Joe Gibson Suzuki

Draft surprises, both good and bad

We are all brilliant in hindsight. We saw the busts before they busted. We knew the surprises before they surprised.

Or at least that's what we say since, unlike NBA executives, we aren't publicly on the hook for our knowledge and draft insight.

But if the past has proved anything, it is that nothing is a sure thing. Some players exceed their potential, and some fail to live up to expectations. So as we prepare for this year's NBA draft, trying to figure out who will be the surprises and who will be the flops, it's time to own up to the truth.

And the truth is, we all miss: the people who get to poke, prod, evaluate and interview their future draft picks, and the rest of us ordinary armchair point guards. Players exceed their potential or fail to live up to expectations every year.

In honor of that cold, harsh reality, here is a list of 10 of the biggest surprises since 2000, good college players who have gone on to even more successful pro careers. And, naturally, with the good comes the bad, so I'm throwing in five players who looked like stars in the making back in college but instead have fizzled in the NBA.

By no means is this a definitive list. Just a retrospective based on one scribe's draft-night expectations. Feel free to share some of your favorite surprises and disappointments in the comments section. And remember, these are only players whom we saw play in college.

Trevor Ariza: Baron Davis, Ariza's mentor, said before the 2004 NBA draft: "In the next three to four years, a lot of teams will know they made a mistake by not taking him higher." Davis wound up being right but it was hard to blame the NBA brain trust for being reluctant. Ariza left after one good-but-not-stellar season at UCLA, and his selection at No. 43 seemed about right. Seven seasons later, Ariza is a mainstay in the NBA and this year put up his best numbers for the Hornets in the playoffs, averaging 15.5 points and 6.5 boards.

J.J. Barea: Hands up if you had Barea winning an NBA championship, slicing and dicing the Lakers in the playoffs and dating Miss Universe. Sure you did. The 5-10 guard (yes, he's listed at 6 feet … no, he's not 6 feet) out of Northeastern went undrafted in 2006 and was only picked up by the Dallas Mavericks after strong performances in a pair of summer leagues.

Joe Gibson Suzuki Files For Bankruptcy - Greenville News Story ...

SPARTANBURG COUNTY, S.C. -- An Upstate car dealership that was sued by more than a dozen customers, and that owes thousands to several local television stations including WYFF, has filed for bankruptcy.

Joe Gibson's Auto World Inc., also known as Joe Gibson Suzuki, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Spartanburg County on Wednesday.

The paperwork filed with the United States Bankruptcy Court District of South Carolina lists dozens of people owed money by the dealership.

The 20 creditors holding the largest unsecured claims against Joe Gibson's Auto World are:

Americredit, in Arlington, Texas, $612,017.83 (disputed) Franklin Capital Corp, Salt Lake City, Utah, $375,052.33 (disputed) M&T Bank, Buffalo, N.Y., $263,578.44 (disputed) Christopher Ad Group, Coral Gables, Fla., $136,727.97 WHNS-TV, Charlotte, N.C., $118.286 Charter Media, Greenville, $106, 272.94 WBTV, Charlotte, N.C., $76,150.75 WLOS, Asheville, N.C., $71,164.55 Time Warner Cable, Atlanta, Ga., $47,414.87 WYFF, Greenville, $40,120 WSPA-TV, Richmond, Va., $39,117 WSOC, Charlotte, N.C., $33,086.25 Vanessa Williams, Piedmont, S.C., $24,000 WSMZ, Atlanta, Ga., $23,662.28 WYCW-TV, Richmond, Va., $17,688.75 WHZT, Atlanta, Ga., $16,794.70 WBAV-FM, Charlotte, N.C., $8,946.25 IRS, Insolvency Group 4, Columbia, S.C., $6,101.54 S.C. Department of Revenue, Columbia, S.C., $5,811.43 S.C. Department of Revenue, Withholding Tax, $1,352.09

Joe Gibson Suzuki released a lengthy statement Thursday afternoon saying that through the filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Joe Gibson Suzuki/Mitsubishi was "striving to protect local jobs through reorganization."

To read the full, unedited statement, click here .

WYFF reported on lawsuits filed against the dealership by customers and complaints that were filed against Joe Gibson's Suzuki because of advertising a state official called "false, misleading and deceptive."

The dealership was the subject of more than 50 consumer complaints with the Better Business Bureau and was named as the defendant in more than 14 lawsuits.

According to lawsuits already filed, customers were led to believe their monthly car payments would be as low as $47 when they bought a car from the dealership, but were hit with much higher payments after a few months.

The details vary, but customers said they went to the dealership because of advertising promising very low car payments.

Suzuki Twinkles, An Intimate Portrait

GIBSON, Moyah is a Jamaican Suzuki violin teacher who introduced the method in Jamaica in 1992. She is director of the company Twinkle Ensemble Jamaica Ltd. ...

Catalogue of stills, posters, and designs

2005 Standard Catalog Of Baseball Cards

2008 Baseball Card Price Guide

Josh Gibson

TM f Alex RodRiguez f hAnk AARon f AnnikA SoRenStAm f iChiRo Suzuki f BARRy ... f Jim thoRpe f Joe dimAggio f JoSh giBSon f lAnCe ARmStRong f SAndy kouFAx f ...