For example, Lebron saying Shabazz Napier was his favorite pick in the 2014 draft.

I once proclaimed The Simmons & Embid duo was going to be more dangerous than Stockton & Malone.

    • Alex_O7@alien.topB
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      1 year ago

      Lol your not alone, i thought he would win multiple rings and MVPs…

      I remember perfectly arguing with one of my teammates saying (in DRose year 4) that he will have a much better career than D Wade, and that would have been a rather worst case scenario even…

    • Llamentor@alien.topB
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      1 year ago

      I remember a list with D.Rose in it asking who’s you going to cut off in their prime. I thought did D.Rose actually reached his prime, he’s 23 y/o when it all went down

    • sewsgup@alien.topB
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      1 year ago

      he went from ROY > all star > MVP within his 1st 3 seasons, improving his team performance each year.

      it was impossible not to overproject his career, it was such a tremendous trajectory

      • AtreusIsBack@alien.topB
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        1 year ago

        The biggest what if in NBA history. Those Bulls won 60 games as well. He revived the franchise.

        • OddToba@alien.topB
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          1 year ago

          One of the biggest, I guess. He still would be going against a prime Lebron era… so, it’s not like his squad was a guaranteed chip.

          Way bigger what-ifs in my opinion.

          • Soshi101@alien.topB
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            1 year ago

            Like who? Grant Hill? Brandon Roy?

            I don’t think there’s a a player who peaked as highly as Rose and fell to injuries except Bill Walton, and that was almost 50 years ago.

            • noneym86@alien.topB
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              1 year ago

              Yeah DRose is the biggest what if. He was the youngest MVP. Not even Luka or LeBron became MVP at 22. There’s really no contest.

                • AtreusIsBack@alien.topB
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                  1 year ago

                  I was 22 when he went down. It was a shock felt across the league. Sad day. :/

                  Him and Dwight Howard were my favourite players at the time.

              • WeLLrightyOH@alien.topB
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                1 year ago

                His MVP year was awesome, but let’s not conflate it with some sort of legendary year. He was 6th is PPG, 6th is WS/48, and 4th in total WS. For an MVP year it might be the weakest ones of the last 25 years. To say because he won MVP in his third year he had a tremendous trajectory doesn’t tell the whole story.

                • noneym86@alien.topB
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                  1 year ago

                  That’s easy to say if you haven’t watch or followed that season. Basically every single person that knows even a little bit of basketball to the GOAT himself had him as MVP. He is practically a uninanimous MVP and the main reason they’re the best team in the League. I magine how people are so crazy about Luka now, and if he won MVP at 22, that would have been bonkers. So yeah, big numbers don’t necessarily get you MVP, it’s how you fare against your competition. Players feared and adored him at the same time. And the craziest of all, he called him being the MVP in the beginning of the season and people just brushed it off as a sign of competitiveness and extreme confidence.

                  • WeLLrightyOH@alien.topB
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                    1 year ago

                    I watched the season (as I have since basically the mid-80’s), like I said it was an awesome year, also I never said he wasn’t deserving. You put a lot of words in my mouth. What you’re saying can be true, it doesn’t change anything I said, he had a weak MVP season. Also I don’t agree with you that he was the only reason they were winning, they had a great defensive team, and Thibs is well known for driving regular season success at the teams detriment. They won 50 games the next season with rose playing a lot less and not as well, so clearly the team could win without him. Tbh based on what you’re saying it sounds like you probably didn’t watch that season, but I’m not going to make a baseless accusation just because someone said something I don’t like.

            • wooltab@alien.topB
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              1 year ago

              The Blazers if Roy and Oden are healthy are a huge what-if team, but Rose is a bigger individual question.

          • demolisher196969@alien.topB
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            1 year ago

            Russell Westbrook plays the same way. When kd left Oklahoma he was unstoppable in transition. Man if he learnt how to take better decisions late game and could hit 3s consistently 😳😳

    • EndlessPancakes@alien.topB
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      1 year ago

      Honestly it was reasonable at the time. Him and Arvydas Sabonis are the greatest NBA what ifs of all time in my opinion

    • noknownothing@alien.topB
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      1 year ago

      But it wasn’t just injuries. Like the docs cleared him. But he wanted to play at 100% and never got there. No one dies. Took way too much time off.