Bad Boys Last Stand! ECF Semi-Finals Game 6 Overtime Victory over Bird's Celtics

[TraceOneInfinite]

yeah he was on that final four team at Illinois with Nick Anderson… good player but never really reached his potential

Exactly.  I liked College Basketball in those days (but I wasn't an expert).  And it was always interesting to see the difference between those talented type of guys like Kendall Gill who were good and we knew them from college, but never maxed out potential in a way that guys like Scottie or Dennis did.  And you can't say it was a case of being on a bad team or bad coaching, because he played in Charlotte.  And again, these guys were good and we liked them, they just never maxed out.

Just for fun, I'll make a little list of my favorite 90's Kendall Gill types.  The guys who were great college players, and we were fans of them in the NBA, but they never maxed out their potential...this is not a list of busts like Clarence Weatherspoon.  This is list of guys that we liked in the NBA but just a cut under the top tier.  I numbered them but the order doesn't matter, this is just the order they came to mind..

1.  Derrick Coleman - there was a rumor that the Bulls wanted him in 1995, but it didn't work out, so they ended up picking up Dennis Rodman to fill that void at PF.  Can you imagine what that would have looked like Derrick with Michael and Scottie?  But mentally, he didn't seem like a good fit

2.  Brian Williams -  Very interesting guy.  I think he died, there was some crazy story about his post-NBA career.  He was actually drafted in the top 10.  He struggled early in his career and the Bulls were able to pick him up for basically nothing to help them in their 1997 Playoff Run.  And there he was with Michael and Scottie--and he would be the go-to guy for a series coming off the bench!!  He'd be an animal!!  Like, taking his man one-on-one in the post, crashing the boards!  He really was a difference maker in their 1997 Playoff Run.  Obviously, not a star, but he was a key role player.  He was also an intriguing guy with the Denver Nuggets.  The guy certainly showed flashes but never maxed out.

3.  Christian Laettner -  Guy hit the most legendary shot in college.  He played on the Dream Team.  He had a solid NBA career, but wasn't a star like he was in college.  This is a little too obvious, everyone knows his story.  But ultimately he did play on some good teams like the Hawks, so there is no excuse for why he didn't become a star, but at the same time, I don't think you can blame him for not becoming a star, because the guy lived and breathed basketball and did everything to prepare, but at the end of the day he was a white boy trying to battle with guys like Shaq and Rodman in the post.  Not an easy task.

4.  Doug Christie - He had that nice run with the Kings when they battled the Lakers in the WCF but he couldn't hit the big shots to put them over.  Webber, Bibby, Bobby Jackson, even Bobby Jackson off the bench--he was behind those guys.

5.  Jamal Mashburn - He was one of those guys they even tried to claim would be a "next Jordan". 

6.  Brian Grant -  This guy battled Shaq to try to put the Blazers over in 2000 and couldn't get it done.  He was way over-matched by Shaq, but he was drafted in top 10 and expected to be a star but he was a weak link when the Blazers needed him most.  Good, but never good enough.

[Sccit]

Exactly.  I liked College Basketball in those days (but I wasn't an expert).  And it was always interesting to see the difference between those talented type of guys like Kendall Gill who were good and we knew them from college, but never maxed out potential in a way that guys like Scottie or Dennis did.  And you can't say it was a case of being on a bad team or bad coaching, because he played in Charlotte.  And again, these guys were good and we liked them, they just never maxed out.

Just for fun, I'll make a little list of my favorite 90's Kendall Gill types.  The guys who were great college players, and we were fans of them in the NBA, but they never maxed out their potential...this is not a list of busts like Clarence Weatherspoon.  This is list of guys that we liked in the NBA but just a cut under the top tier.  I numbered them but the order doesn't matter, this is just the order they came to mind..

1.  Derrick Coleman - there was a rumor that the Bulls wanted him in 1995, but it didn't work out, so they ended up picking up Dennis Rodman to fill that void at PF.  Can you imagine what that would have looked like Derrick with Michael and Scottie?  But mentally, he didn't seem like a good fit

2.  Brian Williams -  Very interesting guy.  I think he died, there was some crazy story about his post-NBA career.  He was actually drafted in the top 10.  He struggled early in his career and the Bulls were able to pick him up for basically nothing to help them in their 1997 Playoff Run.  And there he was with Michael and Scottie--and he would be the go-to guy for a series coming off the bench!!  He'd be an animal!!  Like, taking his man one-on-one in the post, crashing the boards!  He really was a difference maker in their 1997 Playoff Run.  Obviously, not a star, but he was a key role player.  He was also an intriguing guy with the Denver Nuggets.  The guy certainly showed flashes but never maxed out.

3.  Christian Laettner -  Guy hit the most legendary shot in college.  He played on the Dream Team.  He had a solid NBA career, but wasn't a star like he was in college.  This is a little too obvious, everyone knows his story.  But ultimately he did play on some good teams like the Hawks, so there is no excuse for why he didn't become a star, but at the same time, I don't think you can blame him for not becoming a star, because the guy lived and breathed basketball and did everything to prepare, but at the end of the day he was a white boy trying to battle with guys like Shaq and Rodman in the post.  Not an easy task.

4.  Doug Christie - He had that nice run with the Kings when they battled the Lakers in the WCF but he couldn't hit the big shots to put them over.  Webber, Bibby, Bobby Jackson, even Bobby Jackson off the bench--he was behind those guys.

5.  Jamal Mashburn - He was one of those guys they even tried to claim would be a "next Jordan". 

6.  Brian Grant -  This guy battled Shaq to try to put the Blazers over in 2000 and couldn't get it done.  He was way over-matched by Shaq, but he was drafted in top 10 and expected to be a star but he was a weak link when the Blazers needed him most.  Good, but never good enough.

derrick coleman, christian laettner, jamal masburne all became all-stars. never superstars, but also didn't necessarily underwhelm ... dough christie overperformed and even became an all-defense guy- remember, defense is 50% of the game and christie was sacramento's best defender

clarence weatherspoon actually had a better career than brian williams- had some 20-10 seasons with philly, but overall fizzled out pretty quick .. brian grant was a solid big- a double double dude who performed as expected

good to see u got some 90s nba knowledge .. its a good time to get back into the best sport in the world homie

[TraceOneInfinite]

derrick coleman, christian laettner, jamal masburne all became all-stars. never superstars, but also didn't necessarily underwhelm ... dough christie overperformed and even became an all-defense guy- remember, defense is 50% of the game and christie was sacramento's best defender

clarence weatherspoon actually had a better career than brian williams- had some 20-10 seasons with philly, but overall fizzled out pretty quick .. brian grant was a solid big- a double double dude who performed as expected

good to see u got some 90s nba knowledge .. its a good time to get back into the best sport in the world homie

It's not "some" 90's NBA knowledge, I'm actually an expert on 90's NBA, and I'm not done yet, I still watch old games on youtube and study the 90's game regularly even now in 2026. I was just speaking from my own feeling and memory 1990's style (because otherwise every discussion could just be ended by saying "Google It")

So yeah this was just my own memory of guys that who were fun to watch and star potential but were never top tier.  But you are right about your more nuanced assessment of these guys.  Good point about Christie being a defensive specialist.  But Dennis was the only guy that was able to become get superstar attention without scoring the basketball.  Charles Oakley maybe was another guy you have to say maxed out potential and was a prime time guy without scoring the basketball.  Mutumbo also (though Mutumbo could score).  And all 3 of those guys I mentioned rebounded, but Christie just a defensive specialist.  Apparantly Spoon did have some big seasons, maybe just not for a long enough period or for a notable team.

Just playing in an All-Star game doesn't make a player a star.  It is a significant achievement but I wasn't making that my exact benchmark.

 

[HighEyeCue]

Exactly.  I liked College Basketball in those days (but I wasn't an expert).  And it was always interesting to see the difference between those talented type of guys like Kendall Gill who were good and we knew them from college, but never maxed out potential in a way that guys like Scottie or Dennis did.  And you can't say it was a case of being on a bad team or bad coaching, because he played in Charlotte.  And again, these guys were good and we liked them, they just never maxed out.

Just for fun, I'll make a little list of my favorite 90's Kendall Gill types.  The guys who were great college players, and we were fans of them in the NBA, but they never maxed out their potential...this is not a list of busts like Clarence Weatherspoon.  This is list of guys that we liked in the NBA but just a cut under the top tier.  I numbered them but the order doesn't matter, this is just the order they came to mind..

1.  Derrick Coleman - there was a rumor that the Bulls wanted him in 1995, but it didn't work out, so they ended up picking up Dennis Rodman to fill that void at PF.  Can you imagine what that would have looked like Derrick with Michael and Scottie?  But mentally, he didn't seem like a good fit

2.  Brian Williams -  Very interesting guy.  I think he died, there was some crazy story about his post-NBA career.  He was actually drafted in the top 10.  He struggled early in his career and the Bulls were able to pick him up for basically nothing to help them in their 1997 Playoff Run.  And there he was with Michael and Scottie--and he would be the go-to guy for a series coming off the bench!!  He'd be an animal!!  Like, taking his man one-on-one in the post, crashing the boards!  He really was a difference maker in their 1997 Playoff Run.  Obviously, not a star, but he was a key role player.  He was also an intriguing guy with the Denver Nuggets.  The guy certainly showed flashes but never maxed out.

3.  Christian Laettner -  Guy hit the most legendary shot in college.  He played on the Dream Team.  He had a solid NBA career, but wasn't a star like he was in college.  This is a little too obvious, everyone knows his story.  But ultimately he did play on some good teams like the Hawks, so there is no excuse for why he didn't become a star, but at the same time, I don't think you can blame him for not becoming a star, because the guy lived and breathed basketball and did everything to prepare, but at the end of the day he was a white boy trying to battle with guys like Shaq and Rodman in the post.  Not an easy task.

4.  Doug Christie - He had that nice run with the Kings when they battled the Lakers in the WCF but he couldn't hit the big shots to put them over.  Webber, Bibby, Bobby Jackson, even Bobby Jackson off the bench--he was behind those guys.

5.  Jamal Mashburn - He was one of those guys they even tried to claim would be a "next Jordan". 

6.  Brian Grant -  This guy battled Shaq to try to put the Blazers over in 2000 and couldn't get it done.  He was way over-matched by Shaq, but he was drafted in top 10 and expected to be a star but he was a weak link when the Blazers needed him most.  Good, but never good enough.

some names I haven't heard in a minute...of those you listed I liked Coleman the most...great rebounder at Syracuse and was a number one pick

he would've been a bad fit in Chicago you're right, he was a little selfish offensively in the NBA...Rodman was the perfect player doing all the dirty work and couldnt care less about his points

Mashburn was a good solid player but injuries had gotten to him early on in his career...still he came back and put up 20 plus I think his last few years in the league

I remember Christie was being compared to Scottie Pippen by some local NBA writers...we got him from the Lakers and he ended up always being injured...had a nice career afterwards though

[Sccit]

It's not "some" 90's NBA knowledge, I'm actually an expert on 90's NBA, and I'm not done yet, I still watch old games on youtube and study the 90's game regularly even now in 2026. I was just speaking from my own feeling and memory 1990's style (because otherwise every discussion could just be ended by saying "Google It")

So yeah this was just my own memory of guys that who were fun to watch and star potential but were never top tier.  But you are right about your more nuanced assessment of these guys.  Good point about Christie being a defensive specialist.  But Dennis was the only guy that was able to become get superstar attention without scoring the basketball.  Charles Oakley maybe was another guy you have to say maxed out potential and was a prime time guy without scoring the basketball.  Mutumbo also (though Mutumbo could score).  And all 3 of those guys I mentioned rebounded, but Christie just a defensive specialist.  Apparantly Spoon did have some big seasons, maybe just not for a long enough period or for a notable team.

Just playing in an All-Star game doesn't make a player a star.  It is a significant achievement but I wasn't making that my exact benchmark.

todays up and coming stars

Luka Doncic
SGA
Cade Cunningham
Anthony Edwards
Wemby


all worth watching closely