He was just a kid who made a bad decision. Like you never made any errors in judgment when you were 23? Didn't you think you were immortal when you were that age? How is choking on steak or being killed crossing the street any less self-inflicted than a drug overdose? In all three cases sound judgment would prevent death. Chew your food, look both ways before you cross the street, and don't snort huge amounts of cocaine. barfo
75 games at a 12.2 PER in a single season... for a second overall pick. I think that the Bulls got precious little for him, and so he could easily be considered a bust, yes. Ed O.
Huge bust. The guy had a clause in his contract specifically forbidding him from riding a motorcycle, so yes, I'd say he's a bust.
Williams didn't look like a #2 pick, talent-wise, even before he injured himself, IMO. I think it was a poor selection and the injury simply ensured the Bulls got no value.
I dont know about that. Williams was on another level athletically from all the other point guards when he came out of college. People forget how dynamic he was.
I have a few problems with almost every Draft Bust list that comes out and a big one is what Ministral/Ed O/Nate all pretty much pointed out, they seem to have an overall rule on what a bust is but then they stray from it and don't stay true to it. Another is that a player who isn't past his prime and still in the league should not be put on the list due to the fact that they still have a chance to come out and prove people wrong. The biggest reason is that they never let me forget Bowie! sigh even if he had stayed healthy we still passed on 2 first ballet hall of famers and the GOAT for him and no matter he would have done it was a bad pick.
Calling somebody a bust isn't as complicated as people are making it out. It's pretty simple actually. Figure out what the expectation level of a player is based on their pre-draft hype plus their actual draft position and subtract their contributions on the floor, then multiply that result by the production of players selected right after them. By that metric Greg is pretty easily one of the biggest busts in the past 20 years ... but like anything in life people are always looking for a great redemption story, meaning Greg still has a chance to buck his fairly awful downward career arc at which point people will happily remove him from the list and write great "out of the ashes" kind of stories about him.
Being "one of the biggest busts in the last 20 years" is a far cry from being the biggest bust in NBA history. Ed O.
He might be the biggest bust in NBA history, but I'm not old enough and didn't watch enough basketball (nor enough old-timey video) from before my teenage years to really know where he stacks up all time.
I disagree. There's no way he's the biggest bust in NBA history. Watching video has nothing to do with it, IMO. Ed O.
LOL Ummmm ... nope MacGrady's first 5 years (18-22) - 6135 points, and wasn't a full-time starter until he was 21. Durant's first 4 years (19-22) - 8128 points; franchise player from Day One. As for him putting up a LeBron James' 23 year-old season, that's likely out of the question with Russell Westbrook hogging the ball. Plus, Durant's game isn't at all like James' game, but that doesn't mean Durant can't be an all-time great, does it?
Gee, you think so? You're a fricking genius! Mr. Binary has spoken. http://www.planetminecraft.com/skin/mr-binary/
fail so ppg is all we are talking about? i thought you liked those new fangled stats mcgradys 19-22 seasons > durants 19-22 seasons mcgrady with the higher per and higher ws/48 and haha, that wasnt lebrons age 23 season IT WAS MCGRADYS! fail its cool though, i doubt durant will be as good as mcgrady, probably an unfair comparison
Hehe, I love how you call me Mr. Binary as the joke sails over your head. Let me break it down for you, Mr. Binary style! I dismissed the idea that he wouldn't have come over (from a college) due to "superstition" while at the same time claiming he would have immediately shattered his leg and never played a minute. And, you see (here's the thing!) I called that science. Get it? Don't feel bad. Lots of great jokes can sail by people who aren't reading the posts they respond to. Also, the "Your argument is invalid" line that seems to have captured your imagination is actually a meme, grandpa, not an attempt to be coldly logical. Witness: There. I think I've used my cold, computer-like logic to pretty much destroy your implications that I have no sense of humour. Carry on.
MacGrady played less though, and Durant put up more production. The 23 year-old season for MacGrady is an outlier for him, but you're right, I had forgot about how good he was that season. Of course, his team went 42-40, and lost in the first round of the playoffs while MacGrady struggled compared to his regular season, but it was quite an impressive season. Using your approach, we could also say that Greg Oden has had a better start to his career than Durant, because he has a higher ws/48, is close in PER, and is a much better rebounder and more efficient scorer.
no only a complete moron would even suggest such a thing. simple stats tell the story, if you want to ignore them, thats on you. and im not bashing on durant, only saying that nothing is certain, when you start going all durant fanboy, you get a little blinded by your hard on