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NBA: Five Red Flag Players To Avoid This Summer

By Gerald Bourguet

Dec. 1, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Brooklyn Nets point guard Deron Williams (8) dribbles as Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade (3) looks on at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Dec. 1, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Brooklyn Nets point guard Deron Williams (8) dribbles as Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade (3) looks on at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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3. Al Horford:

Al Horford joined Corey Brewer and Joakim Noah at Florida and won two NCAA championships. The future was bright for the No. 3 pick in the 2007 NBA Draft and even though he didn’t blow anyone away in his first three seasons, he still nearly averaged a double-double and played in 81, 67 and 81 games, respectively. In his fourth season, Horford averaged a then-career high 15.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per game and shot 55.7 percent from the field while playing in 77 games.

But from there, Horford’s luck with avoiding injuries started to run dry. In the 2011-12 season, Horford only played in 11 games because of a shoulder injury that tore his pectoral muscle. Horford returned in the playoffs against the Boston Celtics, but he was rusty and couldn’t change Atlanta’s seemingly eternal destiny of losing in the first round of the playoffs. He played 74 games the following season and averaged 17.4 points and 10.4 rebounds per game, both career highs. But another pectoral injury, this time a complete tear that required surgery, limited his 2013-14 season to just 29 games.

NBA
Mar 24, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Injured Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford (15) (gray sports coat) sits on the bench with team mates during the game against the Phoenix Suns during the second half at Philips Arena. The Suns defeated the Hawks 102-95. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /

Horford is an elite shooter and one of the league’s few stretch-5s. If you give him an open look from just inside the three-point line, he’s going to knock it down. He’s also incredibly effective finishing at the basket, he’s a good passer out of double teams, he’s rarely in foul trouble and he’s one of only three truly impressive pieces the Hawks currently possess.

However, recurring injuries to a player is always a cause for concern, and it’s not exactly comforting that Horford won’t even be able to play this summer for the Dominican Republic national team because of that injured pec. Horford still intends to be ready to go for training camp and had the Hawks played with a healthy Horford all season long, they might have even broken the first round playoff barrier. Don’t forget, people were predicting Atlanta to be one of the top seeds in the Eastern Conference before the season started. But as much as the Hawks’ roster is built to trade, Horford isn’t the safest one to invest in.