Why did Portland draft Sam Bowie instead of Michael Jordan?

ya know I can't really say that Portland was really wrong in picking Sam Bowie. Yes Micheal went on to be the best player in the game but how can you tell how a player will turnout later on in his career. Scouts were saying Harold Miner would be the next "Big Thing" but look how he turned out. Reference to hockey, Luc Robitaille was picked last and Fleury was also in the last picks, they turned out to be some of the greatest to play the game. Hard to say how players will turnout. Tough Call.

Yes Micheal went on to be the best player in the game but how can you tell how a player will turnout later on in his career.

Well he did average 28/6/6 in his rookie season so that would've been a fairly good indication.

I'm talkin at the time of the draft dude lol.

I think you're going too much on height and not enough on strength when using the term "big man", i think Barkley would definitely be considered one by any team. Some big men use height, Kareem or Hakeem. Wilt & Shaq had a game based on strength and muscle. Losing a few inches of height on either of them wouldn't have made any difference.

Would you consider Amare not a dominant big man then? He's listed at 6' 10", so probably more like 6' 8" clinically.

I'm just going by traditional definitions. "Big man" is generally a term used to describe the biggest players in the game. In any case, the Bulls didn't have a dominant big man in the Wilt/Hakeem/Kareem/Shaq sense, whereas a lot of championship teams do.

They had Luc Longley, he dominated!

He represented us well.

Jax preferred Longley to many other big men... its great! I remember seeing Luc in Space Jam at the end! If it wasnt for his board and pass, MJ wouldnt have dunked!

I feel that Luc was underrated though... he could have been better! but we will never know

A little underrated, not too much. He remains our best representative in the NBA to date.

Definately... Andrew gaze winning a ring as a reserve doesnt count for much... Bogut should be better than Longley though.

I think Gaze is the best basketballer Australia's had, but Longley's definitely the most successful in contrast.

Overseas, most successful was Longley... Best, Andre gaze has been good but his stats 30, 6, 5 was set in the NBL... wonder what he would have got in the NBA if he was a full time starter?

For all he's achieved in Australian basketball I'd rank Gaze over Longley overall... I mean he basically carried the NBL for a fair while. I don't think Gaze would've averaged much more than 12ppg in the NBA but in Europe he probably would've torn it up.

Back to the original question.

Why did Portland draft Bowie instead of Jordan?

Clyde Drexler. They already had a SG and needed a big man. No one knew MJ would be huge, and no one knew Bowie would be a bust. By the way I'm not too sure what Bowie did, and if he was a real full-fledged Leon Smith style bust. But I think it's safe to say he was a bust.

He sure was the main man for the Boomers at 5 olympics.... and i forget he went to Seton Hall.. lol

For all he's achieved in Australian basketball I'd rank Gaze over Longley overall... I mean he basically carried the NBL for a fair while. I don't think Gaze would've averaged much more than 12ppg in the NBA but in Europe he probably would've torn it up.

I agree, I was just referring to Australians in the NBA. Gaze has been the face of Australian basketball for more than a decade.

Two decades...

Sure, two decades if you want to be exact.

By the way I'm not too sure what Bowie did, and if he was a real full-fledged Leon Smith style bust. But I think it's safe to say he was a bust.

He didn't do much. His best years were with New Jersey in the early 90s, and while injuries were a factor in his less than stellar career, I don't think he would have been in the same class as the other greats from the 1984 draft.

He played 10 seasons with Portland, NJ and the Lakers... Career averages of 11 ppg and 7.5 rpg and add 4 apg and 3 bpg. He just didn't live up to his pick!

While on the subject of his career numbers, in the seasons in which he started most of the games he played and played significant minutes, his numbers were still fairly average.

exactly.. about 14 and 8... was his best season!

He had a 15 and 8 season, a 14 and 10 season and his carer high scoring average was 16 per game in 1987, a season in which he only played 5 games. He averaged around 11 and 9 for his first two years with the Blazers.

And that gets you like $60 million in today's league...

I havent read the article, but i thought they passed him up coz of Clyde "The Glide" Drexler

thats basicly the main reason. if the blazers picked jordan he would have started on the bench. what a waste of a 2nd pick that would of been.