Each Teams Best and Worst Lottery Picks.......

[Minstrel]

No argument there. The game has changed dramatically. In 1984 you had to have a good big to compete. Now the value of the guards/wings has taken control.

Did you really need one, though? The Bulls did fine with Cartwright, Wennington, Perdue and Longley. Cartwright and Longley were okay, but nothing too special. I think the perception was that you had to have a star big to compete, but the reality was that you just needed overall team talent.

 

[dviss1]

We had Clyde Drexler though. Either you try to play them together, or you trade Clyde and get something. I would have taken my chances.

MJ would've made Drexler a better player.

Clyde Drexler was historically a terrible practice player. Michael Jordan would have had NONE of that shit. I fully believe Drex would've played better D and have a MUCH better Jumper & Left hand.

 

[Reep]

Did you really need one, though? The Bulls did fine with Cartwright, Wennington, Perdue and Longley. Cartwright and Longley were okay, but nothing too special. I think the perception was that you had to have a star big to compete, but the reality was that you just needed overall team talent.

Cartwright, Perdue and Longley were all either big, long or both and provided solid defense, and that was a later era. After the Kiki trade we had Audie Norris and Tom Scheffler. Staring at a 7'1" shot blocker who could rebound and still hit 75% from the line looked pretty good. Even more so when you have all the scoring wings they had at the time. Remember who the contenders where around the 1984 draft:

1981 Finalists: Malone v. Kareem
1982 Finalists: Kareem v. Caldwell Jones/Dawkins
1983 Finalists: Malone v. Kareem
1984 Finalists: Kareem v. Parish
1985 Finalists: Kareem v. Parish
1986 Finalists: Akeem v. Parish
1987 Finalists: Kareem v. Parish

 

[Minstrel]

Cartwright, Perdue and Longley were all either big, long or both and provided solid defense. After the Kiki trade we had Audie Norris and Tom Scheffler. Staring at a 7'1" shot blocker who could rebound and still hit 75% from the line looked pretty good. Even more so when you have all the scoring wings they had at the time.

1983 Finalists: Malone v. Kareem
1984 Finalists: Kareem v. Parish
1985 Finalists: Kareem v. Parish
1986 Finalists: Akeem v. Parish
1987 Finalists: Kareem v. Parish

The vast majority of that is two teams--the Lakers and Celtics. And Parish wasn't one of the main drivers of that team, really.

Yes, the Bulls' centers all had their uses and Norris/Scheffler were non-entities. There's a big difference between "You probably need to have basic competence at center (and every position) to compete for a title" and "You need a star big man to compete for a title." Portland didn't need to invest the #2 pick to attain basic competence at center--even if all they had was Norris/Scheffler at the time, it's much easier to get a Cartwright or Perdue type of player than a franchise-caliber star at any position. Portland fell into two classic traps: Prioritizing need over all else and abiding by inflexible maxims like "You gotta have a franchise big man to win."

It's worth noting that Bowie also had major injury red flags before he entered the NBA. But since my argument is that even a fully healthy Bowie would have been the wrong pick (even without the benefit of hindsight), that's not super important here. But it adds to the baffling nature of the pick, IMO.

 

[MarAzul]

I was always fearful of my 1st impression of Oden, which was, Gather, gather Jump. More like Daile Davis then Bill Russell. I don't think the man's processor was quick enough to allow him to be a great ball player even if uninjured.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

I was always fearful of my 1st impression of Oden, which was, Gather, gather Jump. More like Daile Davis then Bill Russell. I don't think the man's processor was quick enough to allow him to be a great ball player even if uninjured.

Completely disagree. In his one semi-healthy season, he put up all-star-caliber numbers (pro-rated). Had he been healthy, he would have been outstanding.

 

[Wizard Mentor]

Completely disagree. In his one semi-healthy season, he put up all-star-caliber numbers (pro-rated). Had he been healthy, he would have been outstanding.

Thanks for pointing this out. This shit drives me crazy sometimes.

In his 2nd season he was NOT IN SHAPE, and he still put up a 23.1 PER.

 

[MarAzul]

Completely disagree. In his one semi-healthy season, he put up all-star-caliber numbers (pro-rated). Had he been healthy, he would have been outstanding.

I don't mind if you disagree. Dale Davis had an All Star season.

 

[Minstrel]

Oden's numbers his first two seasons were fantastic:

Year 1: 18.1 PER / .599 TS% / 20 Rebound Rate / 4.2 Block Rate / 116 Offensive Rating / 104 Defensive Rating
Year 2: 23.1 PER / .647 TS% / 21.9 Rebound Rate / 7.7 Block Rate / 118 Offensive Rating / 100 Defensive Rating

So, as a rookie, he was an offensive force, rebounding force and good defender. In year 2, he was an offensive force, rebounding force and defensive force.

He wasn't a flawless player--his main weaknesses were fouling and turnovers. Pretty much what you'd expect from a young player learning to play in the NBA. But his advanced numbers all point to his talent being as advertised. He simply didn't have the knees.