<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">As far as Jermaine O'Neal was concerned, the proof was right there on the page. The Indiana Pacers All-Star was looking through a magazine when he spotted a list of the NBA's best players and realized he had something in common with a number of them. "I was saying, 'You look at the All-NBA teams and a lot of those guys are from '96," O'Neal said. "When you look at that draft, it was unbelievable." As they approach the 10-year anniversary of the night their pro careers began, O'Neal and his classmates feel they are entitled to some bragging. "That was a great class," said Kobe Bryant, like O'Neal drafted out of high school before that was widely accepted. "A lot of great players came out of that draft. I don't think people are fully aware of the talent that came out of that draft." The 1996 draft produced five players who were All-Stars this year. Four of them (Steve Nash, Allen Iverson, Ray Allen and Bryant) were All-NBA last season. Iverson and Nash have won MVP awards, and Nash and Bryant are among the leading candidates this season. Need scoring? Try Bryant or Iverson. Nobody's more skilled at running an offense than Nash. For 3-point shooting, you can't do much better than Allen or Peja Stojakovic. The NBA's two leading scorers are '96ers, and Nash tops the league in assists. Marcus Camby, taken behind Iverson with the second pick, was leading the league in rebounding early in the season before getting slowed by injuries. No wonder O'Neal has no problem saying what others probably think. "I'd say that was probably the best draft ever," he said. "I would say that if I had to evaluate just on what's going on in the NBA now, with all the stars we have in the game now." That would depend on a person's definition of a good draft. It's hard to top Oscar Robertson and Jerry West going 1-2 in 1960; the 1984 draft yielded three future MVPs in the top five picks: Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley - plus John Stockton later in the first round. But few drafts boast as many talented players deep into the first round. An All-Star team could be fielded just on players taken after the first dozen picks: Bryant (No. 13), Stojakovic (14), Nash (15), O'Neal (17) and Zydrunas Ilgauskas (20). "It's got to be up there," Nash said during All-Star weekend. "There's a bunch of other guys who aren't here that are having terrific careers, played in All-Star games, gotten max contracts. It's a very deep and talented class." How Bryant ended up going so low out of Lower Merion High School in Pennsylvania remains a bit of a mystery. Asked recently how 12 teams could have passed on him, Bryant joked that West must have been responsible. The former Lakers executive acquired Bryant's rights by sending Vlade Divac to the Charlotte Hornets. "I think Jerry West might have had something to do with that," Bryant said. "He was kind of putting out, 'Oh no, don't draft that kid. I saw him work out. He's not that good." Still, Bryant would have been gone long before that if John Nash had his way. Nash was New Jersey's general manger and said the Nets planned to take Bryant with the eighth pick. In fact, he says he and then-Nets coach John Calipari told Bryant and his family of their plans at dinner the night before the draft. But Nash says Bryant called the next afternoon to tell the Nets he wasn't interested in playing for them, probably because he knew where he could end up instead. "As I recall, we got this phone call somewhere in the vicinity at 2 in the afternoon," Nash said. "By 6, it was apparent to us as to what had happened." Not willing to take a chance of Calipari's first draft turning into a mess, the Nets instead took Villanova guard Kerry Kittles, the other player they had been interested in. But Nash, who would scout both players on trips to Philadelphia, said he wanted to go with Bryant anyway. "I was a Kobe guy and I told John not to change his decision," Nash said. Bryant has helped the Lakers win three titles and he leads the league in scoring this season. Kittles battled injuries throughout much of his seven seasons in New Jersey. The Minnesota Timberwolves might sometimes wish they could have a do-over on the other big trade from that draft. The Timberwolves took Allen fifth and traded his rights to Milwaukee, which had selected Stephon Marbury with the previous pick. Marbury wanted out after helping the Timberwolves to the playoffs in each of his first two seasons, and it's since been a constant struggle for the Wolves to find someone with enough skill and character to pair with Kevin Garnett. Allen has both. A second-team All-NBA selection last year regarded as one of the league's best shooters, he also is well respected within the league. So he could have been talking about his own situation when he said: "That's why sometimes you can't draft on pure talent. You have to draft on personalities, too." Like any draft, the '96 one had its share of misses. Samaki Walker, Todd Fuller and Vitaly Potapenko were among the players picked in between Kittles and Bryant. But with a core group currently dominating the league, and players such as Marbury and No. 6 pick Antoine Walker among those who previously have been All-Stars, the class of '96 has reached a level that Bryant isn't sure will be seen again soon. "I don't know. Maybe not for a while," Bryant said. "Our draft has bred a lot of successful NBA players, a lot of star players. And I'm proud to be a part of that, as we all are. It's not a friendly rivalry, but it's something to be proud of."</div> Source
Another good draft, the 1999 draft: Elton Brand Shawn Marion Baron Davis Rip Hamilton Corey Maggette Ron Artest Andrei Kirilenko Manu Ginobili Steve Francis Lamar Odom Jason Terry Wally Szczerbiak In terms of depth in talent, I'd take this draft by a hair. They don't have the accolades, but definately have the talent. 1998 wasn't bad either: Dirk Nowitzki Paul Pierce Vince Carter Mike Bibby Antawn Jamison Rashard Lewis Al Harrington Cuttino Mobley Ricky Davis Larry Hughes Bonzi Wells Jason Williams Rafer Alston
The '96 draft was definitely one of the best drafts in league history. The '03 draft should go down as one of the best too. Still, unless there's a draft with players as good as Jordan and Olajuwon, the '84 draft will go down as the best.
03 is okay, it's good because they have the big stars, but it isn't very deep in All-Star caliber players. If you look at these other ones, they have about 7-10 All-Star caliber players, and then some other close ones. 03 has Lebron, Wade, Carmelo, Bosh, and Josh Howard.
The 1999 draft looks good, but all those guys are role players. No real super stars like '96, but never realized which players came from that year.
^ I was trying to keep it in the mid-later 90's onwards, but it we go out of that, their's better. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The 1999 draft looks good, but all those guys are role players. No real super stars like '96, but never realized which players came from that year.</div> Brand, Marion, Baron, Francis, Rip, Maggette, Artest, and Kirilenko are role players? All those guys are either first or second options on their team, and Brand and Marion are even MVP candidates.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting og15:</div><div class="quote_post">^ I was trying to keep it in the mid-later 90's onwards, but it we go out of that, their's better. Brand, Marion, Baron, Francis, Rip, Maggette, Artest, and Kirilenko are role players? All those guys are either first or second options on their team, and Brand and Marion are even MVP candidates.</div> Role players wasn't good word choice, was it. I don't know what I'm trying to say. They just seem like the All NBA third team type players. I was looking at guys like Ginobili and now what Baron and Francis have become into. No superstars, but great players.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Butter:</div><div class="quote_post">Role players wasn't good word choice, was it. I don't know what I'm trying to say. They just seem like the All NBA third team type players. I was looking at guys like Ginobili and now what Baron and Francis have become into. No superstars, but great players.</div> I think I understand what your trying to say. If O'Neal, Iverson, Bryant etc.. were on the same team as the 1999 players, they would be the second options on the team. Most of the 1999 are questionable HOF'ers and the best of the 1996 draft have a higher probability of become HOF'ers.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Butter:</div><div class="quote_post">Role players wasn't good word choice, was it. I don't know what I'm trying to say. They just seem like the All NBA third team type players. I was looking at guys like Ginobili and now what Baron and Francis have become into. No superstars, but great players.</div> Don't worry, I kinda knew what you meant, just giving you a hard time.
That was such a great draft, so many talented players came out of it. Slam had a nice artice about it in issue 97 were they re-did the draft. Iverson going #1, and Kobe #2.