1. Draft MJ over Sam Bowie in 1984?
The Portland Trail Blazers had the second overall pick in the 1984 draft, and they needed a big man. Portland had just drafted Clyde Drexler with the 14th overall selection in 1983. The rookie averaged just 7.7 points per game playing behind leading scorer Jim Paxson and second-leading scorer Calvin Natt. The Trail Blazers even traded a young Fat Lever just before the draft to clear their guard logjam slightly.
All of that led them to them passing on the GOAT for Sam Bowie. The 7’1 big man played just 139 games for Portland over five years. He was never an All-Star and may never have been A Blazers had he been truthful about his leg pain ahead of the draft.
Portland had Drexler, who became one of the greatest shooting guards in NBA history, but what-if he and Jordan were in the same lineup. Yes, it was a different league in the 1980s. Big men dominated, and there was not the floor spacing of today, but this is two all-time greats. MJ and Clyde would have made it work and could have been unstoppable.
Does Michael Jordan become the GOAT if he gets drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers? Is Clyde Drexler still a legend and Hall of Famer? What would have happened? It is the greatest mystery in team history because it could have led to multiple championships and the Blazer being an iconic franchise.
7 Players the Portland Trail Blazers gave up on too soon
The Portland Trail Blazers should have been more patient with these seven players, instead of moving on from them and giving up way too soon.