i was only vaguely aware of len bias until i read a george pelecanos novel, the sweet forever (during my Wire kick) that takes place during the spring/summer of '86 in D.C.
len bias is a major point of discussion for many of the characters throughout the story, and the epilogue is incredibly sad considering all the talk about bias (and the fact that i wasn't expecting it... i had no idea about any of that).

so i ask the members of the board who weren't, like me, just a toddler at the time of len bias' triumphant final season for maryland, what your thoughts/memories are.

_________________

guess this belongs in the ncaa hoops section. feel free to move it!

_________________

I'm too young to remember anything about him but I've since heard that he was supposed to be the real deal for years to come.

_________________
Kid Cairo's Boers & Bernstein YouTube Channel

Kid Cairo: 2013 March Madness Tournament Winner!

"Cowabunga? Cowa fucking piece of dog shit! This game is diarrhea coming out of my dick!"

All I know is that he had never gave an unbiased opinion.

He was a great college player with a game that should have transferred well to the pro game. It was 25 years ago, but I remember him having a good outside shot, was extremely athletic, excellent scorer.

I think he could have been a LeBron type. Maybe not as good, maybe better but playing with Bird, McHale, etc. would have been awesome to watch. I've read articles since saying he could have been the greatest player ever. I don't remember thinking that at the time (with Magic and Bird still doing it and Jordan coming on) but he could have been very special.

_________________
You know me like that.

Believe it or not, I actually remember Len Bias. He was quite a power forward at the University of Maryland when Lefty Driesell was the head coach, and the Boston Celtics drafted him #1 in the 1986 NBA Draft. Two days after he was selected, it was learned that Bias died of cocaine and never put on the Celtics' trademark uniform. It was one of two Celtic players that I remember dying. The other player I remember dying was Reggie Lewis, who collapsed on the trademark parquet floor of the old Boston Garden during a 1993 playoff game vs. the former Charlotte Hornets. Lewis' number 35 was retired by the Celtics a few years ago in an emotional ceremony.

_________________
Kid Cairo's Boers & Bernstein YouTube Channel

Kid Cairo: 2013 March Madness Tournament Winner!

"Cowabunga? Cowa fucking piece of dog shit! This game is diarrhea coming out of my dick!"

i was old enough to watch him but i didn't watch college basketball that closely until the early 90's.

i read a lot of stuff about him a few years ago when they did the 20th year looking back on what could have been...

i don't like that they consider him a draft "bust"; i think that's a little insensitive.

he should have been a top 10 player in the NBA...however, the fact that he couldn't take the media explosion just for getting drafted told me he might have been troubled in the NBA anyway, especially going to a highly publicized team like the Celtics.

Len Bias was a good, solid college player. He was the 2nd player chosen in the 86 draft, which reviewed in retrospect was a pretty weak draft year, with a handful of journeymen, a few occasional league All-Stars, but zero Hall of Famers. Bias' legend and greatness became much greater after his death than it was IMO while he was alive.

Guess I was most interested to hear if anyone had a bad word to say about the guy. I happened to hear Scott Van Pelt talking about Bias with Brad Daugherty (1st overall pick, 1986 draft) and I understand the love for Len Bias, but some of the things people say about him go a little un-checked, i.e. "he could have been like MJ." I appreciate the context laid out in your post.

_________________

I hope this fits what's being discussed here. I watched on Classic the drafts from '85-'89 and first off, it's so strange to have 20/20 hindsight...all these guys being talked up and only a few became stars...secondly there's a priceless section with Red Aurbach talking about the selection of Bias and how he will change the Celtics *and* he's a really good kid...mmm

_________________
Ба́бушка гада́ла, да на́двое сказа́ла—то ли до́ждик, то ли снег, то ли бу́дет, то ли нет.

by all accounts, he WAS a really good kid. true or not, most say that it was his first time really going nuts like he did, and i believe it. overdoses like that don't happen to people who are familiar with their poison.

_________________

point taken...it would have been interesting to see if the Celtics re-loaded had he made it...didn't the Celtics lose someone else too, besides Lewis?

_________________
Ба́бушка гада́ла, да на́двое сказа́ла—то ли до́ждик, то ли снег, то ли бу́дет, то ли нет.

The Celtics were snakebitten in those days. They had just won the title and had the 2nd pick and took a solid power forward to replace an aging Kevin McHale in Bias. 48 hours later, they didnt have Bias, the team was getting older quickly and they went downhill fast.

what a tough go for that team. i guess what interests me isn't so much how good bias the player would have been, but how good the celtics as a team might have continued to be heading into the 90's.

thanks for all the input.

_________________

Yeah, Len Bias did really love World Of Warcraft