Top 5 athletes who could've been more

[CRobi21]

The Comb...

[S.T.real,lights,out]

No Ernie Davis yet?? I would have to go with him. Maybe even #1. He was a RB before his time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernie_Davis

[renaissance]

Clinton Portis. What if he was never traded to the Redskins?

[grhqofb5]

1. Mike Tyson

2. Len Bias

3. Darryl Strawberry

4. David Thompson

5. Eric Lindros

[RedskinFeathers]

Wo I can't believe I forget Barry Sanders? Dang, yeh What if!!!! Good call Skinsgirl

And Dupree :doh:

I go back and forth on how I feel about Sanders. Sometimes I feel so bad that he was so worn down by losing so much. Others times I'm like...dude...setting a record wasn't important enough to play one more season? And then I get all sad again, because I seriously can't imagine having to quit a sport because my team/losing severely broke my spirit...but seriously, it was really that bad that it outweighed breaking a huge record? He was SO close.

Ugh.

Not to derail, though, so I'm gonna add Mickey Mantle. Because I've changed this to my own "Athletes who could've been more" thread. Sorry Sticks! This is a great idea for a thread, though. Maybe when I stop thinking of players I'll come back and pick 5

[Ellis]

5. Eric Lindros

That's a good one! Concussions ruined him. I'd go as far as to say that Crosby could be added to this list.

[amm0409]

Clinton Portis. What if he was never traded to the Redskins?

Oh man, I laughed at that one a little. He was a beast in Denver. Didn't he have a 5TD game

[RonArtest15]

NBA - Shaquille O'Neal - for as dominant as he was, he didn't take the game too seriously. Used the season to get in shape. SMH. Sounds crazy, but he could have been much better.

Honorable mention: Lamar Odom, Rasheed Wallace, and Vince Carter...pretty soon Carmelo Anthony.

NFL - Lawrence Phillips - greatest (collegiate) RB I've ever seen. Thought he'd transcend the position due to how good he was. It's a shame he couldn't keep himself out of trouble.

Honorable Mention: Ricky Williams - he's a VERY close 2nd to Phillips as far as being the best RB i've ever seen. Went to the beat of his own drum, and that's fine. After watching that 30 for 30, he's totally at peace w. himself. Dude never loved the game. Could have been a HOFer with the talent he had.

NHL - Eric Lindros - 4 words are needed... Keep. Your. Head. Up. If there was one flaw in his game it was skating w. his head down...which is an extreme no-no. Dude was the most intimidating presence I've ever seen. Scary combination of size and speed. He was built like an NFL linebacker but had his career cut short due to concussions. He's a fringe HOFer as it stands, but he would have been an absolute lock had he played the majority of his career injury-free.

MLB - Josh Hamilton - what could have been if he stayed clean. Not much more to say.

Misc - Fredd Adu

[Dan T.]

Albert Haynesworth had the potential to be a Hall of Fame caliber defensive lineman, but he just didn't give a **** about the game. When motivated he was nearly unstoppable. Unfortunately, he was rarely motivated. Imagine if he had dedicated himself to the game, both on the field and in training... What a waste.

I didn't see Mark "The Bird" Fidrych mentioned. His star burned brightly but all too briefly as a pitcher for the Detroit Tigers - Rookie-of-the-Year in 1976 with a 19-9 record, led the league in ERA (2.34), and complete games (24) and was runner-up in Cy Young voting to Jim Palmer. He started the All-Star game that rookie year. With his quirky personality and mound presence he became a national celebrity who packed ballparks whenever he pitched. But injuries, beginning with torn knee cartilege during '77 spring training and then a torn rotator cuff, cut his career short.

[Mufumonk]

[spjunkies]

How did I forget this guy?

He let the crazy take over.

[Going Commando]

1. Mike Tyson

2. Len Bias

3. Darryl Strawberry

4. David Thompson

5. Eric Lindros

Good list.

I was going to say Darryl Strawberry.

But Dwight Gooden should be on there even ahead of him.

[China]

Let me throw an Olympian out there: Dan Jansen. He finally got a medal in his last event in 1994. But should've gotten one in the 1988 or 1992 olympics and probably in both in both the 500 and 1000 meters.

[elkabong82]

Sean Taylor, Bo Jackson, Eric Lindros, Len Bias, and I'll agree with Griffey Jr. because IMO if not for numerous injuries he had the potential to be in the talks of GOAT in baseball.

Barry Sanders is already considered 1-3 goat for RBs, so his shelf wasn't much higher. Sayers gets honorable mention, as does Tyson.

Part of me thinks that had Mario Lemieux not had to bout with Hodgkins that he may have finished as contender for NHL goat, instead of clear second to Gretzky and Orr.

[Botched]

Randy Moss.

Most talented wide receiver I've ever seen. Could have been the best ever if he cared even a little bit.

[Going Commando]

For the NBA from the 2000's:

1.) Yao Ming - injuries

2.) Brandon Roy - injuries

3.) Tracy McGrady - injuries

4.) Vince Carter - tin man

5.) Greg Oden - injuries

Honorable mention to Michael Beasley, Jay Williams, & OJ Mayo.

---------- Post added August-1st-2012 at 01:45 PM ----------

Mike Tyson is the most phenomenal athlete flameout I've ever seen or heard of. He's got the be the most talented heavyweight that's ever walked this Earth. He was unstoppable. He fell to pieces. I'm not sure I've ever seen a more outrageously dominant athlete before, and I've certainly never seen one go to hell so swiftly and spectacularly.

[Mursilis]

Albert Haynesworth had the potential to be a Hall of Fame caliber defensive lineman, but he just didn't give a **** about the game. When motivated he was nearly unstoppable. Unfortunately, he was rarely motivated. Imagine if he had dedicated himself to the game, both on the field and in training... What a waste.

True. I think back to that game vs. the Bears, when he essentially shoved/threw the Bears O-lineman into Cutler, causing a sack. Fat Al had all the talent to be an all-time great - he just lacked the work ethic and drive.

---------- Post added August-1st-2012 at 01:47 PM ----------

Randy Moss.

Most talented wide receiver I've ever seen. Could have been the best ever if he cared even a little bit.

Totally agree. I think a motivated Moss would've beat most of Rice's records.

[HogNose]

Let me throw an Olympian out there: Dan Jansen. He finally got a medal in his last event in 1994. But should've gotten one in the 1988 or 1992 olympics and probably in both in both the 500 and 1000 meters.

The news that sister had passed away from leukemia during the '88 games really did him in mentally and the '92 games were such a disappointment. What a great moment it was in '94 when he carried his daughter around for one more lap after winning gold.

[pjfootballer]

I took this thread to mean guys that weren't great that should have been. Some of the guys listed were HOFers that had great careers, but maybe were cut short. I went the route of players that had all the tools, but didn't or couldn't appply them. But that's what makes threads like this great. The wide array of views.

I'll add a couple more:

Jennifer Capriati- tennis HOFer, but took the same route Agassi did

Sergio Garcia- has crapped the bed

Todd Marinovich-smoked the ganja

[Going Commando]

Albert Haynesworth definitely qualifies. My how his career went to ****. He's the most physically gifted Redskins I've ever watched. A man shouldn't be 320 pounds (trim) and able to run a 4.80 40 with a 39 inch vertical plus strong enough to push a house over. What a waste.

[Forehead]

I've got to say, there have been a ton of great choices here, but I'm not sure I'd include certain people like Barry Sanders, who retired of his own volition and not because of injuries or some outside force, and he still accomplished a ton. Guys like Len Bias I think fall far more into the "what could have been" category.

Steve McQueen already mentioned him, but the first person that popped into my mind was Dwight Gooden. As a 19 year old rookie, he won 17 games and struck out 276 batters, for a then major league record 11.39 strikeouts per nine innings. As a rookie.

His second season? 24 wins, 268 strikeouts, and a season ERA of 1.53, the second best ever during the live ball era. His WAR that season (for advanced stat heads) was 11.9, pretty much unheard of for someone who didn't play every day.

1986, 17 wins, 200 strikeouts, and the first sign of drug problems.

1987, spends part of the season in rehab, still wins 15 games and strikes out 148.

1988, 18 wins, 175 strikeouts.

****So at this point, he's about 24 - 25 years old and already has 91 wins under his belt, against 35 losses. More than 1,000 strikeouts in five seasons. Clearly destined for Cooperstown.

Then the injuries start, a combination of arm overuse (pitchers weren't coddled as much back then) and probably his drug habits. He wins nine games in an injury shortened 1989, rebounds for 19 wins the next season. Then it all cratered. Another arm injury. A positive cocaine test. Another positive test while serving his suspension for the first test, which caused him to be suspended for the entire 1995 season. A rape accusation. His wife discovering him in their bedroom with a gun pointed at his head. In all or parts of his last nine years, the most games he won in a season was 13, and he only broke double digits three other times, notching 10, 11, and 12 victories in those seasons. Despite missing an entire season of his career in 1995 when he would have been 31, a prime year for a good SP, and missing parts of others due to injuries and suspensions, he still finished with a career record of 194-122, with a career ERA of 3.51 and nearly 2,300 strikeouts.

If he doesn't suffer the arm injuries and doesn't shove **** up his nose? 300 victories are clearly in play, possibly more. 3,000 strikeouts are a guarantee, with 3,500 - 4,000 possible. Maybe another World Series under his belt where he's the actual star. This only happened once, with the Mets; he won two others as a hanger-on with loaded Yankee teams. A surefire, first ballot Hall of Famer. Now...he didn't make 5% of the ballots in his first year of eligibility, and was removed from further consideration. Since his retirement, he's had more trouble with alcohol and drugs.

Doc Gooden could have been one of the best ever. Now, he's an example to point to when you're lecturing your kids.

[Momma There Goes That Man]

I don't really think Sean Taylor belongs on this list. It doesn't seem right to lump him in with athletes who were injured or never lived up to their potential. He was murdered but was just about everything we wanted him to be and was well on his way. He would have been more, not could have been more imo.

As for my list:

1) Shaquille O'neal - should have been the best and most dominant player in NBA history. Instead only peaked for about 3 years because he was lazy.

2) Mike Tyson - at his peak was untouchable but random events and poor, awful decisions from a trouble kid derailed his career.

3) Ken Griffey Jr - As great as he was, had he stayed in Seattle and never been injured he easily would be considered the greatest MLB player to ever live. And he had the most silky smooth swing ever.

4) Barry Sanders - could have had 20,000 rushing yeards had he played on a decent team.

5) too many others to count.

[BurgundyMalaise]

Pavel Bure

[Sticksboi05]

My (5) in no order:

Len Bias - no-brainer; was compared to MJ voming out of Maryland. A bad choice w/ drugs led to his death neverp laying a game in the NBA. shame. Between he and Reggie Lewis, the Celtics lost what could've been another title team. He was so physically dominant from the stuff I've seen.

Ronaldo - From 1996 to 1998 he was the undisputed best footballer in the world. An astonishing 47 goals in 49 games in Barcelona at the age of 20 in 1996-97 becoming the youngest ever to win FIFA Player of the Year. He then went on to dominate at Inter winning Serie A Football of the Year and the 1998 World Cup until convulsive fits hit the day of the Final. Then came the knee injuries. He was able to return in 2002 and win FIFA Player of the Year and score 8 goals in 7 games en route to a World Cup title but he was never the same. No longer did you think he'd do something you'd never seen before on the pitch. One of the best ever, but could've been scary dominant for a while.

Mario Lemieux - It's crazy when a top 3 player in the history of the sport is on this list. Lemieux was unstoppable. Too fast, too skilled, too strong. His career however, was cut almost in half by cancer and chronic knee and back issues. He is still #1 in goals per game and #2 in points per game but this is the only player who had any hope of challenging The Great One's records. He missed over 500 potential games in his still legendary career.

Ken Griffey Jr. - The move to Cincinatti was the end of what started as a masterful career offensively and defensively. A shame. He was my favorite player as a kid. By 1999 he was voted by fans to the All-Century team.

Bo Jackson - One of the best pro sports athletes we've ever seen. The only All-Star in football and baseball.

Honorable Mention: Eric Lindros, Kerry Wood, Mark Prior, Roberto Clemente, Pavel Bure, Greg Oden, Barry Sanders, Larry Bird

[amm0409]

what about Penny Hardaway, Tim Hardaway and Grant Hill cause of injuries

Crap I can't believe about my favorite baseball player Ken Griffey the Kid. Dang he could of surpassed the HR record for sure. His swing was effortless

Momma There Goes That Man, you brought me back man, memories

pjfootballer, that was pretty funny