Decade's Worse Picks.............

[LittleAlex]

That pick wasn't even Portland's worst pick of the decade, much less one of the top ten worst.

Portland passed on CP3 to take Webster. In addition the Blazers at that time needed a point guard in the worst way.

Webster is a barely average player while CP3 is one of the best players in the league.

Most GM's would have taken Oden number 1 that year. Not one GM would have made the Webster pick.

 

[Ed O]

That pick wasn't even Portland's worst pick of the decade, much less one of the top ten worst.

Portland passed on CP3 to take Webster. In addition the Blazers at that time needed a point guard in the worst way.

Webster is a barely average player while CP3 is one of the best players in the league.

Most GM's would have taken Oden number 1 that year. Not one GM would have made the Webster pick.

Yes. The Webster move/pick--even given that I am glad we traded down, and even given that I still like the guy now--was a terrible one at the time and still stinks.

Oden being in the top 10 seems fair, though... I love him, and think he's still a potential HoF'er, but so far he's missed more than 2/3 of his NBA career. As long as no one considers "busthood" to be permanent, I think that considering him one now isn't unreasonable.

I'm still glad we have him, though, and I don't know that I would prefer Durant.

Ed O.

 

[BrianFromWA]

To be fair Billy Knight might've if Marvin was off the board. He did pass on Roy for Shelden (I get to make babies with Candace Parker) Williams.

 

[Driew]

Oden will win rings.

In street clothes.

 

[THE HCP]

It's snowing!

 

[BlazerCaravan]

In street clothes.

Which will only prove we didn't need Durant, either.

 

[Public Defender]

I guess Ford couldn't do this Top Ten, excuse me, Top Eleven, list without Oden. But as he points out himself, labeling him a bad pick is certainly premature. He's been good to the extent he's been healthy and had playing time.

I think Martell Webster may prove to be a worse pick than Oden, if the big guy can at least play a few seasons without major injuries.

 

[THE HCP]

I was always confused by ATL and their choices! They had like 5 SF's and could have picked CP3 or DWILL!

 

[THE HCP]

They would have a dynasty in the making if they had made the right choice.

 

[rocketeer]

Here's that same list when I drop the required games down to 30 over the last 5 seasons, letting in anyone who's played at least 30 games with a PER of 18 or greater: http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/tiny.cgi?id=UArmT

if you include games from this year, andrew bynum and brook lopez both should be added to the list.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

if you include games from this year, andrew bynum and brook lopez both should be added to the list.

Good call; here's the modified list: http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/tiny.cgi?id=Qzt4v

Still very short.

 

[Denny Crane]

It's snowing!

 

[KingSpeed]

I'll still say it: Durant will win scoring championships, Oden will win rings.

Why do people keep saying that? It is possible to do both, you know.

 

[STOMP]

There were reports prior to the draft that raised serious concerns about Oden's health. So the analogy to Bias is not a good one, IMO.

link?

STOMP

 

[mrkorb]

link?

STOMP

After Oden went down this month, I saw somebody on here mention him having hip surgery or something as a kid, which is supposedly why one leg is 1/4" shorter than the other. The only source I can find for that on Google is some guy's blog. If such a thing was true, I'm sure we would have heard about it long before December 5th, 2009.

 

[THE HCP]

Why do people keep saying that? It is possible to do both, you know.

Has a player ever led the NBA in scoring AND won a ring in the same season?

 

[oldmangrouch]

Has a player ever led the NBA in scoring AND won a ring in the same season?

Good question. Leading the league in scoring usually means you are on a flawed team. Maybe Chamberlain when he won a title in Philly?

 

[mook]

Surely Jordan did it.

 

[LittleAlex]

After Oden went down this month, I saw somebody on here mention him having hip surgery or something as a kid, which is supposedly why one leg is 1/4" shorter than the other. The only source I can find for that on Google is some guy's blog. If such a thing was true, I'm sure we would have heard about it long before December 5th, 2009.

Didn't this happen when he was 12? He missed one game in his entire High School career before he broke his wrist at Ohio State. Not exactly a history of injuries.

 

[Kaydow]

Has a player ever led the NBA in scoring AND won a ring in the same season?

MJ did . . .

1990-1
1991-2
1992-3
1995-6
1996-7
1997-8

Every year he won a ring, he led the league in scoring. Guess that kills the theory you can't win the scoring title & a championship.

 

[julius]

MJ did . . .

1990-1
1991-2
1992-3
1995-6
1996-7
1997-8

Every year he won a ring, he led the league in scoring. Guess that kills the theory you can't win the scoring title & a championship.

I think Shaq lead the league in scoring when they won the title in 2000.

 

[Kaydow]

Has a player ever led the NBA in scoring AND won a ring in the same season?

Guys other than MJ (who did it 6 times) who have lead the league in scoring AND won a championship.

Shaq 1999-00
Jabbar 1970-71
Mikan 1949-50
Mikan 1948-49


I think that's it, but I may have misses one or two.

 

[julius]

Guys other than MJ (who did it 6 times) who have lead the league in scoring AND won a championship.

Shaq 1999-00
Jabbar 1970-71
Mikan 1949-50
Mikan 1948-49


I think that's it, but I may have misses one or two.

So basically, unless you're Michael Freaking Jordan, you probably won't win an NBA title if you win the scoring title.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

So basically, unless you're Michael Freaking Jordan, you probably won't win an NBA title if you win the scoring title.

LBJ probably will, but that's pretty much it for the foreseeable future. I don't see Roy pulling a scoring title out of his ass in any of the four championships I still see us winning.

 

[Masbee]

Why do people keep saying that? It is possible to do both, you know.

It is only possible - based on past history - IF the SuperStar scorer is paired with a dominant big man (which only brings you back full circle to the idea that to win you need a dominant big); OR the SuperStar scorer is also a great defender and the team defense is outstanding (which explains the Jordon era Bulls).

Look at all the recent champions:

They either were built around a dominant MVP caliber big alone (Hakeem, Duncan), the classic build around a dominant two-way big model, OR

built around an MVP caliber dominant big and an MVP caliber SuperStar scorer (Shaq & Kobe, Shaq and Wade), the new school Stern-era Two Superstar model, OR

built around MVP caliber SuperStar scorer paired with outstanding team defense (Jordan era Bulls), OR

built around a collection of All-Star caliber players that either creates decent offense with outstanding defense (Detroit both times, Boston in 08), or creates outstanding offense with decent defense (80's eara Lakers and Boston teams).

A player like Durant didn't exist on any of these teams.

Durant needs to become more of a faciltator, point-forward type AND he needs to become a better rebounder AND he needs to become a much better defender. Only then, would he be one piece of a championship puzzle. Yet he would still need to be paired with an MVP caliber big or several all-star caliber players.

 

[mook]

It is only possible - based on past history - IF the SuperStar scorer is paired with a dominant big man (which only brings you back full circle to the idea that to win you need a dominant big); OR the SuperStar scorer is also a great defender and the team defense is outstanding (which explains the Jordon era Bulls).

Look at all the recent champions:

They either were built around a dominant MVP caliber big alone (Hakeem, Duncan), the classic build around a dominant two-way big model, OR

built around an MVP caliber dominant big and an MVP caliber SuperStar scorer (Shaq & Kobe, Shaq and Wade), the new school Stern-era Two Superstar model, OR

built around MVP caliber SuperStar scorer paired with outstanding team defense (Jordan era Bulls), OR

built around a collection of All-Star caliber players that either creates decent offense with outstanding defense (Detroit both times, Boston in 08), or creates outstanding offense with decent defense (80's eara Lakers and Boston teams).

A player like Durant didn't exist on any of these teams.

Durant needs to become more of a faciltator, point-forward type AND he needs to become a better rebounder AND he needs to become a much better defender. Only then, would he be one piece of a championship puzzle. Yet he would still need to be paired with an MVP caliber big or several all-star caliber players.

It's a very valid point. But what really stands out to me in your post is that you describe 5 different models over 25 years, with 3 dominant players (Shaq, Jordan, Duncan) in over half the championships. If there were just one or two models, and there were dozens of different stars conforming to those models, it'd be a more compelling case that Durant can't create a new model for winning a championship.

As it is, you could just as easily make the case that the most dominant model in the NBA is that the very best player in the league tends to win championships. Period.

Now, I'm not saying Durant will be that good. (My money is on LeBron for the foreseeable future.) But it's certainly possible.

 

[MARIS61]

To use injuries which happened after the pick on 1 player, and compare that tragedy to lack of skill or talent of other players, makes this list into pieces of several different lists and renders it completely useless.

To say we shouldn't have drafted Oden is like saying NYC should have evacuated on 9/10/2001.

Shows the author for the idiot he is.

 

[Kaydow]

So basically, unless you're Michael Freaking Jordan, you probably won't win an NBA title if you win the scoring title.

Not necessarily. Good chance that Kobe does it this year. It certainly isn't a regular occurrence. I did notice that there were several players who won NBA Championships and finished 2nd or 3rd in scoring FWIW:

Shaq 2001-2 (2nd Place)
Shaq 2000-1 (3rd Place)
Hakeem 1994-5 (2nd Place)
Hakeem 1993-4 (3rd Place)
Rick Barry 1974-5 (2nd Place)
Bob Pettit 1957-8 (3rd Place)
Paul Arizin 1955-6 (2nd Place)
Neil Johnston 1955-6 (3rd Place)
George Mikan 1952-3 (2nd Place)
George Mikan 1951-2 (2nd Place)

 

[PapaG]

It seems too early to call any player on their rookie contract a bad draft pick. Assessing after 5 years seems fair, but Oden's draft class is only 2.5 seasons into their careers.

 

[Masbee]

It's a very valid point. But what really stands out to me in your post is that you describe 5 different models over 25 years, with 3 dominant players (Shaq, Jordan, Duncan) in over half the championships. If there were just one or two models, and there were dozens of different stars conforming to those models, it'd be a more compelling case that Durant can't create a new model for winning a championship.

As it is, you could just as easily make the case that the most dominant model in the NBA is that the very best player in the league tends to win championships. Period.

Now, I'm not saying Durant will be that good. (My money is on LeBron for the foreseeable future.) But it's certainly possible.

No Period.

The "very best" player tends to be defined by the best player on the championship team. It is backward looking.

During any particular season it is often hard to pick out the absolute single best player for that year. There are candidates.

During the Jordan era for example, Shaq, Malone, David Robinson and Hakeem put up some incredible season's. Look at their numbers. Amazing.

But, Jordan won the rings so he is the "best".

Additionaly, Boston recently, the Pistons, the last Spurs title team. None of those teams had the "best" player in the league.

LeBron was the best player in the NBA last season. Did he win?

I don't agree that having the #1 player in the league is the model to win a ring.

You have to have:

The #1 player (BUT, must be a two-way player) and a good cast of surrounding talent that plays great defense. Or

Two of the top 5 players. Or

Four or five All-Star caliber players that compliment each other.

And you are right about LeBron. He, like Durant is a matchup nightmare and a great scorer. But, he always could rebound. And LeBron plays defense. Always has just a little, and really turned it up the last couple seasons.