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MAGICMANEVAN
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Jun 17 2005, 05:01 PM
Post #1
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#1 Magic Fan
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http://realgm.com/src_feature/166/20050616...ls_of_all_time/
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By Aaron Bronsteter
10) Steve Nash – 15th Overall Selection by the Phoenix Suns in 1996 Selected after: Samaki Walker (#9), Todd Fuller (#11), Vitaly Potapenko (#12)
Steve Nash was this past season’s (2004-2005) league MVP and led his Phoenix Suns team to the league’s best record. After many strong seasons in Dallas, Nash continues to flourish as one of the NBA’s current best players and is a potential hall-of-fame inductee. Despite being selected in a deep draft, Nash has certainly exceeded all expectations and continues to wow NBA fans and critics alike.
9) Robert Parish – 8th Overall Selection by the Golden State Warriors in 1976 Selected after: Richard Washington (#3), Leon Douglas (#4)
“The Chief” lead the Boston Celtics to three NBA championships and played an insanely versatile 21 seasons in the league. Parish was one of the league’s most consistent centers, almost always exceeding 50% shooting and posting great scoring and rebounding numbers year after year. Parish is one of the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players, a hall of famer, nine time all-star, holds the NBA records for most minutes played, is a top-10 all-time shotblocker and top-20 all-time scorer.
8) Emmanuel Ginobili – 57th Overall Selection by the San Antonio Spurs in 1999 Selected After: Everyone aside from Eddie Lucas (#58)
Manu is currently impressing the world in the NBA Finals and making fans wonder what it would be like if he ran a team without the leadership of Tim Duncan. Manu has helped lead the Spurs to one championship and may lead them to another this season. Manu was the second-last selection in the 1999 NBA Draft and entered the league after a few more years overseas. If you ask the Spurs, I’m certain they’ll say that he was worth every second of the waiting time.
7) Wilt Chamberlain – 3rd Overall Selection by the Philadelphia Warriors in 1959 Selected after: Bob Boozer (#1), Bailey Howell (#2)
Back in the day, teams were allowed territorial selections and through a technicality, Warriors’ owner Eddie Gottlieb was able to convince the league to allow him to select The Dipper a year before he was to leave Kansas. Since The Dipper was a regional talent and the league liked Gottlieb, they allowed him to make the selection. Chamberlain would go on to be perhaps the greatest player of all-time and set numerous league records that one can safely say will never be broken, including the legendary 100 point game.
6) Clyde Drexler – 14th Overall Selection by the Portland Trailblazers in 1983 Selected after: Steve Stipanovich (#2), Rodney McCray (#3), Russell Cross (#6)
Clyde “The Glide” was one of Michael Jordan’s fiercest NBA rivals, facing off against Jordan in the finals in 1992. Like Jordan, Drexler could do it all, pass, rebound, steal and soar through the air, making explosive plays. Drexler was recently inducted into the basketball hall-of-fame, having helped lead the Houston Rockets to an NBA Championship with Hakeem Olajuwon in 1995. Drexler is a ten time all-star and one of only three players to compile 20,000 points, 6,000 assists and 6,000 rebounds.
5) Alex English – 23rd Overall Selection (6th pick in the 2nd round) by the Milwaukee Bucks in 1976 Selected after: Richard Washington (#3), Leon Douglas (#4), Larry Wright (#14)
Despite never leading his Nuggets team to championship, English was a scoring machine in the NBA. Making famous the now popular rainbow colored Nuggets jerseys, English was an NBA All-Star for seven straight seasons (1983-1989). Although he never won an MVP award, he was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame and is the 11th all-time NBA scoring leader. Pretty impressive accolades for a second rounder.
4) Larry Bird – 6th Overall Selection by the Boston Celtics in 1978 Selected after: Phil Ford (#2), Rick Robey (#3)
Larry Bird was one of the NBA’s finest shooters of all-time and has achieved a plethora of accolades in the league. He was the league’s rookie of the year in 1980, MVP for three straight seasons from 1984 to 1986, All-NBA First Team for nine straight seasons, winner of three NBA championships, three NBA long distance shootouts, a twelve time all-star and one of the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players. To think that Rick Robey was selected over him by the Indiana Pacers after Bird’s legendary college career at Indiana University is one of the draft’s biggest all-time insults.
3) John Stockton – 16th Overall Selection by the Utah Jazz in 1984 Selected after: Sam Bowie (#3), Lancaster Gordon (#8)
Stock was the NBA’s all-time most prolific passer and all-time passing leader, having delivered the mail to Karl Malone for over fifteen seasons. Stockton is the prototype for the pass-first point guard, an eight-time all-star and two-time NBA All-First team selection. Stockton is one of only two players to average over 10 assists per-game over the course of their career, the other is Magic Johnson. Stockton also occupies the top-two spots for the highest assist-per-game numbers in a single season.
2) John Havlicek – 9th Overall Selection by the Boston Celtics in 1962 Selected after: Bill McGill (#1), Paul Hogue (#2)
Havlicek was a Celtics lifer and the 10th best scorer in NBA history. Had an illustrious career with the Celts, including a season where he averaged 29.0 points-per-game, 9.0 rebounds-per-game and 7.5 assists-per-game. His legendary career spanned 16 seasons , where he lead the Celtics to eight championships, including four straight. Havlicek is truly a basketball legend.
1) Michael Jordan – 3rd Overall Selection by the Chicago Bulls in 1984 Selected after: Sam Bowie (#2)
When the word “steal” comes to mind, you think of a true bargain, like finding George Mikan’s rookie card for $2000.00 at a card store or auction. Michael Jordan is the biggest draft steal of all-time because he was picked after Sam Bowie with the 3rd overall pick. Arguably the greatest player of all-time was picked after a bad role player. Unfortunately this will always be Bowie’s legacy.
Honorable Mentions: Jermaine O’Neal, Reggie Miller, Michael Finley, Willis Reed, Kevin McHale, Joe Dumars, Bill Russell
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MagicFan3
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Jun 17 2005, 10:19 PM
Post #2
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MAGICMANEVAN
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Jun 18 2005, 12:57 PM
Post #3
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