Larry Brown and that Detroit team had no clue what they wanted out of Darko. People seem to forget that the Detroit team back then was a championship team and Brown had a reputation for not liking rooks. If you gave him to someone like Don Nelson or maybe even Adelman, I guarantee that he would have turned out okay.
I wonder if Bowie would even pass a physical/tryouts by today's criteria... When he was being assessed by team Dr's for Portland he lied, haha. http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-b...portland-feeling-leg-pain-212349458--nba.html
^ I'm not disagreeing though that Bowie could play, and was a logical pick for Portland.... They already had Clyde (as mentioned above)
Thinking back though, and now knowing how it all would turn out... It'd be great if the Rockets managed to get pick 1 and 2, hahah. Houston could have given up their whole team and been great with Dream and MJ. Oh well... It still worked out, I'm glad Drexler got to get one in Houston with Hakeem for all of the UH times.
No way! I refuse to believe people criticized for taking James over Darko. Lebron had his own slam magazine cover as a high schooler. He was balling with nba allstars during the summer. He was known and a lock for #1 ala Tim Duncan.
Did you see how he played at Kansas? Just don't know why he never panned out the right way. Weed makes you slow on defense I guess.
*K-State, but yeah, I did. I don't even fault Heat management, as I think anyone else in that slot would have drafted him #2 as well. There was even talk of him going #1... I believe his college #'s were better than Durant from a year earlier.
Also, no one thought Jordan was a franchise cornerstone, not even the team who drafted him. This is what Rod Thorn said the day they drafted Jordan: "He isn’t going to turn a franchise around. He’s a very good offensive player, but not an overpowering offensive player." Obviously, a huge mistake by Portland, but one that any team back then could have, and perhaps would have (if they already had Drexler on the roster), made.
