The main discussion around the NBA is “The Last Dance” documentary that highlights the terrific career of Michael Jordan and his time with the Chicago Bulls. Combine this with the number of re-drafts that have been released, now is the time to re-draft the star-studded 1984 draft.
The draft was highlighted by Hakeem Olajuwon going number 1 overall to the Houston Rockets, the Portland Trail Blazers making the mistake of taking Sam Bowie at 2 over Jordan, and Jordan then going third to Chicago. The Philadelphia 76ers selected a star of their own at 5 who turned out to be a steal in Charles Barkley, but in the re-draft, Barkley goes higher than 5.
In a re-draft done by Bleacher Report, Jordan goes 1 to the Rockets followed by Olajuwon to Portland at 2 and Barkley to Chicago at 3. That causes the Sixers to select big man Kevin Willis at number 5 overall.
B/R on Willis:
Kevin Willis began his career playing against Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and finished it defending LaMarcus Aldridge.
That’s longevity.
Willis was 44 when he retired for good, although simply praising his lasting power in the league overshadows how good his prime was.
A 7’0″ mountain of pure muscle, Willis made the 1992 All-Star Game by averaging 18.3 points and 15.5 rebounds per game for the Atlanta Hawks. He averaged a double-double for five seasons and finished his 21 years with 12.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per contest, winning a ring with the San Antonio Spurs in 2003.
While he didn’t have the career of the four Hall of Famers taken above him here, Willis is still worthy of a top-five pick in this re-draft.
Willis was no Barkley, but that does not mean he would not have been helpful. He would have been a solid role player next to Julius Erving, Moses Malone, and Maurice Cheeks and eventually would have been a starter for those teams. Overall, he was a very good player in the NBA. [lawrence-related id=30404,30397,30381]