Good news: Isaiah "J.R" Rider has re-signed with the Cocaine Allstars again:

link

At the risk of going all Bill Simmons on everyone, what sort of team could you put together of NBAers who never reached their full potential due to drugs:

Len Bias
JR Rider
Roy Tarpley
Shawn Kemp
and, um, Stanley Roberts

Any others?

Could Vin Baker be a candidate here?

Or would he have to play for the AA AllStars

Chris "Birdman" Anderson would be another candidate.

What about ABL players who never reached their full potential.

And who are ugly? Just kidding.

Statman, Gold! Might have to be the Double D's though....
Hey Bo, what about Reggie Lewis, Quentin Daily and most of the 1983-84 Chicago Bulls?

Reggie Lewis?? I wasnt aware he had a drug problem before he died of a heart complaint.

was widely rumoured Kanye, I just threw that one out there for a response...Not sure if it was proven or not.

I don't think it was ever conclusively proven that Reggie was under the influence of drugs when he died, but yes, it's certainly widely assumed to be the case.

Here's six of the worst:

Chris Washburn
6'11", 225lb C
Drafted #3 overall in 1986 by Golden State
Cocaine ruined things for him, eventually banned from the league.

William Bedford
7'0", 225lb C
Drafted #6 overall in 1986 by Phoenix
Cocaine ruined things for him too, banned from the league also.

Leon Smith
6'10", 235lb PF
Drafted #29 overall in 1999 by Dallas
High-schooler who once swallowed 100 asprin, requiring his stomach to be pumped.

Micheal Ray Richardson
6'5", 189lb PG
Drafted #4 overall in 1978 by New York
Check the career numbers
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/richami01.html
Ruined by a lifetime ban for cocaine abuse.

Derrick Coleman
6'10, 230lb PF
Drafted #1 overall by New Jersey in 1990
A potential superstar who was derailed by a bad work ethic, bad attitude, alcohol abuse and countless run-ins with the law.

David "Skywalker" Thompson
6'4", 195lb SG
Drafted #1 overall in 1975 by Atlanta
A Hall-of-Famer who famously battled drugs and alcohol, but overcame it to tell his story in his biography. Was Michael Jordan's role model when he was growing up.

richard dumas (phoenix suns about 94) and the G.O.A.T - Earl Manigault.

3, good work...I cannot believe that I forgot Leon Smith...what a crack head!
honourable mention. John Lucas and Lloyd Daniels.

There is some interesting reads regarding the 80's and the widely held belief was about one third to half the league were users of coca .
Explains how the game literally went above the rim .
check out george gervin and why he was aptly nincknamed the ice man .

There is some interesting reads regarding the 80's and the widely held belief was about one third to half the league were users of coca .
Explains how the game literally went above the rim .
check out george gervin and why he was aptly nincknamed the ice man .

The 1986 draft presents probably the greatest collection of "what ifs" in basketball history. Littered with stories of drugs, alcohol, unfulfilled potential and just plain hard luck, it for better or worse changed the course of the NBA for the last 20 years. Some funny names to be seen too.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_1986.html

Here's some of the story:

#1 overall pick by Cleveland
Brad Daugherty
7'0", 245lb C
Perrenial 20 and 10 guy and one of the great passing big men of all time, he was cut down in the prime of his career (aged 28) by back problems.

#2 overall pick by Boston
Len Bias
6'8", 225lb SF
Suffered a fatal cardiac arrhythmia that resulted from a cocaine overdose fewer than 48 hours after the draft. Described as a "Michael Jordan type who was bigger, with a better jump shot, but who didn't go to the basket as well". His brother Jay was also shot dead in 1990 after an arguement at a jewellery store in Maryland.

#3 overall pick by Golden State
Chris Washburn
6'11", 225lb C
Never as good as advertised, he was furthur derided for his poor work ethic and lazy attitude, until cocaine took hold, resulting in his eventual bannishment from the league.

#5 overall pick by New York
Kenny "Sky" Walker
6'8", 210lb SF
Only real claim to fame in the NBA is his win in the 1989 Slam Dunk Contest. Eventually slowed by knee injuries.

#6 overall pick by Phoenix
William Bedford
7'0", 225lb C
A journeyman who never lived up to his potential, sat out the entire 1988-89 season due to drug ban, until eventually bein ousted for good for cocaine abuse in 1993.

#7 overall pick by Dallas
Roy Tarpley
6'11", 230lb C
His stats show his ability
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/tarplro01.html
Yet he was banned between 1991-1994, until a lifetime ban in 1995, both for cocaine abuse. Still hoping to make an NBA comeback, aged 42.

#8 overall pick by Cleveland
Ron Harper
6'6", 185lb SG
Almost a mini-Jordan early in his career
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/harpero01.html
Yet knee injuries robbed him of his explosiveness. Still managed to be a starter in 5 NBA Championship seasons (1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001).

#22 overall pick by Milwaukee
Scott Skiles
6'1", 180lb PG
Overcame alcoholism to carve out a decent career in both the NBA and overseas. Now one of the NBA's top coaches with Chicago.

#24 overall pick by Portland
Arvydas Sabonis
7'3", 279 C
Sabonis in his prime would have most likely meant the late 80s/early 90s being very different. Portland lost 2 NBA Finals during this era, they probably would have won 4. Sabonis finally arrived in the NBA in 1995, by which time knee, ankle and Achilles' injuries had robbed him of much of his mobility. Supposedly better than Hakeem, Robinson and Ewing before injury took hold.

#25 overall pick by Dallas
Mark Price
6'0", 170lb PG
4-time All-Star who's career was eventually cut down by injury, causing his retirement at age 34. Now coaching the South Dragons in the NBL.

#27 overall pick to Detroit
Dennis Rodman
6'7", 210lb SF (eventually listed as a 6'8", 220lb PF)
Part of 5 NBA Champion teams (1989, 1990, 1996, 1997, 1998), 2-time NBA All-Star (1990, 1992), 2-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year (1990, 1991), 7-time NBA All-Defensive First Team (1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996), 7-time NBA rebounding champ (1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998), and probably my favourite player of all time. Rodman was able to overcome being a few inches shorter than his counterparts with his willingness to put his body on the line for any rebound, his intense work ethic, his incredible physical strength, and his expert knowledge of the game, but battled alcoholism and constant controversy for most of his prime. A noted excentric, Rodman is now a recovered alcoholic, still attempting to come back in the NBA aged 45.

#60 overall pick by Portland
Drazen Petrovic
6'5", 195lb SG
The Croatian hero is argueably the greatest European player of all time, and the first to make a real impact in the NBA. Once scored 112 points in a game in Europe, he was tragically killed in his prime in a car accident in 1993, aged 28.

all good anon, I racked my brains for ages to remember his name...could remember his face off an old hoops card i have of him..
was a good player though.

Another interesting player from the 70's who is rarely mentioned in these discussions is Marvin Barnes. He played in the ABA for the first few seasons of his carrer, winning ABA Rookie of the Year in 1974-75 ahead of Moses Malone and others. 24ppg 15rpg as a rookie. Slowly over the next few years, drugs ruined his career, to the point he was using drugs on the bench during NBA games with the Celtics in the late 70's!

Good article on him and a former ABA teammate Gus Gerard who went the same way:
http://www.remembertheaba.com/ABAArticles/MurphyArticleBarnesGerard.html

Although Barnes was washed up by the time he got to the NBA, I think he should be considered on any list like this given how talented he was and what he showing in his 2 ABA seasons.

Big list of players who didn't make the NBA too, two big ones that spring to mind are:
Earl "The Goat" Manigault, a Guard who was challenging Kareem to be the best prospect in the US in the late 60's. Kareem said he was the best player he'd ever played against when he retired, and he'd played around 20 NBA seasons by then!!
http://www.ndaadunk.com/realmedia/ccbill/earlmanigault.com/earls_biography.htm

Demetrius "Hook" Mitchell who grew up with Gary Payton, Jason Kidd and others and they all admit to him being a better player than any of them and look what they have accomplished!
http://hookmitchell.com/

They both have movies about their careers and I'd recommend everyone to check them out if possible! They're in my collection at home.

so, a movie night at TG's then...
see you there mate!