high schoo 2 NBA-----BAD PICKS

i was wondering if pple knew name and maybe what happend to some of the players who choise to skip collage and go to pros but dint get selected or turned out bad etc.....

i know leon smith... he was picked by the wolfs but dint stay long coz of his attitude, so he went on drugs and so on.. now his with some CBA team.... he signed up with the hawks in pre season but got cut.

leon smith was traded in the glenn robinson-toni kukoc deal.
then released by hawks

um others i know who flopped were...........Lenny Cooke(did he actually get drafted??? i heard he left high school a year early and no-one wanted him or something)

theres quite a few more but i cant remember

I'm pretty sure that Lenny Cooke was one of the best in the nation but didn't have the grades to get into college. Same with D'Angelo Collins. Both of them would've done well in college but weren't smart enough.

Lenny showed up at the most recent mcdonalds game. Not to play, just to sit courtside with Clue.

last i heard leon smith was playing in mexico

Just a clarification, Leon Smith was drafted by the Spurs, then traded to the Mavericks. The Mavericks released him after police found him in a hotel room under the influence of drugs, with green "war" paint on, claiming to be a Native American who was under attack. Needless to say, it didn't do much for his career.

He overdosed on aspirin according to the paper.

That's right. Still, I don't think he was expected to be a KG, Kobe or T-Mac, even before that incident.

he had a bust up in training camp with don nelson, smith did something wrong and nelly yelled at him. instead of taking on board what don had said he showed his lack of maturity and yelled back , coach nelson told him to run laps smith turned back and replied " You run laps "
soon after that the mavs dropped him.

he had a bust up in training camp with don nelson, smith did something wrong and nelly yelled at him. instead of taking on board what don had said he showed his lack of maturity and yelled back , coach nelson told him to run laps smith turned back and replied " You run laps "
soon after that the mavs dropped him.

LOL!!

i woulda told the fat bastard to run laps to

I think I remember that mp3. Certainly not the attitude you want from a high school player you intend to develop.

I think I remember that mp3. Certainly not the attitude you want from a high school player you intend to develop.

yes that is true

but it still woulda been pretty funny

i dont like don nelson as you can prolly notice

Why's that?

Leon Smith is a pretty sad story, some scouts said after Smith was picked by the Spurs (29th Pick - 98 Draft) that the Spurt will have "Triple Towers" with Smith's addition to the team. But after he was picked he was traded to Dallas for 2 2nd round picks. But after this lovely NBA-life-start he became blind because of the money, he tatooed his girlfriend name on the arm, used some drugs and then he swallowed 200 (according to some newspapers) Aspirin pills.
Lenny Cooke played in the NBDL a few month ago.
Tony Key was also a HS prospect with a great size and athleticism but he wasn't drafted.

there saying that James Lang would be making a big mistake if he go's pro

yes, the leon smith story is a sad one. people just look at him as another youngster who should have went to college, a player with attitude problems, etc... but people fail to see what kind of upbringing this guy had, the neighborhood he had to live in, and lack of guidance he had(which most successful nba hopefuls/players have).
i hope someday the former king high school product can make it back in the league

Why's that?

I cant really explain it
i just never liked him
its just one of those things, im pretty sure it started back in the Warriors days. he did something i didnt like and ever since then i just havent liked him lol

Why's that?

I cant really explain it
i just never liked him
its just one of those things, im pretty sure it started back in the Warriors days. he did something i didnt like and ever since then i just havent liked him lol

yeah me to, it goes back to the knicks day's but hey if the knicks had of listened to him maybe they would be in the playoff's right now

Korleone Young comes to mind, he turned pro in the same year as Rashard Lewis did, if I'm not mistaken... He was a 6'8'' power forward, relatively compared to Elton Brand... I dunno where he is now...

Korleone Young comes to mind, he turned pro in the same year as Rashard Lewis did, if I'm not mistaken... He was a 6'8'' power forward, relatively compared to Elton Brand... I dunno where he is now...

Young played over here for about 1 game(in australia in the NBL) then done his Achilles and went back to america.
hes playin in europe atm.
he was at the rookie game in '96 wasnt he?

If he was, it was as a spectator. He didn't get drafted until 1998, and there was no All-Star weekend in the 98/99 season.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basket ... young.html

those are prety inpressive stats, look at james's
http://nbadraft.net/profiles/lebronjames.htm

y was he picked so low!!!

He was drafted before it was fashionable to pick high schoolers. KG's selection at 5th in the 1995 draft was a rarity. Note that Kobe was picked 13th by the Hornets (then traded for Vlade) the next year.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/1998/draft/players/korleone.young.html

those are prety inpressive stats, look at james's
http://nbadraft.net/profiles/lebronjames.htm

y was he picked so low!!!

lol every high school player has good stats
DeShawn Stevenson averaged 30.9ppg 9.7rpg
kobes were great
t-macs i think were
KG.
every highschooler who decided to skip college(well most anywayz)

thats why i dont understand y james gets all the hype wen his numbers are identical or not as good as other high schoolers.