Sports What Ifs.

[Gentleman Biaggi]

Also, a bit of an unusual one - what if the then-New Jersey Nets follow through with their plan to change the team's name to the Swamp Dragons?

The name would be a laughingstock, I can't imagine many people liking it.

After returning from my dormant state in this thread I have some questions.

-In 1976 the Blazers have a perfect off-season and land Malone, Dantley, Lucas, and English

-In 1993 Houston makes the finals against a Bulls team with no good center

-In 2002 Boston beats New Jersey in the ECF and that leads to a Celtics-Lakers finals in aught-two

 

[UCB79]

Remember Chuck Muncie, who played for the Saints & Chargers in the late 70's & 80's,
recorded @ least two 1,0000 yard seasons but got caught up in drugs which ended his
career IOTL pre-maturely; he later spent
time in jail. (Happily, after that he did go
straight & managed to stay that way.) WI
Muncie had managed to stay clean earlier-
what kind of career could he have had?

 

[AltSptHst]

Maybe they go twin towers to match up with Houston. However, the Milwaukee Bucks actively sought him around this time as they were "one piece away" from getting over the hump. And Carroll had just returned from playing in Italy so I am not sure GSW was so high on him. Further, GSW had Larry Smith at PF, a poor man's Buck Williams, who was a strong rebounder at the 4 spot. I can also see other teams trying to get Carroll as well - Knicks for starters, Atlanta, Chicago (post presence next to Jordan), and any number of Western Conference teams. They probably would have gotten a hefty haul for him.

Dell Curry, such a great shooter. He would have been awesome had he been paired with a higher scoring big man or a better pg. Nothing against Zo and Mugsy but...

That's another possibility. The Bucks ended up trading for Sikma, but if they could get Carroll for a decent price, they might have been in better shape to overcome Boston in the second round.

 

[Dunning Kruger]

Remember Chuck Muncie, who played for the Saints & Chargers in the late 70's & 80's,
recorded @ least two 1,0000 yard seasons but got caught up in drugs which ended his
career IOTL pre-maturely; he later spent
time in jail. (Happily, after that he did go
straight & managed to stay that way.) WI
Muncie had managed to stay clean earlier-
what kind of career could he have had?

Chuck Muncie was a massively underrated part of the Air Coryell Chargers. Well, with a better running game, Fouts takes few hits perhaps and suffers few injuries.

Gene Klein didnt have enough money to spend to keep the Chargers relevant though. Just like the 00's chargers, they assembled all the pieces but then had to let them go before they could win the big one.

 

[creighton]

Len Bias TLs are ever popular. What about the whole '86 draft stays off drugs. Roy Tarpley had all NBA potential. William Bedford, Chris Washburn. And I remember hearing that Ron Harper might have partied his way out of Cleveland. His first couple of years in the league he looked like he had near Jordan potential. And he was good but never at that level - dont know if not taking care of his body contributed or not.

Bill Simmons' Book of Basketball does a really good deep dive on which 1980s players presumably took cocaine based on inexplicable stat nose dives during their primes.

 

[packmanwiscy]

Chuck Muncie was a massively underrated part of the Air Coryell Chargers. Well, with a better running game, Fouts takes few hits perhaps and suffers few injuries.

Gene Klein didnt have enough money to spend to keep the Chargers relevant though. Just like the 00's chargers, they assembled all the pieces but then had to let them go before they could win the big one.

I always wonder if the Chargers could have kept John Jefferson and Fred Dean into the 1980's. He was an All-Pro twice in San Diego before being traded to Green Bay because of a contract dispute and adding him to a receiving core of Winslow, Joiner, and Wes Chandler could have been more unstoppable than it was OTL. And after Dean left the Chargers for the 49ers to anchor their defensive line, the San Diego defense went from average to abysmal. That team could have been amazing just from maintaining the players they already had, but only if the Chargers had enough money

 

[Dunning Kruger]

I always wonder if the Chargers could have kept John Jefferson and Fred Dean into the 1980's. He was an All-Pro twice in San Diego before being traded to Green Bay because of a contract dispute and adding him to a receiving core of Winslow, Joiner, and Wes Chandler could have been more unstoppable than it was OTL. And after Dean left the Chargers for the 49ers to anchor their defensive line, the San Diego defense went from average to abysmal. That team could have been amazing just from maintaining the players they already had, but only if the Chargers had enough money

John Jefferson was the first receiver to every have 1,000 yards receiving his first three years in the league. He was so awesome. I doubt they would have gotten Chandler if JJ stays though. Chandler's 1982 season is massively underrated - 1,000 yards receiving in only 8 games.

Fred Dean might have made the difference in 1981 or 1982. They were so close.

Keeping James Brooks rather than trading him for a washed up Pete Johnson would have been a good move.

The other killer for the Chargers was the 1982 draft. IIRC, they had no picks in like the first 6 rounds.

 

[AltSptHst]

John Jefferson was the first receiver to every have 1,000 yards receiving his first three years in the league. He was so awesome. I doubt they would have gotten Chandler if JJ stays though. Chandler's 1982 season is massively underrated - 1,000 yards receiving in only 8 games.

Fred Dean might have made the difference in 1981 or 1982. They were so close.

Keeping James Brooks rather than trading him for a washed up Pete Johnson would have been a good move.

The other killer for the Chargers was the 1982 draft. IIRC, they had no picks in like the first 6 rounds.

Them not having picks is why the Chargers should have done this instead:

1. They should have traded JJ for another good WR straight up. That way, they wouldn't have given up a 1982 first and third-rounder for Chandler. Just trade JJ for him straight up.

2. Sign Fred Dean to an extension.

Then, in the first round of the 81 draft, they should have taken MLB Mike Singletary. James Brooks was good, but that D was wretched. Singletary and Dean on that defense may have put them over the hump.

 

[creighton]

Them not having picks is why the Chargers should have done this instead:

1. They should have traded JJ for another good WR straight up. That way, they wouldn't have given up a 1982 first and third-rounder for Chandler. Just trade JJ for him straight up.

2. Sign Fred Dean to an extension.

Then, in the first round of the 81 draft, they should have taken MLB Mike Singletary. James Brooks was good, but that D was wretched. Singletary and Dean on that defense may have put them over the hump.

Being a Chargers fan would be uniquely cruel. Not only did they miss Super Bowl in both the Fouts era and the clearly-most-talented-team in the late 2000s era, they've also decided to become the NFL Clippers and burn all their San Deigo fans.

 

[Unknown]

Related to the 2000s-era Chargers, WI Marlon McCree had just taken a knee rather than trying to run back or, better yet, had a better grip on the ball he intercepted?

 

[creighton]

Related to the 2000s-era Chargers, WI Marlon McCree had just taken a knee rather than trying to run back or, better yet, had a better grip on the ball he intercepted?

Marty Schottenheimer gets a few more seasons, and it's more plausible that they win a Super Bowl at some point.

 

[nyratk1]

At Newcastle, Sir Bobby Robson tried to get his good friend Jose Mourinho (a few weeks after he became manager at Benfica) as his assistant at St. James Park. Robson sweetened the deal by offering to step down after two years so Jose could assume the manager position but Jose stayed at Benfica since Jose surmised Bobby would not give up his boyhood dream of managing his hometown club so quickly. What if Sir Bobby was true to his word and Jose accepted?

 

[Kevin Lessard]

1998 was John Blake's last year as HC at Oklahoma (university American football, for those who don't know). They started 2-0 before losing the next two games to Cal and Colorado by a combined 3 points. If my memory serves, the Sooners left enough points on the field to win both those games. Even supposing everything else breaks the same from the rest of the season, those two wins get the Sooners to 7-4 and probably the Independence Bowl, which might save John Blake's job and butterfly away the Stoops era in Norman. I often wonder what would happen to the Sooners with another year or two of John Blake (he'd eventually get canned as he wasn't a great head coach) and where Stoops and his first year staff (which included Mike Leach, Mark Mangino his brother Mike and Bret Venebles) end up.

 

[AltSptHst]

Marty Schottenheimer gets a few more seasons, and it's more plausible that they win a Super Bowl at some point.

Probably. Also, with Marty staying, Norv Turner stays at SF as offensive coordinator for another year or so. Wonder if Alex Smith's career is different with Turner there longer.

 

[UCB79]

In 1969 IOTL the then Lee Alcindor, having
completed an illustrious college career @ UCLA, had to decide which of the two pro
basketball leagues- ABA or NBA- he'd sign
with. Alcindor announced he would take one,
& only one, bid from each league(he didn't
want a bidding war)& accept whichever offer
was the higher. Milwaukee of the NBA put in
the higher offer than New York of the ABA,
so Alcindor- despite personally wanting to
play in NY- went with the Bucks. Now-

WI the Nets had made the higher offer? How
would pro basketball history be changed? For
example-

1: When the two leagues merged, would all
of the ABA's teams- as happened with the
AFL- have been taken in, as opposed to only
four IOTL?
2- Would this have butterflied away those great Laker teams of the 80's?

 

[Zheng He]

What if the Cleveland Browns didn't suck?

 

[Dunning Kruger]

Them not having picks is why the Chargers should have done this instead:

1. They should have traded JJ for another good WR straight up. That way, they wouldn't have given up a 1982 first and third-rounder for Chandler. Just trade JJ for him straight up.

2. Sign Fred Dean to an extension.

Then, in the first round of the 81 draft, they should have taken MLB Mike Singletary. James Brooks was good, but that D was wretched. Singletary and Dean on that defense may have put them over the hump.

They got a first rounder and a second rounder from the Packers, plus a mediocre Aundra Thompson. So, they actually improved draft wise by sending him to the Pack and grabbing Chandler.

 

[Dunning Kruger]

What if the Cleveland Browns didn't suck?

You mean like the 50s, 60s, and 80s? They actually werent that bad in the 90s before packing up for Baltimore.

 

[Nivek]

What if the Cleveland Browns didn't suck?

You mean like the 50s, 60s, and 80s? They actually werent that bad in the 90s before packing up for Baltimore.

For obvious reason he refer to the modern browns, ie the expansion franchise inhereted browns name and heritage post the move.... Starting un the draft with a real OL for Tim Couch( or draft far better mcnabb) and slowly built from there.

 

[AnonymousSauce]

In 1969 IOTL the then Lee Alcindor, having
completed an illustrious college career @ UCLA, had to decide which of the two pro
basketball leagues- ABA or NBA- he'd sign
with. Alcindor announced he would take one,
& only one, bid from each league(he didn't
want a bidding war)& accept whichever offer
was the higher. Milwaukee of the NBA put in
the higher offer than New York of the ABA,
so Alcindor- despite personally wanting to
play in NY- went with the Bucks. Now-

WI the Nets had made the higher offer? How
would pro basketball history be changed? For
example-

1: When the two leagues merged, would all
of the ABA's teams- as happened with the
AFL- have been taken in, as opposed to only
four IOTL?
2- Would this have butterflied away those great Laker teams of the 80's?

1. I doubt it, the ABA had structural issues with ownership stability, arenas and TV contracts that one more superstar wasn't necessarily going to fix. Much like the NASL which was able to pull some big names but had massive imbalance between large and small market teams and an almost Ponzi scheme-like addiction with admitting expansion teams and their franchise fees, which ended up collapsing even without major league competition.
2. Maybe, the Nets went to the NBA IOTL and if they can avoid the financial issues that forced them to sell Dr. J IOTL, then it's not unthinkable that he could stay in NY his entire career.