[the microwaveParticipant]

(by tragedy, im referring to their lives being taken earlier than one would normally expect)

i think Len bias would have been the best on my list, but your welcome to debate it.

How about Hank Gathers? Drazen Petrovic? (spelling?), and Reggie Lewis?

Take Bias out of the equation, if life wasnt cut short who would have been the best on this list?

[McWinningParticipant]

well Jonathon Bender and Jay Williams both could have been good players if it wasn’t for injuries not deaths though. not sure about many who have had their lives taken.

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

Speaking of Bender… The last I heard about him, he was trying to make a comeback. Has anybody heard anymore news about that?

It’s hard to say, but if I had to choose… I’d say Bias. He was one hell of a player.

[MkadozaParticipant]

Drazen Petrovic… he was one hell of a shooter that had his career tragically ended. Was one of the true pioneers of foreign players getting in the NBA. Shawn Livingston’s story is just sad.

[llperez]

of those 3, I would probably go with Reggie Lewis having the best career. Another name, although he wasn’t as good, was Bobby Phills. He was a solid starter when he died in a crash while racing his teammate David Wesley after practice.

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

Throw Malik Sealy on that list too. He was killed in a car accident by a drunk driver.

[whiteflashParticipant]

There was a kid out of Chicago named Benji Wilson. Came out the same year as Nick Anderson, I think ’84. He was the top prospect in the nation and was gunned down in the street sticking up for his girl. At the end of the season all the recruiting services left the top spot vacant in his honor. From what I hear he was basiclly Penny Hardaway before Penny Hardaway.

[quincey hodges]

damn white flash i was just about to name him:( that kid had a helllllll of a game..i didnt watch him in person but i had a cousin who taped 7 of his highschool and street ball games ..whewwwww he was the truth

[jjackchiParticipant]

I HAVE 2 SAY DRAZEN I ACTUALLY SAW HIM PLAY BALL HE WAS A BEAST,I THINK HE AND KUKOC OPENED THE DOOR 4 ALOT OF THE INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS

[RUDEBOY]

REGGIE LEWIS was an allstar ,JAY WILLIAMS and DRAZEN could’ve became allstars..Hank Gathers was RATED a second round pick..BUT LEN BIAS..HE was being compared to jordan..He could’ve became a hall of famer..i still can remember watching sportscenter in 1986 and saw the horrific scenes of the coroners removing his body..at the time i was 8..hearing he died from using drugs made me afraid to use drugs..maybe there were other kids who also saw this and were scared straight..and vowed to never use drugs..HE never played in the nba..But he didn’t die in vein….

[QHaynes20]

I have to say this and I’m gonna be honest to you guys.

Jay Williams could have been the best PG in the East if he remained healthy. He had it all and even in his rookie season. I remember him playing against the Nets when against a good J-Kidd drop a triple double and J-Kidd was on the bench saying “that guy has a future in the NBA”

I was shocked and excited because he was a Duke Guy.

[mmichnowicz1Participant]

Where can i see some of Benji Wilson film,

[Dtay2152Participant]

im with you bird i loved jay williams in college i thought that guy was gona tear up the nba.

[quincey hodges]

yeah i remeber dick vital saying he was the second best pg in the world behind jkidd and thats when he was in college..and i hate duke but i actually agreed with him..he had the potenial to have zero weaknesses..good mid range deep ball defense passing athletic handles…actually alot like dwill

[marcusfizer21Participant]

Jay Williams could have been the Face of the new Bulls had it not for that motorcycle accident… It was a mistake he personally made because his contract had a “no motorcycle” clause on it and he violated that clause… From a subpar rookie season, he could have gone to make a huge impact much like D-Will did during his sophomore year…

Ben Wilson was a Magic Johnson/Penny Hardaway player in HS… I think Derrick Rose went to the same high school as Wilson and honored him by wearing 25… ‘m not so sure bout that but my best friend told me about him…

[whiteflashParticipant]

Also, Randy Livingston. Was the national HS player of the year. Twice. Blew his knee out coaching at a camp before his freshman season at LSU. He was a more athletic Jason Kidd, and that’s no exaggeration. Would’ve been an All-Star and potential HOF’er.

[quincey hodges]

damn white flash everytime im about to name a player you say it…yeah randy before his injury was a potenial hall of fame player easily my older brother used to show me tapes and talk about him all the time

[llperez]

Give the Bulls credit for the JWill situation though. I heard they could have just released him because he violated the contract, but they actually gave him 1 million dollars and took care of his medical because they just wanted to be nice

[quincey hodges]

i know who we forgot ..grant hill..he was on his way to a hof career..jamal mashburn was a very very good player also

[whiteflashParticipant]

Hill’s career was definitely derailed, but he made a handful of All-Star teams and was widely considered the second best player in the league [behind Mike], so not sure if he counts. Mashburn also, think he played in an All-Star game or two. If we’re bringing up guys like that: LJ, Penny, Steve Francis, etc… Not really sure we can count cats like that ’cause they at least had their moment, ya know?

[marcusfizer21Participant]

wow… I didn’t know that… Thanks for the info… You know I had lot of respect for that guy because of how he worked through D-Leagues and call-ups and then to the NBA and then back to the D-League… Despite of his knees that changed his game completely, I still think he was effective and solid. I was glad he played with the Bulls even for just a short while..

[marcusfizer21Participant]

I thought businessmen were always crooked and selfish but the organization didn’t show that to J-Will… That’s a great plus for their commitment and integrity, so to speak…

[quincey hodges]

maybe not mashburn but hill woul dhave been a hall of famer now he probably wont make it so his career was derailed. im guessing its players whos career was derailed by injury before or during there prime

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