anyone remember Harold Miner from USC?
- Thread starter Jar
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Khalid El-Amin was my man.
In an article from Wednesday's Houston Chronicle, Rockets GM Carroll Dawson had this to say about 2004 draft pick Vassilis Spanoulis:
"You'll like this guy. He can get into the paint like Tony Parker. He's like Kobe, but not on that level."
Even with the tacked-on disclaimer, that's some pretty hefty praise for Spanoulis, a combo guard who is currently playing in Greece — but who will likely join the Rockets next season. Spanoulis was picked 51st overall in 2004, after guys like Ha Seung-Jin, Royal Ivey and Donta Smith were already off the board. In defense of Dawson's skills as a talent evaluator, however, he was the guy who, once upon a time, drafted Robert Horry over the much more-hyped Harold Miner.
Still, Dawson's comments about Spanoulis got us thinking of some of the more over-hyped players we've seen in recent memory. Starting, of course, with "Baby Jordan."
Harold Miner
It used to be that rocking a shaved head, wearing No. 23 and ridiculous hops could earn you a nickname like "Baby Jordan." Then Miner came along and exposed the farce. Although we can't even front on his college resume — Miner is still USC's all-time leading scorer — the 1992 lottery pick flamed out after winning the All-Star Weekend Slam Dunk contests in '93 and '95. He lasted just four seasons in the NBA and finished with a career average of nine points per game. But the dude could get up; we have to admit that fact.
Shawn Bradley
Pro scouts fell in love with Bradley, a fairly athletic 7-foot-6 stickman who put up 14 points, seven boards and five blocks a game in his only season at BYU. When he became the talk of the 1993 draft, Bradley hadn't actually played competitive basketball for more than two years, spending that time overseas on a Mormon mission. Still, the Sixers, in love with his potential and athleticism for a guy that big (he supposedly batted close to .400 on his high school baseball team), took Bradley with the second overall pick — ahead of Penny Hardaway, Jamal Mashburn, Vin Baker and Allan Houston. (Gheorghe Muresan was a high second-round pick in that same draft.)
Bradley had a 12-year run in the league before retiring with the Mavericks last year. But he never lived up to the hype that followed him out of college, peaking as an off-the-bench player who averaged eight points, six rebounds and 2.5 blocks in his career. Bradley was best known for getting posterized by some of the NBA's best (as well as just average) dunkers, including the famous one where T-Mac rode him like a horse in the 2005 playoffs.
Keith Van Horn
Hype-wise, Van Horn was Adam Morrison before Adam Morrison; another guy who was constantly compared to the great Larry Bird. Van Horn justified it by putting up big numbers at Utah, dropping 20 points and eight boards per season over four years. He was taken second overall in the 1997 draft (again by the Sixers, but they traded him to New Jersey that same day) ahead of Chauncey Billups, Tim Thomas and Tracy McGrady. While KVH's scoring numbers hovered around 20 points per game during his first few seasons as a pro, he was always regarded as a soft player and is now a reserve spot-up shooter for the Mavs.
Trajan Langdon
When arguing the pro potential of one J.J. Redick, Duke-haters and Redick detractors can always point to Trajan Langdon. Similar to Redick, the "Alaskan Assassin" was a dead-eye, three-point shooter who was automatic from the stripe for Coach K's squad, an undersized two-guard who also possessed questionable defensive and ball-handling abilities.
While Langdon wasn't quite the volume scorer Redick was in college, he also played on a more-talented Duke team that featured Elton Brand. Langdon was picked 11th overall by the Cavaliers in 1999 — ahead of Corey Maggette, Ron Artest and Andrei Kirilenko. He played only three seasons in the NBA, averaging five points per game and hitting just 39 percent of his shots from beyond the arc. He is currently one of the best players in the Euroleague, but he may never make it back to the NBA.
Khalid El-Amin
It's easy to see why El-Amin had so much hype behind him. Standing just 5-foot-9 and weighing 200 pounds, he was Mr. Everyman; a guy built more like your dad's poker buddies than an NBA guard; not to mention his infectious on-court energy and the fact that he'd led UConn to a national championship in 1999.
NBA scouts knew better than to make El-Amin a high draft pick, and he fell to the Bulls in the second round. (El-Amin was still selected before Michael Redd.) We remember how, at the time, a lot of fans still thought El-Amin would walk in and start doing the same things in the league that he did in college. Not so much. El-Amin lasted all of one season with the Bulls, averaging a respectable six points and nearly three assists per game. Like Langdon, he also plays overseas.
In an article from Wednesday's Houston Chronicle, Rockets GM Carroll Dawson had this to say about 2004 draft pick Vassilis Spanoulis:
"You'll like this guy. He can get into the paint like Tony Parker. He's like Kobe, but not on that level."
Even with the tacked-on disclaimer, that's some pretty hefty praise for Spanoulis, a combo guard who is currently playing in Greece — but who will likely join the Rockets next season. Spanoulis was picked 51st overall in 2004, after guys like Ha Seung-Jin, Royal Ivey and Donta Smith were already off the board. In defense of Dawson's skills as a talent evaluator, however, he was the guy who, once upon a time, drafted Robert Horry over the much more-hyped Harold Miner.
Still, Dawson's comments about Spanoulis got us thinking of some of the more over-hyped players we've seen in recent memory. Starting, of course, with "Baby Jordan."
Harold Miner
It used to be that rocking a shaved head, wearing No. 23 and ridiculous hops could earn you a nickname like "Baby Jordan." Then Miner came along and exposed the farce. Although we can't even front on his college resume — Miner is still USC's all-time leading scorer — the 1992 lottery pick flamed out after winning the All-Star Weekend Slam Dunk contests in '93 and '95. He lasted just four seasons in the NBA and finished with a career average of nine points per game. But the dude could get up; we have to admit that fact.
Shawn Bradley
Pro scouts fell in love with Bradley, a fairly athletic 7-foot-6 stickman who put up 14 points, seven boards and five blocks a game in his only season at BYU. When he became the talk of the 1993 draft, Bradley hadn't actually played competitive basketball for more than two years, spending that time overseas on a Mormon mission. Still, the Sixers, in love with his potential and athleticism for a guy that big (he supposedly batted close to .400 on his high school baseball team), took Bradley with the second overall pick — ahead of Penny Hardaway, Jamal Mashburn, Vin Baker and Allan Houston. (Gheorghe Muresan was a high second-round pick in that same draft.)
Bradley had a 12-year run in the league before retiring with the Mavericks last year. But he never lived up to the hype that followed him out of college, peaking as an off-the-bench player who averaged eight points, six rebounds and 2.5 blocks in his career. Bradley was best known for getting posterized by some of the NBA's best (as well as just average) dunkers, including the famous one where T-Mac rode him like a horse in the 2005 playoffs.
Keith Van Horn
Hype-wise, Van Horn was Adam Morrison before Adam Morrison; another guy who was constantly compared to the great Larry Bird. Van Horn justified it by putting up big numbers at Utah, dropping 20 points and eight boards per season over four years. He was taken second overall in the 1997 draft (again by the Sixers, but they traded him to New Jersey that same day) ahead of Chauncey Billups, Tim Thomas and Tracy McGrady. While KVH's scoring numbers hovered around 20 points per game during his first few seasons as a pro, he was always regarded as a soft player and is now a reserve spot-up shooter for the Mavs.
Trajan Langdon
When arguing the pro potential of one J.J. Redick, Duke-haters and Redick detractors can always point to Trajan Langdon. Similar to Redick, the "Alaskan Assassin" was a dead-eye, three-point shooter who was automatic from the stripe for Coach K's squad, an undersized two-guard who also possessed questionable defensive and ball-handling abilities.
While Langdon wasn't quite the volume scorer Redick was in college, he also played on a more-talented Duke team that featured Elton Brand. Langdon was picked 11th overall by the Cavaliers in 1999 — ahead of Corey Maggette, Ron Artest and Andrei Kirilenko. He played only three seasons in the NBA, averaging five points per game and hitting just 39 percent of his shots from beyond the arc. He is currently one of the best players in the Euroleague, but he may never make it back to the NBA.
Khalid El-Amin
It's easy to see why El-Amin had so much hype behind him. Standing just 5-foot-9 and weighing 200 pounds, he was Mr. Everyman; a guy built more like your dad's poker buddies than an NBA guard; not to mention his infectious on-court energy and the fact that he'd led UConn to a national championship in 1999.
NBA scouts knew better than to make El-Amin a high draft pick, and he fell to the Bulls in the second round. (El-Amin was still selected before Michael Redd.) We remember how, at the time, a lot of fans still thought El-Amin would walk in and start doing the same things in the league that he did in college. Not so much. El-Amin lasted all of one season with the Bulls, averaging a respectable six points and nearly three assists per game. Like Langdon, he also plays overseas.