what? Bird was the first player selected in his draft class. Auerbach just drafted him a year earlier than when he committed to the draft to come into the league, which is now illegal to do, and no one ever did before. He came into the league the same year as Magic. Bird was first selected. Magic was the second one selected. What Auerbach did was made illegal after that year. Anyhow, that is classic 1a and 1b. Auerbach found a loophole...had he not, Bird and Magic would have gone 1a and 1b in the '79 draft. I don't understand why you disagree with this. uh, they failed multiple times with Dantley. The trade of Dantley for Aguirre in midseason is regarded as getting them over the hump. Aguirre made them more fluid. Dantley was their high scoring player, but didn't work with Isiah. Aguirre was a premier player in the league at that point, make no mistake. And he was a buddy from High School years with Isiah. I said that he wasn't. My point is you need the #1 pick or a Top 3 in a draft when the #1 also won a title. Jordan clearly was the #2 pick. 25 teams would have done that, the only reason Portland didn't is because they had Drexler at MJ position. MJ was the #2 pick and everyone knows it. Well, let's agree on 27 titles then based on #1 pick or 1a/1b when they both won. Look, it is most definitely true that a 27 titles included a #1 pick or a Top 3 pick who was drafted the same year as a #1 who won. You cannot argue with that. MJ was a 3rd pick. Aguirre and Isiah were #1 and 2 in the same draft. And Aguirre put them on top vs Dantley.
No he was not. Bird was the 6th pick in 1978. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1978_NBA_Draft But the reason they won is because of the number 2 pick and not the number 1 pick. Aguirre did contribute but he was not the best or second best player on that team. The Pistons won a title because Isiah, their number 2 pick, lead them there. MJ was not the number 2 pick and everyone knows it. Bowie was not thought of as a terrible pick when the pick was made. I'm not agreeing to that because 1. Bird was the number 6 pick. 2. Jordan was not number 2 even though you think he should have been 3. Aguirre was the last piece but it was their number 2 Isiah that led them with Joe Dumars being the second best. A number one pick contributing does not make Isiah and a pseudo number one pick. You just can't put Jordan, Bird or Isiah in there.
Like I don't know that. That was not Bird's draft class. '79 was. Bird was a Junior in college in '78.. Auerbach found a loop-hole to draft him a year prior to his commitment. Sports Illustrated put Bird on the cover prior to his senior year because Auerbach picked him. Bird had no intention not to play his Sr yr, and so faced Magic in the Finals, despite the Celtics drafting him. The fact is, what Auerbach did was made illegal. Bird and Magic were rookies in the NBA together. Had Auerbach followed todays rules, Bird and Magic would have been selected 1 and 2 in 1979, but without the rules Bird was selected in 1978, yet ignored that and played his senior year. Fine, let me rephrase, then. So you either need the #1 pick, or both the #1 and #2 from the same draft, or a Top 3 when the #1 won titles, too. 27 titles since 1980 fall into this category. Are you down for that? Now answer me this...how many titles since 1980 were won by a top 5 pick who is excluded from my list above.
Auerbach did not find a loophole. It was known by everybody in that draft that Bird could be taken that year it just so happens that the Celtics were the only ones willing to take that risk and draft him without him signing. It was a big risk taken by the Celtics and it paid off. The Celtics succeeded because they took a chance on Bird and won in the long run. The Bulls were teams wins too but the leader of that team was Jordan. Aguirre being a better fit for the team than Dantley does not make Isiah a pseudo number one pick as I keep saying. Because that is a silly argument. You are basically trying to find a way to slip Jordan's six rings into your argument. Nobody else fits that criteria over those so called 27 championships except Jordan. Bird and Isiah are completely different situations.
only crazy nba gm is gonna trade their superstars, but no need to tank, just find a team that is willing to trade their top 10 pick. :grin:
