Minnesota Sports Forum

KG4Ever wrote:Isaiah Thomas (Celtics version) wanted a big bag but never got it and is now is out of league. Also multi-time all-stars like Andre Drummond and DeMarcus Cousins are a back up and out of league, respectively. John Wall certainly got a bag but injuries have left him a shell.

I'm pretty sure Isaiah Thomas is a cautionary tale at this point. He had that memorable season and playoff run (sister's death + mess up face + leg/hip injury) that while commendable at the time... ended up costing him tens of millions (maybe 100 million) dollars.

Cousin's demise was largely injury-related, too. But yeah, both fell off pretty quickly.

Seeing Drummond's name made me think of Roy Hibbert. Remember when he went from the poster boy for interior defense (verticality) to out of the league as the game moved outside behind the arc. Quickly.



[Note: I don't think too many people believe Simmons' issues are injury-related at this point. He barely ever even looks at the basket anymore.]

Going back about 10-15 years ago....Andris Biedrins with the Golden State Warriors.

Got progressively better as a young big in the league, peaking at around age 21 or 22 as a solid starting Center, then just got worse and worse and worse, to the point where he was out of the league by 28. He went from being a somewhat limited offensive player that could get you around 10-12 points per game to someone that couldn't even make a free throw.

Keon Clark was a player I had hoped we could pair up with KG. After a number of productive years he threw it away.

I'd throw Ronnie Brewer in the mix too. A young wing defender that was "good enough" on offense, but then eventually completely lost his shot and confidence and just fell apart completely on that end of the floor. Really started out quite well and then just got worse as time went on and out of the league by 28.

Yeah, fascinating to remember some of these guys that had their best years in their early 20s and then just fell apart when they should have been in their peak years where injuries were NOT the main cause.

Folks don't like the Gobert trade. Imagine if the Wolves made the moves discussed on here to get Ben. But hey, that defense tho!

I don't think Simmons wants the spotlight, he's just collecting checks now and will go away when he is eventually bought out.