New York Knicks: 5 biggest NBA Draft mistakes
2. 1972 NBA Draft
Original pick: Tom Riker (8th)
Re-Draft: Julius Erving (12th)
Believe it or not, the Knicks actually selected against drafting the infamous Dr. J, for a man not many people have heard before. Tom Riker, in fact, spend just 3 seasons in the NBA with the Knicks and scored a total of 225 points.
That’s pretty tough when you compare it to the doctor’s 18K+ points. As if that wasn’t enough, he is a 4X MVP, 16X All-Star and one of the main reasons that our generation has produced so many elite small forwards.
If you considered the aforementioned duo of Drexler+Ewing a potential dynasty, just think about the consequences of adding an all-time great, right into the 1972 Knicks team, which had just won a championship and were on their way to a second in 73′.
Julius Erving dominated right away in the ABA, as well as in the NBA, which he joined a few years later to play for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Related Story. Knicks: The Chicago bubble conundrum. light
Today in 1976, the financially strapped Nets sell Julius Erving to the 76ers for $3 million. Worth every penny. pic.twitter.com/TvV3Br20L3
— Super 70s Sports (@Super70sSports) October 20, 2016
It is actually said that the New York Nets (yeah, it felt weird to type that) initially approached the Knicks, but they said no. Passing up on Dr. J once is a crime. Is there really a word for doing it a second time?