NBA Draft

#54      
jamarvelous31
the juiceman cometh said:
The latest and greatest episode of the Enduring Myth of the Hapless Franchise.

Cavs were once where careers went to die before LeBron. Bulls were once before also in that same boat, before they drafted Jordan.

The truth is that players make the franchise, not the other way around. There's not a single team that could have drafted LeBron and ruined his career. Same with Jordan. Anybody getting picked in the top-10 is going to get ample opportuniy to make a career for themselves no matter which team drafts them.
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Sure the 2 greatest basketball players ever are going to succeed regardless.

But the Bulls (who have a .35 win % since 1984 without Jordan) and the Cavs (.43 since 03 without LeBron) have had a combined 23 other top 10 picks in that time frame.

Easy counterpoints are D Rose having a career altering injury in garbage minutes (where a functional org would've had him on the bench). Or Luol Deng almost dying from the shoddy Bulls medical staff.

Bad orgs can ruin top 10 players too.
 
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#55      
the juiceman cometh
jamarvelous31 said:
Sure the 2 greatest basketball players ever are going to succeed regardless.

But the Bulls (who have a .35 win % since 1984 without Jordan) and the Cavs (.43 since 03 without LeBron) have had a combined 23 other top 10 picks in that time frame.

Easy counterpoints are D Rose having a career altering injury in garbage minutes (where a functional org would've had him on the bench). Or Luol Deng almost dying from the shoddy Bulls medical staff.

Bad orgs can ruin top 10 players too.
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So, for one, D Rose and Deng didn't even happen under the current iteration of the Bulls. Thibs kept D Rose in (was also involved in the Deng mess but that was mainly team doctors...I'm guessing those docs are also long gone), and he hasn't been there in over a decade, so unless you're claiming some kind of bad juju that follows a franchise around it doesn't really make sense.

Second, luck is a bigger factor than franchise. Thibs subsequently got hired by the T-Wolves and Knicks, got criticized for the same kind of stuff, but never managed to get their star players hurt in the same way. Just luck of the draw.

Most top 10 picks don't become superstars. But they all get plenty of chances to regardless of who drafts them. If a player is a superstar, they'll lift up the franchise. Any franchise.
 
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