The Official "What If" Thread

[CelticPride]

This is a thread talk about some talents where you just have to ask, " What If?" I'll get it started off.


What if Brandon Roy was healthy? I think he would be a top tier sg right now tbh.

What if Greg Oden was healthy. Would be better than Drew Bynum IMO

What if Len Bias played? Would he be the equivilant of MJ?

Just post some.

[ojandpizza]

IMO Len Bias wouldn't have liven up to half of the hyped up expectations that surrounded him after he died.. Not saying he wasn't a great player, but he wasn't at that "all time greatest ever" peak people wanted to claim he coulda been..

Grant Hill is my biggest "what if".. A young Grant Hill IMO had a better all around game than Scottie Pippen did. And to see him now still being productive last season despite being so old and dealing with a million injuries its sad to look back and think what could have been.

Another is Ralph Sampson.. A great inside force before Hakeem arrived in Houston and then even played well with Hakeem.. I mean how many 7'4" guys can play power forward? He could literally block a shot and then beat everyone down court and get a dunk.. Reminds me of how a young KG looked in Minnesota. Really wish we could have saw him develop more with time.

[24]

Penny Hardaway, Reggie Lewis, Jay Williams.

[st0rmb11]

Quote: Originally Posted by ojandpizza

IMO Len Bias wouldn't have liven up to half of the hyped up expectations that surrounded him after he died.. Not saying he wasn't a great player, but he wasn't at that "all time greatest ever" peak people wanted to claim he coulda been.. Grant Hill is my biggest "what if".. A young Grant Hill IMO had a better all around game than Scottie Pippen did. And to see him now still being productive last season despite being so old and dealing with a million injuries its sad to look back and think what could have been. Another is Ralph Sampson.. A great inside force before Hakeem arrived in Houston and then even played well with Hakeem.. I mean how many 7'4" guys can play power forward? He could literally block a shot and then beat everyone down court and get a dunk.. Reminds me of how a young KG looked in Minnesota. Really wish we could have saw him develop more with time.

Agree with you on Len Bias. I think his "legend" has been overblown a bit in the 25 years since his death. He wouldn't have started right away because of Bird & McHale. He would have back them up, and had the opportunity to learn under them, but I don't think he would have been on board for that, based on what I've read and heard from him and what he thought of himself. He would have wanted to start, and could have possibly clashed with teammates and coaches in Boston. (just my opinion).

Disagree on Grant Hill, to a degree. Yes, he was well on his way to being one of the 50 greatest players ever. But, he was not a better all-around player than Pippen. To me, he was more like a young LeBron James. Solid passer, great attacker, solid shooter, great finisher, very good rebounder. But, he wasn't the defender or facilitator that Pippen was. Still, by his final healthy season, he was really rounding his talents into a complete game.

No comments on Sampson. I think he was vastly overrated. His college numbers weren't even that standoutish. They were really good, but not as good as previous dominant centers, like Kareem, Walton, etc.

Some of my biggest what-ifs (excluding draft picks), are...

Penny Hardaway

Chris Webber

Tim Hardaway (he still went on to put up huge numbers, but before his knee injury, he was a top 5 point guard).

David Thompson

Pete Maravich - people tend to forget, he only played 7 or 8 productive, semi-full seasons before he ravaged his knee.

Bill Walton - he was well on his way to leading Portland to multiple NBA titles.

Larry Bird & Kevin McHale - I know they both had productive careers, but both were cut short in production by injuries.

Shawn Kemp - he could have been one of the best power forwards ever, but just lost motivation.

I don't really look at draft picks as what if because you can never tell exactly how a guy will turn out, and you have to look at what the team needs.

For example, sure it's easy to look back and criticize Portland for taking Bowie over Jordan, but you have to remember - in the previous draft, Portland had taken Clyde Drexler. Why would they follow that up by taking another super athletic shooting guard?

[Jdoug312]

What if Benji Williams hadn't have gotten killed? Would he have overshadowed Jordan? What would he have accomplished?

What if Kobe hadn't have gotten traded his rookie season? How would his legacy have changed? Would people still compare him to Jordan? Would Iverson have won an NBA Championship?

What if Scottie Pippen didn't go to Chicago? Would Jordan have won 6 rings? Would he have won more than 1? Would people still consider him the best without those 6 rings?

What if Jordan played in this era, with the Lebron, Durant, Kobe, and Rose of the world?

[ojandpizza]

Quote: Originally Posted by 24

Penny Hardaway, Reggie Lewis, Jay Williams.

Yes! Reggie Lewis!

[ojandpizza]

Quote: Originally Posted by st0rmb11

Agree with you on Len Bias. I think his "legend" has been overblown a bit in the 25 years since his death. He wouldn't have started right away because of Bird & McHale. He would have back them up, and had the opportunity to learn under them, but I don't think he would have been on board for that, based on what I've read and heard from him and what he thought of himself. He would have wanted to start, and could have possibly clashed with teammates and coaches in Boston. (just my opinion). Disagree on Grant Hill, to a degree. Yes, he was well on his way to being one of the 50 greatest players ever. But, he was not a better all-around player than Pippen. To me, he was more like a young LeBron James. Solid passer, great attacker, solid shooter, great finisher, very good rebounder. But, he wasn't the defender or facilitator that Pippen was. Still, by his final healthy season, he was really rounding his talents into a complete game. No comments on Sampson. I think he was vastly overrated. His college numbers weren't even that standoutish. They were really good, but not as good as previous dominant centers, like Kareem, Walton, etc. Some of my biggest what-ifs (excluding draft picks), are... Penny Hardaway Chris Webber Tim Hardaway (he still went on to put up huge numbers, but before his knee injury, he was a top 5 point guard). David Thompson Pete Maravich - people tend to forget, he only played 7 or 8 productive, semi-full seasons before he ravaged his knee. Bill Walton - he was well on his way to leading Portland to multiple NBA titles. Larry Bird & Kevin McHale - I know they both had productive careers, but both were cut short in production by injuries. Shawn Kemp - he could have been one of the best power forwards ever, but just lost motivation. I don't really look at draft picks as what if because you can never tell exactly how a guy will turn out, and you have to look at what the team needs. For example, sure it's easy to look back and criticize Portland for taking Bowie over Jordan, but you have to remember - in the previous draft, Portland had taken Clyde Drexler. Why would they follow that up by taking another super athletic shooting guard?

On Sampson - to be fair nobody's college numbers really matched up to Kareem or Walton.

Most people I know when they hear "what if" they automatically blurt out Penny Hardaway as fast as they can. Before Sampson left Houston he was just as good of a pro as Penny was, if not better..

He didn't bring the excitement Penny did, obviously, but as far as production goes he was pretty damn good.

[BringTheHeat]

What if Jordan never retired?

What if Shaq never left LA?

And best of all, what if Detroit drafted Melo, Bosh, or Wade?