My 1995 Redraft

With the NBA season wrapping up and the offseason chaos may die down a bit, I decided to do redraft some draft classes for fun and the possibility of what could have been, so let’s go back in time to the 1995 NBA draft and with the 1^st pick the Golden State Warriors are on the clock.

• Golden State Warriors:  With the 1^st pick in the ’95 draft the Warriors originally selected and rightfully so Maryland’s Joe Smith who did not live up to expectations but was a solid long career pro. But in this redraft the first pick is obviously a no brainer so the Warriors will take the high school phenom Kevin Garnett and roll the dice with the kid where the future could be bright quicker than expected.

• LA Clippers: A regular fixture in the draft lottery in 90s was the Clippers who have the horrible and disgusting Donald Sterling as owner and not so good Elgin Baylor as GM. Originally Antonio McDyess was selected here but in this redraft the Clippers select UNC star Jerry Stackhouse who can potentially sell some tickets and give that tortured fan base a glimmer of hope.

• Philadelphia 76ers: The beloved Sixers were in the midst of a rebuild here and needed to hit this pick where they drafted Jerry Stackhouse who in very short time there was all right but ended not being the ideal fit for the following year’s pick and franchise guy Allen Iverson. With the third pick in this redraft the 76ers get some luck and select UNC big man and hometown kid Rasheed Wallace, who would have become absolute fan favorite, foundational piece, and championship player that the city is used to from their big men in 76er past.

• Washington Bullets (Wizards):  At number 4 is the often-disappointing Washington Bullets (were not the Wizards quite yet) where their place in no man’s land was very strong and had a chance to change when they selected UNC’s Rasheed Wallace but does not last long. Well in our redraft the Wizards select a long-time quality starter and pro Michael Finley who will give this franchise some much needed professionalism and consistency in DC.

• Minnesota Timberwolves: In 1995 the Timberwolves found gold here at 5 by selecting the high school phenom big man Kevin Garnett who changes the fortunes for the team and city for years to come. Unfortunately, Garnett is not available at number 5 in this redraft but who is there for them to build their future with is the undersized mighty mouse point guard Damon Stoudamire from Arizona.

• Vancouver Grizzlies:  The Grizzlies made their inaugural pick for the franchise this year. In 1995 that pick was Oklahoma State’s big man Bryant “Big Country” Reeves who was a fan favorite who did not become the foundational big to build around. Well in this redraft the Grizzlies may have a more productive player to work off of with Maryland forward Joe Smith who was the AP player of the year and Naismith award winner who was the consensus top prospect in this draft class so hopefully his respectable long career helps start a culture in Vancouver.

• Toronto Raptors: The other expansion team coming in this season was the Toronto Raptors. My fandom for the Raptors started here with this draft and the original selection of Arizona’s point guard Mighty Mouse Damon Stoudamire who set the trend for exciting young stars can excel in Canada especially in Toronto. However, in this redraft Stoudamire is off the board going to Minnesota at number five so instead the Raptors will select an explosive forward whose upside was endless with Antonio McDyess who had some injuries that set his career back but maybe McDyess fortune is totally different in the 6 being the first pick for the franchise.

• Portland Trailblazers: Portland is up next where Michigan State’s Shawn Respert was selected (Cool card to have at the time) where he sadly became a bust in a short 4-year career. But in our redraft the Blazers get a blue-collar long career big man in Kurt Thomas who may not be a name but is a dependable role playing/starting big man for the Blazers.

• New Jersey Nets: The next pick in this draft was probably my favorite player coming out of college and that UCLA’s Ed O’Bannon who was awesome, but his professional career was not long, but he would help college athletes get their fair share of compensation from college sports in the future making a difference. This redraft will give a struggling Nets franchise a sound defensive player to build up with selecting Theo Ratliff here at number nine.

•  Miami Heat: We have come to the final pick in our 1995 redraft, and it belongs to the Miami Heat. Heat Culture is not a thing yet, but the creator of the culture is on his way in head coach Pat Riley who selected Kurt Thomas originally but this time around Riley selects a diamond in the rough who has some lineage in basketball by selecting swingman Brent Barry who was the son of hall of famer Rick Barry. Barry would have been eased into things with learning under Rex Chapman, Tim Hardaway, and others to belong the starter he would be later on.

Well, that’s the end of our 1995 redraft, stay tuned this summer for this will be a series for the summer to shake things up and hopefully spark a little debate or conversation amongst basketball fans and think of the many what ifs that could have been.