The Best That Never Was

[Big Sexy]

With the recent retirement of Grant Hill it got me thinking, how good would he have been if he didn't suffer all of those injuries during his prime? Hill was co-rookie of the year with Jason Kidd in 94-95 and had 6 elite seasons with the Detroit Pistons before the injuries started and he signed with Orlando. Hill was the first in a long line of up and coming players to be labeled "The Next Jordan." Who knows what would have happened had he stayed healthy in his prime, especially with the emergence of Tracy McGrady in Orlando.

Other players like Hill include the likes of McGrady, Bo Jackson, Terrell Davis, Sterling Sharpe, etc.. So what are your thoughts on these players and how good they could have been? And which of these players do you think would have been the best in their respective sport(s) without the injuries? Feel free to add other names, I was just listing a few off the top of my head.

 

[hatehabsforever]

How about Mario Lemieux? Comparisons have always been drawn between him and Wayne Gretzky in terms of who's the best ever (and of course, the answer is neither), with comparisons between their numbers. Because there was an extensive overlap in their playing careers, the comparisons of their numbers are inevitable, and the proponents of Lemieux are always so quick to speculate as to how much more favorable the numbers of Lemieux would have been, head to head against Gretzky, had he remained healthy.

What if he hadn't had such chronic and ongoing back troubles? What if he hadn't been forced to battle Hodgkin's lymphoma? What if he hadn't been forced into premature retirement, only to return only to have to retire again?

It certainly isn't fair to refer to Mario Lemieux as a "never was". He was an incredible talent and has to be seen as one of the best of all time. But it remains to be seen just how great he could have been, how much more significant his numbers would have been, or how many more highlight reel moments he could have provided for us all, had he been able to stay healthy.

 

[The Butcher]

I never bought into any of "the next Jordan" hype, although Vince Carter came closest, especially with the dunks and the Tar Heel connection. Grant Hill has had an amazing career in spite of injuries that hampered him during his prime. I doubt if he'd have been a transcendent star on the level on an MJ or Magic, but that's part of the intrigue. We'll just never know.

Sterling Sharpe's resume can stand next to any receiver. I thought it was poignant during Shannon's HOF speech when he ran down Sterling's accomplishments and then said something to the effect of "I'm not even the best in my own family!."

Terrell Davis was great, but his legacy takes a bit of a hit because for a while there, Denver could plug anybody in their backfield and the guy would rush for 1,000 yards.

Gale Sayers merits a mention off the top of my head, though I guess since he made the Hall of Fame, you can't say he was a "never was." Still, had he not had knee injuries, Sayers could've set some all-time marks.

 

[Big Sexy]

Since it came up in the first two posts let me clarify the "never was" part of the title because it is a little misleading. I'm not saying these guys were nobodies because of the injuries, just that injuries hindered how great they could have been. Mario Lemieux is one of the greatest hockey players of all times but he "never was" able to reach his ultimate potential because of the injuries. Same thing goes for Gale Sayers and every other athlete that we bring up in the thread.

 

[Alastor]

A recent example would be Brandon Roy but he was already flagged as a risk early in his career. I always felt Yao Ming could have been a great center if not for all his injuries. Shaq was in decline and Howard was just emerging, it could have been his time to shine during those years. Speaking of Centers, who knew what Greg Oden could have done in the NBA of today?

I think Grant Hill's legacy will be how he gave the NBA another 10 years after a career-ending type injury. He could have walked away from the league but he preserved because he wanted to keep playing. Injury didn't rob him of his defensive smarts and he was able to leverage that into being a premier role player.

 

[Davi323]

I am a die hard Detroit Lions fan, and am extremely biased towards Barry Sanders as the greatest running back of all time. However, while I would love to say it absolutely unconditionally, I can't. Deep in my heart, I know that if it wasn't for a dislocated hip, Vincent "Bo" Jackson had the talent to be better than Barry. Bo was almost unstoppable, and he only played football as a hobby after baseball season was over. He was a part time football player, didn't do any off-season training for football, didn't go to any training camps, and yet, the second he stepped foot on to the field, he was the Raiders most lethal offensive threat. On a team that had HOF RB Marcus Allen on it. Bo Jackson was an athletic freak of nature. If he had been a one sport athlete, focused only on the NFL, and remained healthy, Bo would have set the rushing records so far out of reach from everyone else it would be ridiculous.

I love Barry Sanders, he is my all time favorite NFL player...but in all honesty, Bo could have been better.

 

[HBsam31]

How about Mario Lemieux? Comparisons have always been drawn between him and Wayne Gretzky in terms of who's the best ever (and of course, the answer is neither), with comparisons between their numbers. Because there was an extensive overlap in their playing careers, the comparisons of their numbers are inevitable, and the proponents of Lemieux are always so quick to speculate as to how much more favorable the numbers of Lemieux would have been, head to head against Gretzky, had he remained healthy.

What if he hadn't had such chronic and ongoing back troubles? What if he hadn't been forced to battle Hodgkin's lymphoma? What if he hadn't been forced into premature retirement, only to return only to have to retire again?

It certainly isn't fair to refer to Mario Lemieux as a "never was". He was an incredible talent and has to be seen as one of the best of all time. But it remains to be seen just how great he could have been, how much more significant his numbers would have been, or how many more highlight reel moments he could have provided for us all, had he been able to stay healthy.

Lemieux was the first guy that popped into my mind as well. he will still go down as one of the all time greats, but like you said, imagine if he would have been healthy his whole career? We would be talking about him as the best ever for sure. I remember when he went out with the cancer, and how excited everyone was when he came back. he still played at the top level even after that, but he always had the chronic back problems as well. There is no telling what he could have achieved had he not had all of that bad luck. Bo Jackson is another one that the OP mentioned. He was a beast in his prime, and I think he could have been a top 10 running back all time if he didn't go out with that hip injury.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

What about the man with the prettiest baseball swing the sport has ever seen, Ken Griffey, Jr.?

I know, he ended with 630 home runs, 2,781 hits, .284BA, and 1,836 RBIs, 13 time All-Star, 10 time Golden Glove winner, but if you followed his career at all, you know how much better he could've been if he wasn't nagged by injuries throughout the second half of his career. He was even in the home run chase during the 1998 season led by McGwire and Sosa. All the while he has never been in any serious talks about being involved in steriods.

I'm not a huge baseball fan, but it was hard not to like this guy. He always came off as a genuinely likable guy. He always seemed humble and just played the game the way it should've been played. For his career to be brought down by injuries, and still being one of the greatest you could ever see, is quite a shame. I truly would love to know how his career would've turned out had he stayed healthy the entire length. We might be talking about the greatest baseball player who ever lived.