Bench Player to Star Player?

[floydnimrod]

I was wondering the other day i instances where a player was a bench player/backup on one team and was traded for/signed by another team to become an integral part of that team. I couldn't think of too many examples and I this is something that interests me.

Matt Schaub was the first one I could think of, as a backup for the Falcons, traded to Houston, with the Texans' intent to start him at Quarterback.

Another one was Brandon Phillips (although not exactly what I'm talking about). The Reds traded for Phillips as sort of a minor move, I'm not sure they had the intent of making him one of the faces of the franchise.

Can anyone think of any other times this has happened, successfully or unsuccessfully (I know it has, just can't think of any)? By the way when I mean bench players/backups I'm not talking about prospects/rookies.

[kajeet]

Brett Favre started out on as second string on the Falcons. Then became a starter when the main QB got hurt. Then he was traded because the Falcons said he wasn't fit enough......

[GriffinM6]

James Harden has to be on this list. He was 6th man of the year, but was one of the stars on a great Thunder team last season, and now is the star player on the Houston Rockets after being traded.

[thespleenenator]

Arian Foster went from undrafted free agent bench, to NFL superstar.

[dfwabel]

James Harden has to be on this list. He was 6th man of the year, but was one of the stars on a great Thunder team last season, and now is the star player on the Houston Rockets after being traded.

No, not at all. He was a freakin Olympian.

He was just not starting in OKC. Harden still was third in MIN, PTS, FGA, FTA, and AST over whomever was fourth.

If you are going to use a current Rocket, Jeremy Lin, although a RFA fits that the OP was thinking about.

[charger77]

Tom Brady was the backup to Drew Bledsoe that filled in during an injury and won the Super Bowl.

[GriffinM6]

James Harden has to be on this list. He was 6th man of the year, but was one of the stars on a great Thunder team last season, and now is the star player on the Houston Rockets after being traded.

No, not at all. He was a freakin Olympian.

He was just not starting in OKC. Harden still was third in MIN, PTS, FGA, FTA, and AST over whomever was fourth.

If you are going to use a current Rocket, Jeremy Lin, although a RFA fits that the OP was thinking about.

Still. He came off the bench, and lit it up. He's now starting every day in Houston, and doing great. He's clearly the best player on the Rockets right now. I'd put Lin as third best on the Rockets after Harden and Osik.

[sc49erfan15]

James Harden has to be on this list. He was 6th man of the year, but was one of the stars on a great Thunder team last season, and now is the star player on the Houston Rockets after being traded.

No, not at all. He was a freakin Olympian.

He was just not starting in OKC. Harden still was third in MIN, PTS, FGA, FTA, and AST over whomever was fourth.

If you are going to use a current Rocket, Jeremy Lin, although a RFA fits that the OP was thinking about.

Still. He came off the bench, and lit it up. He's now starting every day in Houston, and doing great. He's clearly the best player on the Rockets right now. I'd put Lin as third best on the Rockets after Harden and Osik.

By that reasoning, Kevin McHale is a "bench player to star player."

[pmoehrin]

I always look at Kurt Warner as being the most obvious example of this. This was a guy who was struggling just to get tryouts with NFL teams, let alone be a superstar. I don't think there's any more extreme example then that.

Drazen Petrovic is another I can come up with off the top of my head. He was not doing much of anything in Portland and then got to the Nets and just went off. Real shame he died so young. Nets may have been able to make it to the Finals in '94 had Petro been on the team and certainly would have been in the 50+ win range. We'll never know.

For baseball Dennis Eckersley is about the best example I can come up with there. Had some solid years in Boston and then quickly tailed off until he got to Oakland and became hands down the most dominant closer in baseball over a four year stretch from '88-'92.

[tBBP]

Good call on Petrovic...but the thing about Warner and Brady is that they were already on the team(s), and neither was intended to be the face of the franchise—they just got their chances due injuries to their incumbents and it just happened.

As for what I can conjure up, let's see here...I think this happens with NFL quarterbacks quite a bit.

Matt Hasselbeck, then backup to Lord Favre, hand-plucked by former GB HC Mike Holmgren to be his starter in Seattle. (I'd also say Seneca Wallace, who Holmgren plucked from Seattle with the intent of competing for starting QB in Cleveland, but um—yeah, that ain't work out.) And let's add Mark Brunell to this too...another GB backup who found his way to starterdom with the Jaguars. (Won't mention Aaron Brooks though; BlueSky knows why. )

-Speaking of Seattle QBs (this one falls in the "hasn't worked out [yet]" category)...Matt Flynn, like Hasselbeck a backup in GB before signing to Seattle.

Heh...Kevin Kolb. Arizona needed a new QB to replace Kurt Warner (and Leinart obviously wasn't it), so they signed this former Philadelphia backup. Well, yeah...um, that ain't worked out too good, either.

I don't really know that this fits, but then there's Trent Green. Took hin several years to become a starter in D.C., then signed to St. Louis with the intention of being the Rams' starting QB—and we all know how that turned out. (See post above.) Started some of the following season while Warner was injured, then was traded to the Chiefs, where he finally became the full-time #1—and a pretty decent one, too.

In a half-related twist where a team let its starter walk so its backup could become the featured starter...Phillip Rivers. (I wonder how many people have forgotten by now that Drew Brees used to be the starter in San Diego?)

Non QBs...

Michael "The Burner" Turner. Falcons fans know this name; Charger fans might remember it. Former backup to Ladainlian (sp?) Tomlinson in San Diego before Atlanta tabbed him to be their featured runner.

I can't remember if he was a full-time starter or not at the time, but if he wasn't, Hardy Nickerson definitely qualifies here. Tampa somehow signed him away from the Steelers in '93 (the first year of free agency as we know it) and proceeded to build their whole defense around him.

That's all I can think of for now...

[floydnimrod]

Good call on Petrovic...but the thing about Warner and Brady is that they were already on the team(s), and neither was intended to be the face of the franchise—they just got their chances due injuries to their incumbents and it just happened.

As for what I can conjure up, let's see here...I think this happens with NFL quarterbacks quite a bit.

Matt Hasselbeck, then backup to Lord Favre, hand-plucked by former GB HC Mike Holmgren to be his starter in Seattle. (I'd also say Seneca Wallace, who Holmgren plucked from Seattle with the intent of competing for starting QB in Cleveland, but um—yeah, that ain't work out.) And let's add Mark Brunell to this too...another GB backup who found his way to starterdom with the Jaguars. (Won't mention Aaron Brooks though; BlueSky knows why. )

-Speaking of Seattle QBs (this one falls in the "hasn't worked out [yet]" category)...Matt Flynn, like Hasselbeck a backup in GB before signing to Seattle.

Heh...Kevin Kolb. Arizona needed a new QB to replace Kurt Warner (and Leinart obviously wasn't it), so they signed this former Philadelphia backup. Well, yeah...um, that ain't worked out too good, either.

I don't really know that this fits, but then there's Trent Green. Took hin several years to become a starter in D.C., then signed to St. Louis with the intention of being the Rams' starting QB—and we all know how that turned out. (See post above.) Started some of the following season while Warner was injured, then was traded to the Chiefs, where he finally became the full-time #1—and a pretty decent one, too.

In a half-related twist where a team let its starter walk so its backup could become the featured starter...Phillip Rivers. (I wonder how many people have forgotten by now that Drew Brees used to be the starter in San Diego?)

Non QBs...

Michael "The Burner" Turner. Falcons fans know this name; Charger fans might remember it. Former backup to Ladainlian (sp?) Tomlinson in San Diego before Atlanta tabbed him to be their featured runner.

I can't remember if he was a full-time starter or not at the time, but if he wasn't, Hardy Nickerson definitely qualifies here. Tampa somehow signed him away from the Steelers in '93 (the first year of free agency as we know it) and proceeded to build their whole defense around him.

That's all I can think of for now...

These are some fantastic examples, I had completely forgotten about Hasselbeck (I had just remembered Flynn after I posted).

Matt Cassel could be mentioned as well. He was even a backup in college.

[Shumway]

Kendrys Morales comes to mind. He went from the dude who can play first because Teixeira went to New York to an MVP finalist that year. He sure looked to be on the right track before his leg injury.

[PatsFan12]

Perfect example of this is Teddy Purcell. He was drafted by the Kings, but never given a shot to crack the starting lineup. Now he's one of the top guys on the Lightning.

[Kramerica Industries]

Teddy Purcell is not a perfect example of this, at all, because Teddy Purcell is in no way a star-calibre player.

[PatsFan12]

Teddy Purcell is not a perfect example of this, at all, because Teddy Purcell is in no way a star-calibre player.

He's on the top line, has increased his points everytime the last 3 years, and is one of the faces of the team. Vinny's getting old, and Martin St.Louis is as well. Besides Stamkos, who else can help the team out the next 3-5 years?

[4_tattoos]

What about Steve Nash? Wasn't he pretty much a nobody in the NBA before being traded to Dallas?

[chuckymack]

No. He was drafted in the first round by Phoenix, was their starter, and then went to Dallas.

[tBBP]

Teddy Purcell is not a perfect example of this, at all, because Teddy Purcell is in no way a star-calibre player.

He's on the top line, has increased his points everytime the last 3 years, and is one of the faces of the team. Vinny's getting old, and Martin St.Louis is as well. Besides Stamkos, who else can help the team out the next 3-5 years?

Lecavalier's still playing?? Hasn't he been the face of that franchise pretty much since its inception? Who does he think he is, Chris Chelios 'round this b*tch??

(Speaking of Vinny, there's a helluva candidate for "Great [ish] Players Who Spent Their Careers With Horrible Teams".)

[charger77]

Teddy Purcell is not a perfect example of this, at all, because Teddy Purcell is in no way a star-calibre player.

He's on the top line, has increased his points everytime the last 3 years, and is one of the faces of the team. Vinny's getting old, and Martin St.Louis is as well. Besides Stamkos, who else can help the team out the next 3-5 years?

Lecavalier's still playing?? Hasn't he been the face of that franchise pretty much since its inception? Who does he think he is, Chris Chelios 'round this b*tch??

(Speaking of Vinny, there's a helluva candidate for "Great [ish] Players Who Spent Their Careers With Horrible Teams".)

He did win a Stanley Cup

[TBGKon]

Matt Schaub

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