Injuries are part of the game.
The same is true for the NBA.
In the NBA, which has been established for more than 70 years, there are many "basketball geniuses" who ultimately failed to fulfill their talents due to injuries and created their own myths in the field of basketball. The following six players are the most well-known and regretted by fans!
If the above six players always stay healthy, who has the highest achievements in the NBA?
NO·1 Tracy McGrady - the man closest to God
Many fans will question whether McGrady is put first. After all, among these six players who are plagued by injuries, except for DeMarcus Cousins, McGrady's honor and leadership ability are difficult to compare with the other five players. But judging from McGrady’s career honors, he entered the league through the draft in 1997. In his 16-year career, McGrady won the NBA scoring title twice, was selected to the NBA All-Star team seven times, and was selected to the NBA All-NBA Team twice. A first-team member, he was selected to the NBA All-NBA Second Team three times, and was selected to the NBA All-NBA Third Team twice. In 2001, he won the NBA Most Improved Player Award.
In addition to the above honors, what fans will remember most is that McGrady changed his fate against the Spurs in the regular season, scoring 13 points in 35.2 seconds, and powerfully reversed the Spurs! This super personal performance can only be compared with Pacers legend Reggie Miller's 8 seconds and 11 minutes. But judging from his personal legend and passionate performance, McGrady's performance is undoubtedly even better!
McGrady has been plagued by injuries since the beginning of his career. The first round of the 2007-2008 playoffs was a very heart-wrenching series for Rockets fans. This season, because Yao Ming was retired early due to injury, McGrady had to fight with injuries. Soon, the Rockets, who were full of injured soldiers, encountered a 1:3 dilemma in the first round. At this time, McGrady stepped forward and used suffocating defense to allow the Jazz, which had Deron and Boozer, to score only 69 points in the game.
Next, McGrady resolutely chose to play in a closed game. In the sixth game, although McGrady scored 40 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists, the team still lost to the Jazz. This is also the direct reason that led to the complete decline of McGrady's career.
Although his career has been plagued by injuries, on April 2, 2017, McGrady could still rely on his performance to be officially selected into the 2017 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Many fans have been saying so far: What kind of career would McGrady have if he could do load management like Leonard today?
NO·2 Derrick Rose - the youngest MVP in history
Many fans born in the 1990s have seen Rose's performance in his "peak period". This super genius known as the "Rose of the Windy City" once defeated James at the youngest age and won the MVP. But before his peak period came, he withered early due to injuries.
To this day, Rose’s fans can’t forget that on April 29, 2012, in the opening game of the NBA playoffs, when the Bulls were leading by a big score, the then Bulls coach Thibodeau still After the game entered garbage time, Rose continued to stay on the court. As a result, with 1 minute and 10 seconds left, Rose tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and left the field.
This also directly caused Rose to be reimbursed for a season. Since then, major and minor injuries have continued, which directly caused a Rose who was about to bloom to wither in advance.
If Rose can always stay healthy, perhaps he can use his own ability to bring the Bulls to the top of the league and recreate the glory of the Jordan and Pippen era!
NO·3 Anfernee Hardaway
In the 1993 NBA draft, Anfernee Hardaway was selected by Golden State as the third overall pick in the first round. Drafted by the State Warriors and immediately traded to the Orlando Magic.
Because of Hardaway's outstanding performance, many media also called Hardaway "Jordan's successor."
But when he was about to reach his peak, he encountered injuries. Since then, he has never returned to his pre-injury state and fulfilled his talents.
Throughout his career, Hardaway was selected to the NBA All-Star team four times in a row (1995-98), the NBA All-NBA First Team twice (1994-95, 1995-96), and the NBA All-NBA First Team in 1997. The best lineup in three teams, *** recorded 8 triple-doubles, and won the Olympic gold medal on behalf of the US Men's Basketball "Dream Team" at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
Hardaway is a typical player who is good at playing in the playoffs. In the regular season, Hardaway averaged 15.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. But in the playoffs, Hardaway's performance improved a lot, averaging 20.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 1.9 steals per game!
In 2007, Anfernee Hardaway announced his retirement.
NO·4 Brayden Roy
Roy has a nickname that is very popular among fans - "Yellow Mamba". At that time, there was another person in the league who was nicknamed the Mamba, and that was the late superstar Kobe Bryant.
Roy was once considered the best shooting guard in the Western Conference besides Kobe Bryant. His performance on the field also well proves people's praise for him! This player was selected by the Trail Blazers with the sixth overall pick in the first round of 2006, and the Trail Blazers paid enough attention to him. However, only on December 11, 2011, 27-year-old Brandon Roy announced his retirement due to a serious knee injury.
Although Roy's career was short, in the 2008-2009 season, Roy averaged 22.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game. Roy is just a third-year rookie at this time!
On April 23, 2011, in the fourth game of the first round of the playoffs against the Dallas Mavericks, Roy contributed 24 points, including 18 points in the fourth quarter. In the last 39.2 seconds of the game, Roy broke into the penalty area and hit a jumper, leading the team to stage a shocking 23-point reversal. Prior to this, only two teams in the league had completed a huge comeback when trailing by more than 18 points in the final quarter. This was also called Roy's final swan song at his peak!
NO·5 Gray Oden
Oden is the first generation of the great emperor. When he entered the league, he was hailed as the next "Olajuwon". Therefore, in the 2007 draft, Oden was able to beat Kevin Durant and was selected by the Trail Blazers to become the No. 1 pick of the year! But Oden has been plagued by injuries throughout his career, and his talent has never been realized.
In the 2009-2010 season, the best season of his career, Oden averaged 23.9 minutes per game and contributed 11.1 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks. His dominance in the paint was beginning to take shape! But since then, Oden has suffered from injuries again. Even though he tried to regain his form with the Heat, he failed to do so.
It can be said that Oden is the player most easily imagined among these five people, and he is also the player with the most variables.
NO·6 DeMarcus Cousins ??
The reason why Cousins ??is ranked last is because of his fiery and unstable character. His "willful" performance on the court undoubtedly added a lot of drama to the game. However, there is no doubt about Cousins' dominance on the court before the injury. The reason why Cousins' leadership was not effective during the Kings period has a lot to do with the unprofessional and irregular management and operations of the Kings management.
In the last season of the Kings, Cousins ??averaged 27.8 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. After being traded to the Pelicans, the Pelicans already had Davis, the big-browed brother. Both can still contribute 25.2 points and 12.9 rebounds. It can be said that Cousins, who had been in the league for 9 years at that time, had grown into the "number one center" who could dominate the court.
However, after an Achilles tendon rupture injury, Cousins' performance immediately declined, missing his upcoming peak and possible achievements!
If Cousins ??is not injured and has no character flaws, then the league may no longer be dominated by the small ball style.
The famous basketball saying "Those who win inside win the world" is still a classic for winning in basketball!