If you could change one draft...it would be...

[jambr380]

It's funny that everybody is going with Kobe. While he would have been the better player to have, Antoine had a number of successful years and helped bring the Celtics out of disater-ville...

In opening this thread, I was thinking about what draft we totally blew and that was 2001. Joe Johnson was a nice selection, but trading him for Rodney Rogers [instead of Kedrick - who was an awful pick] neutralized that positive. The worst, though, was Joe Forte - having already taken two wing players and desperately needing a young pg, Tony Parker was everyone's obvious choice. That was supposed to be the draft that propelled us to the next level and instead we took a huge step back and had to start over again.

JR Giddens was also a bit of a head scratcher.

[D.o.s.]

I doubt Kobe would want to play for us. Didn't he make it clear before the draft that he would only play if it was either the Knicks or the Lakers?

Yea! Then we could've gotten TMac!

Its a shame he couldn't stay healthy. T-Mac at his best was better than Kobe, imo.

Yeah those ten healthy T-Mac minutes were really something.

That said, I think T-Mac is much more of a miss than Kobe,  as far as looking at them as draft prospects.

[Moranis]

Kobe wasn't going to come to Boston and I don't think you could really take him at 6.

Assuming Bias was always going to die and thus you can't just keep him alive, there are three drafts that I think Boston's title chances might have been drastically altered with better drafting.  1989, 2001, and 2008.  None of the other drafts would have had a shot at altering the title picture. 

In 1989 if we would have added Tim Hardaway or Shawn Kemp to the aging vets and the rise of Lewis, I think Boston could have picked up a title or two in the early 90's before MJ and Pip really took off. 

In 2001, had Boston come out of the draft with Joe Johnson, Zach Randolph, and Tony Parker to pair with PP, Toine, Battie, and Anderson, that team would have been very young and very good for a very long time.

In 2008, had we drafted Pekovic (though he wouldn't come over for awhile), Jordan, Asik, or even Chalmers instead of Giddens and then Dragic instead of Walker, we might have gotten another title or two out of the current group.

[ram]

I'm intrigued by Willis Reed in 1964.

With Reed instead of near worthless Mel Counts, Russell doesn't log as many minutes and, maybe, plays beyond 1969.  Reed was an All-Star at both center and PF. He was a better PF than Bailey Howell and could have guarded Wilt (Wayne Embry did when he and Russell were in together) to allow Russell to roam (while guarding Luke Jackson).

Red still would have tried to grab Cowens in 1970 draft somehow. Cowens was flying under the radar and Red was slick enough to pull it off (plus this is my fantasy and I say they end up with Cowens, too).

Reed doesn't get hurt and plays effectively until he's
mid-30's and Cowens plays PF where he is better suited and is the standard by which Tim Duncan and KG are measured.

Bob Ryan once wrote that if Cowens played his natural position of PF some PFs in the league would be looking for new work.

[tenn_smoothie]

Keeping Len Bias alive would be my pick who knows how long it would have extended the big 3's chance of more titles.
What makes me want to puke is Michael Smith over Tim Hardaway especially when the Celts needed a young point guard with an aging DJ.
Looking back at how bad the Celts were in the 90's is no mystery. Back to back first round picks die in 87 and 88 and then some terrible drafts.

could the lakers have survived the deaths of james worthy & byron scott ?? that's the only difference in the 80's. with Bias and Reggie, we win 5 titles instead of them.

could any franchise have survived the deaths of their two best future players, one of whom might have been a league MVP caliber of player ??

was it just the karma of the Basketball Gods balancing things out for all the pillaging Red did in the league for all those years ?  doesn't seem right to be punished for being smart and competitive.

[manl_lui]

I doubt Kobe would want to play for us. Didn't he make it clear before the draft that he would only play if it was either the Knicks or the Lakers?

Yea! Then we could've gotten TMac!

give me a healthy TMac any day of the week over Kobe. But yea, definitely still drafting Len Bias but putting people on him 24-7

[Eja117]

Kobe Bean Bryant

Yea, not sure how you can answer anything but this.

For the same reason I wouldn't ever want A Rod on the Sox under any circumstances.

[fitzhickey]

Tim Hardaway or Kobe

[BleedGreen1989]

Kobe Bean Bryant

Yea, not sure how you can answer anything but this.

For the same reason I wouldn't ever want A Rod on the Sox under any circumstances.

Quite the stretch of comparisons, no?

[Interceptor]

Had Kobe in mind when I clicked on the link for this thread, without ever seeing the OP. Still want Kobe over 'Toine.

[aporel#18]

1. The Bias bodyguard
2. TMac
3. Willis Reed
4. Tony Parker
5. Pekovic

As some have said, Kobe wasn't coming here, and I agree with eja in not wanting Kobe here. He might be good, and a warrior blah blah blah... he's a chucker and he hasn't won zip by himself. If we had a real team when we drafted Toine, he could have learned to play Celtic ball, and not tanking ball. Toine was like Derrick Coleman, a huge wasted talent, and he could've had a better career than Kobe had he played with Shaq for 5-6 years.

But Mercer over TMac is insane, TMac made things look easy, but he never had the chance to learn the game the right way, just like Toine. Tony Parker wasn't as easy to predict as TMac, but it could've been great for the Cs. Pekovic or even DeAndre would have been better than Giddens, unfortunately.

The Bias bodyguard... RIP Len, I don't think I'll ever stop the "what if" game with him and Reggie. Not every team could've endured what the Cs did, then Pitino and his horrible tenure as GM. The Lakers would probably be the Kansas City Lakers or Las Vegas Lakers if anything like that happened to them.

Finally, I've never watched Willis Reed play, but the idea of getting some help for Russell and extending his career should be enough to be considered.

I hope the 2014 Draft is one of the best in Celtics history. In Danny we trust!

[crownontherocks]

Kobe's pre draft workout with the celtics

[syfy9]

Kobe is a win-win. We get one of the greatest players of all time and the Lakers lose out on one of the greatest players of all time.

[LilRip]

Nobody else here wants TMac? 

i do! Tmac over Ron Mercer? Yes please.

And while Kobe over Toine would've been great too, Kobe likely would've forced our hand to make a trade. Don't need that drama.

[Celtics18]

Marc Gasol over Gabe Pruitt in 2007.

Sorry, there's no way I'm trading in Employee Number Eight for that Laker scum.  Sorry.