Tuesday — May 22, 2007, for the historians — is merely the biggest day in
Memphis Grizzlies history. And before you chuckle at the most significant
point on a timeline that measures but six years (12 if you count the
franchiseยs Vancouver days), the date will remain the biggest for at least
the next decade, the lone possible exception being an NBA
championship-clinching victory. And such an achievement would depend largely
on, yes, the events of May 22, 2007.
Should the Grizzlies gain the first or second selection in Juneยs draft, the
good folks at FedExForum can begin mass-producing the Greg Oden or Kevin
Durant replica jerseys, but only after theyยve exhausted their sales staff
with new season-ticket packages. On the other hand, should the fates
conspire and leave the Grizzlies with the third (or at worst, fourth) pick,
you can count on plenty of elbow room at the Forum for years (decades?) to
come. Itยs THAT big a day.
The occasion seems right to look back at the history of the NBA draft
lottery, more specifically at the fruit picked from the lottery tree since
it was instituted in 1985 (first lottery pick: New Yorkยs Patrick Ewing).
Hereยs one view on the five strongest drafts in the lottery era, based on
the first three picks.
1992 — (1) Shaquille OยNeal, Orlando; (2) Alonzo Mourning, Charlotte; (3)
Christian Laettner, Minnesota. Thereยs some irony to this trio, in that the
player who was honored with inclusion on the original Olympic Dream Team —
Laettner ยญ turned out to be a journeyman as a pro, his finest days still
those NCAA tournament highlights from Duke. OยNeal and Mourning have been
two of the best centers of the last quarter-century (and teammates for the
2006 NBA champion Miami Heat). The only big men to rival OยNealยs
achievements (four championships, eight times first-team All-NBA, three
Finals MVP trophies) are Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Mourning is a
two-time Defensive Player of the Year.
1993 — (1) Chris Webber, Orlando; (2) Shawn Bradley, Philadelphia; (3) Penny
Hardaway, Golden State. The Magic and Warriors traded their draft picks
within minutes of making their selections (begging the question how a
Philadelphia team seemingly desperate to draft Webber could fall for the
Bradley illusion). As the highest University of Memphis draftee in history,
Hardaway earned All-NBA honors three times and was the point guard for
Orlandoยs Eastern Conference champions in 1994-95. Webber earned Rookie of
the Year honors in 1993-94, only to have a falling out with once and future
Golden State coach Don Nelson. He also achieved All-NBA status and was the
central figure for four straight 50-win teams in Sacramento. As for Bradley,
he spent most of his 12-year career with Dallas, where he was a 7ย6ย
role-playing center who could barely dunk.
1994 — (1) Glenn Robinson, Milwaukee; (2) Jason Kidd, Dallas; (3) Grant
Hill, Detroit. Kidd and Hill actually tied for the 1994-95 Rookie of the
Year award. Robinson made this a trio of future All-Stars, averaging a
career high of 23.4 points per game in 1997-98 and leading the Bucks to the
Eastern Conference finals in 2001. Kidd has been named first-team All-NBA
five times, led New Jersey to the Finals in 2002 and 2003 and is a lock for
the Hall of Fame. Were it not for a series of ankle injuries, Hill would
also be destined for Springfield. He was first-team All-NBA once and
second-team four times.
1997 — (1) Tim Duncan, San Antonio; (2) Keith Van Horn, New Jersey; (3)
Chauncey Billups, Boston. This trio has combined for seven trips to the NBA
Finals and has won four championships. A two-time MVP, Duncan is already in
the conversation about the best big man in NBA history. Billups realized a
career rebirth in Detroit, where he was the playmaker for one of the biggest
upsets in the history of the Finals (Pistons 4, Lakers 1 in 2004). Van Horn
was a fine shooter who played a big part for the 2002 Eastern champion New
Jersey Nets and a smaller role for the 2006 Western champion Dallas
Mavericks.
2003 — (1) LeBron James, Cleveland; (2) Darko Milicic, Detroit; (3) Carmelo
Anthony, Denver. Detroitยs misguided selection of Milicic over Anthony (not
to mention Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade, who went fourth and fifth,
respectively) is right up there with Portland passing on Michael Jordan in
1984 to draft Sam Bowie. But with a pair of franchise players in the first
and third slots, this draft set a new tone for a league that had just seen
Jordan finally retire for good. Milicic picked up a championship ring with
the 2004 Pistons despite playing in only 34 games. James has his Cavaliers
in the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 15 years.
