Tandems that never were or didn't quite work

[Andrew]

After watching an NBA video from the mid 90s, I was reminded that Chris Webber could have been paired with Shaquille O'Neal had he not been dealt to Golden State for the rights to Anfernee Hardaway. It got me thinking about what might have happened if certain tandems ever got the chance to play together. I also thought about duos who never quite got it done or were dismantled before ever really achieving anything.

Shaquille O'Neal and Chris Webber

It's funny to think that these two could have been teammates given all the bad blood between the Lakers and Kings in recent seasons, and in particular Shaq's outspoken nature when it comes to the Kings and all the comments that have been aimed at Webber.

These bitter rivals were, for a fleeting moment, talked about as the next great Twin Towers duo. But was it for the best that it never happened? Obviously, pairing Shaq up with a young Penny Hardaway didn't hurt the Magic, but I have to wonder whether Shaq and Webber would have been as successful. With the right pass-first point guard on the same floor as Shaq, Webber, Nick Anderson and Dennis Scott or Donald Royal, would the Magic have been much more successful?

Even though he's been considered a leader at times, Webber was expected to be #2 behind Shaq - a role I think he would have accepted at the time. Webber has been criticised for his lack of heart in the past, not such a problem with a guy like Shaq around to take the team on his shoulders in crunch time.

Ultimately, the lack of a good point guard might hurt the team since without a capable playmaker such awesome talent in the post would not fire on all cylinders at the offensive end. It's difficult to say whether Shaq and Webber would have been any more successful than Shaq and Penny. Perhaps it's irrelevant anyway. If Shaq was destined to leave Orlando to become a part of the Lakers' rich history of big men, Webber would have been left tow the line in Orlando just as Penny was.

Jason Kidd and Anfernee Hardaway

This was a duo that was, but didn't quite work out as planned. "Backcourt 2000" was supposed to be the pairing of two versatilse guards who would lead Phoenix deep into the playoffs. Injuries had taken their toll on Penny and he was no longer considered one of the NBA's brightest stars. Ultimately Kidd was dealt to New Jersey and after declining court time and relocation to the bench, Penny was dealt to the Knicks in a multi-player deal that included Stephon Marbury.

This pairing might have worked a few seasons earlier, but Penny was never quite the same after the 1996/1997 season, a season in which he still missed 23 games. I think a lot of the expectations of Backcourt 2000 assumed Penny would return with a vengeance. Sadly, it wasn't to be.

Does anyone else have a possible pairing or duo that didn't work out? As far the possible pairings go, they might include draft day deals (a la Shaq and Webber), persistant trade rumours that eventually didn't end in a deal being made or any other case where a potential duo never actually got to play together.

[hmm]

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[Rens]

Grant Hill and Tim Duncan

Tim Duncan and Tracy McGrady

Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady

[Matt]

yeah all the ones Rens mentioned. Especially Hill and Duncan. That would have been an awesome one

[allamerican08]

When was T-Mac/Hill-Duncan were ever a posibility??

Anyway..I think it was the right choice to lose WEbber and go for a guard. Remember, its always best to have 2 very good players who don't share the same position! Eg.Hakeem & Barkley.

The recepie you want is
Big Man
Point
Guard

All other positions just fit in. In Penny they were geting both a 1 and 2 guard, in Webber.. well?!

Just think about it logicaly... WEre was Malone standing when Shaq was on the foor? Where was Barkley standing when Hakeem was on the floor?
2 big men who can and want to score cannot play together for very long.

[Andrew]

When was T-Mac/Hill-Duncan were ever a posibility??

During the 2000 offseason, all were free agents and the Orlando Magic were interested in all three. The Magic were pursuing Duncan fairly actively, for a while it looked as though he might be headed to Florida to be paired up with Hill or McGrady, or possibly even both.

[hmm]

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[GloveGuy]

Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone, and Gary Payton - no explanation really needed, we're all fairly updated

Tim Duncan and Jason Kidd - would've been the move that matched LA's signing of Malone and GP...stupid Kidd

[J@3]

Matched it? It would've surpassed it easily.

[Micchy_boy]

AI and anyone. even AI and head coach. we all know why???

and i guess this one
Peja and C-Webb plus Christie, Bibby and Vlade


also
Shaq and Divac (was traded to charlotte for kobe)
but it wont work.

[GloveGuy]

Matched it? It would've surpassed it easily.

Not at the time. Payton and Malone were guys who could put up 20 and 10 numbers(10 assists for Payton, 10 rebounds for Malone) last summer. Payton was the closest thing that could match Kidd when he was with Seattle and Milwaukee while Malone was still the number one guy in Utah. So at the time, signing Kidd wouldn't have "easily" surpass the Lakers move.

[Sauru]

i can add a duo that just didnt work out, and that was zo and johnson. man these 2 were so damn talented when they first came out but nothing ever amounted from it. infact it just turned into a big rivalry(knicks/heat anyone?).

now as far as a tandem that never came to be, well tops on my list is Larry Bird and Len Bias. i can only imagine what the celtics would have done to the nba had these 2 played together, not to mention we also had the chief and mchale. this team would have flat out dominated the nba back then, but now we are left with a "oh what might have been" taste in our mouthes.


just another quick failed tandem, or better yet trio, hardaway/mullen/spree. hell they even had webber and owens was playing great back then. this was probably one of if not the strongest starting 5 in the nba(though webber was undersized for center). instead of trying to sign a true center in free agency or maybe tradeing owens for a real center they dismantled the team. so many good teams have gone down the crapped due to impatient owners and GM's.

[Amphatoast]

Vince Carter & Tracy McGrady
if they got along and played like good cousins, Toronto might of just turned from a Hockey City to a Basketball City watchign them 2 high flying freaks all day.

Miller/Brand/Artest
holy smokes, can you imagine that frontline?
couple guards [easiest position to fill since many people aren't so tall], and Bulls would of been a contender.

Brand/Maggette/Kobe
ah the big LA decision...all a wonder and what if..

Jason Williams & Crawford
I didn't see many Bulls games, but would they have been a good back court?

Baron Davis & Kobe
lol if the Hornets kept Kobe...

[Sauru]

maybe i am wrong here but i thought davis was drafted after kobe? if thats true then this is a huge whatif as haveing kobe would have effected thier record and thus efected thier draft position.

[Mikki]

James/Miles/Davis
I really liked this trio but because they lost so many games, they had to trade Ricky then Miles.

[Jackal]

I won't mind seeing a Bryant-Kidd(-Odom) tandem.

[Sauru]

from where i sit in boston, i can safely say, that you are more than welcome to have ricky davis back

[air gordon]

boozer-james
pippen-barkley-dream
eddie jones-bryant
andre miller-la clips
mutumbo-kidd
mourning-kidd
eddie robinson-bulls
jim jackson-mash-kidd
marbs-kvh
kmart-kvh
crawford-gordon

[DipSetVC]

That Vince Carter-T-Mac tandem makes me drool everytime I hear about it....If Only...

[Riot]

Kg-Marbury

Marbury was a bitch and left though.

[Amphatoast]

maybe i am wrong here but i thought davis was drafted after kobe? if thats true then this is a huge whatif as haveing kobe would have effected thier record and thus efected thier draft position.

oops i didn't realize davis was drafted in '99!!
you are right though, that would of had a big impact since that was the only year in recent years hornets went lottery. If that season wasn't a lock out they would of made the playoffs I think.

[FanOfAll]

Brand/Curry
JO/'Sheed
...man really gotta work my brains here...
Hinrich + Heat
Brand + CB4/Wade/EJ

[hmm]

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[Andrew]

Here's one:

Michael Jordan & Clyde Drexler

The selection of Bowie over Jordan in the 1984 Draft is considered one of the biggest blunders in the last two decades, though many people have attempted to justify it as such:
- The Blazers had Clyde Drexler
- No one expected Michael Jordan to be such a significant player
- The Bulls probably would have taken Bowie given the chance.

Would Air Jordan and Clyde the Glide be able to co-exist? On an up-tempo team, they could probably each get enough shots. I'm not sure how successful the team would be unless they had solid role players and in particular, big men who weren't spectacular but could do the little things. I don't think it would have been as successful as the Jordan and Pippen combo, but they would have made a fairly exciting high flying duo.

[hmm]

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