Before he complicated his life so much, Bob Knight was, without question, a brilliant young coach whose future seemed unlimited.
What limited it, ultimately, was Knight. His inability to get along with people and to suppress his instinct to bully, made it virtually impossible to achieve what should have been his potential: the greatest college basketball coach ever.
Look at his record! Look how many seasons were marginally successful. After his most brilliant stretch, between 1974-1976, he had 20 seasons with 22 wins or less. Add five games a year to that - not unreasonable - and he would have finished with 1.