Jump to content

A rant about the Seattle SuperSonics


Luingus221

Recommended Posts

On 4/29/2018 at 8:11 AM, BringBackTheVet said:

 

I remember watching the drafts in the early 90s (Shaq, Chris Webber / Penny, etc) and they were deeeep.  Every lottery team got a good player, and even later in the 1st round it (at least to my young sports-crazy mind) seemed like the guys were either studs or at least had a shot.

 

One difference is that these guys were college juniors or even seniors, so they were 1) bigger/stronger, 2) more experienced, 3) at least slightly more mature, and 4) old enough to actually (legally) hang with their teammates after games.

 

I think you have a selective memory about those drafts.

 

Start with 1992, where Shaq went 1st overall and Mourning went 2nd. Not a bad start. Then Laettner, who was at least a college star, even if he never was that great in the NBA. The next seven picks?  Jim Jackson, LaPhonso Ellis, Tom Gugliotta, Walt Williams, Todd Day, Clarence Weatherspoon, and Adam Keefe. Not a lot of franchise-changers in that bunch.

 

Or 1993, which as you mentioned had Webber 1st and Penny 3rd (with Shawn Bradley sandwiched between... oof). The picks after those guys were Jamal Mashburn, Isaiah Rider, Calbert Cheaney, Bobby Hurley, Vin Baker, Rodney Rogers, and Lindsey Hunter. Again, I'm failing to see the studs.

 

And those were the drafts with potential HOFers at the top!  The top picks from 1988-1991 were Danny Manning, Pervis Ellison, Derrick Coleman, and Larry Johnson. In fact, only two of the top 11 picks in the 1989 draft ever made an All-Star game.

 

Perhaps drafts now are less predictable, because prospects don't have 3-4 years of tape playing against high-level competition like they used to. But with the influx of international talent and skilled shooting, it's insane to state that the drafts of the early 90s were deeper than they are today.

oh ,my god ,i strong recommend you to have a visit on the website ,or if i'm the president ,i would have an barceque with the anthor of the articel .
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 64
  • Created
  • Last Reply
6 hours ago, whitedawg22 said:

 

I think you have a selective memory about those drafts.

 

Start with 1992, where Shaq went 1st overall and Mourning went 2nd. Not a bad start. Then Laettner, who was at least a college star, even if he never was that great in the NBA. The next seven picks?  Jim Jackson, LaPhonso Ellis, Tom Gugliotta, Walt Williams, Todd Day, Clarence Weatherspoon, and Adam Keefe. Not a lot of franchise-changers in that bunch.

 

Or 1993, which as you mentioned had Webber 1st and Penny 3rd (with Shawn Bradley sandwiched between... oof). The picks after those guys were Jamal Mashburn, Isaiah Rider, Calbert Cheaney, Bobby Hurley, Vin Baker, Rodney Rogers, and Lindsey Hunter. Again, I'm failing to see the studs.

 

And those were the drafts with potential HOFers at the top!  The top picks from 1988-1991 were Danny Manning, Pervis Ellison, Derrick Coleman, and Larry Johnson. In fact, only two of the top 11 picks in the 1989 draft ever made an All-Star game.

 

Perhaps drafts now are less predictable, because prospects don't have 3-4 years of tape playing against high-level competition like they used to. But with the influx of international talent and skilled shooting, it's insane to state that the drafts of the early 90s were deeper than they are today.

 

 

First off, do NOT diss the draft that got us both Baby Jordan (Harold Miner) and Baby Barkley (Clarence Weatherspoon).

 

After looking back, maybe they weren't as deep as I recall (but still way deeper than today) but the lack of NBA studs isn't the point.  At the time of the draft, these were highly regarded players that everybody knew, and teams and fans were legit stoked about pretty much any lottery pick - the aforementioned Baby Jordan went #12, and he was far from the last big name in that draft (Latrell Sprewell, Doug Christie, Malik Sealey, LaSalle's Randy Woods (though maybe I only know him because he was local.))

 

'93 wasn't too great after the top, but '94 and especially '95 were decent.  '96 was a great draft for at least the first half of the first round - not necessarily how the players turned out, but in terms of how the players were thought of and how well they were known going into it.  We also had more of the high-schoolers in this draft, which could be where it all went down hill.

 

"The views expressed here are mine and do not reflect the official opinion of my employer or the organization through which the Internet was accessed."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really don’t think the draft is any more top-heavy than it’s ever been. Of the 15 players selected on the All-NBA teams in 2016-17, only 6 were top 5 picks. 3 second round picks made it! Contrast that with 20 years previously, where 10  out of 15 All-NBA were top 5 picks, and with 06/07, 9 out of 15

07Giants.pngnyy.png
Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, BringBackTheVet said:

 

 

First off, do NOT diss the draft that got us both Baby Jordan (Harold Miner) and Baby Barkley (Clarence Weatherspoon).

 

After looking back, maybe they weren't as deep as I recall (but still way deeper than today) but the lack of NBA studs isn't the point.  At the time of the draft, these were highly regarded players that everybody knew, and teams and fans were legit stoked about pretty much any lottery pick - the aforementioned Baby Jordan went #12, and he was far from the last big name in that draft (Latrell Sprewell, Doug Christie, Malik Sealey, LaSalle's Randy Woods (though maybe I only know him because he was local.))

 

'93 wasn't too great after the top, but '94 and especially '95 were decent.  '96 was a great draft for at least the first half of the first round - not necessarily how the players turned out, but in terms of how the players were thought of and how well they were known going into it.  We also had more of the high-schoolers in this draft, which could be where it all went down hill.

 

 

Never heard Spoon called Baby Barkley, but it makes sense. I think you nailed it - the big difference in NBA drafts from 25 years ago isn't talent, but rather how well-known the players are. Guys getting drafted in the early 90s generally had at least 3 years of national exposure before getting drafted. Now they have zero or one.

oh ,my god ,i strong recommend you to have a visit on the website ,or if i'm the president ,i would have an barceque with the anthor of the articel .
Link to comment
Share on other sites

To be fair, I think "baby Barkley" was bestowed upon him once he was actually playing for the sixers, not while in college or when drafted.  Probably just a local thing... that lasted like a week.

"The views expressed here are mine and do not reflect the official opinion of my employer or the organization through which the Internet was accessed."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.




×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.