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Poll: Which athlete wasted the most talent?

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by wickedwritah, Dec 29, 2006.

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Which stellar athlete wasted the most talent due to drugs, alcohol and/or thuggery?

  1. Mike Tyson

    15 vote(s)
    17.9%

  2. Darryl Strawberry

    9 vote(s)
    10.7%

  3. Doc Gooden

    28 vote(s)
    33.3%

  4. The 1986 NBA Draft drug babies (Bias, Bedford, Tarpley, Washburn, etc.)

    22 vote(s)
    26.2%

  5. George Rogers, the Heisman winner

    1 vote(s)
    1.2%

  6. Steve Howe

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%

  7. Other

    9 vote(s)
    10.7%
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  1. Ellis Redding

    Ellis Redding Guest

    Sorry, Mr. Buttsex. Child-support dodger <> "nice guy"
     
    Ellis Redding, Dec 29, 2006
    #25
  2. Jim Tom Pinch

    Jim Tom Pinch Active Member

    I think Mike Tyson wasted more money than talent. He was the last heavyweight of any real mystique and could have remained a famous man capable of making money of his name legitimately if he wasn't such a psycho.
     
    Jim Tom Pinch, Dec 29, 2006
    #26
  3. Fenian_Bastard

    Fenian_Bastard Guest

    I think Derrick Coleman's got to be right up there. Far more natural talent than, say, Karl Malone, whom I admire greatly.
     
    Fenian_Bastard, Dec 29, 2006
    #27
  4. Elliotte Friedman

    Elliotte Friedman Moderator Staff Member

    These guys never had drug issues or overly major off-court problems, but when I think of wasted talent, I think of Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady. (Probably because I covered them as their careers began.)

    If they had stayed in Toronto, that team would have been a force. They were very, very good for one another and the team was on the rise. Their personalities meshed very well in the sense that McGrady wanted to be the star and loved the attention. He was an outstanding interview. Carter was always uncomfortable and had trouble handling things. I'm convinced he's also a bit claustrophobic, as he always used to ask the media to step back when he was crowded at his locker.

    McGrady became jealous when the NBA pushed Carter after his ridiculous performance at the Slam Dunk Contest. Vince became the poster boy for the league and the franchise. McGrady might never admit this publicly, but if he could do it all over again, he would have stayed in Toronto. The fans loved him; the media loved him; people there recognized his greatness. And, as everyone else started fawning over Carter, Vince would happily have let McGrady get as much attention as he wanted.

    The biggest mistakes surrounding Carter weren't as much his as they were the franchise's: letting him go to his graduation the day of Game 7 against Philadelphia; trading Oakley after the big man's justified criticism of Carter drew the ire of Vince's mother; just letting Carter do whatever he wanted. Carter was immature -- still is -- but the organization created an atmosphere where he was not accountable. Watching him in New Jersey, he still lacks that accountability, and I don't think it will ever change.

    I know the people on this list pissed away their careers through legal and/or drug issues, but to me, you can still last a long time, make a lot of money, and waste your talent. These two are perfect examples.
     
    Elliotte Friedman, Dec 29, 2006
    #28
  5. expendable

    expendable Well-Known Member

    Was going with Doc Gooden, but the 86 draft babies takes the cake. What Len Bias coulda, woulda, shoulda been... :'(
     
    expendable, Dec 29, 2006
    #29
  6. outofplace

    outofplace Well-Known Member

    Michael Vick
    End. Of. Thread.

    (Sorry y'all. I couldn't resist. And have you ever noticed it never ends a thread when somebody types End. Of. Thread?).

    Len Bias would have to be my serious answer. Guys like Gooden, Strawberry and Tyson at least had some great moments, though they failed to sustain their excellence due to their bad judgement. Bias robbed himself of even having the opportunity on the pro level.

    And listing Bonds is just ridiculous. There are plenty of good reasons to rip the guy, but not getting the maximum production out of his talent is not one of them. He's an ass and almost definitely a cheat, but he is actually kind of the opposite of what this thread is about.
     
    outofplace, Dec 29, 2006
    #30
  7. shotglass

    shotglass Guest

    Gooden wasted a shitload of talent. Still isn't in the same stratosphere as Tyson on that count.
     
    shotglass, Dec 29, 2006
    #31
  8. Bubbler

    Bubbler Well-Known Member

    Jeff George (Hi Whitlock!)
     
    Bubbler, Dec 29, 2006
    #32
  9. Ledbetter

    Ledbetter Active Member

    Len Bias was the first person I thought of when I saw this thread.

    I also wonder what would have happened had Herschel Walker gone to the NFL instead of the USFL.
     
    Ledbetter, Dec 29, 2006
    #33
  10. boots

    boots New Member

    In defense of Vince Carter, his graduation had NOTHING to do with his team losing to Philly that season. That's a bunch of bullshit.
    As for wasted talent, again, it's all in its perspective.
     
    boots, Dec 29, 2006
    #34
  11. Bob Cook

    Bob Cook Active Member

    Len Bias is No. 1 on my list because he celebrated reaching his pro dreams by unintentionally killing himself.

    I would put someone such as Ronnie Fields on this list. I think he's played, what, it seems like 15 years in the CBA? Fields is one of many Chicago versions of the urban player from a troubled background who never learned how to apply himself. He's the stated reason why Derrick Rose of Simeon, the Chicago hotshot who just signed with Memphis, is kept under a bubble by his older brothers. They don't want him to be the next Ronnie Fields.

    Then again, there are plenty of players who pissed away talent who would have wished to have Fields' career.
     
    Bob Cook, Dec 29, 2006
    #35
  12. Idaho

    Idaho Active Member

    Uncle Rico.

    he could throw a ball over a mountain, yet his talent was wasted because the coach never put him in the game.

    /lame, lame, lame joke
     
    Idaho, Dec 29, 2006
    #36
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