Behind Drafting Bowie

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Behind Drafting Bowie

Written by wendell maxey

Sunday, 14 June 2009 00:26

bowie

Here we go again. It’s the debate that will never die during this time of year.

I’m of course talking about the 1984 NBA Draft.

You know the usual suspects: Hakeem Olajuwon was the first selection by the Houston Rockets, Sam Bowie went to Portland Trail Blazers, and some cat named Jordan ended up in Chicago.

Imagine how the basketball landscape might have changed in the league and for Portland had the Blazers (who already had Clyde Drexler) passed on Bowie and gone with Mike….or Charles Barkley…..or John Stockton instead. Perhaps the best draft ever.

More rings. Less Greg Oden references.

Dave D'Alessandro – the premier beat writer for the New Jersey Nets at the Star Ledger – ran a story late Saturday on how Dr. Jack Ramsay, “still catches grief for passing over Michael Jordan”.

(As a writer, it's the kind of story that makes me say, "Damn. I wish I had written that.")

Bowie - who was shipped to the Nets for Buck Williams back in 1989 - declined an interview for a story that features everyone from Dr. Jack to Rod Thorn (Bulls GM at the time), Bill Fitch (then head coach of Houston). There were some interesting comments from those three about how his career might have turned out after the original fallout from the Blazers selecting him second overall in '84.

"Sam was always a little bitter, I felt -- he knew what he could have been if he hadn't had the injuries," Fitch said. "I've had four centers who were Hall of Famers" -- Robert Parish, Nate Thurmond, Dave Cowens and Hakeem Olajuwon -- "and Sam was the best passer of any of those guys. If he was with a team like the Lakers right now, he'd be perfect."

"I don't know if Bowie would have been a great player, but he had a good all-around game," Thorn said. "An All-Star? Maybe once or twice. But a great player, I don't think so."

Ramsay, whose title aspirations would be forestalled by Bowie's chronic injuries, was done in Portland by the summer of 1986.

"Sam was a great guy, but not a great center," Ramsay said. "It wasn't like we were getting Bill Walton."

Not the script Bowie wanted for himself - this much we know.

But think about it. Without Bowie, there would have been no Buck Williams in Portland.

pic via: AP

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Comments (3) Add Comment

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written by Good call Wendell, June 14, 2009

The last line says it all: "Without Bowie, there would have been no Buck Williams in Portland."

People need to remember that and quit dwelling on Jordan. We had Drexler already, the idea of adding another SG to the team over a very good college C was ridiculous. Remember too that when Jordan came out, he wasn't dominant right off the bat. It took him 3 years to do anything.

The thing that killed Portland back in the day was Sabonis opting to stay in Europe, or being forced to, whatever the deal was with him in '85. Had he been on the team from 89-92, we'd have had 3 rings, easy. Not taking anything away from Duck, but Sabonis was heads and shoulders above him in talent.

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written by ryan, June 16, 2009

Remember too that when Jordan came out, he wasn't dominant right off the bat.

are you kidding? He averaged 28 points a game as a rookie. thats ridiculous.

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written by wmaxey, June 16, 2009

i hear you ryan.....i hear you.

but that sabonis take was right on the money. portland actually got sloppy seconds in a way. atlanta originally drafted sabonis, but he was only 17 at the time so the pick was rebuked.

worked out for portland.