Remembering Len Bias

[GMScud]

I was only 7 when he died, so I don't really remember him as a player. I do however remember how shocking the news was. I've heard a few people say he would have been right up there with Jordan as the league's most dominant player from the mid-80's through the 90's.

I see that he died on June 19, 1986. So out of curiosity, why today for this thread?

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by GMScud

I was only 7 when he died, so I don't really remember him as a player. I do however remember how shocking the news was. I've heard a few people say he would have been right up there with Jordan as the league's most dominant player from the mid-80's through the 90's.

That's one way of looking at it. The other is this. Suppose he lived that night after using cocaine. Who's to say that wouldn't have been the beginning of a terrible descent into drug abuse for Bias and his career would have been a shell of what it could have been like other great who couldn't overcome rampant drug abuse. Guys like Michael Ray Richardson and Roy Tarpley.

I'm just saying he was absolutely dominant as a college player, and in a way it's nice to think "Poor guy could have been one of the greatest ever if only he had lived." At the same time though, it's not too hard to think it might have been just as sad a story had he lived.

[Schneed10]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

That's one way of looking at it. The other is this. Suppose he lived that night after using cocaine. Who's to say that wouldn't have been the beginning of a terrible descent into drug abuse for Bias and his career would have been a shell of what it could have been like other great who couldn't overcome rampant drug abuse. Guys like Michael Ray Richardson and Roy Tarpley.

I'm just saying he was absolutely dominant as a college player, and in a way it's nice to think "Poor guy could have been one of the greatest ever if only he had lived." At the same time though, it's not too hard to think it might have been just as sad a story had he lived.

Good post. I'd agree.

[GMScud]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

That's one way of looking at it. The other is this. Suppose he lived that night after using cocaine. Who's to say that wouldn't have been the beginning of a terrible descent into drug abuse for Bias and his career would have been a shell of what it could have been like other great who couldn't overcome rampant drug abuse. Guys like Michael Ray Richardson and Roy Tarpley.

I'm just saying he was absolutely dominant as a college player, and in a way it's nice to think "Poor guy could have been one of the greatest ever if only he had lived." At the same time though, it's not too hard to think it might have been just as sad a story had he lived.

Yeah, that's a good point. I'm just going off of what I heard. I'm sure those predictions of his greatness were based on a career free of drug abuse. It's totally valid to speculate that he would have had drug problems moving forward.