[McDunkin]

 There have been plenty threads like this and we’ve listed Darkos and Morrisons, and even Marvin Williams. I’m talking dudes you just saw in your early days of Internet access and dunk highlights.

 

Let me introduce you to Canada’s favorite forgotten son

Henry Bekkering 

 

https://youtu.be/bLufEftVH14

 

 

 

 

 

Take my points i deserve it

Edit: I’ve found more evidence of why my points should be taken. I’ve never heard such dramatic music set to a kids camp dunk exhibition with what I think may be a lowered rim.

https://youtu.be/oZb9DGrGSYw

[ThenilonatorParticipant]

 I remember reading an article on Leon Powe when he was in high school and watched some mix tapes and honestly thought he was going to change the NBA! I know he made the league and had a career but man I thought he was going to be someone’s franchise changer! 

[Jester87Participant]

Not that he would’ve been a franchise changing player, but Powe’s career was derailed by injuries, especially in his high school and college days. He probably would’ve had a better career if healthy.

I used to think Brett Nelson was the second coming of Jason Williams. Man, was I wrong. Also, I was pretty excited about Christian Drejer, when he first got to Florida I would’ve bet everything I had (which, to be fair, wasn’t really much) that he would’ve been a top 10 pick and a starter for the next 10 years. Another euro guy I thought very highly of (also another combo guard like Nelson and another player whose career has been ruined by injuries like Powe) was Sani Becirovic. 6’4-5", quick, explosive, good ball skills, capable even though not always consistent shooter, creative. Was acquired by Ginobili’s team in Italy during Manu’s last year in Europe. It was the best team in Europe back then and everything led to believe he was going to be Manu’s heir, before going to the Nba. But he had plenty of troubles with his knees, he got drafted in the second round in 2003 but never made the league. He’s had a decent career in Europe, but he was never really able to make it to the very elite of Europe players.

[SmooveKRYPTParticipant]

Renardo Sidney

This guy was supposed to be the next big thing. Top 5 rated in the country his Sophmore year when he led (along with James Harden) Artesia to the state title. Transfered to Fairfax the next year and led them to another title. Committed to USC, but the family got caught getting $ under the table which was the beginning of the end for him. Finished HS in 09, but wasn’t cleared by the NCAA for another year & a half. Ended up at Mississippi State but by that time he had put on more than 60 pounds and lost all the things that made him unique. He was ground bound with conditioning problems throughout his underwhelming college years and never saw a minute in the NBA.

I’ve played against everyone who was anyone in LA area high school ball from 07-09 Jennings, DeRozan, Jrue, Klay, Harden etc. and he was better than them all at that time. 6’10, 240, agile, bouncy, physical, inside-outside game. Very similar talent to what DeMarcus Cousins is now. It’s a shame his career got derailed before it got started.

 

 

 

[Lebron’s HairlineParticipant]

 I remember watching him play in high school when he transferred. Man he made it look so easy, guy was flat out dominant; I also believed in him at Miss State even though he was just scraping by on talent alone. That Miss State team he was on had a lot of talent but only Rodney Hood(who transfered) actually did anything.

[he_gets_bucketsParticipant]

 I remember thinking that Wayne Selden was going to a one and done, top 10 pick after seeing him play a few times in highschool and seeing some of his mixtapes. He seemed to lose the handle and passing ability that made him so intriguing to me once he got to the college ranks and just never really did much at Kansas, struggling with his outside shot and never really having the fire under his butt that guys with similar skillsets who made it had, like Wes Matthews. I still to this day think if he had the work ethic and fire on the defensive end that a guy like Wes has he could be a quality rotation player for an NBA team.

[Hype Machine]

 Tai Wynyard

Was mad hypped after he won a streetball tournament and got selected for the Hoop Summit etc 

But after committing to Kentucky, has generated very little buzz upon arriving in Lexington.

I get the feeling hes just not as good as advertised.

 

 

 

 

[sa124mvpParticipant]

 Tai Wynyard is only 18 my man.. He was a redshirt freshman last year and Coach Cal has said that he will get minutes this year. The dudes a beast, and he’s still growing. Obviously hes not a genetic freak like Adams, but he could be a similar player in the sense he crashes the boards, hustles and is very strong. He also has a much better offensive game than Adams did at the same age. He can keep up with guards, and defend down in the post pretty well. The only thing that is holding him back at the moment is his conditioning. Once thats sorted, you’ve got yourself a pretty useful player.

[tblazer_NZParticipant]

Mad hyped??? By who? No one was saying he was going to get playing time on Kentucky or be a star. He doesn’t have any length to provide rim protection so if he wants to make it he will have to be more like Nick Collison or Joel Freeland.

[SeattleSuperChronicsParticipant]

 Ndudi Ebi….thought that dude was gunna be the next Darious Miles!!!!

[CynthiaParticipant]

Eddy Curry

I was 12-13 when the Curry hype started, he was supposed to be the next Shaq basically. He was I think one of if not the first player to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated (I think it was SI, it may have been some other major sports mag I don’t remember) as a high school student which was a big deal back then in the magazine days.

Me being a dumb teen I jumped right into the hype because I was big on reading those mags back in the day (and getting the cardboard cards in the middle lol). I was also a huge fan of Shaq, he was my favorite player so naturally anyone who is compared to him I was going to like them and root for them.

He ended up being picked 4th behind Kwame Brown, Tyson Chandler and Pau Gasol. If I recall correctly before the draft was over he was traded for Tyson Chandler.

Long story short you know how the story ends, he was a very large man that did not take care of his weight. He was slow, unathletic, and generally a mediocre player. He ended up playing 11 seasons and started 6-7 of them which isn’t bad. His career stats ended at 12.9 PPG & 5.2 RPG which again isn’t bad but since he was supposed to be the next Shaq it was a massive disappointment.

[blancs50Participant]

 I was big into the eddy curry hype too. He was drafted by the Bulls, who then traded their all star PF Elton brand to the Clippers for Tyson chandler. I remember watching those baby bulls teams with curry, Tyson, artest, and Jay Williams (2002 2nd pick) and thinking they were going to be the next great team. Of course all those players got traded or injured (jay Williams) before they did anything.

[Dazzling Dunks and Basketball BloopersParticipant]

 Hard to believe now, but there was a decent contingent who actually preferred Reece Gaines to Dwayne wade as an NBA prospect coming out of college. They were neck and neck for C-USA POY in 2003 and Gaines was bigger and a much better outside shooter at the time. While I wouldn’t go that far, I did like gaines a lot as a prospect and never imagined his NBA career would go as poorly as it did.

Also, anyone else remember Troy Bell from Boston College? Combo guard who could flat out score the ball. I thought he could at least be a Lou Williams type but he just never wound up sticking in the league. 

 

[Knicks44Participant]

Anyone remember this dude ? haha there was so much hype about him becoming the next Shaq. At 12 years old he was pretty much Shaq’s size. What happened to him?

[McDunkin]

 See this is the type of players  I’m talking about. I mean absolutely 0 disrespect to some of the other posts because they are great examples. In the near 10+ years I’ve seen most of them in threads like this. Ask MikeyV he is a human history book. I’ve never mentioned Bekkering. This was when I was a middle schooler and after seeing this he was on ESPN ..so he had to be good right? Back then I compared your potential by how cool your dunks were I admit. 

 

I want you to list guys that you realize nobody else even knew existed but damn it you thought that were gonna make it. Like you created them in 2k levels of hope( live still had a twinkle in its eye back then)

 

 

[kerrstParticipant]

 If you grew up in Toronto in the early 2000s then you knew about Denham Brown and you were sure he was going to be the next Canadian superstar in the NBA.  He averaged 30 points per game in his junior year, he scored 111 points for West Hill against my high school R.H King (not a sports school in the slightest).  After that he committed to UCONN and was featured in Slam magazine.  I thought dude was destined for greatness in the NBA and twas heralded as the great white north’s hope for basketball relevancy.  He underwhelmed in college but had some big moments like the game winner in the Maui invitational and also tying the game with a last second layup against George Mason in the tourney. Unfortunately most people remember him missing the game winning 3 in overtime that was a bad look and an even worse shot.  I thought he could have stuck as a 3 and D guy in the league but he never did.

[Robb_CParticipant]

 Heres a few I thought were NBA talents back in Illinois

 

 Russell Mackins- Number 1 freshman in Illinois 2007 class ahead of Rose

Justin Cerasoli – easily one of my favorite guards growing up, he was a taller version of steph curry

 

Cedric Banks- I use to watch him as a kid and thought he was NBA ready

Najeeb Echols- was a great player in Chicago injuries killed him

Sheron collins- still my favorite pg I’ve played with thought he was gonna be league material 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dazzling Dunks and Basketball BloopersParticipant]

 Derrick caracter was unreal as a middle schooler at about the age of 12-13. He was already basically fully grown and actually had a mature game as well. He might have been the best prospect I’ve seen at that age but he just stopped growing once he got  to hs and never really got that much better as he got older. He still ended up playing a season in the league as a benchwarmer but he looked like he was destined for stardom at one time. 

[kazamParticipant]

 Marcus Williams from UCONN. I thought he was going to be a huge assist guy in the NBA

Jason Gardner from Arizona, Steve Logan from Cincy

CDR after his play at Memphis I thought he was going to be an elite role player, maybe even as a fifth starter on some good teams.

There was a Canadian kid named Ashton Khan who played with Cory Joseph and Mo Walker (big fella played at University of Minnesota) growing up. Ashton was better then Cory at basically every stage before CoJo went to Findlay. Khan ended up at Tiffin University and plays pro now in the BBL. 

 

 

 

 

 

[OhCanada-Participant]

 Anthony Bennett. Before he was even an ESPN Top 100 recruit I predicted he would be a lottery pick. The skills are there but the lack of drive/will/confidence is very apparent. Oddly enough he plays well for team Canada where he is comfortable but has yet to prove himself in the NBA. Hope this his year with the Nets.

[Lebron’s HairlineParticipant]

 Thomas Robinson, I thought they guy was just stuck behind the Morris twins and wasn’t allowed to shine. It was hard not to root for the guy seeing all the personal tragedy he went through. I thought he would be an uber athletic Blake griffin lite player and I actually wanted him on the bobcats(at the time) rather than MKG; as soon as I saw him in summer league action taking long 2’s, 3’s, and pretty much not his game I knew he wasn’t going to succeed. His per 36 numbers are extremely impressive and when he has gotten minutes he is a rebounding machine. Here’s to hoping the nets give him a more consistent role this year.

[-Aria-Participant]

Bradley Beal hue hue hue ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

:kappa:

 

 

[BKGingerSnapParticipant]

 

High School 

John Riek: 7’2" and could touch the rim without jumping, Riek was going to be a beast on defense but he tore some ligaments, re-injured during the rehab using weight machines too small for him and was never the same. He was more of an afterthought on Mississippi state than Renardo Sidney was.

College: 

Stanley Robinson: I wanted this guy to be great. He was so athletic, prototype NBA small forward body and had these amazing drives to the rim. He just never developed though. UCONN won the title the year after he left when he stopped getting in Kemba’s way. 

NBA 

Acie Law: Legend at Texas A&M, bum in the pros

Fab Melo: How lazy of a person do you have to be to get drafted in the first round and be cut the next year as a 7 footer? As a syracuse orangeman and a Celtics fan, there are few players I hate more. 

 

 

 

 

 

[brodiejayParticipant]

I honestly thought Nathan Jawai was going to become a force in the NBA.

He took the Australian NBL (yes, I know…) by storm as a rookie but I truly thought his playing style would translate well to the NBA.

He was drafted and played a few decent games but after being forced to the sidelines with a heart condition, his weight ballooned and he never got back in shape.

I’m embarrassed to admit, the first NBA article I ever wrote was about how he was going to be a boss for the Timberwolves. Can’t post the link here, but if you Google "Jawai Perfect Match" it’s the first link.

I have double embarrassment on this one because my writing was pretty cringy, looking back now.

 

 

[Hype Machine]

 Damn man. Even I have my standards for hypping aussie players. 

Nathan Jawai – aka Outback Shaq

Please….

 

 

[Chilbert arenasParticipant]

 Bill Walker

Terrence Williams

Salim Stoudemire 

Marcus Williams (UCONN) 

Hilton Armstrong 

Maurice Ager

Devon Hardin

 

 

 

 

[wonzi_bellsParticipant]

 I mean, remember when Chris Taft was suppose to be a top five pick?

[tblazer_NZParticipant]

Sylven Landesburg

Quincy Miller

Terrence Williams

 

 

 

[high floorParticipant]

He was Mr. Basketball for Florida in 2006, and commited to Oklahoma State shortly afterward.

Keith was the absolute prototype for a SF. He was a 6’9, 215lbs lefty, 7’1 wingspan & legit 3pt range & ballhandling skills. He was kicked out of OK State for a shoplifting arrest and questions involving whether somebody else took his ACT test. He left the university without ever playing a game.

A year and a half afterward (now 21 years old), he was accepted to Hillsborough Community College & led the nation’s junior colleges in scoring averaging 34ppg. He re-applied that spring for the NBA draft & ultimately was not selected due to character concerns.

Since then, Keith has been arrested 17 times for battery, grand theft, drugs, suspended license & many other counts.

  

   

[omphalosParticipant]

 Ricky Ledo is one for me. When that footage came out of him holding his own against Wall at a camp I thought he was going to be a star.

Missing the year of college due to ineligibility was a killer.

Another dude was Jeremy Lamb, thought he’d be a real solid role player in the NBA like he was with Kemba as a freshman but just couldn’t stick, not sure what happened in OKC but Brooks really did a number on his confidence.

 

 

[r377Participant]

I liked Jeremy lamb too, thought he would be a double digit scorer. Same with Jordan Hamilton.

While my hopes were not super high with Jimmer, I thought he would be a Steve Kerr type of role player…. He is not even that….

[dawsdabossParticipant]

 Ivan.

 

 

 

[dawsdabossParticipant]

 I was sippin the BasketballJones/HoopLife hype back in my Vancouver days.

[mowestenParticipant]

 Ronnie Fields. Sad story but he was legit before his injuries. 

Kenny Brunner from Dominguz HS … Ended up getting kicked off Fresno State and is now running on some And1 circuit or something.

Omar Cook, CTK/St Johns. I thought he was the real deal in HS and it just never worked out. 

Yi JianLian. Should have known after the workout against the chair and the age questions. 

 

 

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