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NBA Draft: Each team’s greatest draft pick of all-time

By Daniel Lubofsky

MIAMI - NOVEMBER 12: Dwyane Wade #3 of the Miami Heat and LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers take a breather on November 12, 2009 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
MIAMI - NOVEMBER 12: Dwyane Wade #3 of the Miami Heat and LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers take a breather on November 12, 2009 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
(Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Greatest draft pick in Utah Jazz history: Karl Malone

Everyone is quick to point out what Karl Malone failed to do over the course of his career as a member of the Utah Jazz. He never won an NBA title, losing two consecutive Finals to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in 1997 and 1998.

Despite the 24.4 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game he averaged across those two championship battles, the lasting memories in everyone’s head are the ones in which the Mailman failed to deliver. In Game 1 of the 1997 Finals, he missed two consecutive free throws in the final seconds that would’ve given Utah the lead, only to watch MJ seal the deal moments later with a buzzer-beating jumper for the win.

In 1998, it was his carelessness with the ball late in Game 6 that allowed Jordan to strip him down low, come down the other end and nail a mid-range jumper with seconds left that wound up giving the Bulls their sixth championship.

Those two blemishes are both permanent and inexcusable. Yet there’s plenty the general NBA public fails to mention about Malone, facts that are the reason he is a member of the Hall of Fame.

He averaged 25.0 points per game on 51.6 shooting from the field over the course of a 19-year career. That consistently at the offensive end helped him reach No. 2 all-time on the NBA’s scoring list, ahead of legends such as Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain. Malone was both a 14-time All-Star and All-NBA member with two MVP awards in both 1997 and 1999.

Before he arrived in the 1985 Draft, the Jazz had yet to appear in the conference finals. Malone and point guard John Stockton would then lead Utah to four conference-semi appearances, three Western Conference births and two showings in the NBA Finals, forming one of the most dominant one-two duos in league history in the process.

Malone’s championship shortcomings shouldn’t be swept under the rug. After all, the title is the ultimate goal. To not experience that success even once says something about his talent, especially given the opportunities presented to him in consecutive seasons.

This should not, however, discard everything else he accomplished during his career. A consistent high-level scorer, Malone is one of the greatest power forwards ever, whose durability was unmatched in a time where so many of his contemporaries simply couldn’t keep up.

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