On June 5, 1981, Portland acquired a first-round pick from Indiana in exchange for Tom Owens. Portland used the pick to draft Sam Bowie. what a wasted draft pick
@izoeliceman totally agree with you, it´s like stockton and malone in Utah, Magic and Bird playng for Celtics-Lakers after heated college rivalry, Kobe to the Lakers, My man Elvis said it, "Some things were meant to be"
Just Why don´t we call idiots the Houston Rockets for picking that Olajuwon Kid instead of MJ, in fact, why don´t we call idiots, every GM at that time besides the one from Chicago, that did´nt trade everything for that no. 1 pick to select Jordan, who everybody knew the night of the draft, that he would be the GOAT. Come on, Portland alrady had a great wing in Drexler, they needed a Big, and they got the 2nd most promising big in D´ draft, if Hakeem was available they would choose him instead
@Car10smgmariche Olajuwon was the best post player in college at the time, Jordan was the best perimeter guy. Every single draft features at least one promising perimeter player, but it may be every 10 years that a star-potential center is on the board in the Draft, and Olajuwon's stats in college promised his status as a star in the league for whoever he played for.
Oh yeah, Olajuwon also played for the U. of Houston, and the Rockets were sort of in Houston...home fans were delighted.
@O2JAMRULEZ yep. i understand. but in my opinion. you had ralph sampson< another promising player at that time. and they needed a guard like jordan ala kobe and shaq tandem.
@ASSHOLELICKERS Lol, I don't think Houston made a mistake, especially since they did win 2 championships with Hakeem, not to mention Hakeem is regarded as a top 5 Center of all time.
@O2JAMRULEZ I know man, that´s what i meant, (sorry for my inglish), it was a logic Choice for Houston to make, sort of the same for Portland, They already had a great perimeter guy in Drexler, so why not bet on te big guy bowie? you can teach a lot of things to a man, but you can´t teach size. so any medium talented big guy it´s going to get lots of atention
Portland also had all-stars Jim Paxson and Kiki Vandeweghe on the team top of drafting Drexler. They were packed with scoring talent but with no big man to enforce the middle and facilitate the smaller guys. Bowie was the best passing big man and second best rebounder from that draft class. The league medically cleared him so it was a logical choice for Portland. Just a shame things didn't turn out as they should have.
@jaranarm I've been trying to explain this for years. Drexler and Jordan's games were so similar it would have been silly to draft Jordan anyway. With Mychal Thompson and Sam Bowie anchoring the middle they were poised to make a run at the title in a few years. Bowie actually had a good rookie year, showing much promise, and people also forget that he had some productive years in NJ.
@izoeliceman yeah, a fact that maybe most people don´t know, but, im shure that with the info those guys had at the moment, about the prospects, and about the team they represented (Portland TrailBlazers), any GM would made that, choice, but let´s play little a game called "What If", people think what if, Portland took MJ before Bowie? why not think, What if Houston choosed Bowie instead of Olajuwon, who would the geniouses that critic Portland management selec with the 2nd Pick MJ, or Hakeem?
The guy on the left at the very beginning when they announce the pick has this look on his face that says "Oh god, I hope we didn't just totally fuck that up".
Blazers are such a cursed franchise. LaRue Martin didn't pan out, Bill Walton was plagued with injuries, Moses Malone was passed over, Sam Bowie was injury-prone, Arvydas Sabonis came in past his prime, Greg Oden is injury-prone, LaMarcus Aldridge has a heart problem, and now Brandon Roy is set for medical retirement. Hardly any of this is Portland's fault. They've always drafted talented players but have a streak of horribly bad luck.
@bordertown "Hardly any of this is Portland's fault" well, outside of the walton situation and passing over moses (which apparently a lot of teams did) you are right
If not Jordan the Blazers could have at least taken Charles Barkley , if you have to have a player take a 7 hour physical you probably shouldnt draft him
This makes for an interesting research project. Everyone immediately jumps out and says "they should have picked Jordan"...the Trail Blazers selected Clyde Drexler the year before...would they have co-existed? .Could Drexler have played the role of a Scottie Pippen? they also had a couple of solid guards in Fat Lever and Jim Paxson...so you can see why they went with a big man. So really, when you think about it, the stupid "non-pick" would have been Charles Barkley.
@RobertBalto They actually ended up trading Fat Lever, who turned into one of the best PG's at the time lol They traded him along with Calvin Natt their starting SF and a solid player (so it opened up the spot for Drexler and Jordan could play SG) for Kiki Vandeweghe... They actually really needed a rebounder, so they traded 2 of their starting players for a forward who ended with a career average of 3.4RPG and didn't play defense?! Just incomprehensible decisions all around...
@RobertBalto Huh... in the next 4 seasons they never made it past the first round of the playoffs. Then they made it to the finals in 1990. But you know what's funny? Try to guess who they had traded in the beginning of the 1989/1990 season... Bowie and Vandeweghe! The moment they traded 'em they get to the finals! LOOL
@Whispererinthenoise yeah I know it took them a couple of years...but typically botched personel moves like you've described will set a team back YEARS. They were quite fortunate to become one of the elite teams of that era.
Anyone ever noticed that centers with height and quickness (Sam Bowie, Manute Bol, Gheorge Muresan) but not a lot of body strength get injured a lot in the NBA? You would think that it would sink in to coaches and GMs that in order to have a durable center they need to find big, strong guys. Centers get hit and bumped around a lot and they need to be able to take a pounding in order to last.
@ryanr20091 to be fair they had clyde drexler there already heading towards his prime.Why drfat at a position you where set for.Plus no one knew MJ was gonna be great back then.
@willieg54,it wasn't because they had Drexler.......They had a great shooting guard by the name of Paxson...Portland got a break there with Drexler.....Portland never learns.To draft for talent not for need. They did that in 84, look what happened. 23 years later, they did that with Oden....Is it an omen for portland(23 years later)?LOL
they couldnt have just picked jordan eh lol the worst one though is 2003, the Pistons had 2nd pick and chose Darko Milicic over: Chris Bosh Carmelo Anthony Dwayne Wade Mickael Pietrus Mo Williams Kendrick Perkins James Jones Jason Kapono Matt Bonner (lol) Luke Walton (lol x2) Leandro Barbosa Dahntay Jones Boris Diaw Kirk Hinrich Nick Collison + many others
Wow the Portland trailblazers have terrible luck in their draft picks first this bum then Brandon Roy was good but got injured and who can forget Greg Oden.
More importantly Portland had Jim Paxson, Mychal Thompson, and Kiki Vandeweghe, all of them averaging at least 18 points each. Don't listen to the Jordan apologists. There was no role for Jordan on that Blazer team.
@bordertown It's called drafting talent though... you do that and you can move lesser players.... also injuries are a huge red flag... it was the most epic fail in sports history
There have been far worse draft picks. Drafting talent doesn't mean your team will improve (Carmelo comes to mind). Plus if Jordan didn't develop under the Bulls there's a chance he wouldn't have turned out the way he did.
@bordertown It isn't that there have not been worse picks, it is the fact the greatest of all time and Barkley were missed and there were serious red flags with the guy (Bowie) picked ahead of him that this video actually proves. As to his development... the multiple 40 point rookie games makes me think differently. I am a Houston fan and I almost regret not picking him (though I don't).
Nobody ever knew what Jordan would become, nobody. Jordan wasn't even the most wanted player in that draft because every team wanted Hakeem, including Chicago. Even the Bulls GM who drafted him said he wish he were seven feet tall and didn't expect him to turn around the franchise.
@bordertown well, as stated, I don't even regret Houston taking Hakeem... but Bowie is a different story if I were a Portland fan... MJ won a ring in college, that OR even being there is almost ALWAYS a tale tell sign of greatness... Wade, Rose, MJ, Hakeem, Drexler, Eweing, Bird, Magic ect.
I think even at the time they should have suspected it was a bad decision
portland is the greatest team ever to elect sam bowie over jordan that was a no brainer on portalnd to pick sam then 23 years later to pick oden over durant wow portland they sure made great decisions but at least bowie is better than oden though lol honsely i would fire the whole staff i know they feel so stupid jordan with six rings and durant 2009–10 season lead scoring title and greg is no where to be found.
Wow, how in the fuck did Portland do this TWICE???? You pass on a game changer and someone who will one day be the best player in the league TWICE for a injury prone center? lol. I called the Oden bust before the 2007 draft
Bill Simmons said it best: It's like getting to reach into a bag with two checks for 100 million dollars,two checks for 10 million dollars,and one check for 10 dollars, and you reach into the bag and pull out the check for 10 dollars.
@nr24nr24 Houston did mess up, but not for taking Hakeem. A year after passing up a hometown hero, Drexler, If they would have passed on another one, they would have been lynched. They had to take Olajuwon. Where they messed up was, turning down Portland's offer of the #2 pick plus Drexler for Ralph Sampson. Houston could have had Hakeem, Drexler and Jordan if they would have parted with Sampson. Sampson's body ultimately broke down on him much like Bowie's
To all those that say Portland should never draft big man again (because it might end up like Bowie or Oden or Sabonis)... go read about Darus Miles and Brandon Roy. Guess they shouldn't draft SFs and SGs either. Maybe they should find better training personel and prepare their players better so less injuries happen. Or they can get witch doctor to chant before every game to scare away the bad spirits. That makes more sense than not drafting Centers when they need them.
I play b-ball with Sam Bowies son and I must say he is prettttttty good. He is a beast down low and in the paint. If you ever see Sam Bowie in real life you would realize how tall he really is. If their was one recomendation I would Give to Sams son it is that he takes to many jumpers. Other than that he is a complete monster.
Bill Simmons made a good point about this in his book. He said that Larry Weinberg, the Blazer owner at the time, didn't put enough fear in his people to re-consider their decision.
@MrKing8050,they had Jim Paxson. Let be clear on that. Its not because they had Drexler. It because they had Paxson. Portland organization trying to cover up their fuck ups.
Portland is fucking cursed, i swear. First we pass on MJ, the best player to ever live, now we missed out on Durant, the best scorer in the NBA right now.
itpkteddy, I respect the fact very much in that MJ was the best draftee, player, dunker ever, but Akeem Olajuwon was a pretty good draft pick himself and was taken ahead of Jordan.
you gotta go with kwame brown for the biggest draft bust ever, there was no jordan behind kwame, but there was such a loooong list of solid nba players picked later, even a couple stars, pau gasol, tyson chandler, tony parker, richard jefferson, joe johnson, troy murphy, vlad radmonovic, you put them all together that might be a championship team lmao
@Tonio99 dude who cares its michael jordan u idot do you know who that i or u want tyson chandler!!! the two guys before jordan will always be the biggest bust ever!!!!!
@Tonio99,no....portland not only missed out on MJ. But they missed out on barkley,stockon,perkins,thrope,kevin willis,hell alvin robertson would have done better.
gasol is really the only superstar on that list. parker is low level star not an elite superstar like charles or stockton.Jefferson and Johnson I can easily forget about.And who are the others????
Barkley and Stockton> gasol,jefferson,parker,and joe johnson.
@EmperorJBO your opinions fair enough, but i do have to disagree about Joe Johnson, if Tony Parker's a low level star then so is Johnson, and all the players i mentioned are legitimate starters, and there's even a few more on the list
@Tonio99,Joe Johnson is pretty good, but not an elite superstar, the same goes for parker.
Joe Johnson really hasn't done much(HES WAY OVERPAID).He's never been on the nba 1st or 2nd team.He's been on the 3rd team ONCE.Parker has never been on the nba 1st or 2nd team either.He's been on the 3rd team ONCE.Bowie is the biggest bust of all time.NOT only do they miss out on MJ. But Barkley & Stockton also.THEY NEVER LEARN from the Bowie mistake.Adding more insult to injury now with Oden.OUCH
Wow what a bummer!! Surely what happened to Portland in 1984 will NEVER happen to them again, they learned their lesson back then. Next time they want to draft a center number 1 they'll reconsider and instead take the athletic guard or forward. This will never happen to Portland again, no worries.
It was his chrisima and scoring on the fast break that was unstoppable in college. Besides Portland didn't need a SG they already had some average ones, and they thought Jordan wasn't going to be a superstar, because of the fact when Jordan played Len Bias, everyone thought Len Bias, not Jordan.
@Hydrolic16 Sam Bowie had a better college career than Jordan.? lol not sure how you came to that conclusion- was it the 2 years Sam missed with injuries or the national player of the year award Jordan had just won?
To this day I still recognize Bowie as the third greatest passing center of all time after Arvydas Sabonis and Bill Walton, all of whom, ironically, were drafted by Portland and met unfortunate fates. But give credit where it's due. They were all fantastic players without the injuries.
Most of these nerds making fun of Sam Bowie probably know nothing about his NBA career, nor have they probably ever seen him play a game of basketball. To even suggest that Bowie is "the worst" draft choice in NBA history is absolutely absurd and such an ignorant statement. At his best, Bowie was a freak of nature; he could run the floor, pass, was an exceptional shot blocker and could even stroke it. Therefore, if it wasn't for injuries hampering his development, he would've been a very good.
@classics4life "in 2005, ESPN, citing Bowie's injury-laden college career, named the Blazers' choice of Bowie as the worst draft pick in North American professional sports history"
"In 2005, Sports Illustrated listed Bowie as the biggest draft bust in NBA history, arguing that teams should draft for talent and not need."
Nice of you to cite Wikipedia and from two publications geared towards mainstream thinking. Fact is there have been far worse draft picks and busts in the sports world than Bowie, but popular opinion chooses to pick on him because Jordan was drafted after.
@classics4life dearly noted and great observation but isn't that one of the things you look for in a player when you call them a "bust"? Take Greg Oden if healthy man, what a player he could have been but being plagued by injuries that makes him the bust he is...
A true "bust" is a high draft pick who got no game in the pros. It's a talent issue, not a health issue. Bowie and Oden don't belong in the same sentence as Kwame Brown or Larue Martin.
@classics4life He wasnt the worst draft choice talent wise but he was the worst draft pick because of who was drafted behind him. Even if he was healthy, he wasnt going to be better than jordan.
The Blazers didn't go for Bowie because they thought he was going to be a better player than Jordan. They picked him because they thought he was a better fit for their team chemistry. There have been far worse draft picks.
@jaranarm,Portlands problem is simply this: they DRAFT FOR NEED.
NOT ON TALENT & DURABILITY. They didn't learn their lesson here. Don't know why Portland is STILL hanging on to Greg Oden. Its time to cut losses and admit they screwed up and trade him.
Ok, Portland missed on Olajuwon. we know they missed on MJ. But look at the other guys they passed up on: Barkley,Stockton,Thrope,Perkins,heck kevin willis.
None of those guys would have done well pitted against Kareem, considering the Lakers were the team to beat. Portland was thinking of their playoff chances. Taking a chance on Bowie was actually the best option and it was good when it lasted. "They wouldn't be here if it weren't for Sam," said Kareem when Portland got to face L.A. in the 85 playoffs. It's just unfortunate Bowie didn't stay healthy like the doctors predicted otherwise the Blazers would have drafted someone else.
Michael Jordan and Kevin Durant ... nuff said
jdoggoliscious 5 days ago
On June 5, 1981, Portland acquired a first-round pick from Indiana in exchange for Tom Owens. Portland used the pick to draft Sam Bowie. what a wasted draft pick
ASSHOLELICKERS 3 weeks ago
Sam Bowie Greg Oden
jpowers55 1 month ago
@Car10smgmariche for me Michael Jordan go to Bulls is just Destiny, destiny to made chicago Bulls a great Dinasty in the 90th
izoeliceman 1 month ago
@izoeliceman totally agree with you, it´s like stockton and malone in Utah, Magic and Bird playng for Celtics-Lakers after heated college rivalry, Kobe to the Lakers, My man Elvis said it, "Some things were meant to be"
Car10smgmariche 1 week ago
Just Why don´t we call idiots the Houston Rockets for picking that Olajuwon Kid instead of MJ, in fact, why don´t we call idiots, every GM at that time besides the one from Chicago, that did´nt trade everything for that no. 1 pick to select Jordan, who everybody knew the night of the draft, that he would be the GOAT. Come on, Portland alrady had a great wing in Drexler, they needed a Big, and they got the 2nd most promising big in D´ draft, if Hakeem was available they would choose him instead
Car10smgmariche 1 month ago
@Car10smgmariche Olajuwon was the best post player in college at the time, Jordan was the best perimeter guy. Every single draft features at least one promising perimeter player, but it may be every 10 years that a star-potential center is on the board in the Draft, and Olajuwon's stats in college promised his status as a star in the league for whoever he played for.
Oh yeah, Olajuwon also played for the U. of Houston, and the Rockets were sort of in Houston...home fans were delighted.
O2JAMRULEZ 3 weeks ago
@O2JAMRULEZ yep. i understand. but in my opinion. you had ralph sampson< another promising player at that time. and they needed a guard like jordan ala kobe and shaq tandem.
ASSHOLELICKERS 3 weeks ago
@ASSHOLELICKERS Lol, I don't think Houston made a mistake, especially since they did win 2 championships with Hakeem, not to mention Hakeem is regarded as a top 5 Center of all time.
O2JAMRULEZ 3 weeks ago
@O2JAMRULEZ I know man, that´s what i meant, (sorry for my inglish), it was a logic Choice for Houston to make, sort of the same for Portland, They already had a great perimeter guy in Drexler, so why not bet on te big guy bowie? you can teach a lot of things to a man, but you can´t teach size. so any medium talented big guy it´s going to get lots of atention
Car10smgmariche 1 week ago
@Car10smgmariche
Portland also had all-stars Jim Paxson and Kiki Vandeweghe on the team top of drafting Drexler. They were packed with scoring talent but with no big man to enforce the middle and facilitate the smaller guys. Bowie was the best passing big man and second best rebounder from that draft class. The league medically cleared him so it was a logical choice for Portland. Just a shame things didn't turn out as they should have.
jaranarm 1 week ago
@jaranarm I've been trying to explain this for years. Drexler and Jordan's games were so similar it would have been silly to draft Jordan anyway. With Mychal Thompson and Sam Bowie anchoring the middle they were poised to make a run at the title in a few years. Bowie actually had a good rookie year, showing much promise, and people also forget that he had some productive years in NJ.
terrybigteekemp 5 days ago
porland did non't pick Jordan Because they had Clade Dexler from 1983 NBA draf, and sam bowie at that time one of good player
izoeliceman 1 month ago
@izoeliceman yeah, a fact that maybe most people don´t know, but, im shure that with the info those guys had at the moment, about the prospects, and about the team they represented (Portland TrailBlazers), any GM would made that, choice, but let´s play little a game called "What If", people think what if, Portland took MJ before Bowie? why not think, What if Houston choosed Bowie instead of Olajuwon, who would the geniouses that critic Portland management selec with the 2nd Pick MJ, or Hakeem?
Car10smgmariche 1 month ago
By the way, on the second round of this draft, Portland drafted Jerome Kersey, in 46th place.
xpto228 1 month ago
images Drexler and Jordan together. O.O
ton12novice 1 month ago
The guy on the left at the very beginning when they announce the pick has this look on his face that says "Oh god, I hope we didn't just totally fuck that up".
PPKDude852 1 month ago
Has anyone ever read The Book of Basketball by Bill Simmons? The section of the book about this draft is hilarious.
PPKDude852 1 month ago
sam bowie is going to be a legend while jordan, barkley, and stockton arre going to be busts
samtheman7975 2 months ago
@samtheman7975 awkward
TreativeVision 1 month ago
Damn what would have happened if the blazers got Michael Jordan? Things could have been for them.
DrSanto91 2 months ago
Jail Blazers!
raider8sox 2 months ago
Blazers are such a cursed franchise. LaRue Martin didn't pan out, Bill Walton was plagued with injuries, Moses Malone was passed over, Sam Bowie was injury-prone, Arvydas Sabonis came in past his prime, Greg Oden is injury-prone, LaMarcus Aldridge has a heart problem, and now Brandon Roy is set for medical retirement. Hardly any of this is Portland's fault. They've always drafted talented players but have a streak of horribly bad luck.
bordertown 2 months ago 3
@bordertown "Hardly any of this is Portland's fault" well, outside of the walton situation and passing over moses (which apparently a lot of teams did) you are right
xSoccerxCorex 1 month ago
Comment removed
bordertown 2 months ago
If not Jordan the Blazers could have at least taken Charles Barkley , if you have to have a player take a 7 hour physical you probably shouldnt draft him
wompbag123 2 months ago
portland is always fucking up
LakersFTW1 2 months ago
At least they never made that mistake again...oh no wait...Greg Oden..
chivas1494 2 months ago
The two dumbest men in the history of western civilization at 0:01
KennethKaniffFromCT 3 months ago 19
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@KennethKaniffFromCT
no they are not..The dumbest men in the history of western civilization are Portland GM.
cnnguyen2784 3 weeks ago
Does anyone know the name of the background music playing during the highlight reel? I've been trying to find that out?
EmperorJBO 4 months ago
Portland should never draft a Center again. Jordan>Bowie and Durant>Oden.
track09 4 months ago
His son, Marcus Bowie, goes to school with me(:
LizziesWorld71 4 months ago
@LizziesWorld71 how tall is he
cashprinter5000 4 months ago
@cashprinter5000 haha only 5 foot 3
LizziesWorld71 4 months ago
@LizziesWorld71 how old?
cashprinter5000 4 months ago
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@cashprinter5000 12 years old.
LizziesWorld71 4 months ago
San WHOIE?
airHaakon 5 months ago
Portland Fan#1: Damn IT!!! They drafted this guy over Jordan, Barkley, and Perkins. I can't believe I'm a fan of this team!
Portland Fan# 2: Don't worry people learn from their mistakes they won't make the same mistake again.
Portland Fan# 1: Yeah I guess you're right. I mean what kind of dumbass makes the same mistake twice,
derichard10 5 months ago 2
@derichard10 They drafted him over Jordan, Barkley, Perkins, yes, but also OVER STOCKTON!!!!
yowyOw69 3 months ago
@yowyOw69
Yeah but nobody knew how good Stockton was going to become. Jazz fans booed the pick.
jaranarm 3 months ago
even if portland didn't need jordan tthey still could've drafted barkley
samtheman7975 5 months ago
Portland may not have drafted by need, but they picked the best player available. I see this working out well for them.
RetepAdam 5 months ago
This makes for an interesting research project. Everyone immediately jumps out and says "they should have picked Jordan"...the Trail Blazers selected Clyde Drexler the year before...would they have co-existed? .Could Drexler have played the role of a Scottie Pippen? they also had a couple of solid guards in Fat Lever and Jim Paxson...so you can see why they went with a big man. So really, when you think about it, the stupid "non-pick" would have been Charles Barkley.
RobertBalto 5 months ago
@RobertBalto Its Michael Jordan they passed on! Looking back it was clearly the worst pick in NBA history.
ben1ben2ben1 5 months ago
@RobertBalto They actually ended up trading Fat Lever, who turned into one of the best PG's at the time lol They traded him along with Calvin Natt their starting SF and a solid player (so it opened up the spot for Drexler and Jordan could play SG) for Kiki Vandeweghe... They actually really needed a rebounder, so they traded 2 of their starting players for a forward who ended with a career average of 3.4RPG and didn't play defense?! Just incomprehensible decisions all around...
Whispererinthenoise 4 months ago
@Whispererinthenoise yet they somehow made it to 2 championships...go figure!
RobertBalto 4 months ago
@RobertBalto Huh... in the next 4 seasons they never made it past the first round of the playoffs. Then they made it to the finals in 1990. But you know what's funny? Try to guess who they had traded in the beginning of the 1989/1990 season... Bowie and Vandeweghe! The moment they traded 'em they get to the finals! LOOL
Whispererinthenoise 4 months ago
@Whispererinthenoise yeah I know it took them a couple of years...but typically botched personel moves like you've described will set a team back YEARS. They were quite fortunate to become one of the elite teams of that era.
RobertBalto 4 months ago
portland... selects david bowie from the university of kentucky
JessikahAznBabyy 5 months ago
Anyone ever noticed that centers with height and quickness (Sam Bowie, Manute Bol, Gheorge Muresan) but not a lot of body strength get injured a lot in the NBA? You would think that it would sink in to coaches and GMs that in order to have a durable center they need to find big, strong guys. Centers get hit and bumped around a lot and they need to be able to take a pounding in order to last.
danning1 6 months ago
Sam Bowie = Greg Oden
JGsGarden 6 months ago 20
aren't people supposed to learn from their mistakes?
samtheman7975 7 months ago
This must be the biggest NBA fail ever.
MasterProductions753 7 months ago
@MasterProductions753 biggest sports fail ever
GGGGeorger 6 months ago
@GGGGeorger I never thought of that! Your right!
MasterProductions753 6 months ago
man, they always draft frail people
9tails23 7 months ago
whyyyyyyyyyyyyy oh why portland you idiots you never live this down
ryanr20091 7 months ago
@ryanr20091 to be fair they had clyde drexler there already heading towards his prime.Why drfat at a position you where set for.Plus no one knew MJ was gonna be great back then.
willieg54 7 months ago
@willieg54,it wasn't because they had Drexler.......They had a great shooting guard by the name of Paxson...Portland got a break there with Drexler.....Portland never learns.To draft for talent not for need. They did that in 84, look what happened. 23 years later, they did that with Oden....Is it an omen for portland(23 years later)?LOL
EmperorJBO 5 months ago
they could have had jordan ..
makuzer 7 months ago
The Portland Failblazers
trevinboy 8 months ago
MrsIvannaHumpalot 8 months ago
@MrsIvannaHumpalot darko milicic 1 championship LEBRON JAMES 0 if u look at it that way
BrandonNBA2K 7 months ago
@BrandonNBA2K lol you are right about that
MrsIvannaHumpalot 7 months ago
this kid is gonna be a star
SmoothCriminal57 8 months ago 20
man he'll be way better than that Jordan kid.
hailmary7283 8 months ago
@hailmary7283 l0l you tryna be funny that jordan kid bitch you know you know him
KingPostell1 8 months ago
@KingPostell1 yes i was joking. thought it was pretty obvious.
hailmary7283 8 months ago
@hailmary7283 yeah it was i was just letting you know that i knew what you were saying
KingPostell1 7 months ago
larue martin, center, 1972, considered to be worst 1st pick of all time. add to that bowie and oden, and portland is the worst drafting team all time
rosavel 8 months ago
dont forget larue, number one draft pick by portland who flopped too
rosavel 8 months ago
good pick but then they did pass up Jordan and Durant
madude04 8 months ago
Wow the Portland trailblazers have terrible luck in their draft picks first this bum then Brandon Roy was good but got injured and who can forget Greg Oden.
shad0w663 8 months ago
LMAO, all you could do is laugh at this pick. aahahaha
glinxz 8 months ago
lol stress fractures: 2 Portland: 0
boombox1177 8 months ago
u cant call this a mistake because the guy got hurt just like Greg Oden is not a mistake he is just hurt.
smoothbrother69 8 months ago
they did not need jordan they had drexler
nr24nr24 8 months ago
@nr24nr24
More importantly Portland had Jim Paxson, Mychal Thompson, and Kiki Vandeweghe, all of them averaging at least 18 points each. Don't listen to the Jordan apologists. There was no role for Jordan on that Blazer team.
bordertown 8 months ago
@bordertown It's called drafting talent though... you do that and you can move lesser players.... also injuries are a huge red flag... it was the most epic fail in sports history
GGGGeorger 6 months ago
@GGGGeorger
There have been far worse draft picks. Drafting talent doesn't mean your team will improve (Carmelo comes to mind). Plus if Jordan didn't develop under the Bulls there's a chance he wouldn't have turned out the way he did.
bordertown 6 months ago
@bordertown It isn't that there have not been worse picks, it is the fact the greatest of all time and Barkley were missed and there were serious red flags with the guy (Bowie) picked ahead of him that this video actually proves. As to his development... the multiple 40 point rookie games makes me think differently. I am a Houston fan and I almost regret not picking him (though I don't).
GGGGeorger 6 months ago
@GGGGeorger
Nobody ever knew what Jordan would become, nobody. Jordan wasn't even the most wanted player in that draft because every team wanted Hakeem, including Chicago. Even the Bulls GM who drafted him said he wish he were seven feet tall and didn't expect him to turn around the franchise.
bordertown 6 months ago
@bordertown well, as stated, I don't even regret Houston taking Hakeem... but Bowie is a different story if I were a Portland fan... MJ won a ring in college, that OR even being there is almost ALWAYS a tale tell sign of greatness... Wade, Rose, MJ, Hakeem, Drexler, Eweing, Bird, Magic ect.
I think even at the time they should have suspected it was a bad decision
GGGGeorger 6 months ago
@nr24nr24 Yeah, I mean who needs Jordan?
bramma23 8 months ago
oden can be a great center if he could stay healthy
nr24nr24 9 months ago
for all of you saying oden and bowie suck lets see you try better
nr24nr24 9 months ago
portland is the greatest team ever to elect sam bowie over jordan that was a no brainer on portalnd to pick sam then 23 years later to pick oden over durant wow portland they sure made great decisions but at least bowie is better than oden though lol honsely i would fire the whole staff i know they feel so stupid jordan with six rings and durant 2009–10 season lead scoring title and greg is no where to be found.
poetmm 9 months ago
Wow, how in the fuck did Portland do this TWICE???? You pass on a game changer and someone who will one day be the best player in the league TWICE for a injury prone center? lol. I called the Oden bust before the 2007 draft
SevenShahanshah 9 months ago
LOL you guys are idiots @trevinboy IS making fun of how they drafted greg oden over Kevin Durant lol
animetrix90 9 months ago
@animetrix90 LOL some people don't understand sarcasm yet! hehehe
trevinboy 9 months ago
The words Chicago Bulls fans love hearing.
alanpeel1981 9 months ago
where Sam Bowie at ?
ABOGADO2312 9 months ago
Bill Simmons said it best: It's like getting to reach into a bag with two checks for 100 million dollars,two checks for 10 million dollars,and one check for 10 dollars, and you reach into the bag and pull out the check for 10 dollars.
JWade29 9 months ago
Sam Who...?!
Bionickle 9 months ago
the dumbest pick ever for the blazers drexler and the man wow
GreatkingAlexander 9 months ago
This video would be better if it cut straight to Michael Jordan highlights at the end of the Bowie interview.
Shackille 9 months ago
Bowie actually had a long career. So he wasn't bad, but then again, Jordan.
thisisntme 9 months ago
hahahaha he was 2 and jordan was 3'rd pick
psychhoo 9 months ago
We actually it did happen again they took Greg Oden over Kevin durant
Tremblewakeable 9 months ago
@Tremblewakeable,funny ain't it. and it happened 23 years later....
EmperorJBO 5 months ago
lmao at all the booty hurt blazers fans trying to justify this pick... throw up all the stats you want.. BUST..
StrosB4Hos 9 months ago
Big Letter B
Big Letter U
Big Letter S
Big Letter T
BUST ! BUST! BUST! totally BUST!
nestordipascuilan 10 months ago
but houston did not mess up
nr24nr24 10 months ago
@nr24nr24 Houston did mess up, but not for taking Hakeem. A year after passing up a hometown hero, Drexler, If they would have passed on another one, they would have been lynched. They had to take Olajuwon. Where they messed up was, turning down Portland's offer of the #2 pick plus Drexler for Ralph Sampson. Houston could have had Hakeem, Drexler and Jordan if they would have parted with Sampson. Sampson's body ultimately broke down on him much like Bowie's
riotusa1 9 months ago
To all those that say Portland should never draft big man again (because it might end up like Bowie or Oden or Sabonis)... go read about Darus Miles and Brandon Roy. Guess they shouldn't draft SFs and SGs either. Maybe they should find better training personel and prepare their players better so less injuries happen. Or they can get witch doctor to chant before every game to scare away the bad spirits. That makes more sense than not drafting Centers when they need them.
shoutingGuard 10 months ago
@shoutingGuard maybe they built their stadium and facility over some american indian grave
notagain001 9 months ago
portland made a great choice
nr24nr24 10 months ago 21
protland #1 ODEN #2 DURANT
moral lesson?? start picking talent over height
patotort 10 months ago
I play b-ball with Sam Bowies son and I must say he is prettttttty good. He is a beast down low and in the paint. If you ever see Sam Bowie in real life you would realize how tall he really is. If their was one recomendation I would Give to Sams son it is that he takes to many jumpers. Other than that he is a complete monster.
superbadmanancompany 11 months ago
Bill Simmons made a good point about this in his book. He said that Larry Weinberg, the Blazer owner at the time, didn't put enough fear in his people to re-consider their decision.
sptrfn 11 months ago
thanks sam i needed a laugh 2day ahaha...23!!!
pmount55 11 months ago
what was the theme playing in background?
EmperorJBO 11 months ago
@WHTdaddy,Bynum played a huge role with la getting 2 titles. can't say the same for oden or bowie.
EmperorJBO 11 months ago
@silent29dd,Bynum at least was important to the lakers.
EmperorJBO 11 months ago
@pointguard2009,WHAT??????Oden is done.yeah he is dominant alright........ Durant is more of a leader than Queen James.
EmperorJBO 11 months ago
@seraphlgabri,you forget Durant.
EmperorJBO 11 months ago
@MrKing8050,they had Jim Paxson. Let be clear on that. Its not because they had Drexler. It because they had Paxson. Portland organization trying to cover up their fuck ups.
EmperorJBO 11 months ago
@grandmasterkrush,are you sure you want to take back what you said?
Its official Oden is a one of the biggest draft bust in nba history. Oden is continuing on with the great blazer tradition.lol
EmperorJBO 11 months ago
Portland is fucking cursed, i swear. First we pass on MJ, the best player to ever live, now we missed out on Durant, the best scorer in the NBA right now.
FUCK FUCK FUCK.
Workin0nit 11 months ago
itpkteddy, I respect the fact very much in that MJ was the best draftee, player, dunker ever, but Akeem Olajuwon was a pretty good draft pick himself and was taken ahead of Jordan.
trevinboy 11 months ago
he might be something like a shorter Yao if he's healthy,.. oh well..
GemZel16 11 months ago
you gotta go with kwame brown for the biggest draft bust ever, there was no jordan behind kwame, but there was such a loooong list of solid nba players picked later, even a couple stars, pau gasol, tyson chandler, tony parker, richard jefferson, joe johnson, troy murphy, vlad radmonovic, you put them all together that might be a championship team lmao
Tonio99 11 months ago
@Tonio99 dude who cares its michael jordan u idot do you know who that i or u want tyson chandler!!! the two guys before jordan will always be the biggest bust ever!!!!!
itpkteddy 11 months ago
@itpkteddy,you said: "the two guys before jordan will always be the biggest bust ever!!!!!"
Thats exactly what you said. Are you smoking on some crack?Or are you retarded?
Hakeem Olajuwon a bust? Are you serious???? WHAT????? How old are you?
EmperorJBO 11 months ago
@Tonio99,no....portland not only missed out on MJ. But they missed out on barkley,stockon,perkins,thrope,kevin willis,hell alvin robertson would have done better.
gasol is really the only superstar on that list. parker is low level star not an elite superstar like charles or stockton.Jefferson and Johnson I can easily forget about.And who are the others????
Barkley and Stockton> gasol,jefferson,parker,and joe johnson.
Sam bowie and Greg oden are the biggest bust.
EmperorJBO 11 months ago
@EmperorJBO your opinions fair enough, but i do have to disagree about Joe Johnson, if Tony Parker's a low level star then so is Johnson, and all the players i mentioned are legitimate starters, and there's even a few more on the list
Tonio99 11 months ago
@Tonio99,Joe Johnson is pretty good, but not an elite superstar, the same goes for parker.
Joe Johnson really hasn't done much(HES WAY OVERPAID).He's never been on the nba 1st or 2nd team.He's been on the 3rd team ONCE.Parker has never been on the nba 1st or 2nd team either.He's been on the 3rd team ONCE.Bowie is the biggest bust of all time.NOT only do they miss out on MJ. But Barkley & Stockton also.THEY NEVER LEARN from the Bowie mistake.Adding more insult to injury now with Oden.OUCH
EmperorJBO 11 months ago
He should have been a star, too bad he kept getting screwed by injuries
badboisuga 11 months ago
Sam bowie = Greg oden senor
Mattraction513 11 months ago
Wow what a bummer!! Surely what happened to Portland in 1984 will NEVER happen to them again, they learned their lesson back then. Next time they want to draft a center number 1 they'll reconsider and instead take the athletic guard or forward. This will never happen to Portland again, no worries.
trevinboy 1 year ago 40
@trevinboy lmao
rxp1019 11 months ago
@trevinboy
i sense sarcasm cough greg oden cough cough
WetWilly9 10 months ago
@trevinboy greg oden?
notagain001 9 months ago
Comment removed
NiNtenBricK 9 months ago
@trevinboy lol it already happened again with KD.
TheJustinBrothers0 8 months ago
@TheJustinBrothers0 He was being sarcastic
crabinatree12 8 months ago
@trevinboy dude Oden over Kevin Durrant LMAO..you forget so soon. They never earn.
glinxz 8 months ago
@glinxz sarcasm dude
eurotrash239 8 months ago in playlist B-Ball2
@trevinboy lol
slim5poppa 8 months ago
@trevinboy lmao best comment ever
Jspang16 8 months ago
@trevinboy LOL so how would you describe Greg Oden's choice?
theorientalpearl 8 months ago
@trevinboy seriously. good thing that durant kid isnt panning out.
SmoothCriminal57 8 months ago
who's sam bowie?
starwarsnspiderman30 1 year ago
lol only back then that they would play elevator music during a highlight reel
ir0ckfartz 1 year ago
give him a break...
paternagnstuser 1 year ago
Comment removed
catalinaguerrero 1 year ago
Kwame Brown was the #1 overall pick guys....
GenericNameBeta 1 year ago
biggest bust until greg oden
dl8eb 1 year ago
WOW, this is the epitomy of "If only I could take this back.!"
trevinboy 1 year ago
0:00 - 0:04
The dumbest men who ever walked the face of the Earth.
KennethKaniffFromCT 1 year ago
@27nb
It was his chrisima and scoring on the fast break that was unstoppable in college. Besides Portland didn't need a SG they already had some average ones, and they thought Jordan wasn't going to be a superstar, because of the fact when Jordan played Len Bias, everyone thought Len Bias, not Jordan.
Hydrolic16 1 year ago
I don't think this guy would be worth second pick in the second round
kevin5fan 1 year ago
The reason why Portland did that was because they didn't have big men.
And Sam had a better college career than Mike did, and they didn't need a SG at the time.
Hydrolic16 1 year ago
@Hydrolic16 Sam Bowie had a better college career than Jordan.? lol not sure how you came to that conclusion- was it the 2 years Sam missed with injuries or the national player of the year award Jordan had just won?
27nb 1 year ago
I see big things for this guy. I don't know about that Jordan fella.
Hofffan87 1 year ago
@Hofffan87 lol u a trip
MrClevon07 1 year ago
To this day I still recognize Bowie as the third greatest passing center of all time after Arvydas Sabonis and Bill Walton, all of whom, ironically, were drafted by Portland and met unfortunate fates. But give credit where it's due. They were all fantastic players without the injuries.
jaranarm 1 year ago
Sam Bowie = Greg Oden of 1984.
Stupid FailBlazers.
dbadefense1990 1 year ago
@dbadefense1990 LMAO!!!!
Bexly 1 year ago
Most of these nerds making fun of Sam Bowie probably know nothing about his NBA career, nor have they probably ever seen him play a game of basketball. To even suggest that Bowie is "the worst" draft choice in NBA history is absolutely absurd and such an ignorant statement. At his best, Bowie was a freak of nature; he could run the floor, pass, was an exceptional shot blocker and could even stroke it. Therefore, if it wasn't for injuries hampering his development, he would've been a very good.
classics4life 1 year ago 22
@classics4life he was picked over the greatest basketball player ever.
Boss11212 1 year ago
@classics4life "in 2005, ESPN, citing Bowie's injury-laden college career, named the Blazers' choice of Bowie as the worst draft pick in North American professional sports history"
"In 2005, Sports Illustrated listed Bowie as the biggest draft bust in NBA history, arguing that teams should draft for talent and not need."
there u go
Boss11212 1 year ago
@Boss11212
Nice of you to cite Wikipedia and from two publications geared towards mainstream thinking. Fact is there have been far worse draft picks and busts in the sports world than Bowie, but popular opinion chooses to pick on him because Jordan was drafted after.
jaranarm 1 year ago
@classics4life dearly noted and great observation but isn't that one of the things you look for in a player when you call them a "bust"? Take Greg Oden if healthy man, what a player he could have been but being plagued by injuries that makes him the bust he is...
TFKgeneral 1 year ago
@TFKgeneral
A true "bust" is a high draft pick who got no game in the pros. It's a talent issue, not a health issue. Bowie and Oden don't belong in the same sentence as Kwame Brown or Larue Martin.
jaranarm 1 year ago
@classics4life He wasnt the worst draft choice talent wise but he was the worst draft pick because of who was drafted behind him. Even if he was healthy, he wasnt going to be better than jordan.
rjr1990 1 year ago
@rjr1990
The Blazers didn't go for Bowie because they thought he was going to be a better player than Jordan. They picked him because they thought he was a better fit for their team chemistry. There have been far worse draft picks.
jaranarm 1 year ago
@jaranarm,Portlands problem is simply this: they DRAFT FOR NEED.
NOT ON TALENT & DURABILITY. They didn't learn their lesson here. Don't know why Portland is STILL hanging on to Greg Oden. Its time to cut losses and admit they screwed up and trade him.
Ok, Portland missed on Olajuwon. we know they missed on MJ. But look at the other guys they passed up on: Barkley,Stockton,Thrope,Perkins,heck kevin willis.
EmperorJBO 11 months ago
@EmperorJBO
None of those guys would have done well pitted against Kareem, considering the Lakers were the team to beat. Portland was thinking of their playoff chances. Taking a chance on Bowie was actually the best option and it was good when it lasted. "They wouldn't be here if it weren't for Sam," said Kareem when Portland got to face L.A. in the 85 playoffs. It's just unfortunate Bowie didn't stay healthy like the doctors predicted otherwise the Blazers would have drafted someone else.
jaranarm 11 months ago
@jaranarm,It would have been cool to have Mj as the shooting guard and drexler at the small forward.
EmperorJBO 11 months ago