This topic contains 1 reply, has 2 voices, and was last updated by Avatar dmo21 6 years, 3 months ago.

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  • Posted on: Tue, 04/14/2020 - 10:09pm #1226711
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    Dazzling Dunks and Basketball Bloopers
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    Best: Russell Westbrook (2008)
    Russell was the first draft pick for the Thunder since the franchise was relocated to Oklahoma City. He played for the franchise for 11 seasons, making the playoffs 9 times and the finals once. He redefined the point guard position in the modern era, averaging a triple-double for 3 consecutive seasons. Won 2 scoring titles and one MVP. I thought about Cowens here, who led the Celtics to two titles in 1970s, but judged Westbrook’s overall individual brilliance to be more substantial.
    Other contenders: Dave Cowens (1970) Dikembe Mutumbo (1991) Chris Bosh (2003) Chris Paul (2005) Mike Conley (2007)

    Worst: Wesley Johnson (2010)
    I could’ve went in several directions here. I strongly considered Marcus Fizer, the power forward who the Bulls selected in 2000 despite selecting Elton Brand first the previous season. I also considered Dragan Bender, whose career already appears to be on life support. Johnson probably had a better overall career than either of those guys. However, 2010 was also a much stronger draft than 2000 or 2016. The Wolves passed on DeMarcus Cousins, Gordon Hayward and Paul George to take Johnson, a guy with athletic potential whose game never really developed.
    Other contenders: Bill Garnett (1982) Antonio Daniels (1997) Marcus Fizer (2000) Tyrus Thomas (2006) Dragan Bender (2016) Josh Jackson (2017)

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  • Posted on: Tue, 04/14/2020 - 11:25pm #1226720
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    dmo21
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    Best: Westbrook- at the time of the draft, Westbrook wasn’t a highly heralded prospect as he was limited at UCLA (although UCLA always pumps out point guards). He also won an MVP while with the Thunder and had some playoff runs. Wouldn’t pick Bosh as a better player (Wade) was taken directly after him. Paul was another really good choice, but was a known commodity and good pick at the time. OKC could have went many different ways with Love, Gallinari and Gordon going right after him. But they picked the best of the bunch.

    Worst: Thomas. This was a difficult choice with Johnson (drafted as a safe pick that didn’t turn out while Cousins, the next pick, was falling in the draft) and Fizer (drafted to be a backup, didn’t last long in the league and they could have gotten a useful player in Mike Miller, who went next). But I’m going to go with the Chicago Bulls trading the #2 pick (Aldridge) for Thomas from Portland, without getting anything else substantial in the return. Aldridge and Thomas play the same position and Aldridge has been a perennial starter and has been an all-star, while Thomas has turned into nothing and has been out of the league for awhile.

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