Michael Jordan should whip out his checkbook and donate the $50K. If not for Bias' fatal mistake of using cocaine, Jordan's ring count wouldn't be at six.
On the other hand, Bias' death denied Jordan a true, worthy rival, like Wilt had Russell and Bird had Magic. One thing a statue (or mural) would do, is further impress upon the HS students at Northwestern that certain choices made young people, even the most talented, could lead to disaster.
TP, Triple, I'm with you.
I will admit, that I am biased towards Lenny Bias, but Bias was so talented and versatile, that Jordan may have had only two or three, if that.
Bias was like James Worthy on steroids (not literally, that I know of)with both the physical enhancements that 'roids bring and the aggression that they bring, too.
I know that this sounds like romanticizing from the good old days, but Bias could run the floor (like Worthy), rebound like crazy (much tougher than Worthy), shoot well from all over the court (unlike Worthy who mainly shot from the corners, especially the left corner), had tons of put-back slams (unlike Worthy) and was an elite rim protector.
If he stayed healthy, he would have been the bridge to at least two (late 90s) more titles, and possibly more after that. He would've prolonged all of the Big 3's careers, and perhaps could have had title success after they left.
I hate (because of what he cheated us out of) and loved Lenny Bias at the same time.
Red cultivated Bias. He worked at Red's DC summer hoop camps. Bias was, next to Bird and Russell, Red's biggest coup, and perhaps could have been the second biggest, but we'll never know. Bias had Red's stamp of approval, not just on the basketball level, but on the character level too.
Bias' mom worked tirelessly after her sons death on an anti-drug campaign throughout the country.
A statue should be erected for Lenny Bias, both as a warning against poor choices and as a testament to hope and potential.
Celtics Basketball
