Redrafting the 1993 NBA Draft

The 1993 NBA Draft was a tale of two picks. Two picks that were then inexplicably swapped. The trade of Chris Webber and Anfernee (Penny) Hardaway has never made sense to me. The Magic only made the trade to do what they did, which was attempting to rob Golden State blind. If the Magic wanted Penny, they could have taken Penny. But instead, they made a trade that netted them just that and three first rounds picks. Those picks, in some loose and only-in-the-NBA way ended up being Todd Fuller (1996) and Vince Carter (1998) (both had found their way back to Golden State) and Mike Miller (2000). Of course Carter was traded way for Antwan Jamison on Draft Night, but that is another story.

The traded ended up, with other pieces from other trades between 1993 and 2000, Chris Webber for Anfernee Hardaway and Mike Miller.

Also for the noting, had the Magic just went ahead and kept those three picks, they could have had Kobe Bryant in 1996 AND Carter or Paul Pierce in 1998, all drafted at or after the picks they acquired and ended up trading (in a roundabout way) back to Golden State.

If only this was the Re-GM blog, the Orlando Magic would have entered the new millennium with Shaquille O’Neal, Anfernee Hardaway, Kobe Bryant and Paul Pierce. Hmmm.

Pick 1: Orlando Magic

Who they took: Chris Webber (traded to Golden State)

Who they should have took: Chris Webber (and not traded him)

Why: Look, the trade was great in 1993. After they decided to use those picks not on their future but on other guys already in the league, the trade looks like crap. Webber was a physical specimen and although Hardaway helped Orlando make a title run, the imagination runs wild with the thought of Shaq and Webber combining inside. Would the Rockets have beaten them out in that title run? And how would Webber’s career have been different in Orlando? Let’s not pretend that it was all smooth sailing in Golden State. We could have saved him a trip to Washington too. Webber is probably an eventual Hall of Fame player anyway, but he would have been clear cut had he not stumbled out of the gate, something that was done in a lot of ways because of his trade to the Warriors.

Pick 2: Philadelphia 76ers

Who they took: Shawn Bradley

Who they should have took: Jamal Mashburn (4^th pick)

Why: Look, I get it. Shawn Bradley was 7-foot-7. That is a hard fact to pass on. But he also looked like he weighed 136 pounds. Mashburn however was a force coming from Kentucky where he was the lynchpin in reestablishing that program under Rick Pitino. He was proven and he was solid; quick enough to create on the drive and strong enough to power around down low with the likes of Webber or Christian Laettner.

Pick 3: Golden State Warriors

Who they took: Anfernee Hardaway (traded to Orlando)

Who they should have took: Anfernee Hardaway

Why: Hardaway had a ton of talent, not often enough used. He had a long career, even if it wasn’t as special as originally expected and also scored over 10,000 points. He was expected to be THE guy somewhere, but ended up being a quality fourth or fifth option throughout his career. At this point though, you couldn’t pass on his skill set or his athleticism, even if it didn’t pan out exactly how you wanted it to.

Pick 4: Dallas Mavericks

Who they took: Jamal Mashburn

Who they should have took: Vin Baker (8^th pick)

Why: There are very few examples of how you could go wrong from here. Everyone from here on out mostly turned out to be serviceable guys who would have decent career spans and would be helpful to the cause wherever they were. Baker still just had the most upside looking back at it. It gets forgotten that Baker was a four time All-Star and made appearances on the NBA 2^nd and 3^rd teams while averaging over 15 and 7 with the Bucks and Sonics (with later, less productive stops in Boston, New York, Houston and LA). Mashburn was the second of the previously (see 1992 post) 3J trio, but since I wouldn’t have picked Jim Jackson the previous year, we can go to complete imagination land and paired Baker with Robert Horry.

Pick 5: Minnesota Timberwolves

Who they took: Isaiah (JR) Rider

Who they should have took: Nick Van Exel (37^th pick)

Why: Because why not? The Wolves needed someone to compliment Laettner and (it’s easy to say in retrospect) I do not know how in the world they thought Rider was that guy. I think if they could go back, they would take anyone by Rider, who proved too selfish to be helpful. There are other guys in this draft who could go here (Sam Cassell?) and compliment what Minnesota had (basically Laettner) but if you told me I could rely on Van Exel (14.4 ppg, 6.6 apg) or Cassell (15.7 ppg, 6.0 apg), I am going with the better playmaker and the more clutch shooter and that is Van Exel.

Pick 6: Washington Bullets

Who they took: Calbert Cheaney

Who they should have took: Sam Cassell (24^th pick)

Why: To say the Rockets won the 1992 and 1993 drafts would be an understatement. Horry and Cassell helped them win their titles and both would go much higher in a redraft. Sam Cassell, who played all the way up to 2008 as part of the champion Boston Celtics, was exactly what Washington wanted with this pick. They had their big (Tom Gugliotta) and they needed a sustainable guard. At the time, Cheaney was the perfect pick. He was intelligent, he could score, he could dish. But the pace of the game and injuries made Calbert Cheaney a big bust. Cassell on the other hand would have been the right guy to fill that same role that Washington was looking for.

Pick 7: Sacramento Kings

Who they took: Bobby Hurley

Who they should have took: Allan Houston (11^th pick)

Why: This was a point guard draft for the Kings and they picked the right one. But again, this isn’t about who was right but who IS right. Houston never did much for Detroit (where he was drafted) but was such a key cog for the New York Knick resurgence in the late 1990’s despite knee problems. He was key in their run to the 1999 NBA Finals despite the Knicks being an 8-seed, including a buzzer beater in Game 5 of the first round to topple big time foe and #1 seeded Miami.

Pick 8: Milwaukee Bucks

Who they took: Vin Baker

Who they should have took: Byron Russell (45^th pick)

Why: To look at Russell’s full body of work, you might be skeptical. But if you give him a few years to develop and look at 1996-1997 to 2000-2001 and this is a clear pick. Once Russell’s game matched a NBA level, he was a started and a ferocious defender for title contender Utah Jazz teams. He came just shy of 2000 points in 1999-2000 and was probably the most valuable piece in Utah behind John Stockton and Karl Malone.

Pick 9: Denver Nuggets

Who they took: Rodney Rogers

Who they should have took: Lindsey Hunter (10^th pick)

Why: Let’s say that Hunter was never more than a mediocre journeyman. Well, that is better than most. He thrived in the league when he was a Piston twice (1993-2000 and 2003-2008) and won a pair of titles. He was never going to devastate you but was consistent, playing in all 82 games in 5 of his first 9 seasons. And he could do a little of everything. In 1996-97, when he averaged a career high 14.2 ppg, he also had almost three rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals per game.

Pick 10: Detroit Pistons

Who they took: Lindsey Hunter

Who they should have took: Isaiah Rider (5^th pick)

Why: Sure, Detroit got good again eventually. But they could have tried to do so sooner by just going for broke and trying to reinvent a new ‘Bad Boys.’ And Rider would have fit perfectly. But don’t get me wrong; while Isaiah (or JR depending on the week) was a headache and a head case, he was also a freak athlete and tremendous talent. Despite his run ins with the law, teammates, officials, etc. he was an All-Rookie player, a Slam Dunk champ and averaged just less than 17 points per game over 9 years. He would have been a nice Rick Mahorn player with a better scoring average.

Pick 11: Detroit Pistons

Who they took: Allan Houston

Who they should have took: Bobby Hurley (7^th pick)

Why: Had Bobby Hurley worn his seatbelt, this all would have ended differently. But he didn’t and it didn’t. An accident in his rookie season in Sacramento forever changed Bobby. He played again through 1998 but he was never the same player that is still the all-time NCAA assist leader. Why take him here knowing how his career turned out? Because Bobby Hurley was a Bad Boy. He and Laettner were Duke’s Detroit Pistons. A Hurley and Rider combo would have been brash and scary, at least while it lasted. And with his court vision and prowess, you take a chance on him and hope he puts a seatbelt on while cruising the streets of Michigan.

Pick 12: Los Angeles Lakers

Who they took: George Lynch

Who they should have took: Shawn Bradley (2^nd pick)

Why: He was 7-foot-7 and the Lakers were a franchise known for post dominance. Wilt, Kareem…eventually Shaq. Why not take a chance on this massively tall man. Again, knowing how he played, Bradley probably wasn’t a first round pick. But the chances you take, even knowing…Bradley had something you wanted to see.

Pick 13: Los Angeles Clippers

Who they took: Terry Dehere

Who they should have took: Bruce Bowen (undrafted)

Why: Bruce Bowen was one of the best pure defenders of this generation. He didn’t just ride out 3 titles in San Antonio, he helped punch their ticket with 5 All-Defensive First Team and 3 Second team honors. It’s even hard to not want to take him earlier given what he was able to do despite not being drafted at all. What keeps him this low? It did take him until 1997 to break into the league after stops all over the globe, including with the CBA’s Fort Wayne Fury. His debut season: 1 game, 1 minute and 1 block for the Miami Heat. But the defender he turned into makes him go from a guy who nobody wanted to clear lottery pick in 1993.

Pick 14: Indiana Pacers

Who they took: Scott Haskin

Who they should have took: Calbert Cheaney (6^th pick)

Why: And the state of Indiana (the Hoosier fans anyway) blows up. Cheaney’s prospects were huge and he couldn’t fill the shoes or stay healthy, but he still averaged 9 ppg and 3 apg during his shortened career. And in Indiana, he probably wouldn’t have had to shoulder the load that he did in Washington. And let’s be honest, who wouldn’t be better than Haskin (1 season, 27 games, 2 ppg).

Pick 15: Atlanta Hawks

Who they took: Doug Edwards

Who they should have took: George Lynch (12^th pick)

Why: Another freak defender in this draft, Lynch was mistakenly though to be a stand alone player than the 6^th man he really was. He was still strong and still reliable.