Everyone has had this conversation with their friends. Exploring “what could have been” can be more exciting than what actually happened.
From injuries to a unique shoe size preference, here is a look at the top five “What Ifs” in NBA History.
No. 5: 2020-21 BROOKLYN NETS
The 2020-21 Brooklyn Nets are arguably the most disappointing team ever. Expectations were ring or bust with Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving on the same team.
The Nets infamously lost in game seven in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks because of Durant’s shoe size.
Durant hit an incredible turn-around fadeaway jump shot, but his toe was on the line. Instead of a game/series winning three, it was a game-tying two and the Nets would lose in overtime.
Durant prefers to wear a shoe size up while playing basketball. This caused many to wonder, “What if Durant wore his normal shoe size during that game?”
Losing to the eventual champions is not why the 2020-21 Nets were disappointing. The Big Three were all afflicted by injuries throughout the season.
Durant, Harden, and Kyrie played only 16 games together, but they were finally healthy going into the playoffs. The Nets won their first series against the Boston Celtics in five games.
It looked like the Nets finally put it all together heading into the Bucks series, but Harden played less than a minute before leaving game one with a hamstring injury. The Nets still won games one and two without Harden, but in Game 4, Irving sprained his ankle, causing him to miss the rest of the series.
Harden returned to the series in Game 5 but was obviously still hurt, scoring only five points in 45 minutes. After the series, Harden confirmed he was playing through a Grade Two hamstring strain.
Irving tweeted his biased answer to the question, “What if the Big Three stayed healthy?”
https://Twitter.com/KyrieIrving/status/1650914691529555980
In the following season, the Nets did not allow Irving to play home games due to his vaccination status, and Harden was traded at the deadline. This meant the Big Three had only one season together before the team gave up on it.
WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN
The Nets Big Three consisted of some of the most polarizing players in the NBA. Think about the dialogue that surrounds them.
“If you (Durant) ain’t driving the bus, don’t walk around talking about you’re a champion!” – Charles Barkley
“He (Irving) hasn’t proven he can win without LeBron.” – Stephen A. Smith
Harden’s playoff struggles have also been discussed countless times in the media. Those narratives would have disappeared if the Nets had stayed healthy and won the championship.
No. 4: ZION WILLIAMSON
Zion Williamson ranks fourth because he still has most of his career ahead of him. He may find a way to stay healthy and have a productive, long career, but injuries have plagued his career.
Leading up to the draft, Zion had questions about his weight. At Duke, he was listed at 285 lbs, which would have made him the second-heaviest player in the NBA, behind Boban Marjanović, who was 7’3″ and 290 lbs.
Zion still faces weight concerns in the NBA. Last year, Williamson was the third-heaviest player in the NBA and was half a foot shorter than everyone else in the top five.
Despite this, Williamson was dominant. He made the All-Star Game, averaging 27.0 points and 7.2 rebounds on 61.1 percent shooting in his second season.
However, his weight did affect his availability. Zion played only 22 games in his rookie season and missed the entirety of his third season due to a foot injury.
After returning from the foot injury, Zion played well enough to make his second All-Star Game but couldn’t participate due to a hamstring injury. That hamstring injury caused him to miss the remainder of the season.
Last season, Williamson played in 70 games. It seemed Zion had finally figured out how to stay healthy until he injured his hamstring again in a Play-In game against the Lakers.
Zion played in only six games this season before injuring the same hamstring again. He is now out indefinitely.
No. 3: MAGIC AND BIRD
How could Magic Johnson and Larry Bird be considered “What if” players? Both are top-10 players of all time. Magic has five rings, Bird has three, and each has three MVPs.
Both Bird and Magic played only 12 seasons in the NBA. Magic Johnson played 11 seasons before contracting HIV and returned four years later for one final season.
Magic Johnson is a top-10 player of all time, but he did much of his work as a second option behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Kareem retired in 1989, leaving Magic with only two seasons as the number one option before he was forced to retire.
Larry Bird famously injured his back in 1985 while making a driveway for his mom. Bird could push through the pain, even winning MVP in 1986, the season after his injury.
Bird played only six games in the 1988-89 season before undergoing surgery to remove bone spurs from both of his heels. Meanwhile, his back injury worsened.
Bird’s orthopedic doctor, Dan Dyrek, explained in a YouTube video what Bird went through in the final years of his career:
“What we had to do was unlock his spine, re-align it, and use techniques that would hold it for four or six hours, then he’d go play basketball,” Dyrek said.
Bird reflected on his career in the same video:
“I probably should’ve retired in ’88-89,” Bird said. “It’s that competition. Maybe one more chance for me and Magic to get together in the Finals, but it never happened.”
Both Bird and Magic had health problems in the prime of their careers, with Magic at 31 and Bird at 32. What if they could play out the last six or so years of their careers in full health?
No. 2: DERRICK ROSE
Derrick Rose is a player who always comes up in “What if” conversations, and for good reason. In his third season, Rose became the youngest MVP in league history at 22 years old, leading the Bulls to an Eastern Conference Championship appearance.
The Bulls made the playoffs the following season as the top seed in the East. Rose was still in the game with 1:22 left, even though the Bulls had a 12-point lead.
Rose tore his ACL while going up for a layup. An ACL tear this late in the season meant Rose would miss the 2012-13 season.
The severe injuries didn’t end there:
- Rose tore his meniscus in his opposite knee 10 games into the 2013-14 season, then tore it again in the 2014-15 season.
- Rose played one more season for the Bulls before being traded to the New York Knicks. He tore his other meniscus during his lone season in New York.
- Rose still played 16 seasons in the league and retired before this season.
He had to battle through four season-ending injuries before turning 30.
Rose’s injuries have not only made his career a “What if” but also a “What if” for the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls drafted Jimmy Butler 30th overall in the 2011 draft after Rose won MVP. The number-one team in the East — and possibly the NBA — could have added another All-Star to their rotation.
No. 1: THE PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
Trail Blazer players would have filled this list if they didn’t have their own category.
BILL WALTON: WHEN IT ALL STARTED
At UCLA, Bill Walton dealt with tendinitis in his knees and suffered a back injury. Despite this, Portland selected him first overall in the 1974 draft.
Walton won Finals MVP and finished second in MVP voting in his third season. He would win the 1977-78 MVP in the following season.
In his MVP season, Walton injured his left foot and used painkillers to push through and play during the playoffs. X-rays revealed that Walton had a broken bone in his left ankle after Game 2.
Walton missed the entire 1978-79 season and then demanded a trade from the Trail Blazers, accusing them of providing poor medical treatment. Walton was traded and never played for Portland again.
ARVYDAS SABONIS
Arvydas Sabonis was drafted in 1986 but did not make his NBA debut until 1995.
Sabonis injured his Achilles in 1986 while playing in Spain. He had surgery in 1988 but was rushed back by the USSR to play in the 1988 Olympics. He led the USSR to a gold medal only a few months after surgery.
Sabonis suffered from chronic knee and groin pain due to overuse. What if Sabonis had joined the Trail Blazers in 1986, avoiding his Achilles and overuse injuries?
Portland was a strong team in the late ’80s and early ’90s, even making the 1992 NBA Finals. Adding a Hall-of-Fame center could have made Portland the dynasty of the ’90s instead of the Bulls.
PORTLAND’S BIG THREE
In the late 2000s, the Trail Blazers appeared to have a bright future. The Blazers had Greg Oden, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Brandon Roy— all 25 years old or younger.
The Big Three looked unstoppable, with a record of 51-24 when they played together. Sadly, Oden and Roy’s careers were cut short due to major injuries.
ODEN’S INJURIES
Oden was the first overall pick in the 2007 draft but missed his entire rookie season due to surgery to repair microfractures in his knee. He played 82 games over the next two seasons before colliding knees with Aaron Brooks.
This would be the last time Oden played for the Blazers. He missed the next three seasons before joining the Miami Heat.
ROY’S INJURY
Kobe Bryant called Brandon Roy the hardest player to guard in the Western Conference, stating that Roy had no weaknesses. Roy was a three-time All-Star before tearing his meniscus slightly in 2010; he returned just eight games later.
He played 23 games in the 2010-2011 season before a lack of cartilage in his knee kept him out for a long period. Roy returned and finished the season but missed the following one.
In 2011, Roy announced his retirement from basketball due to his degenerative knee condition. He retired from retirement to join the Timberwolves but injured his knee again and retired for good.
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