40 years ago today: The Bulls try to trade out of the #3 pick in the NBA draft before reluctantly selecting Michael Jordan. GM Rod Thorn: “There just wasn’t a center available. Jordan isn’t going to turn this franchise around. He’s a good offensive player but not an overpowering offensive player.”
by offconstantly
30 Comments
I remember how much the Rod Thorn as a Bucks consultant days sucked…
And today Michael is compared with a player who doesn’t have half his skills who has played for the Lakers, Cavs and Heat. The NBA is the house that Michael built. Even as a Warriors fan, I respect him for it.
lmao they settled on Jordan
Did he not talk or consult with guys like Bobby Knight? Or he did and just thought he knew better?
“And I took that personally”
Dominant Centers used to be the formula in the NBA before the 80s. Wilt, Russell, Kareem, and a couple more.
Just like how the most important thing is spacing.
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Perfect example of how rich idiots get richer
The bulls are a bad franchise that Lucked into Michael Jordan and rode that shit for a decade plus
Back then, Dominant centers were considered the franchise picks. This is just an example of digging up some old nonstory using 20/20 hindsight
IIRC, they tried to trade for Ralph Sampson on the Rockets. We might have had Hakeem and Jordan on the same team.
What GM talks like that about a new draft pick? What a moron
The focus was always on the C
No surprise Hakeem went 1st, and no argument there.
But SAM BOWIE??!?
Seems the team viewed it as a weak draft class at that time. Blazers offered second pick + Drexler for Ralph Sampson, which was rejected by Rockets. This trade would have resulted in Rockets having MJ, Drexler and Olajuwon.
Phew! Good thing we picked Bowie, we wouldn’t want to miss out!
So you’re telling me except guys who play on the court nobody knows shit about the sport and they’re all like me?
The revisionists out here think Jordan’s career began and ended with 6 chips. Took the dude 7 years and a couple pieces with first names of Scotty and Phil to make it happen. Yeah no one else like MJ but a lot of luck and front office moves in effect.
In hindsight yes this is stupid but even Jordan’s Last Dance documentary mentions this – there wasn’t an NBA team that won titles or became favorites without an All-Star center. He wasn’t that All-Star center.
Bobby knight – draft Jordan and play him at center
Oh boy, the egg on his face.
A lot of people not reading the article, but what’s to be expected?
I was born in Portland and it’s weird to think I wouldn’t be alive if a few rich white dudes in the 80s would’ve drafted Michael Jordan
Listen, I get things wrong too
Nobody ever talks about how Jordan wanted to draft wolf and got upset when Krause said he’s taking pippen instead. Was a heated argument supposedly too
Nike had better scouting than this team. Lmao.
Was anyone here alive to witness that? Is there a good comparison to 2 passing up on Jordan?
Fuck, MJ was picked 40 years ago already?!
Michael ‘TB12’ Jordan
The article doesn’t go into why they weren’t able to trade out.
In ’84, the first overall pick was still decided by a coin flip between the worst team in either conference. That would have been the Pacers and Rockets, but because the Blazers had the Pacers pick, the coin flip was between Portland and Houston.
Both teams wanted Olajuwon, but only the Blazers were interested in Bowie at #2. The Rockets were concerned with his injury history. This meant that if the Rockets won the coin toss, the draft would go Olajuwon-Bowie-unknown #3, but if the Blazers won the toss, the draft would go Olajuwon-unknown #2-Bowie.
The Bulls made a deal with the Sonics to send the #3 overall pick in exchange for Jack Sikma. The trade was contingent, however, on Bowie being available at #3, and thus on the Blazers winning the toss. When Houston won the toss, Seattle could no longer get Bowie at #3, so the trade was never consummated.
Jordan proved him wrong by taking steroids.