I actually never knew how the NBA Draft used to be, so I am glad I am doing this piece. I learned a lot researching the draft and the evolution of what it has become over the years.
If you don't know about it either, you may find this interesting. Before entering the best and worse New York Knicks draft choices, let me fill you in with Draft information. You may like it.
Most of my post are opinion based, but here are the facts. The first ever Draft took place in 1947. For 18 seasons, there were anywhere from 13 to 17 rounds to pick through, featuring something called territorial picks. Teams that were having a harder time drawing fans could chose not to use its first-round pick and select a local player instead, hoping they would bring in an already established fan base.
Sometimes it worked, but in many cases, it really didn't help a team win a championship.
From 1966-1984, the teams with the two worst records would flip a coin to determine which would land the top pick of the Draft. They would take away the territorial picks and keep everything the same until the 1985 season, where the New York Knicks recorded one of the best drafts in known history.
That year, teams picked in reverse order of their records in rounds two and beyond, cutting the total rounds to seven. The Knicks would win the 1985 Lottery and had no hesitation with selecting Georgetown star center Patrick Ewing. All he ended up doing was going on to become the Rookie of the Year, an 11-time NBA All-Star and one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, as well as a two-time Olympic gold medalist.
The year 1988, three seasons later, was when the league condensed the rounds from seven to two, allowing potential later round players to try to sign on with the team of their choice. They also condensed the chances of all teams to land the No. 1 pick, allowing just the bottom three to the honors. Then in 1990, the NBA introduced the weighted lottery system, throwing in statistical fractions for teams to land the top spot.
It was originally 11 teams, then raised to 13 teams in 1996 when expansion teams Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies were added. With the addition of the Charlotte Bobcats in 2004, the number was increased to 14.
Now with the boring history lesson out of the way, I will break down what I feel are my Top 3 best and worse draft picks, beginning in 1988 when the league allowed just two rounds of drafting action.
Keywords: history of NBA Draft, New York Knicks, Patrick Ewing.
