffled me a bit (I realize that Bonner is an elite shooter, but still).

Was thinking Morrison and Keith Van Horn. So the moral of their stories is that slight, marginally athletic slashers with a good college mid range game get eaten alive in the NBA.

Add Michael Olowakandi and the more recent Joel Embiid to guys I expect to have an impact, the jury is still out on Embiid obviously, and kandi man did last awhile, but I was expecting more.

 

[Full_Rebar]

I think you have to throw out guys who lasted 8-10 years in the NBA. No one's mentioned Joe Alexander from WVU? 8th overall pick and only played 67 games in the league.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Rex Chapman. That kid could ball. How guys like Hinrich and Reddick could make it and he didn't baffles me. He was more athletic than either one.

Rex Chapman didn't make it? He averaged 15 a game over 13 seasons, both higher thank Hinrich or Redick.

 

[tbouks02]

Jonny Flynn
I thought he had the skills to make an All-Star team or 2 in his career.

Jeremy Lamb
He still has time, but so far he's been disappointing.

DC
He had a good career but he should have been a HOF'er.

 

[orangefan13]

I know its only his second year but otto porter hes only averaging 5.5 ppg
I think alot of us have Paul Harris.

 

[Jasoncuse]

Name a great college player that you thought would be a solid pro but for some reason (besides injury) just didn't make it?


-For me, its Scottie Thurman. To this day I'll never figure out how this guy wasn't at least a rotation guy in the league.

Holy Crap. I saw the thread title and immediately thought of Thurman. I thought for sure he would be a microwave off the bench, at the very least. I loved that dude for some reason.

 

[Jasoncuse]

Greg Oden
Felipe Lopez
Michael Beasley
JW
Ed O'Bannon

 

[Cowtown]

Rex Chapman. That kid could ball. How guys like Hinrich and Reddick could make it and he didn't baffles me. He was more athletic than either one.

Averaged a lowly 0.9 steals per game over 12 years, but he's apparently getting better at it ...

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...d-from-jail-shoplifting-apple-store/15981987/

 

[Cowtown]

Rex Chapman didn't make it? He averaged 15 a game over 13 seasons, both higher thank Hinrich or Redick.

And, IIRC, he once won the slam dunk contest at the NBA All-Star game, didn't he?

 

[Toga]

Kermit Washington. Yes he played 10 years in the NBA but only averaged less than 10ppg. In college he averaged over 20 points and 20 rebounds per game over the course of his college career. A double double double!

 

[Dmcnabbrules]

Miles Simon.

 

[Cowtown]

Fennis Dembo (Wyoming)

Alfrederick Hughes (Loyola of Chicago)

Roosevelt Chapman (Dayton)

 

[pfister1]

Lionel Simmons, especially since he stole DC's Wooden Award


Ralph Sampson - could a guy have been more dominant in college, yet meh in the pros?

 

[UnderHisOwnPower]

Kermit Washington. Yes he played 10 years in the NBA but only averaged less than 10ppg. In college he averaged over 20 points and 20 rebounds per game over the course of his college career. A double double double!

but what a right hook! Just ask Rudy T.

 

[SoBeCuse]

Thomas Robinson
Otto Porter
Derrick Williams
Louis Bullock
Wayne Ellington

 

[cusetown1]

Todd Day
Vincent Yarbrough

 

[SoBeCuse]

Todd Day
Vincent Yarbrough

Good ones!

 

[Toga]

Luther "Ticky" Burden

 

[Cheriehoop]

In defense of Billy, he had sooooo many injuries over his pro career. He had multiple knee surgeries if I'm not mistaken, and that just decimated his trajectory.

I knew he had a chronic bad back didn't know about his knees.