Prospects you pined for but ended up being busts

[Donoghus]

Corey Brewer, Derrick Williams, & Evan Turner immediately come to mind.

I'm sure if I dig more into my memory banks,  I could come up with dozens.

[DKClassic]

Re: Celtics prospects, JJJ. One time before the season started that year Doc compared him to Horace Grant.

............

[aingeforthree]

Michael Smith
Ron Mercer

[the_Bird]

Royce White, too. I thought he could figure it out mentally, but...

I always wondered if maybe Houston could have handled Royce White better.  Like, didn't Toronto only let T-Mac play in home games when he was first drafted?  If you believed that White was going to be a great player, and recognized his illness as legitimate, why not let him ease into playing in the NBA?  Obviously that's not a viable long-term career path, but for a couple months, as he acclimated? 

Of course, given everything that ultimately went down, it seems unlikely that even that would have helped.  Too bad. 

[Beat LA]

Harangody measured 6' 6.25" barefoot (So 6' 7.5" in shoes). The difference in height was minimal.

Okay, but it's not all about height.  Harangody just seemed like the classic tweener, but even shorter, so, again, it all comes down to who can he guard?

[Beat LA]

Here is my list:

1. Nate Robinson.
I soooo rooted for this guy.  At his best he was such an exciting player, sort of a supercharged Vinny Johnson.  He was (and is) a flat out amazing athlete.

2. Von Wafer.
Believe it or not I had really high hopes for this dude.  In 2010 he started taking the ball to the basket, making his 3s, and really contributed as the year went on.  Usually guys that get better throughout the course of the year just keep getting better in the offseason.  Didn't happen with Wafer and it really disappointed me.

3. JJJ.
This one really hurt.  He seemed like a guy with multiple offensive moves and a nice little midrange jumpshot. At one point he seemed to be coming on defensively, but his progress stopped, he was shipped out of town, and we never heard from him again.

4. Semih Erden.
Could block shots, could finish with both hands, could rebound, could play.  What happened to you, Semih?

5. (the big one) Mike Bibby.
Ok, he wasn't exactly a bust, but when I first started watching him as a young player with those exciting Sacramento teams, I thought he was the next Isaiah Thomas.  In his early days his jumpshot was dynamite. Could get it off against anybody.  Fearless, too.  A young kid not afraid of the big moment whatsoever.  He stopped getting better and never turned into the player he could have been.

6. Leon Powe.
A 6'5 power forward and a great story.  Was in the top 10 in NBA efficiency one year.  Could run.  Could jump.  Great moves around the basket.  Got hurt and disappeared.

7. Glen Davis.
"He tiptoed through the tulips on that one, huh Tommy?" (Mike Gorman)
Another guy not afraid of the big moment.  Very crafty with his body.  Very good in pressure situations.  Fell in love with his crappy jumper and is now looking for a job as I understand it.

Oh yeah, ole Semih Pro   He was pretty decent.  I never understood why he was traded to the Cavs, where he played quite effectively, I might add (unless I'm forgetting something).  Looking back, he might have been great off the bench in 2011-12.  Sigh.

[dmopower]

Royce White.

Gerald green.

 Bow's head in shame.

[KG_ended_Bias]

Gerald Green wasn't a bust in Boston he was 20! And he is definitely not a bust now he's a keeper for Phoenix going forward.

[2short]

my first list were celtics only
adding some other guys to list (non celtic)
steve alford out of indiana

ernie d ! any old guys from new england out there  :O)

[saltlover]

Here is my list:

1. Nate Robinson.
I soooo rooted for this guy.  At his best he was such an exciting player, sort of a supercharged Vinny Johnson.  He was (and is) a flat out amazing athlete.

2. Von Wafer.
Believe it or not I had really high hopes for this dude.  In 2010 he started taking the ball to the basket, making his 3s, and really contributed as the year went on.  Usually guys that get better throughout the course of the year just keep getting better in the offseason.  Didn't happen with Wafer and it really disappointed me.

3. JJJ.
This one really hurt.  He seemed like a guy with multiple offensive moves and a nice little midrange jumpshot. At one point he seemed to be coming on defensively, but his progress stopped, he was shipped out of town, and we never heard from him again.

4. Semih Erden.
Could block shots, could finish with both hands, could rebound, could play.  What happened to you, Semih?

5. (the big one) Mike Bibby.
Ok, he wasn't exactly a bust, but when I first started watching him as a young player with those exciting Sacramento teams, I thought he was the next Isaiah Thomas.  In his early days his jumpshot was dynamite. Could get it off against anybody.  Fearless, too.  A young kid not afraid of the big moment whatsoever.  He stopped getting better and never turned into the player he could have been.

6. Leon Powe.
A 6'5 power forward and a great story.  Was in the top 10 in NBA efficiency one year.  Could run.  Could jump.  Great moves around the basket.  Got hurt and disappeared.

7. Glen Davis.
"He tiptoed through the tulips on that one, huh Tommy?" (Mike Gorman)
Another guy not afraid of the big moment.  Very crafty with his body.  Very good in pressure situations.  Fell in love with his crappy jumper and is now looking for a job as I understand it.

Oh yeah, ole Semih Pro   He was pretty decent.  I never understood why he was traded to the Cavs, where he played quite effectively, I might add (unless I'm forgetting something).  Looking back, he might have been great off the bench in 2011-12.  Sigh.

You are forgetting something about Semih.  The year he was traded to the Cavs, he only played in 4 games for 64 minutes for them after the trade.  He played a little more the following season, but missed most of the year.  He was also rumored at the time to have been homesick, and he has in fact gone back to Turkey (and been paid quite handsomely while there).

Despite being on Boston's roster for only half a season out of his two NBA seasons, he logged 60% of his career minutes in green.  I don't think you can remember him playing much in Cleveland.

[Eric M VAN]

my first list were celtics only
adding some other guys to list (non celtic)
steve alford out of indiana

ernie d ! any old guys from new england out there  :O)

Loved Ernie, that PC team was a thing to behold with Marvin Barnes and Kevin Stacom.

I saw Alford at Celtics Rookie camp back in the 80's....he had a nice haircut....that was about it.

[Fan from VT]

Perfect Timing (from grantland):

2009: Anthony Randolph Puts It All Together!

There may be no weirder subgroup of NBA players than those who went to LSU. It?s an eclectic list, including four-time NBA champion Shaquille O?Neal; 9/11 conspiracy theorist Mahmoud Abdul Rauf; original basketball mixtape legend ?Pistol? Pete Maravich; two-time MVP Bob Pettit; drug policy washout Stanley Roberts; Stromile Swift; Tyrus Thomas; hotel concierge critic Glen ?Big Baby? Davis; and, for our purposes, mid-aughts blogger style icon Anthony Randolph.

Not too long ago, the long-limbed Randolph was an untamed, 19-year-old frazzle of dunks, fouls, rebounds, and blocks, an alien southpaw shooting guard in a genetically mutated power forward?s body.

The dude was a state of mind ? a 6-foot-10 NBA nerd drug made of uncut upside, and Summer League 2009 was when it hit the streets. In four games, Randolph averaged 26.8 points on 60 percent shooting, 8.5 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2.2 steals, and 1.3 assists, punctuated by a Summer League record-tying 42-point acid trip into an alternate future against the Bulls.

[Beat LA]

Here is my list:

1. Nate Robinson.
I soooo rooted for this guy.  At his best he was such an exciting player, sort of a supercharged Vinny Johnson.  He was (and is) a flat out amazing athlete.

2. Von Wafer.
Believe it or not I had really high hopes for this dude.  In 2010 he started taking the ball to the basket, making his 3s, and really contributed as the year went on.  Usually guys that get better throughout the course of the year just keep getting better in the offseason.  Didn't happen with Wafer and it really disappointed me.

3. JJJ.
This one really hurt.  He seemed like a guy with multiple offensive moves and a nice little midrange jumpshot. At one point he seemed to be coming on defensively, but his progress stopped, he was shipped out of town, and we never heard from him again.

4. Semih Erden.
Could block shots, could finish with both hands, could rebound, could play.  What happened to you, Semih?

5. (the big one) Mike Bibby.
Ok, he wasn't exactly a bust, but when I first started watching him as a young player with those exciting Sacramento teams, I thought he was the next Isaiah Thomas.  In his early days his jumpshot was dynamite. Could get it off against anybody.  Fearless, too.  A young kid not afraid of the big moment whatsoever.  He stopped getting better and never turned into the player he could have been.

6. Leon Powe.
A 6'5 power forward and a great story.  Was in the top 10 in NBA efficiency one year.  Could run.  Could jump.  Great moves around the basket.  Got hurt and disappeared.

7. Glen Davis.
"He tiptoed through the tulips on that one, huh Tommy?" (Mike Gorman)
Another guy not afraid of the big moment.  Very crafty with his body.  Very good in pressure situations.  Fell in love with his crappy jumper and is now looking for a job as I understand it.

Oh yeah, ole Semih Pro   He was pretty decent.  I never understood why he was traded to the Cavs, where he played quite effectively, I might add (unless I'm forgetting something).  Looking back, he might have been great off the bench in 2011-12.  Sigh.

You are forgetting something about Semih.  The year he was traded to the Cavs, he only played in 4 games for 64 minutes for them after the trade.  He played a little more the following season, but missed most of the year.  He was also rumored at the time to have been homesick, and he has in fact gone back to Turkey (and been paid quite handsomely while there).

Despite being on Boston's roster for only half a season out of his two NBA seasons, he logged 60% of his career minutes in green.  I don't think you can remember him playing much in Cleveland.

That's what I remember as well, but I also seem to recall him having a good game against the Pacers

[Beat LA]

Perfect Timing (from grantland):

2009: Anthony Randolph Puts It All Together!

There may be no weirder subgroup of NBA players than those who went to LSU. It?s an eclectic list, including four-time NBA champion Shaquille O?Neal; 9/11 conspiracy theorist Mahmoud Abdul Rauf; original basketball mixtape legend ?Pistol? Pete Maravich; two-time MVP Bob Pettit; drug policy washout Stanley Roberts; Stromile Swift; Tyrus Thomas; hotel concierge critic Glen ?Big Baby? Davis; and, for our purposes, mid-aughts blogger style icon Anthony Randolph.

Not too long ago, the long-limbed Randolph was an untamed, 19-year-old frazzle of dunks, fouls, rebounds, and blocks, an alien southpaw shooting guard in a genetically mutated power forward?s body.

The dude was a state of mind ? a 6-foot-10 NBA nerd drug made of uncut upside, and Summer League 2009 was when it hit the streets. In four games, Randolph averaged 26.8 points on 60 percent shooting, 8.5 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2.2 steals, and 1.3 assists, punctuated by a Summer League record-tying 42-point acid trip into an alternate future against the Bulls.

punctuated by a Summer League record-tying 42-point acid trip into an alternate future against the Bulls.

Haha   Classic Simmons.  It was him who wrote that, right?  Or has he found others who write in such an entertaining manner lol.

[Surferdad]

my first list were celtics only
adding some other guys to list (non celtic)
steve alford out of indiana

ernie d ! any old guys from new england out there  :O)

Loved Ernie, that PC team was a thing to behold with Marvin Barnes and Kevin Stacom.

I saw Alford at Celtics Rookie camp back in the 80's....he had a nice haircut....that was about it.

I remember Alford in college, deadly outside shooter. So many guys like him and Adam Morrison have brilliant college careers but their games don't translate to the NBA. Shooting alone is not enough.