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Is Len Bias considered a bust?


AboveLegit
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I'm having a debate with a member on a different forum regarding Len Bias being considered a bust or not. For those who do not know who Len bias is, he was the #2 overall pick in the 1986 draft, and was a sure superstar. Less than 48 hours after he was drafted, Bias suffered a heart attack due to an overdose of cocaine. He never played a NBA game.

 

A cool fact I remember hearing: Coach K said Len Bias was the 2nd best ACC player he ever saw. Right behind Mr. Michael Jordan...

 

Would you consider him a bust? Or would you consider him just a person who tragically lost his life and didn't have a chance to prove himself?

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Len Bias was a bust in regards to being a "pick" in the draft. He can't be considered a bust as a player.

 

Hope that makes more sense.

 

Wasted pick. He ended his life, his decision. If he had been permanently banned because of steroids, more people would be understanding of this.

 

But, you can't say he was a bust as a professional basketball player because, for all we know, his college abilities could have translated into success on a pro level.

 

Simply put, he's not Michael Olowokandi. He's more in the category with Jay Williams, who could've been an excellent NBA player had it not been for his accident. Leaving out the actual details, yes...but again, as a pick, it was a bust. As a player, you can't say that.

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Len Bias was a bust in regards to being a "pick" in the draft. He can't be considered a bust as a player.

 

Hope that makes more sense.

 

Wasted pick. He ended his life, his decision. If he had been permanently banned because of steroids, more people would be understanding of this.

 

But, you can't say he was a bust as a professional basketball player because, for all we know, his college abilities could have translated into success on a pro level.

 

Simply put, he's not Michael Olowokandi. He's more in the category with Jay Williams, who could've been an excellent NBA player had it not been for his accident. Leaving out the actual details, yes...but again, as a pick, it was a bust. As a player, you can't say that.

I understand most of your post, but what's the difference between a bust as a pick and a bust as a player? Simply put, he was drafted high and he did not meet expectations, therefore, he is a bust.

Edited by Eastcoast Assassin
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I understand most of your post, but what's the difference between a bust as a pick and a bust as a player? Simply put, he was drafted high and he did not meet expectations, therefore, he is a bust.

You can translate that many different ways.

 

Was Richard Jefferson a bust? No. But the Rockets traded him before he played a single game, so as their pick...yes, that PICK was a bust. They wasted it by trading it away.

 

Or, like I said, Jay Williams is a great example as well...but let's take someone else who played very well until injuries ended his career: Danny Manning, for the Clippers. He was an excellent player, top pick...didn't play long. Was he a bust as a player? Nope, because his exceptional play at Kansas maintained itself as a professional. But, as the first pick in the draft...the pick was a bust, because the Clippers passed on Mitch Richmond, who was an all-star and stayed healthy much longer than Manning.

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I like the Jay Williams and Shaun Livingston examples. How can you consider a player a bust when he loses his life before he could start his career? A bust is a bust when a player doesn't perform up to expectations, not when he's physically not allowed to perform. Jay Williams can't be considered a bust because he never had a chance to perform up to his capabilities after the motorcycle incident. Bias can't be a bust when he's a tragedy.

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I like the Jay Williams and Shaun Livingston examples. How can you consider a player a bust when he loses his life before he could start his career? A bust is a bust when a player doesn't perform up to expectations, not when he's physically not allowed to perform. Jay Williams can't be considered a bust because he never had a chance to perform up to his capabilities after the motorcycle incident. Bias can't be a bust when he's a tragedy.

 

you said it before i could. you can't consider a guy a bust if he never played a second in NBA. i honestly think he could of rivaled Jordan but we'll never know...

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