All right, Mr. General Manager, you're on the clock.
Be careful. This pick is VERY important for your franchise.
Choose the right guy, and you could be headed for the NBA Finals. Make a blunder, and you'll be right back here in the lottery. You've reviewed all the tape, taken all the measurements and worked out all the players. This is why they pay you the big bucks.
Go get yourself a star.
Throughout the years, NBA general managers have proved that drafting is not an exact science. As good as a kid looks in college, on paper or in a workout, it might not translate to playing in the Association. Sometimes blunders happen when the team goes along with the general consensus, and sometimes they happen when the team drafts someone unexpected. For one reason or another, whether it's innate talent, hard work or the just the right situation, certain players develop into stars while others do not. And it's the GM's job to separate the contenders from the pretenders.
Of course, blunders are relative, so for this exercise the size of each blunder was determined (loosely) by the following equation:
B = [(Tp * Np) - Td] / Nt
Where:
B = size of blunder
Tp = talent level of player(s) passed up
Np = number of good players passed up
Td = talent level of team's draftee
Nt = number of teams making the same blunder (misery loves company)
Honestly, I eyeballed most of these, but don't tell me you didn't have a good time trying to figure out that equation!
So here they are – the 11 biggest draft day blunders since 1980, in order of size. (By the way, if you think you already know what the biggest blunder is, you might be surprised.)
#11. In 1993, Philadelphia passes on Penny Hardaway and Jamal Mashburn to take Shawn Bradley #2 overall.
Why it was a bad pick: At the time, Bradley was billed as an athletic 7'5" center who could run the floor. He turned out to be another big stiff, but he did put together a 12-year career, averaging 8.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocks. Conversely, Hardaway had four All-Star and two first team All-NBA appearances, while Mashburn averaged 19.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists during his solid 11-year career.
In their defense: Personnel people (scouts, GMs) always fall in love with size, and Bradley had it in spades. Too bad that's all he had.
Be careful. This pick is VERY important for your franchise.
Choose the right guy, and you could be headed for the NBA Finals. Make a blunder, and you'll be right back here in the lottery. You've reviewed all the tape, taken all the measurements and worked out all the players. This is why they pay you the big bucks.
Go get yourself a star.
Throughout the years, NBA general managers have proved that drafting is not an exact science. As good as a kid looks in college, on paper or in a workout, it might not translate to playing in the Association. Sometimes blunders happen when the team goes along with the general consensus, and sometimes they happen when the team drafts someone unexpected. For one reason or another, whether it's innate talent, hard work or the just the right situation, certain players develop into stars while others do not. And it's the GM's job to separate the contenders from the pretenders.
Of course, blunders are relative, so for this exercise the size of each blunder was determined (loosely) by the following equation:
B = [(Tp * Np) - Td] / Nt
Where:
B = size of blunder
Tp = talent level of player(s) passed up
Np = number of good players passed up
Td = talent level of team's draftee
Nt = number of teams making the same blunder (misery loves company)
Honestly, I eyeballed most of these, but don't tell me you didn't have a good time trying to figure out that equation!
So here they are – the 11 biggest draft day blunders since 1980, in order of size. (By the way, if you think you already know what the biggest blunder is, you might be surprised.)
#11. In 1993, Philadelphia passes on Penny Hardaway and Jamal Mashburn to take Shawn Bradley #2 overall.
Why it was a bad pick: At the time, Bradley was billed as an athletic 7'5" center who could run the floor. He turned out to be another big stiff, but he did put together a 12-year career, averaging 8.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocks. Conversely, Hardaway had four All-Star and two first team All-NBA appearances, while Mashburn averaged 19.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists during his solid 11-year career.
In their defense: Personnel people (scouts, GMs) always fall in love with size, and Bradley had it in spades. Too bad that's all he had.
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