The age-old question of whether a professional sports team should grab a player who fills a need or another who is the best available will stand the test of time. Both sides have their pitfalls.
In 1984, the Portland Trail Blazers drafted Kentucky center Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan, as the Blazers already had Clyde Drexler at shooting guard and were looking for Bill Walton's replacement. Bowie played 139 games in Portland. Jordan did okay.
On the flip side, the Chicago Bulls drafted for what they deemed the best talent available in 2001, flipping power forward Elton Brand for Tyson Chandler and picking Eddy Curry two selections later. The Bulls already had Elton Brand and Brad Miller in the frontcourt and started players at guard such as Bryce Drew, Fred Hoiberg and Khalid El-Amin. Instead of drafting for a guard, the Bulls went for broke for something they didn't truly need. Eddy Curry is currently counting his millions at home, while Tyson Chandler is succeeding...in Dallas.
As NBA executives get ready to wipe away the identities of hundreds of individuals in favor of statistics, height/weight vitals and game tape, it's imperative to remember th ...
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Article written by Paul Kasabian
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