When Potential Becomes Disappointment

It was the NBA Draft in 2007 and the Charlotte Bobcats were about to make their 8th overall pick. David Stern walked up to the podium and announced a trade between the Bobcats and the Golden State Warriors. The Bobcats traded away their 8th pick, Brandan Wright, a Power Forward from North Carolina for Jason Richardson.

I remember being absolutely floored. After all, Richardson was arguably the heart of our team. But after listening to and reading LOTS of analysis, it became clear that this trade was made for two main reasons:

1. Richardson had already shown what kind of player he would be in the NBA, a very good scorer, moderate defender who was a bit undersized. The trade also paved the way for Monta Ellis to step in and get significant playing time. That alone made a lot of sense;
2. The other reason was that, even though Wright was “raw”, leaving NC after his freshman season, Wright had the dreaded “P” word – “Potential”.

After two relatively unimpressive seasons, averaging a combined 6.2ppg and 3.3reb, along with one shoulder surgery, things seemed to be looking up. In fact, I just read today that Wright has been among the most impressive players in training camp and had been outplaying potential starting PF, Anthony Randolph. And, I read today that the Warriors were planning to pick up Wright’s fourth year option.

Then it happened, another shoulder injury – same shoulder – and in the blink of an eye, Wright is out 4-6 months. OUCH!! So it got me thinking, at what point does potential become disappointment? As a 49er fan, Alex Smith, our QB, went from potential to disappointment. As a fan, you can never really give up fully on a guy who is on your team, but this situation definitely feels like we are headed to the “D” zone.

I’m not sure if this means the W’s will no longer pick up Wright’s option. I’m not sure if the W’s now need to go out and sign a back-up PF or does this free up more time for players like Maggette and Mikki Moore. I do know that this is pretty devastating news for a guy who seemed like he was ready to get over the hump and become the player and not just the potential.

Tags: Brandan Wright, Corey Maggette, Jason Richardson, Mikki Moore, Monta Ellis