**UPDATE** The '96 Draft Remix
The first NBA draft I ever watched was in 1996. I will say that it was a hell of a good one to start with. My feelings are that it was the deepest draft ever. Apparently I wasn't alone in these thoughts. "Way" back in 2005, issue 96 of SLAM magazine also called it the deepest draft ever. (Not a bad guess for a little kid) I didn't know too much about basketball back in the day, but always was blown away by the talent in that draft. Even though subsequent drafts like '03 (LeBron's) or '84 (Jordan's) got more attention it seemed. I was happy, if nothing else, for sentimental reasons that '96 was getting the props I knew it deserved.
The SLAM article ranked those players drafted, on how they should have been drafted. So essentially I'm just updating that because a lot has happened since 2005. They had Iverson #1 and Kobe #2. Well that gets changed of course because '06-'08 were Kobe's peak years talent-wise, and of course he added 2 rings. Iverson on the other hand flamed out with almost Marbury-like flare. (Ironically also in this draft.)
So here is the criteria. This is a rank of those players' whole career, not just how good they are right now. I'm only doing the lottery, not the whole first round like SLAM did. In this lottery selection there are multiple MVP's, championships, and a shitload of all-star appearances. '84 and '03 may have been more top-heavy, but they couldn't fill out a top ten compared to this:
Actual Draft:
1. Allen Iverson
2. Marcus Camby
3. Shareef Abdur-Rahim
4. Stephon Marbury
5. Ray Allen
6. Antoine Walker
7. Lorenzen Wright
8. Kerry Kittles
9. Samaki Walker
10. Erick Dampier
11. Todd Fuller
12. Vitaly Potapenko
13. Kobe Bryant
Remixed:
1. Kobe Bryant (13)
2. Allen Iverson (1)
3. Steve Nash (15)
4. Ray Allen (5)
5. Marcus Camby (2)
6. Stephon Marbury (4)
7. Jermaine O'Neal (17)
8. Peja Stojakovic (14)
9. Antoine Walker (6)
10. Shareef Abdur-Rahim (3)
11. Zydrunas Ilgauskas (20)
12. Kerry Kittles (8)
13. Derek Fisher (24)
Honorable Mentions:
Erick Dampier, Jerome Williams, Lorenzen Wright
The SLAM article ranked those players drafted, on how they should have been drafted. So essentially I'm just updating that because a lot has happened since 2005. They had Iverson #1 and Kobe #2. Well that gets changed of course because '06-'08 were Kobe's peak years talent-wise, and of course he added 2 rings. Iverson on the other hand flamed out with almost Marbury-like flare. (Ironically also in this draft.)
So here is the criteria. This is a rank of those players' whole career, not just how good they are right now. I'm only doing the lottery, not the whole first round like SLAM did. In this lottery selection there are multiple MVP's, championships, and a shitload of all-star appearances. '84 and '03 may have been more top-heavy, but they couldn't fill out a top ten compared to this:
Actual Draft:
1. Allen Iverson
2. Marcus Camby
3. Shareef Abdur-Rahim
4. Stephon Marbury
5. Ray Allen
6. Antoine Walker
7. Lorenzen Wright
8. Kerry Kittles
9. Samaki Walker
10. Erick Dampier
11. Todd Fuller
12. Vitaly Potapenko
13. Kobe Bryant
Remixed:
1. Kobe Bryant (13)
2. Allen Iverson (1)
3. Steve Nash (15)
4. Ray Allen (5)
5. Marcus Camby (2)
6. Stephon Marbury (4)
7. Jermaine O'Neal (17)
8. Peja Stojakovic (14)
9. Antoine Walker (6)
10. Shareef Abdur-Rahim (3)
11. Zydrunas Ilgauskas (20)
12. Kerry Kittles (8)
13. Derek Fisher (24)
Honorable Mentions:
Erick Dampier, Jerome Williams, Lorenzen Wright
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