Well I said i'd do a draft profile of each of the all time horrible Warriors draft picks in tune for this years NBA Draft and here we go. A section that is designed to name and shame the people that passed on future Hall Of famers and decent players in favour of guys that faded into oblivion or are simply journeyman. So what better way to start then the Warriors all time worst selction Chris washburn.
Of all the most peculiar drafts the 1986 one is probably the most noticable. Indeed 4 of the second round selections (Mark Price, Dennis Rodman, Kevin Duckworth, and Jeff Hornacek were all stars compared to just one from the 1st (Brad daugherty). It was certainly the most famous for use of substances e.g. the Len Bias death, Roy Tapperly and William Bedford also fell victim. So in essence even though the Warriors had nothing to lose when they picked Washburn (Face it harper and Salley weren't terrific) it was still such a bad pick that a surging Ron harper would have solved problems in the backcourt that year.
This is a hard pick to explain. As a 6'11 Center Washburn was highly recruited until he choose North Carolina State. Even then his mindset wasn't right for College his refusal to go to classes as well as stealing a stereo, which netted him 46 hours in jail, a five-year suspended prison term and five years of probation it really was mind bloggling to see how he wasn't kicked off campus. Even his SAT scores made Vince Young look like a genuis!. As good as jim Valvano was as a coach and person this was probably his first and only mistake his refusal to see the flaws in Chris Washburn on the court and off meant Chris never had a shot at redemption. Even when Washburn got 27 points on a nationally televised game as NC State upset the Tar Heels it didin't really to enough to savage his College days.
Still Washburn went to Golden State at #3 the Warriors hopoing they could end a 9 year Playoff drought. Karl noe the Nuggets coach made one of his many mistakes as a NBA Coach and decided a 6'11 center with a dodgy College career would be worth taking. A few months later Washburn was continiously late for Practice, spent most of his rookie season on the bench his greatest game was a 17 point effort in a 32 point loss to the Lakers. To be fair Larry Smith regarded as one of the best Rebounders of the 80's never helped his cause but if Washburn had any motivation he could have tried and beaten him out for a starting job. It never happenned. As the story goes in a game in Clevleand Washburn had two plays called for him but totally forgot about then resulting in two consecutive Turnovers. A lottery pick he was not.
A young George Karl never realized washburns limitationsIn January 1987 Washburn went to a rehab clinic finally admitting he had a coacine problem and it pretty much confirmed his NBA career was almost over. The worst part of it was during the final stretch of the 1987 NBA season where he had one last chance of redemption he played like he didn't care acting as if he wanted to be out of Oakland as quick as possible. Even a young Karl kept him out of the rotation during the playoff push.
A change of scenery was what washburn needed as he went to the Hawks bbut it did him little good averaging 3.1 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. Eventually he was banned from the NBA for life in June 1989 after failing three drug tests in three years. For a guy who looked like Karl Malone in physical appearance his moral fiber and work ethic did not match. He was last seen trying to scrape together a basketball career in various minor professional leagues. What bugs me was with all the tape work of washburn done by George Karl and the Coaching staff why they didn't realize why Chris's struggles in College wouldn't translate to the NBA. How difficult is it to study a players character issues. Or did he ignore it and hope that they would go away once he withstood the rigours of the NBA. One will never know
9 comments:
BIG, SORRY, DOPE SMOKING M/F
yea its hard to say but im his oldest son out of the four of ujs and im 22 and i wish i could hsve lived his life i would have done somethin different because km struggling and it sucks he hasnt done nothing for me and for my other brothers its just sad he wasted good talent for drugs..
any questions email me at dreams2hoop@yahoo.com
an to my oldest son , u an that 21 yr old son, are both just waste of skin, cant pass in school, i was alwasys able to play were ever i went, but the both of u ani't shit, just want to stay in trouble, i dont have time for that , are u lazy m/f, get a life, im good, an no drugs in the pic, both u an chris L. Needs jobs, if u can fell out the paperwork, dumb azz.........
you are in no position to throw stones at anyone Chris Washburn. You are a pitiful man. That has never been a parent to any of your kids. Who has stayed in trouble more than you. Have you forgotten your in ability to learn. Have you forgotten your Sat scores. Have you forgotten your stealing at State. Have you forgotten your assault at State. Have you forgotten how the 12 abortions you have talked girls in to having.Have you forgotten how you have begged your ex wife for your two young sons urine so you can past a drug test for employment. Thats right I know the whole story behind you punk. If your boys stays in trouble. You should blame yourself. You are a dead beat dad that should have been tied to a tree and flogged. You don't have the right to claim either of the boys. They are good boys whom should have stopped believing in you a long time ago. Get a life you punk ass mommas boy. One day you will reap what you have sewn. You will ask their forgiveness one of these days.Everything you blogged ,you are talking about you. Where are you now. You are a loser,and a miserable pathetic human being who needs their wanky cut off. You know who I am.
well ain't that the pot calling the kettle. Big Chris you can't even spell.alwasys is spelled always. fell is spelled fill. You flunked out at every school you were in. Your mother bounced you around from school to school. You did not make it anywhere. You have the nerve to call someone lazy. Have you read the things that are written about you lately. Your boys have a better chance than you. I would be to ashamed to even let anyone know That you were the biological. You are the waste of time. You dumb fool
2 all down talkin big chris! Only God can judge! Everybody makes mistakes. He made it 2 the nba so he accomplished a goal. He take care of his last 2 and i talk wit them daily. He is cocaine free and i kno dis 4 a fact. So let God be the judge not yall.. Chris washburn is my hero!
January 4th post: I have an idea who you are and I know you want to believe in something or someone. However, your comment is not based on fact...please do not make statements that you have no knowledge of...PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh yeah...find another hero because that's a ZERO!!!
Chris, It's Mo-Fo. I know that's not you writing about your kids like that. That is so unlike you. You must have really had some major changes happen in your life. I'll always remember the fun-loving Chris. You need to get back to who you are. Yeah, you've had a rough life, but you made that bed. Suck it up and get on with life. Your kids, that's all you've got. If God gave them some of the talent you had, you should be proud of them. Life is short, too short for such bad vibes. Remeber karma, you put it out there, it always comes back. Be Blessed.
I liked Big Chris when he played at State. Once watched him dunk on Danny Manning in a high school game. Good luck Big Chris.
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