The best that's got away...

[slamtheking]

NBA draft:
1958: Bennie Swain - Hal Greer was available
1963: Bill Green - Gus Johnson was available
1964: Mel Counts - Willis Reed was available
1965: Ollie Johnson - Van Arsdale Twins were available
1967: Mel Graham - Bob Rule was available
1974: Glenn McDonald - Billy Knight was available
1975: Tom Boswell - Gus Williams and World B. Free were availabl
1976: Norm Cook - Alex English and Dennis Johnson were available
1981: Charles Bradley - Eddie Johnson was available
1983: Greg Kite - Doc Rivers was available
1984: Michael Young - Jerome Kersey was available
1985: Sam Vincent - Terry Porter was available
1989: Michael Smith - Tim Hardaway and Shawn Kemp were available
1992: Jon Barry - Latrell Sprewell was available
1993: Acie Earl - Sam Cassell was available
1994: Eric Montross - Eddie Jones and Jalen Rose were available
1995: Eric Williams - Michael Finley was available
1996: Antoine Walker - Kobe Bryant was available
1997: Ron Mercer - Tracy McGrady was available
2000: Jerome Moiso - Michael Redd was available
2001: Kedrick Brown and Joseph Forte - Richard Jefferson, Troy Murphy, Zach Randolph, Tony Parker, Gerald Wallace and Gilbert Arenas were available
2002: Darius Songaila - Louis Scola was available
2005: Gerald Green - David Lee and Monta Ellis were available
2008: JR Giddens - Mario Chalmers was available
But there was a great deal of draft steals in Celtics history so this is just for fun...

The only ones that jump out as real misses based on knowing if the C's were looking for BPA or filling a need are:  
1976 : either were better options than Cook.
1989: Smith was an optimistic stretch and Hardaway looked like a sure thing.
1992: The Barry situation was a pure debacle.
2001: pure disaster with Brown and Forte.

Because the C's were looking for specific needs in these years, it explains how they missed other, better players:
1983--Kite was to be Robey's replacement.  Doc wasn't a sure thing then.
1994--Montross was needed to replace Acie.
2005--Gerald was too hyped up not to pick but Lee would have been a great 3rd big man to pick up behind Perk and Al.

All others were pure speculation.  No fault of the C's for picking who they picked.  Most of the other options weren't pegged as surefire players and many didn't work out to be a whole lot better then who we picked based on the years spent in Boston.

[expletive]...

And your expletive means what?
1996: Antoine Walker - Kobe Bryant was available
1997: Ron Mercer - Tracy McGrady was available
2000: Jerome Moiso - Michael Redd was available
2001: Kedrick Brown and Joseph Forte - Richard Jefferson, Troy Murphy, Zach Randolph, Tony Parker, Gerald Wallace and Gilbert Arenas were available

•   Antoine was a high-profile college player and Kobe was an unproven high-schooler.  In his rookie year, Antoine looked like the steal of the draft over Iverson, Marbury and Ray.  No fault to the C’s for picking Toine.  Kobe needed a few years to really hit his stride whereas Toine was hitting the ground running.
•   Mercer  same story as Antoine.  Mcgrady was an unproven high-schooler whereas Mercer was a high-profile college player that looked great his rookie year and sophomore years.  Mcgrady didn’t blossom until after he got off his rookie contract.  No fault to the C’s for picking Mercer.
•   Moiso sucked but so did that entire draft.  C’s needed height so no surprise they went that direction.  Redd definitely turned out to be the better player in that draft but for that matter, so did Eddie House.  Redd was not a surefire pick that they screwed up on.  C’s picked for need and every team in that draft got a pile of garbage.  No major fault to the C’s for not having a lot to pick from.  
•   2001 – I already mentioned that the C’s blew that draft big time so I’m not sure what your point is.

Easy there, Danny Ainge. All I'm saying is that in retrospect...I would have liked to grab y'know, Kobe Bryant. Or Tracy McGrady. Or Michael Redd. Or any of those players in the 2001 draft over Kedrick Brown and Joe Forte. You don't have to defend what the Celtics did or the logic behind their decisions...

if that's the point you're trying to make, that's fine.  could have been much clearer in doing it though

[DavorCroatiaFan]

Guys, stop fighting.
I wrote i my pos that this list of "draft- what could be" is just for FUN. I know nobody knows that Kobe would be so special... Others team lists would be much, much longer. Auerbach was most of the time great drafter...Russ (i know he's Hawks pick, but if Red didnt pick Hagan Russ wouldn't come to Boston), "Jones brothers", Heinsohn, Ramsey, Sanders, Havlicek, White, Cowens, Westphal, Maxwell, Bird, McHale, Lewis...
Only 2001 draft was true disaster. Ironically, Chris Wallace and rest of Celtics scouts wanted to draft Tony Parker, but Red insisted on Forte...Heck, you can't be always right.
And compare Nikos Galis to Vinnie Johnson is total disrespect to international basketball.
Peace