I can't really think of any troubled players that mature and become stars for the team that drafted them. There are many examples of talented young players that struggled with maturity issues but eventually overcame them and became stars in the NBA. They almost always do it after a couple of stops in the NBA. Can you guys think of anybody that has turned it around and been a star for the team that drafted?
Does Iverson count?
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Yes, he does. I hadn't thought of him.Originally Posted by Mr. S£im Citrus
Cousins is one of those players who will never mature no what team he's on. Some players can't or won't learn.
You are being obtuse.
Webber, Rasheed, Zach Randolph are the main ones that come to mind in recent times as far as top talents. Iverson is arguable, yes they made it to the finals that one year, but the East was absolutely dreadful that season, and the 6'er team was a bunch of great defenders and Iverson. Iverson never truly matured, he always wanted to be "the guy" even though he was clearly not.
All of those players bounced around the league before settling in and becoming solid players. That was the OP's point.
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"Size doesn't make any difference; heart is what makes a difference." -- Jerry Sloan.
Depends on what you mean by troubled players and stars? There are a lot of guys that had non-basketball related issues early in careers and went on to have success with their teams.
Name some please. I can't really think of that many.
Off the top of my head:
Charles Barkley
George Gervin
Derrick Coleman
Allen Iverson
Shawn Kemp
Hakeem Olajuwon
I can't either. It seems like the truly troubled players have to bounce around before they finally - if they're lucky - find a team where they can remake themselves into what they're capable of being.
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I didn't know Barkley and Hakeem were troubled early on. I actually think Kemp is a pretty good example though.
"Dealing with the Maloofs is like dealing with the North Koreans, except less competent." -- Chris Lehane, Director of Think Big
"Size doesn't make any difference; heart is what makes a difference." -- Jerry Sloan.
Barkley was a little bit of trouble but he also didn't reach his peak until he was with the Suns. I don't think Kemp was ever the best player on his team.
Kemp was definitely the best player on that Cavaliers team. It's just that that Cavaliers team wasn't all that good.
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Ha Ha. Of course they weren't the team that drafted him.
So you are defining star as the best on his team? Barkley was a 6 time all-star with Philly and Kemp 5 times with SEA
I guess that I am looking for an example of a player that reached his peak playing for the team that put in the effort to help him mature. Kemp or Iverson are probably the best examples.
The problem is you could also say the same thing for guys that never had trouble. It's the nature of the NBA where star type players are generally drafted by the worst teams and they can leave to other teams before they peak.
Charles was a first team NBA for the 76ers from 88-91, 2nd team in 92, All star 87-92, Allstar MVP 1991. Oh was was on dream team in 1992. All before joining the suns.
This all started in his 4th year in the league. He has always credited DR. J and Moses for keeping him in check early on.
In 1991 he spit on a girl (he was aiming for another fan and was cussing him out too). In 1991 his mouth got in him trouble about Magic J getting HIV.
Sound familar? This was in his 6th year, he was 28 years old.Upon retirement, Barkley was later quoted as stating, "I was fairly controversial, I guess, but I regret only one thing—the spitting incident. But you know what? It taught me a valuable lesson. It taught me that I was getting way too intense during the game. It let me know I wanted to win way too bad. I had to calm down. I wanted to win at all costs. Instead of playing the game the right way and respecting the game, I only thought about winning."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_BarkleyLegacy
Barkley at the 2010 NBA Hall of Fame induction.During his 16-year NBA career, Barkley was regarded as one of the most controversial, outspoken and dominating players in the history of basketball. His impact on the sport went beyond his rebounding titles, assists, scoring and physical play.[26] His larger than life persona and confrontational mannerisms often led to technical fouls and fines and sometimes gave rise to national controversy, such as when he was featured in ads that rejected pro athletes as role models and declared, "I am not a role model."[55] Although his words often led to controversy, according to Barkley his mouth was never the cause because it always spoke the truth.[26] He stated, "I don't create controversies. They're there long before I open my mouth. I just bring them to your attention."[4]
Besides his on-court fights with other players, he has exhibited confrontational behavior off-court. He was arrested for breaking a man's nose during a fight after a game with the Milwaukee Bucks[56] and also for throwing a man through a plate-glass window after being struck with a glass of ice.[57] Barkley continued, however, to remain popular with the fans and media because of his sense of humor and honesty.
On a side note, maybe it's the water in Alabama.
Last edited by Section 101; 12-21-2012 at 11:28 PM.
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Not really. Kobe, Jordan, Duncan, Robinson, Stockton, Malone, Wade, etc....
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