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

[Cowtown]

Joe Smith is a good one. Laettner - typical Dookie who flamed out at that era. Could add Danny Ferry.

Yep, Joe Smith was a serious stud in GS his first three years (like 17 & 8 per) but after he was traded from there, it seems he was at a different team every year for the next dozen or so. The guy's career path was a road map of the league.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/smithjo02.html

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Actually Paul is the reason why kids shouldn't have to go to college. If he enters the draft out of HS, he's a 1st rd pick, makes some money, and gets a longer look at sticking in the NBA. I think he's done well overseas, but being forced to come to school hurt his pro chances.

Harris had a chance to make the Jazz, but got hurt. They really liked him, and he was battling with Wesley Matthews for a roster spot. Harris got injured, Matthews was a surprise, and, well, those guys have had VERY different careers.

 

[Millhouse]

nvmd... just saw a clip. there was still almost 3 seconds left. in a 1 possession game. yikes.

(side note, i assumed he broke down after the game - all the pictures seem to be after the game)

there were a lot of people on the board that thought it was no big deal

 

[RandygoCuse]

To go the other way,, I was sure Elton Brand and Kevin Love were going to be flops.

 

[orangefan13]

Marshon Brooks providence
jeremy hazell seton hall
Herve Lamazana (the next dirk niwitski)
kevin pittsnoggle wvu

 

[Cusefan0307]

A lot of these busts have a couple things in common. In basketball people tend to over value athleticism and under value skill (Marvin Williams, Thabeet, and O'bannon). Some guys like Felton, Oliver Miller, and Beasley can't control their vices. Other guys like Morrison and Paul Harris are headcases.

I love that Steph Curry is as good as he is. So many experts thought he wouldn't do anything in the NBA when he came out of Davidson, and now he could be the MVP. It just shows you that the NBA draft is really nothing more than a guessing game.

 

[KaiserUEO]

there were a lot of people on the board that thought it was no big deal

the morrison love was odd.

i remember killing him and a lot of people were out there flabergasted that i would say something like that to such a great athlete.

please.

 

[Full_Rebar]

Harris had a chance to make the Jazz, but got hurt. They really liked him, and he was battling with Wesley Matthews for a roster spot. Harris got injured, Matthews was a surprise, and, well, those guys have had VERY different careers.

Right, but had Harris been a 1st rd pick, he would have gotten a longer look and who knows if he finds his way-not to a Matthews career, but a bench wing defender. Since he was disposable, it was one and done.

 

[JrodCuse]

Michael Beasley - I watched that guy just flat out dominated at Kstate and was ecstatic when my Heat took him #2 overall. Talk about not even coming close to his potential. He is a decent player now, but man I thought he was going to be a legit 20-10 guy for a decade.

 

[TheLoonie]

Michael Sweetney

 

[chugg21]

Thabeet is the biggest one of late that I can think of. No brainer #2 pick of the draft, has 20 starts total over 5 years averaging a solid 2 pts & 2 boards per. Guy was a freak at that size, would've thought he would avg 8 pts 10 boards & 2 blocks in his sleep even with no offensive ability.

 

[JOC44]

Byron Houston
Tracy Murray
Emeka Okafor

 

[Knicks411]

Michael Beasley - I watched that guy just flat out dominated at Kstate and was ecstatic when my Heat took him #2 overall. Talk about not even coming close to his potential. He is a decent player now, but man I thought he was going to be a legit 20-10 guy for a decade.

Big one for me; rebounding is supposed to translate really well to the pros, but not in his case.
I was on the wrong side both of Beasley-Rose and Durant-Oden. Bad times.

 

[Col. Bleep]

I don't think poor Otto ever recovered from this:

Can never get enough of this!

Only one problem.
After viewing this 6 or 7 times in a row I develop an overwhelming compulsion to view Chase Fieler's slam for FGCU while ousting G-town.
By now I've "wasted" a good ten minutes.

 

[McNabb2Brominski]

JFlynn. I cant believe he flamed out so quick. I didnt expect him to be a superstar but i thought he would of been a serviceable PG.

 

[NineOneSeven]

Morrison has two rings.

 

[NineOneSeven]

I

JFlynn. I cant believe he flamed out so quick. I didnt expect him to be a superstar but i thought he would of been a serviceable PG.

Injuries, size.

 

[Col. Bleep]

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

More than a Hall of Famer...he should have been the ULTIMATE Power Forward.
Karl Malone?
Nah.
There was nothing DC couldn't do (besides make a crucial free throw in the '87 final).

 

[Knicks411]

I

Injuries, size.

I feel like we need to take out the guys who had at least real serious injury issues. I don't think that's the real question, right? Not sure when Jonny would land though, since I agree the size was an issue before he ever got hurt. I remember being team Lawson as Ty vs Jonny was a debate around the draft.
Pretty amazing Steph went as late as he did, all considered.

 

[RF2044]

I feel like we need to take out the guys who had at least real serious injury issues. I don't think that's the real question, right? Not sure when Jonny would land though, since I agree the size was an issue before he ever got hurt. I remember being team Lawson as Ty vs Jonny was a debate around the draft.
Pretty amazing Steph went as late as he did, all considered.

Agree. It's tough to label a guy a "bust" when he has debilitating injuries [like Oden] that derail him.

 

[djcon57]

Emeka Okafor easily.

I'm still shocked he wasn't a 10 yr all star

 

[PeteCalvin]

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/

Damn...my mind is just not with it. I kept thinking Rex didn't have a long stay in the league. I stand corrected.

Did Kenny Walker stick around?

 

[Knicks411]

I've probably said this before, but Carlos Boozer is the opposite category for me. Thought he was a totla product of the system in college

 

[UnderHisOwnPower]

I've probably said this before, but Carlos Boozer is the opposite category for me. Thought he was a totla product of the system in college

Another over achiever, I nearly fell out of a chair when Josh McRoberts declared after what, his sophomore year? What a stiff I thought! Now he is no Dr J of course, but he has carved out a nice little career for a big with some skills that I didn't see while he was at Duke.

 

[cuseclappy]

not college star.. but really thought bassy telfair was going to be a stud