Sixteen summers ago in 1995, the Golden State Warriors passed up on guys like Kevin Garnett, Rasheed Wallace, Jerry Stackhouse, and Antonio McDyess and selected Joe Smith as the No. 1 overall pick from the University of Maryland. He put up several solid seasons with the Warriors before being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. His numbers dropped considerably after the trade, and he never recovered.
Years have passed since his glory days in college when he won College Player of the Year. He has now become one of the most infamous draft picks, completely failing to reach his potential. But he finds himself on the bench of the Lakers in 2011. The only times he plays are when the score is lopsided. He stands there and cheers for his teammates just hoping they can deliver him a ring in June. So that perhaps, he can go into the sunset with something to be proud about.
In recent years when the Lakers won the championship, Adam Morrison was that guy to sit and never play. He won two rings and many jokes were made. Like Joe Smith, Morrison was a highly-renowned college player who never lived up to his potential. However, Morrison can find solace in the fact that he's ...
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Article written by Andre Khatchaturian
Los Angeles Lakers: A Title for Joe Smith Cements Disappointing Career Legacy
April 5th, 2011 by Andre Khatchaturian Leave a reply »
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