The thing that bothered me the most about picking Walton over Magic is that you can get a big in the second round with comparable numbers to Walton but you cant get a point guard with comparable numbers to Magic as in points assist rebounds and steals.
I think there is about 15 HOF Bigs but only 3 HOF PGs and the fact that Magic is the greatest PG to play the game is just crazy to skip on him.
Im kicking myself in the head because i would have made an awesome deal to get the 4th pick if i knew Magic would be there i really was expecting him to go 1st
I think this opinion is seriously affected by the modern idea that PGs are so important to a successful basketball team. I happen to agree with the older way of thinking that a great big man is the most important piece of a successful team.
And, I don't care about stats of other big men. If that is all you are looking at you didn't see Walton in his prime. Its the same with Cowens. Its all the extra stuff they brought to the table that made then what they were.
I would have personally chosen Magic over an all-time great big but he is the only PG EVER I would do that with. I happen to think that a team built around Walton that has an All-Star, non-HOF PG could be every bit as good as a team built around Magic and an All-Star, non-HOF center.
Honestly, if I were GF and knew Magic could be there and I wanted Walton, I would have shopped the pick and moved down a pick or two while picking up something in return. If GF picked Walton 4th or 5th instead of 3rd, people would be praising the pick.