Knicks4life

If Patrick Ewing had declared for the 1983 draft instead of opting to go back to Georgetown for his senior year he would of more than likely had gone 2nd to the Trailblazers who were fined for contracting both Ewing and Hakeem before they announced their decisions on declaring.

If Ewing is on the Trailblazers their starting lineup would have more than likely been:

PG: Darnell Valentine
SG: Clyde Drexler
SF: Kiki Vandeweghe
PF: Mychal Thompson
C: Patrick Ewing

How good is that team?

If Ewing does go 2nd where does Bowie go?

Even with Bowie available Chicago's pick more than likely still would have been Jordan but what about Dallas who at the time was deciding between Sam Perkins and Melvin Turpin more than likely take Bowie.

What direction do the Sixers go do they still select Barkley or do they go with Sam Perkins, and if they go with Perkins what happens to Barkley? What team does he go to? Does he eat himself out of the league without Moses Malone guidance?

What about the Knicks who would get the #1 pick the following year without Ewing who do they take?

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"Winning is the most important thing in my life,after breathing. Breathing first, winning next"-George Steinbrenner

e-monk

Ewing goes down with bad ankles sometime in the first 40 games (irl he did struggle with injuries in his first season btw) - he then plays sporadically between injuries over the next 5 seasons and retires by 1990 having never played more that 56 games in any one season - he now uses a cane

Bogg

Hazards of playing in Portland. I'm interested in seeing how Aldridge falls apart.

e-monk

you have to factor that into any hypothetical scenario

jericho

Fortunately for Aldridge he's more of a power forward, so he has a decent shot at escaping Zeus' wrath.

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Favorite players: Hakeem Olajuwon, Moses Malone, Bill Russell, Alex English, Kiki Vandeweghe, Sidney Moncrief, Lafayette Lever, Dan Issel, Bobby Jones, Julius Erving, Rick Barry, John Havlicek, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West...and Brooks Thompson

LEGENDS DRAFT:

C - Dwight Howard / Mel Daniels
PF - Dennis Rodman / Buck Williams
SF - Larry Bird / Connie Hawkins
SG - David Thompson / Shane Battier
PG - Chris Paul / Fat Lever

jericho

As for the opening question, I think it's not at all certain that he'd have gone #2. My recollection of NCAA hype in those days was that Ewing was the biggest star in the college ranks. Maybe Olajuwon was perceived by some as having more potential, but there would have been a lot of people pushing Ewing to the top of draft boards.

Ralph Sampson was still a huge deal and supposed to be the next great center. Houston drafted Olajuwon with the idea that he'd be the power forward, then realized quickly that he was a natural center and Sampson was agile and adaptable enough to shift to the 4 spot. But the point is that Ewing would never have taken by the Rockets with the thought that he'd be their starting power forward. They could have taken him with the thought of trading Sampson.

But I think it's at least as likely that Houston looks to trade their pick, moving down a spot or two and still ending up with either Olajuwon or Jordan.

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Favorite players: Hakeem Olajuwon, Moses Malone, Bill Russell, Alex English, Kiki Vandeweghe, Sidney Moncrief, Lafayette Lever, Dan Issel, Bobby Jones, Julius Erving, Rick Barry, John Havlicek, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West...and Brooks Thompson

LEGENDS DRAFT:

C - Dwight Howard / Mel Daniels
PF - Dennis Rodman / Buck Williams
SF - Larry Bird / Connie Hawkins
SG - David Thompson / Shane Battier
PG - Chris Paul / Fat Lever

Knicks4life

Wasn't it public knowledge that the Rockets were tanking for Akeem?

__________________
"Winning is the most important thing in my life,after breathing. Breathing first, winning next"-George Steinbrenner

Najee

Actually, the starting shooting guard would have been Jim Paxson, who tends to get overlooked in these "Portland could have drafted Michael Jordan"-type scenarios. Paxson was second team all-NBA in 1983-84 (another reason Portland selected Sam Bowie over Jordan).

As for the 1984 NBA draft if Patrick Ewing declared as a junior, here is how it would have looked, in my opinion:

1.) Houston - Akeem Olajuwon. Like jericho said, Houston originally envisioned Olajuwon as a power forward alongside Ralph Sampson. Olajuwon was considered a little raw, but with time Houston thought he was going to be a slightly better Kevin McHale.

2.) Portland - Sam Bowie. I still say the Blazers make this pick, because doctors examined Bowie before the draft and said that he was completely healed from his shin injuries in college. When Portland was fined for contacting Ewing, the team had not made its trade for Kiki Vandweghe, which changed the dynamics of the team. As far as style of play with this balanced, open-floor unit, Bowie was a better fit for the offense Jack Ramsey ran.

3.) Chicago - Patrick Ewing. In our reality, Chicago tried to trade the pick to several teams in exchange for a veteran center before "settling" on Jordan. In this scenario, Chicago takes the low-post center it has needed since trading Artis Gilmore.

4.) Seattle (from Dallas) - Michael Jordan. The Mavericks looked at Sam Perkins, but Ewing becoming available in the NBA draft means that Jordan is now available at No. 4. Seattle, needing an infusion of talent, offers six-time all-star Jack Sikma and Al Wood in exchange for the rights to Jordan, rookie Dale Ellis and a first-round pick in 1985.

5.) Philadephia - Sam Perkins. The Sixers look at Perkins as being as good of a fit in their system as his former UNC teammate James Worthy fits into the Los Angeles Lakers' system -- namely, a highly skilled player who has the potential to be a standout on his own but one who also can defer to the established stars on the team effectively.

6.) Cleveland (from Washington) - Charles Barkley. The Bullets did not like the prospect of a short-but-wide frontline of Barkley, Rick Mahorn and Jeff Ruland. So the Bullets draft Barkley and trade his rights to Cleveland in exchange for Cliff Robinson, a 24-year-old, five-year veteran who averaged 17.8 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.

Because Cleveland did not trade its No. 12 pick to Seattle in this reality, the Cavs will take a reach later on a point guard from Gonzaga who was rising on the draft boards -- John Stockton.

As for the 1985 draft, I say that New York would have taken Benoit Benjamin. With injuries leaving Bill Cartwright's and Bernard King's careers in doubt, the Knicks are now rebuilding. Coming with the endorsement from Benjamin's coach at Creighton -- Knicks legend Willis Reed -- the Knicks spend the first lottery pick on a center it feels it can unlock his potential under coach Hubie Brown's tutelage.

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