OT: Who would have been the best if not injured? | Page 2 | Syracusefan.com

OT: Who would have been the best if not injured?

100% agree about Jay Williams. I can't imagine how much anguish that guy must still feel over how one stupid decision to be reckless on a motorcycle was the difference between potentially being a multi-year All-Star and having to sit next to Seth Greenberg in a studio every night.

Yup he’s up there. Him and that Baron Davis were two of the most dominating and powerful guards I have ever seen in all my serious viewing of college ball which is since the late 80s.
 
Another one is Larry Johnson. He was so explosive at UNLV and his first two years with the Hornets. Then he had a pretty serious back injury. He recovered to still have a pretty good career, but he was never the same.

The guy averaged 22-10-4 as a 23 year old while playing all 82 games. Could’ve potentially been Barkley level.
 
Him and Reggie Lewis...right around the same time, and right as they were entering their primes. Tragic on every level.

Yeah, along with Len Bias. Those situations all sucked so bad. From the choices there I'm with most others: Penny and T-Mac.
 
Billy Owens

Billy had those bad back issues. Would also be interesting to know how much the late discovery of Derrick Coleman's heart condition may have affected his play.
 
It's actually very tough to compare. Some of these guys had 5+ years to reach potential, and the injury just prevented them from having a full career. I agree Tracy was the best player overall. There is a wild card of Oden. It's a complete guess, but he had the physical tools to be great.

I think another interesting one to add to the list is Jay Williams
It makes zero sense to put guys here that never accomplished anything in the NBA. It's your right to say Williams but he could just as easily been a bust. King/Grant Hill/Tmac. Those are guys that would have been top 10 all time with a healthy career.
 
Him and Reggie Lewis...right around the same time, and right as they were entering their primes. Tragic on every level.
Reggie Lewis? That has to be a sentimental pick. There are tons of guys that had his numbers, even in his best years.
 
McGrady would have been amazing if he were healthy his entire career.

Watching Oden in high school I thought he would end up being an even better Patrick Ewing... he was the most dominant defender I ever saw.
 
Reggie Lewis? That has to be a sentimental pick. There are tons of guys that had his numbers, even in his best years.

He’s not my pick, just adding him since Petrovic was named. I do think Lewis was as good as guys like Roy and Arenas though. His best year was his last year, and he went crazy in the playoffs the last time he really played in them.
 
McGrady would have been amazing if he were healthy his entire career.

If I'm making a list of the most gifted offensive players in the history of basketball, I think there are less than 10 ahead of McGrady.
 
If I'm making a list of the most gifted offensive players in the history of basketball, I think there are less than 10 ahead of McGrady.


That's one of the most ridiculous things I've ever seen. You're not that hot in a video game.
 
Hill, Penny & T-Mac are the correct answers.
 
When I was a kid a I read a short book about Gus Johnson, not the annoying broadcaster. I believe he was mostly in the ABA. He was 6'5" 280 lbs and a beast. From what I read he was Barkley before Barkley. I believe knee injuries curtailed his career.
 
When I was a kid a I read a short book about Gus Johnson, not the annoying broadcaster. I believe he was mostly in the ABA. He was 6'5" 280 lbs and a beast. From what I read he was Barkley before Barkley. I believe knee injuries curtailed his career.
He played mostly in the NBA for Baltimore. Great leaper, rebounder and shot blocker, but he was about 50 or 60 pounds lighter than that.
 
He played mostly in the NBA for Baltimore. Great leaper, rebounder and shot blocker, but he was about 50 or 60 pounds lighter than that.
I suppose the book I read was exaggerating things.
 

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