Top 10 "Top 10s": What-Could-Have-Beens

     Some people say it's never good to ask "What if?" questions because there will never be any real answers.  Sometimes, though, it is a little fun.  That's why I'm presenting my top 10 sports "What-Could-Have-Beens," sports figures whose relatively incomplete careers leaves questions behind.




  10.  Earl Manigault

     People said that upon NBA great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's retirement, he was asked who was the greatest player he had played against.  His answer was said to have astounded everyone as he named Earl "Goat" Manigault, a man who never set foot in the NBA, as the guy.  Turns out, Manigault was indeed a heck of a street ball player.  Details of his exploits include such tales as once doing 36 consecutive reverse dunks to win a 60 dollar bet, dunking from the free throw line with two hands over two people during a game, and picking off dollar bills and quarters from the top of the backboard.  It was clear that the freakishly-athletic 6'2" baller was an exceptional prospect for the NBA.  Unfortunately, Manigault succumbed to a drug habit for years, effectively destroying any chance for a basketball career.  It does beg the question, though, if the "Goat," could have dominated the NBA the way he dominated the playground.



  9.  Rolando Navarete

     A Filipino boxer that dominated the 130 lbs class, Navarette was one of Philippine history's more exciting boxers as his awesome power meant plenty of excitement during fights.  He parlayed that power into a world championship as he stopped then champ Cornelius Boza Edwards to win the WBC junior lightweight title.  He succesfully defended it in Manila as he stopped Korean challenger Choi Chung-Il.  Unfortunately, Navarette's rock star-like life and weakness for booze, drugs and women made him a cautionary tale.  He held the title a mere 9 months, as he lost it to Rafael "Bazooka" Limon in Las Vegas.  His life went into a tailspin as he not only lost his hard-earned money and then later served a rape sentence in the U.S.  He was candid about his lack of discipline doing him in, which begs the question, "With his cracking power, how much more dominant could Navarette have been had he been more disciplined?"

8.  Sam Bowie

     Every NBA fan has heard of Sam Bowie, the "guy drafted before Michael Jordan who was basically a bust."  Everyone asks about how the Blazers could've been had they drafted Jordan instead, but I have a different set of questions.  Bowie was a great center that most people don't remember because he was hobbled by a host of injuries.  When he finally got healthy, Bowie averaged 12.8 points and 8.2 rebounds, which may seem modest numbers but are tremendous considering he barely played just two years before that.  Drafting Bowie ahead of Jordan will always be considered a bad move, but would he have been such a bust had he not been injured?  Could a healthy Bowie have been the missing link that could've helped the Blazers beat Jordan's Bulls in 1991-92?

  7.  Len Bias

     The Boston Celtics established their dominance early into NBA history, with the likes of Bill Russell, Bob Cousy and John Havlicek taking championships left and right.  Then, Boston rebuilt themselves and got themselves guys like Kevin Mchale and Larry Bird to win even more championships.  In the late 80s, it seemed like the Celtics were looking forward to another dominant run as they augmented their already talented line up by drafting promising prospect Len Bias as their first round pick.  Bias, at 6'8" and 210 pounds, was an All American and Athlete of the year from 1985 to 86 for the University of Maryland and it seemed his future prospects were limitless.  Less than 48 hours after being drafted though, tragedy struck.  Celebrating with friends, Bias unfortunately had too much fun, and later died due to what the hospital declared as "cardiac arrhythmia related to usage of cocaine."  It does beg the question then, "How dominant would the Celtics have been had Bias played?"  How many more championships could Boston have taken? 1986 had Boston still dominant with its Big Three of Bird, Mchale and Robert Parish and Bias would've been a tremendous addition to that cast.


  6.  Reggie Lewis

     Following the retirement of their 80s BIg Three and the tragedy of Len Bias, the Celtics seemed to get their rebuilding back on track with the arrival of Reggie Lewis.  The 6'7" forward became a dynamic scorer quickly upon entering the league, and 1992 and 93, his scoring averaged shot up to 20.8 points per game.  Unfortunately, Lewis fainted while playing their playoff series against the Charlotte Hornets.  He later received clearance to play again soon after the fainting incident, which turned out to be a fatal error as he succumbed to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy while shooting baskets during the off season.  COmbined with Len Bias, Lewis' death compounds Celtic fans' what ifs, especially when one considers how greta a line up of Bias and Lewis playing together could have been.  Would the Celtics' dominance have extended into the 90s?


  5.  Markwin Tee

     Okay, before I get accused of nepotism here, take these into account.  In his first year on the Philippine National Bowling Team, Markwin led the team with two silver medals (team and trios) and a gold medal (masters) in the 2005 South East Asian Games.  He continued his rise to the top by being the top-placed FIlipino in the Philippine Open for two consecutive years, placing 1st runner up in both 2006 and 07.  He also represented the country in the 2006 World Cup, where he became the highest ranked Filipino in the World Cup since C.J. Suarez won the championship in 2003, barely losing out on a spot in the final 8.  He looked to dominate further and defend his SEA Games title in 2007, but less than a week before leaving, a conspiracy between the then coaching staff and bowling official Bong Coo removed Tee from the line up, citing ambiguous "attitude problems" as a reason, despite him topping the national team in both the tryouts and scoring sessions, as well as the attendance sheet.  Pissed by the royal screw job, Tee has since retired from competitive bowling, which poses several questions we still get asked today, like, "How many medals could we have won in Thailand had he played?" or "Would he still be leading the team to this day had the screw job been averted?"  Alas, knowing my brother, these questons will probably be left unanswered forever.


  4.  Danny Francisco


     Way before the hyped, Pangilinan-sponsored Ateneo Blue Eagles, there was the 1987-88 championship teams.  Standing tall (literally and figuratively) for those teams was center/forward Danny Francisco, a tremendously athletic and quick 6'7" big man who could score, rebound and pass.  Those skills, combined with a high basketball IQ, promised big things for Francisco, Ateneo University and any PBA team who would draft him in the future.  Unfortunately, it was later discovered that Francisco could no longer play due to a condition others simplified as, "his heart being too small to pump blood through his body when exercised too much."  Whatever the condition was, sports fans were deprived of seeing him play further, which begs questions like, "Would Ateneo have won more than a back to back in the UAAP?" and "Would Francisco have become the most dominant big man in the PBA?


  3.  Mike Tyson

     Tyson became a dominant, undisputed Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the world and he was also the youngest to ever do so, but his career still is a "What-Could-HAve-Been."  After his stunning loss to James Buster Douglas in 1990, Tyson's life went into a tailspin, especially after being convicted of rape. He did stage a comeback after serving his jail sentence, but his fights produced controversy (biting Holyfield's ear for one) and not dominant wins.  That's why his interrupted career poses some questions as well.  If the rape charge didn't stick, would Tyson have made a comeback and exact revenge on Douglas in a rematch?  Would Tyson have beaten Holyfield in a match if he had not rotted away in jail?  Would Tyson have been able to beat the much larger Riddick Bowe and Lennox Lewis if his career wasn't interrupted?


  2.  Monica Seles

     Before the power of the Williams sisters and the blood-curling screams of Maria Sharapova, there was Monica Seles.  A native Yugoslavian turned American citizen, Seles blasted onto the tennis scene in 1989, winning a title immediately before turning 1991 and 1992 into her personal stomping ground.  During that period of dominance, Seles won an astounding 6 Grand Slam Titles (out of 8) and a total of 22 titles.  It was also here where Seles appeared in the finals match of 33 out of 34 tournaments she played!  Unfortunately, in 1993, Seles was attacked by a deranged fan (of main rival Steffi Graf) and she suffered a knife wound to her neck.  She would be out for two years, and despite coming back successfully (winning another Grand Sla in 1996), one can't help but wonder what would have happened had she not been stabbed?  How many titles could she have won?  Would Graf have won as many titles as she did?

    

  1.  Ron Jacobs
Jacobs, one of my top 10 coaches in a previous Top 10 "Top 10" was asked to coach the PHilippine National Team again for the PBA-backed Asian Games team of 2002.  There was palpable excitement in the air for the basketball-crazy Filipinos as Jacobs, the whiz who coached the Philippines to a victory over the United States in the 80s, was to receive all-out support from the PBA.  Days before he was to begin his tryouts for the team, Jacobs suffered a massive stroke, leaving him paralyzed and unable to coach.  While the team was later coached by one of Jacob's top proteges, Jong Uichico (himself a great coach), questions will always remain, especially since the team got really close to winning everything.  The Philippine team lost by a single point in the semi-finals off a lucky three pointer from South Korea and to make things worse, Korea went on to defeat a seemingly listless China team to emerge as Asian Champions.  Would Jacob's personal feel and knowledge for the game brought us over the hump?  


photos courtesy of examiner.com, opentespi.it, wikipedia.org, bvhoofddorp.nl, rammerjammeryellowhammer.com, sportsillustrated.cnn.com