Len Bias — 20 years later

You're either clueless, or you're basing that assesment off of seeing highlights, and that's it. Bias was a great shooter. He got most of his points off plays where he would get an entry pass, take one hard dribble, then rise up above everyone else and drill a 12-footer. What made him good was that you had to get and hand in his face, because he'd nail those shots every time, then when you did, he'd blow by you for a dunk.

 

that washington post story was interesting but not harsh enough on the academic failures of maryland. i would've liked to have seen more about gary williams. his quote was lame.

len bias' death came up a few times in law school. we read a case about his mom trying to get paid for the $1 million life insurance policy that she'd taken out on len before his death. one of the conditions of the policy was that the insured could not be a drug addict or even user. lefty driesell and bias' friends testified that they never saw bias use drugs and that he was a good kid. some of these friends were criminals. the defense introduced the toxigology reports and testimony showing that he clearly died of a cocaine overdose. i think we read this case in evidence to show us how to impeach a witness (bias' friends were not credible witnesses and the fact that they never saw him use drugs was meaningless because he could've been using outside their presence).

 

Maybe this is a stupid question, but . . .

. . . if Bias was so great, why wasn't he picked No. 1?

I've heard everything from perennial All-Star to "one of the 5 best college players I've ever seen" to Hall of Famer.

Well, Brad Daugherty wasn't really any of that. An All-Star every 2 or 3 years, but that's about it.

And he went before Bias.

 

see; Bowie, Sam

 

Not such a stupid question, but the answer is probably size.  Remember that Jordan also went third behind two big men, one of whom was a total bust.  However, I will say that going second in that draft was no great accomplishment.  With a few exceptions, the first round in '86 was absolutely rife with busts.  Picks 7 and 8 were probably the best "value" picks, and one of those drugged himself out of the league.

First Round
1  Clev   Brad Daugherty           North Carolina
2  Bos    Len Bias                 Maryland
3  GS     Chris Washburn           North Carolina State
4  Ind    Chuck Person             Auburn
5  NY    Kenny Walker             Kentucky
6  Phoe   William Bedford          Memphis State
7  Dall   Roy Tarpley              Michigan
8* Clev   Ron Harper               Miami (OH)
9  Chi    Brad Sellers             Ohio State
10 SA     Johnny Dawkins           Duke
11 Det    John Salley              Georgia Tech
12 Wash   John Williams            Louisiana State
13 NJ     Dwayne Washington        Syracuse
14 Port   Walter Berry             St. John's
15 Utah   Dell Curry               Virginia Tech
16 Den    Mo Martin                St. Joseph's
17 Sac    Harold Pressley          Villanova
18 Den    Mark Alarie              Duke
19 Atl    Billy Thompson           Louisville
20 Hous   Buck Johnson             Alabama
21 Wash   Anthony Jones            Nevada-Las Vegas
22 Mil    Scott Skiles             Michigan State
23 LAL    Ken Barlow               Notre Dame
24 Port   Arvidas Sabonis          None (Soviet Union)

 

Very biased opinion... but he's right.

 

I also wouldn't underestimate the effect of joining the defending NBA Champs would have had on his career. Unlike most #2 picks, he wasn't being asked to "save" a franchise, he would have been given time to work on any flaws in his game, and develop into an All-Star. He also would have been able to watch one of the best players ever, learn from him....and also see first hand the amount of hours and hard work Bird put into his game....that would have had a positive effect on Bias. And if he got lazy, you can bet the the veteran Celtics wouldn't stand for it....

 

Just like what happened with Darko Milicic.

Sorry, just couldn't resist.

 

Thanks FB & Michael...love this board.  

 

That's nothing compared to the heists that allowed the Lakers to pick No. 1 in 1979 (Magic Johnson) and 1982 (James Worthy).

 

;D

Give Darko another 4-5 years and I gurantee he'll average at least 8 minutes a game.

 

Really? For all the "dissing" of Michael Jordan's college career here, the fact is he averaged more points per game in fewer minutes than Bias. Plus, Jordan had a lot more talent around him that demanded shots, and didn't have the benefit of the monster senior season Bias had to jack up his career average even more. Stats below.

http://www.sportsstats.com/jazzyj/greats/84/jordan.htm

http://www.sportsstats.com/jazzyj/greats/86/bias.htm