They moved because Shinn skated off sexual assault charges

I know it’s probably crazy to say anything but that given Jordan is Jordan.

But I think the biggest what if for Charlotte, that might actually also be the biggest what if for the entire nba in the 2000s, would easily be what if Kobe isn’t traded on draft night and he decides to play for the hornets.

You can also add in what if the Horner’s don’t trade SGA on draft night for miles bridges. Essentially the Horners need to not make anymore draft night trades

Don’t underestimate Shin and Jordan’s ability to be Basketball Terrorists.

Shin was probably gonna move the team either way once the case came out. His reputation absolutely tanked and he had the nerve to ask for a new arena on top of that.

He would have left after 4 years, but still a fair point. What about 2009, could’ve had Harden over Hasheem Thabeet, as long as Memphis has a few strip clubs he might have stayed.

Darko could’ve done some damage with y’all.

Damn

Darko retired like 15 years ago and is somehow younger than Lebron

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Injuries alone are the cause of so many big “What Ifs” for us. Oden, Roy, Walton…

I actually think it’s Walton. He was an MVP coming off a title run on the youngest championship team ever. The 1978 Blazers were steamrolling the NBA like the 2016 the Warriors, but instead of LeBron they would have faced arguably the weakest NBA champion ever in the finals. That team had absolutely dynasty written all over it.

Oden was healthy

BRoy stayed healthy

Wes never got injured

We were primed for the 90’s. Larry’s back injury and Reggie Lewis also dying was a triple wammy along with len bias what if

This is the one. Derailed the entire franchise for 15 years.

No, actually. It’s what if Paul Pierece doesn’t shit his pants in the finals.

And before that it was “what if Ron Artest didn’t lose his fucking mind that one time”

He was playing out of his mind!!! We were so close…and then that stupid heel

“What if Adam Silver didn’t explode Haliban’s leg to stop him from terrorising the OKC?”

This game is why I cannot abide people that call the Pacers a perenially mediocre franchise. It’s absolutely crazy the bad breaks (literally) we’ve had over the years.

Most devastating injury in NBA history imo

Easily

This is #1, the others are what if they beat the Bulls in the ‘98 ECF which they were very close to doing, and the other would be if Reggie didn’t get blocked by Tayshaun, that would’ve tied the game and if they go up 2-0 in the ‘04 ECF there’s a good chance thet win it.

You guys would’ve won. OKC was floundering.

Him getting injured earlier in the series was the turning point. In game 4 you guys had a nice lead and I think that was when he got the initial injury.

He was already playing through a hammy injury. The chances were quite high he would reaggravate it so I don’t know if that qualifies as a what if

I feel like two big ones in the Jordan era beat it out

What if the front office didn’t break that team up? What if Jordan didn’t retire for a year?

D Rose is a big one tho, no shade to either

It’s a small sample size so full of a ton of bias, but didn’t the Bulls projected starting 5 that year only start together a handful of games due to various injuries and they blew out the competition in all those games including that first playoff game where D Rose got hurt?

Basically I am saying I have 100% convinced myself we were championship bound if D Rose did not get hurt that year 😅

i knew i was going to see his name and i knew it was going to hurt me.. damn you basketball gods

Our biggest what if is what if we won the coin toss for Magic Johnson. There’s the conventional thinking of how he would have gone back to college if that happened but many people including the Bulls GM didn’t believe that at the time. We would’ve had Magic/Artis which isn’t as good as Magic/Kareem but could have been a contender.

And then that what if has a domino effect, because then we’d be too good of a team to end up high in the draft order when MJ came out of college. That one coin flip going the other way could have changed the shape of the entire league for 2 decades.

What’s the what if here exactly. Him being injury riddled is directly tied to his style of play. It just was not sustainable for his frame. Compared with freak accidents or players like Greg Oden who’s injury was tied to structural birth defects

Boulazac Basket Dordogne legend Patrick Beverley?

The bigger one is keeping Harden. If he still developed into a MVP level player, him and KD in their primes would have run the west. KD would probably have stayed in OKC and would be the star of his generation. Steph/GSW don’t become a dynasty but probably still win a ring or two.

I used to think this was the biggest what-if for us. And it is. But there were so many other what-if in that era that could have easily swung the other way in an alternate universe.

What if okc went all in to give james harden the max. What if kd just stuck with us one more year for presti to attempt another trade for al horford and/or Paul George.

On the flip side, I also always wondered what if okc had the 2nd pick in 2009, would they have taken hasheem thabeet? Would okc have only selected ousmane dieng without Jalen Williams if the trade up was not successful? And honestly, would okc have won game 7 against haliburton?

#2 Bosh blood clots

#3 Goran and Bam bubble finals injuries

#4 Jimmy makes the 3 over the Celtics gm7

#5 Allan Houston misses and the #1 seed Heat don’t lose in the first round to the #8 seed Knicks who made the Finals. Zo and PJ Brown match up much better to Admiral and rookie Duncan. At the very least, likely make the finals

Bonus: Josh Hart doesnt injure Jimmy AND the Heat take the Celtics out more quickly while up 3-0 (more rest for Jimmy). They probably still lose to the Nuggets, but would have a puncher chance at being the first 8th seed champion

If that’s our biggest what-if, then we’ve been pretty fortunate as a franchise all things considered.

Kobe doesn’t snap his Achilles overplaying, doesn’t die in helicopter crash

This is something I still talk about with my friend. Kobe likely has at least 1 more ring and CP3 finally gets a ring and has a legit case of top 4 PG of all time.

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The phantom foul on Laimbeer and Rasheed not guarding Robert Horry directly cost us 2 championships so I’m going with that. A lot of hindsight bias on the Darko pick these days.

What if we’d gotten Wemby? We had the worst record in the league that year, and not intentionally.

But, the lottery is the lottery (and I love Ausar, anyway).

You won’t have HOF Melo

The trade offer was the #2 pick and Drexler for Sampson straight up. Sampson’s potential then was viewed as high as Wemby’s is now.

I don’t think Jordan gets those rings then. Sampson and Hakeem front court would’ve been an even more busted version of Tim Duncan and David Robinson.

When people talk about Wemby historic comps Sampson was the go to.

A healthy Sampson and MJ would’ve been nasty af as well

That’s the biggest one overall, along with Reggie, but we’ve got so many “normal” ones, for lack of a better description:

1. What if Larry doesn’t get into a bar fight in the middle of the ‘85 East finals? He was unstoppable until he broke his hand. I think we win three straight if not for that.

2. What if Larry doesn’t hurt his back laying gravel on his mom’s driveway two years later? His best year was actually ‘87, and he was never the same after that.

3. What if KG doesn’t do his knee in the middle of 2009? We were CRUISING to a repeat. KG was never the same after that.

4. What if Perk doesn’t do his ACL in the ‘10 finals? We probably get a few more fucking defensive rebounds.

5. Hayward’s ankle. Never the same after that.

6. The 2020 team had the best offense in the league before Kemba did his knee. Never the same after that.

And this is to say nothing of Russell getting hurt in ‘58, or the rash of injuries/illness that killed our title defense in ‘25, or McHale’s broken foot, or the Silas contract situation…

Its either Len or…. Hayward not breaking his freaking leg in game 1…. what if that team got to grow

Bill, is that you?

The Mavs would have had a great shot to win it all in 2025.

What if Cuban had actually given Dirk a real shot to run it back in 2012?

Ignoring Luka, it’s Dirk going down with a sprained knee in Game 3 of the 2003 WCF. If that doesn’t happen, very good chance Dirk and Nash get a ring. That might alter letting Nash walk the next year since they’ve proven the team can get it done.

After that it’s what if Donaghy doesn’t rig the 2006 finals.

What if.. no rondo trade

I’m sad again. Thanks.

Lmfao I’m over here pondering if letting Steve Nash or Tyson Chandler walk is worse because my mind blocked out the Luka trade to protect me

Really? I think the biggest Magic what-if would be what if Shaq stayed and Penny never got hurt.

As a Spurs fan, thank you Doc for not allowing player wives on the Magic team plane.

Zaza didn’t intend to miss Kawhi’s leg though

Ginobili doesn’t foul Dirk.

Derek Fisher misses the .4 or our clock operator starts on time.

I don’t think Spurs win 2014, If they don’t lose 2013

Pain

I’d put 0.4 ahead of Zaza.

And maybe Manu fouling Dirk too.

We’ve been very close on 2-4 more titles than what we have, which is crazy.

If Ray Allen misses that 3…

These are minor compared to the possible “what if” Robinson doesn’t get injured and we didn’t tank for Duncan. Or if Duncan gets persuaded to go to Orlando.

Naw..

What if Fox doesn’t sprain his ankle last year?

Jordan pushed off.

Wait, are you a Pistons or Pacers fan?

Because it’s a What If for both teams lol.

What if Mike Bibby didn’t foul Kobe’s elbow with his nose?

I think the Bulls are still too much for us those years

What if the bulls lost the coin flip with Sacramento and drafted Luka

Bulls lost the coin flip for Magic Johnson

So then Chicago would’ve had the Magic era but no MJ

We lost the coin flip for Kareem

Theoretically, if Giddey hadn’t hit that insane half-court game-winning buzzer-beater over Lebron, Coop would be in a Bulls uniform

i would also argue the potential of vince and tmac staying together would’ve been unreal.. but kawhi for sure would’ve won us another one. (i know pistons tag, i live between both teams so im pretty impartial towards them)

Imagine if he left me alone from the jump

I don’t think anyone was beating a team that had Lebron and AD coming off a 5 month break before the playoffs.

The other big one - what if T-Mac didn’t leave

What if the warriors injuries never happened? They don’t even 1 peat

What about if Jordan never transferred to baseball

Or if the team had another chance to stay together after 98 and go for a 4 peat.

Don’t forget, what if TMac stayed? Even Vince and Tmac have talked about it. I’m pretty sure that even if it happened, Raptors management would have found a way to fuck it up though.

Considering that DeRozan has been a huge negative in the playoffs for his entire career, the Raptors don’t even get by the Sixers, and Philly has a real shot at a title that year

Getting rid of Derozan is what elevated the team to a championship. Love him but hes an outdated archetype that cant thrive in the modern NBA

It could also be what if we didn’t lose all our first round picks when Garnett was here

i would have said Sam Cassell not injuring himself doing the Big Balls celebration and killing our 2004 playoff run.

He caused an avulsion fracture in his hip in Game 2 of the 04 WCSF against the Kings and then we lost 4-2 to the Lakers in a relatively close series

I THINK ABOUT THIS EVERYDAY, Chris Paul’s hamstrings and the legacy he and Harden would’ve shared for taking down the most stacked team of all time 😭

All my homies hate Robert Horry

This is #2 for the Suns, at best. We lost a coin flip to draft Kareem. That changes the trajectory of the entire franchise history.

Took me awhile scrolling to find it, but there we go.

There are several teams that can say this, and the Kings are on that list.

I remember being in a bar in Santa Cruz college watching that shot. RIP Kings

Fights break out, blame the malice. Horry knew what he was doing. I’m sure pop even encouraged it/ called it.

What if Kawhi didn’t make that shot

What if Hinkie didn’t quit?

It was always Jimmy or Ben not Jimmy or Tobias

its what if Bynum didn’t go bowling

What if we don’t trade Mikal

What if Hinkie stays

He would have just gotten it the next day. Dude was out of control.

Would’ve been interesting watching him be the 1A his entire career.

Or if Murray didn’t tear his ACL… that team was about to go on a tear once they got Gordon

As mentioned the Murray ACL tear wiping out 2 seasons.

David Thompson not succumbing to addiction.

Antonio Mcdyss ankles. Laphonso Ellis 3 major injuries in like 2.5 years cut him as he was entering his prime. Letting go of Mutombo and giving up on Billups way too early. There was potential for some really awesome teams in the late 90s and early 2000s that were lost to a combination of real bad luck and incompetence in the FO.

I guess you mean 2009 cuz Spurs gentlemanly 🧹 the Nugs in R1 in ‘07.l

07 finals was Cavs vs Spurs. Do you mean 09?