Let's start with a player that many saw as on the path to being one of the best ever, Grant Hill. He managed to play six amazing seasons with the Pistons that saw him make the All-Star game 5 times and 5 All-NBA teams (2nd team four times, 1st team one time). He even finished 3rd in the MVP voting in 1997. He joined an awful Pistons team and helped them to 4 winning seasons although they never managed to make it out of the 1st round. He decided that he needed a change of scenery and in the summer of 2000 he decided to join Tracy McGrady in Orlando. However, their partnership was short lived as Grant Hill's ankle problems began. He played in 4 games in the 2000-01 season. That season was followed by a total of 43 games over the next two seasons and another season where he did not see the court once. In 4 years in Orlando, Grant Hill had played in 47 games. He was on pace to become a permanent mainstay on the All-NBA team. He was supposed to become the Jordan-Pippen 2.0 with Tracy McGrady, but those things never happened. There was a glimmer of hope in the 2004-2005 season as Hill was able to play in 67 games for a Magic team that had traded away Tracy McGrady and had just drafted Dwight Howard. He would have more injury troubles the next season. Watching Grant Hill in the late 90's you saw a player that was so skilled. He had the ability to pass and was a prototypical point forward in the mold of Scottie Pippen. He was amazing in the open court and was on his way to becoming one of the most popular players in the NBA. Hill's story had a happy ending as he finished his career as a role player for some great Suns teams. It was always hard to watch Grant Hill on those teams knowing what he had done years prior as a member of the Pistons. He still had a hell of a career.
Hardaway came into the league as the running mate of the next big thing in the NBA, Shaquille O'Neal. Shaq and Penny teamed up and quickly became the next two superstars that were going to take the NBA by storm. They won 50 games in Hardaway's rookie season. They would go on to win 117 of their 164 regular season games in the next two seasons. They would make it to the Finals and the Conference Finals in those two seasons. Although they did not win a championship, many thought that their time was going to come. Shaq had only played 4 years in the league and Penny had only played 3 years. They were both improving and still young. However, Shaq decided to leave Orlando and the Shaq and Penny dynasty was over. Let's just say that Michael Jordan had to be thrilled to see Shaq leave the Magic. The next season Penny was now the guy. Even though they replaced Shaq with Rony Seikaly, the Magic still managed to win 45 games. However, the injuries started to happen and the next season Penny only played in 19 games due to a left knee injury. He would never be the same after that. He was able to play in all 50 games in the lockout season, but some of his explosiveness was gone and although still an effective player, he was no longer an All-NBA player as he had been three times before (2 time 1st team, 1 time 3rd team). Penny had a good career, but his last few years saw him as a role player more than anything. It's so fascinating to think about how things may have been different had Shaq stayed on the Magic. Would they have stopped the Bulls from winning the title, would they have won multiple titles? We will never know.
After Shaq left the Lakers, they won 34 games and found themselves in the lottery. They decided to take a chance on his replacement, a high school kid named Andrew Bynum. The big man was raw and his rookie season he only appeared in 46 games averaging 7.3 minutes per game. As his role grew on the team, he scored more and showed some improvement. He even won two titles with the Lakers in a small role. His peak for the Lakers came in the 2011-12 season where he averaged 19 points and 12 rebounds a game. He made the All-Star team for the first time and also made 2nd team All-NBA. The Lakers won the Pacific division, but were eliminated easily in the 2nd round of the playoffs by the Thunder. Andrew Bynum had been plagued by minor injuries throughout his career, but in the summer of 2012 the Lakers traded their center to the 76ers and he would not play a single game for them. He would play 26 games in the 2013-14 season for the Cavaliers and the Pacers and he has not played in the NBA since. Andrew Bynum was on the way to becoming a dominant big man in the NBA. He was only 26 when his career was finished. He had a chance to be something special and injuries cost him that chance. Who knows how he could have shifted things in the league.
Antonio McDyess came into the league as the 2nd pick in the 1995 NBA Draft. He immediately put up numbers and became a up and coming power forward that combined athleticism with skill and a good jump shot. McDyess had an amazing three year stretch from 1998-2001 where he put up some good numbers and was helping Denver to improve. He even made third team All-NBA in the lockout shortened season of 1999. He was on the verge of turning around the Nuggets when injuries caught up with him. He suffered knee injuries that allowed him 10 games in the 2001-02 season and forced him to miss the entire 02-03 season. He would come back the following season and play much more consistently the next 8 years of his career. However, gone was the explosion that had separated him from his competition. He still had a good jump shot and skill, which made him an invaluable role player for winning teams like the Pistons and Spurs. Although he was able to have a great career, it is easy to imagine McDyess continuing to improve and possibly going to a better team where he could show his game. He was athletic with a great deal of skill and sadly his athleticism was taken away.
My final spot goes to Jay Williams. During Williams' time at Duke, he was one of the best point guards I can remember seeing in college basketball. He was so explosive off the dribble in addition to being a good shooter. He was a two time All-American and helped Duke win a championship in 2001. He was the 2nd pick in the 2002 Draft and showed some flashes in his rookie season despite playing for an awful Bulls team. Unfortunately, it would be his first and only season in the NBA. In the summer of 2003, Williams had an awful motorcycle accident that ended his career just as it was beginning. As with many rookie point guards, Williams was up and down in his first year, but there is no reason to believe that he wouldn't have become a good player in the NBA. It would have been interesting to see what would have happened to Williams in his career. Who knows, the Bulls may not have needed to take Derrick Rose in the 2008 Draft because they already had Jay Williams. He is now a college basketball analyst with ESPN and it's amazing to look at him and think that he could just be ending his career in the NBA had the accident not occurred. Jay Williams was a superstar in college basketball and I believe in many ways, he would've figured out the NBA.