Portland Trail Blazers: A look back at NBA Draft history before 2017

Only time will tell whether the Portland Trail Blazers have finally broken their curse of drafting injury prone players.

Coming off a 46-36 regular season record and a second round playoff exit in 1983, the Portland Trail Blazers went into the 1983 NBA Draft with the 14th overall pick.

Following the franchise’s lone 1977 NBA championship and the departure of future Hall-of-Famer Bill Walton, the Blazers were in desperate need of a new superstar to help lead them into a new era.

The Blazers ended up selecting 6-foot-7 shooting guard Clyde Drexler, who would go on to become the face of the franchise over the next decade.

Clyde “The Glide” went on to earn multiple All-Star appearances while playing for the Blazers, numerous All-NBA honors, and most notably, a place on the 1992 “Dream Team,” later joining Walton in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Drexler’s storied career began with a humble rookie season, however, averaging 7.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.3 steals in 17.2 minutes through 82 regular season games. The 1983-84 season ended with the Blazers making a first round exit in the playoffs after finishing the regular season with a 48-34 record.

Things go awry in the 1984 NBA Draft

The Blazers needed another piece if they were going to evolve from being first round fodder to an actual title contender. Almost ironically, the Blazers were blessed with the second overall pick in the 1984 NBA Draft via their 1981 trade with the Indiana Pacers, giving Portland a prime opportunity to take advantage of a top-loaded draft class.

It’s important to mention that the NBA at that time had not yet transitioned to being a guard-dominated league, instead putting a premium on dominant big men; additionally, the Blazers already had a solid shooting guard rotation with Drexler and Jim Paxson, as well as a not-so-good frontcourt led by a 30-year-old Mychal Thompson.

So when the time came for Portland to make their pick, they selected center Sam Bowie out of Kentucky, whose career would come to be defined by his injuries rather than his formidable on-court skill set. From 1984-89, Bowie played just four seasons for Portland, appearing in 139 games total.

Michael Jordan — who remains to this day as the best player to ever play basketball — went third overall to the Chicago Bulls. Portland also could have had better luck drafting future Hall of Famers Charles Barkley or John Stockton, who were drafted fifth and 16th, respectively.

In retrospect, the Portland Trail Blazer’s decision to draft Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan is one of the worst decisions in the history of sports.

History Repeats Itself

The Portland Trail Blazers won the 2006 NBA Draft, acquiring both LaMarcus Aldridge (second overall) and Brandon Roy (sixth overall) through a long string of trades. Unfortunately, the team was unable to put it all together in the season that followed, finishing 32-50.

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Just like in 1984, the Blazers ironically seemed to hit the jackpot after having a solid draft the year prior, this time winning the lottery and the 2007 first overall pick. With their pick, the Blazers selected Ohio State center Greg Oden, whose career — like Bowie’s — would come to be defined by his injures rather than his formidable on-court skill set.

From 2007-12, Oden played just two seasons for the Blazers, appearing in a total of 82 games.

Kevin Durant — a former MVP and future NBA champion that’s considered a guaranteed Hall-of-Famer following his retirement — went second overall to the Seattle SuperSonics (later the Oklahoma City Thunder). Al Horford, Mike Conley, Joakim Noah and Marc Gasol are other notable players who were drafted after Oden and have enjoyed lengthy NBA careers.

To make matters worst, Brandon Roy eventually retired in 2011 due to a degenerative knee condition. He played 321 total games in five seasons for Portland, earning three All-Star appearances and a couple All-NBA honors.

Curse Broken?

The Blazers didn’t exactly start the 2010s on a good note. They drafted the injury-prone Elliot Williams with the 22nd overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, adding to the legend of the Blazers curse. Nolan Smith, the Blazers’ 2011 first-rounder, is now a special assistant at Duke after a short-lived career playing in the NBA, overseas and in the D-League.

The Blazers have had some luck since then, however, drafting dynamic point guard Damian Lillard out of Weber State, as well as center Meyers Leonard, who is still on the roster. In 2013, Portland drafted C.J. McCollum, who would eventually develop into Lillard’s backcourt running mate.

Draft History Prior to 2017

Fast forward to the 2017 NBA Draft, and the Portland Trail Blazers hold the 15th, 20th, and 26th pick. With Jusuf Nurkic now posting up on the low block, the Blazers are in great position to pick up a forward to solidify their defense.

The Blazers have chosen from the 15th pick just twice in their draft history, selecting Barry Parkhill (1973) and Jeff Lamp (1981). Parkhill opted to play in the ABA despite being drafted in the NBA, while Lamp went on to earn an NBA title with the Los Angeles Lakers after three seasons with PDX and one season with the Milwaukee Bucks.

The team has never held the 20th overall pick. They once held the 26th pick in 1992, selecting Dave Johnson, who played just two seasons in the NBA.

League-wide, plenty of gems have been unearthed at No. 15 in the past, including Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, Al Jefferson, Steve Nash, Brent Barry and Dell Curry.

At No. 20, notable picks include Jameer Nelson, Zach Randolph, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Larry Nance, Gus Williams and Mike D’Antoni. For the 26th pick, past success stories include Taj Gibson, George Hill, Kevin Martin, Gerald Wallace, Jerome Williams, Vlade Divac and Steve Alford.

Next: Blazers - 5 draft prospects that can add frontcourt depth

Hopefully Blazers general manager Neil Olshey is able to strike gold in the upcoming 2017 draft with as many as three picks at his disposal.