1988 NBA Re-Draft

This is the second of my NBA re-drafts. The goal is to re-do all the professional drafts of my lifetime which began in 1987. Here is the 1988 NBA Re-Draft. Let's look at how different the NBA would look if the teams got it right way back when. Here is a look back at the 1987 re-draft.

For accuracy and length purposes, only the 1st round is redone in these redrafts.

1 Los Angeles Clippers

Select: SG      Hershey Hawkins      Bradley

Hawkins was actually selected by the Clippers with the 6th overall selection.

Actual Selection: F     Danny Manning       Kansas

Manning was a fine pro and had a good career, but the Clippers 2nd selection in 1988 actually had a better pick. Hershey Hawkins had a really solid career that spanned 13 seasons and saw him average 14.7 points per game.

2 Indiana Pacers

Select: PF       Anthony Mason        Tennessee State

Mason was actually selected in the 3rd round with the 53rd overall pick by the Trailblazers.

Actual Selection: C     Rick Smits         Marist

Smiths was solid and a good pick, but Mason was the slightly better all-around player. He averaged 2 more rebounds and 2 more assists per game than Smits. Perhaps Mason could have been the boost that Reggie Miller's Pacers needed.

3 Philadelphia 76ers

Select: SG     Mitch Richmond       Kansas State

Richmond was actually selected by the Warriors with the 5th overall selection.

Actual Selection: F      Charles Smith      Pittsburgh

Richmond was the big points scorer of this draft scoring 21 points per game over his 14 year career. Having his shooting presence would have been a big asset to the Barkley led 76ers.

4 New Jersey Nets

Select: PG            Rod Strickland       DePaul

Strickland was actually selected with the 19th overall selection by the New York Knicks.

Actual Selection: SF     Chris Morris       Auburn

Rod Strickland was a great point guard and an underrated star of the 90s decade. He nearly averaged a double double and had a far better career than Morris.

5 Golden State Warriors

Select: SF            Dan Majerle        Central Michigan

Majerle was actually selected with the 14th overall selection by the Phoenix Suns.

Actual Selection: SG     Mitch Richmond       Kansas State

Richmond was the best scorer in the draft and a great pick, but he's gone in the re-draft. Majerle was a solid pro that wasn't quite at Richmond's level, but he would have been a solid selection and is a great choice in the re-draft.

6 Los Angeles Clippers

Select: PG           Avery Johnson      Southern

Johnson actually went undrafted in the 1988 NBA Draft.

Actual Selection: SG      Hershey Hawkins      Bradley

Johnson was a winner and a solid point guard that would have done well on the Clippers. The fact that he went undrafted is a crime. The Clippers love the chance to draft this guy in the re-draft and add him to a backcourt with Hershey Hawkins.

7 Phoenix Suns

Select: C     Rick Smits         Marist

Smits was actually selected with the 2nd overall selection by the Indiana Pacers.

Actual Selection: C        Tim Perry          Temple

Tim Perry was not effective as a pro and the Suns could have done much better with this selection. However, Rick Smits was gone in  the actual draft and they wanted a center. Here in the re-draft, Smits was available and the Suns are greatful.

8 Charlotte Hornets

Select: PF          Grant Long            Eastern Michigan

Long was actually selected in the 2nd round with the 33rd overall pick by the Miami Heat.

Actual Selection: PG       Rex Chapman       Kentucky

Grant Long was not selected until the 2nd round, but he was a better pro than Rex Chapman. Long had a 15 yr NBA career where he averaged 9.5 points and 6.1 rebounds.

9 Miami Heat

Select: F     Danny Manning       Kansas

Manning was actually selected with the 1st overall selection by the Los Angeles Clippers.

Actual Selection: C         Rony Seikaly         Syracuse

The 15 year vet, Danny Manning, actually went 1st in the draft. Here in the re-draft, Manning is a bargain at #9.

10 San Antonio Spurs

Select: SG       John Starks        Oklahoma State

Starks actually went undrafted in the 1988 NBA Draft.

Actual Selection: SF       Willie Anderson      Georgia

The Spurs needed some scorers and were waiting on David Robinson's service commitment back in 1988. Selecting Starks in the re-draft, allows San Antonio to get some scoring punch into the lineup.

11 Chicago Bulls

Select: PG       Steve Kerr        Arizona

Kerr was actually selected in the 2nd round with the 50th overall selection by the Phoenix Suns.

Actual Selection: C          Will Perdue         Vanderbilt

Kerr was a key part of several Bulls championships. They want to keep him in the fold via the re-draft.

12 Washington Bullets

Select: F      Charles Smith      Pittsburgh

Smith was actually selected with the 3rd overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers.

Actual Selection: PF          Harvey Grant      Oklahoma

Charles Smith was gone in the actual draft, but he's available here now. He averaged 5 more points per game than Grant and was clearly a superior player. Washington would love to get Smith in the re-draft and keep him from the rival 76ers.

13 Milwaukee Bucks

Select: PG      Vinny Del Negro      NC State

Del Negro was actually selected in the 2nd round with the 29th overall pick by the Sacramento Kings.

Actual Selection: SF           Jeff Grayer        Iowa State

The 12 year vet Del Negro should have been a 1st rounder, especially in this weak draft class. Here in the re-draft, Del Negro goes 13 to the Bucks.

14 Phoenix Suns

Select: C         Rony Seikaly         Syracuse

Seikaly was actually selected with the 9th overall selection by the Miami Heat.

Actual Selection: SF            Dan Majerle     Central Michigan

Majerle is gone in the re-draft so the Suns pick best player available. That is Rony Seikaly, who was gone in the actual draft.

15 Seattle Supersonics

Select: SF     Chris Morris       Auburn

Morris was actually selected with the 4th overall selection by the New Jersey Nets.

Actual Selection: PG            Gary Grant       Michigan

Morris was gone in the actual draft and the obvious choice in the re-draft. The 11 yr vet averaged 11 per game and is a clear top 15 guy in this draft class.

16 Houston Rockets

Select: PF          Harvey Grant        Oklahoma

Grant was actually selected with the 12th overall pick by the Washington Bullets.

Actual Selection: SF             Derrick Chievous      Missouri

Harvey was solid and clearly better as a pro than Chievous. Grant spent 11 years in the NBA, while Chievous only spent 3.

17 Utah Jazz

Select: PG          Michael Williams       Baylor

Williams was actually selected in the 2nd round with the 48th overall pick by Detroit Pistons.

Actual Selection: C               Eric Leckner        Wyoming

Williams would have been a solid back up point guard to John Stockton which is about the best they could do in this draft. He's clearly the best player available and possible trade bait at some point. 

18 Sacramento Kings

Select: C            Andrew Lang          Arkansas

Lang was actually selected in the 2nd round with the 28th overall pick by the Phoenix Suns.

Actual Selection: SG            Ricky Berry        San Jose State

Andrew Lang was a solid big man for 12 seasons and a better player than anyone else available. 

19 New York Knicks

Select: SF       Willie Anderson        Georgia

Anderson was actually selected with the 10th overall selection by the San Antonio Spurs.

Actual Selection: PG            Rod Strickland       DePaul

Anderson was actually gone in the real draft and Strickland is long gone in the re-draft. Rod was a much better pro, but Anderson was solid and would have been a decent selection for the Knicks at this point.

20 Miami Heat

Select: PG        Vernon Maxwell        Florida

Maxwell was actually selected in the 2nd round with the 47th overall pick by the Nuggets.

Actual Selection: PG            Kevin Edwards       DePaul

Maxwell was a much better player than Edwards and averaged 12.8 points per game over a 13 year career. He is a bargain here for the Heat at 20 overall.

21 Portland Trailblazers

Select: PG       Rex Chapman       Kentucky

Chapman was actually selected with the 8th overall selection by the Charlotte Hornets.

Actual Selection: C              Mark Bryant          Seton Hall

Rex Chapman was crazy overdrafted in 1988, but he was still a 1st round value in this weak class. He had a solid 12 year career and would have fit well with the Blazers.

22 Cleveland Cavaliers

Select: C          Will Perdue         Vanderbilt

Perdue was actually selected with the 11th overall selection by the Chicago Bulls.

Actual Selection: SF             Randolph Keys       Southern Mississippi

The 13 year solid pro was still first round value. The Cavs would have done much better to get him at 22. Keys only lasted 5 years and was simply a bad pick.

23 Denver Nuggets

Select: PG             Brian Shaw         UC Santa Barbara

Shaw was actually selected with the 24th overall selection by the Boston Celtics.

Actual Selection: PF             Jerome Lane        Pittsburgh

Most probably remember Shaw at this point for his years as a pro, but he was actually a solid guard in the NBA.

24 Boston Celtics

Select: C              Mark Bryant          Seton Hall

Bryant was actually selected with the 21st overall selection by the Portland Trailblazers.

Actual Selection: PG             Brian Shaw         UC Santa Barbara

Shaw was a solid guard, and gone in the re-draft, but the Celtica may have actually benefitted from getting a big man instead. This could especially be true for Bryant, who lasted 15 years in the league.

25 Los Angeles Lakers

Select: SG            Duane Ferrell         Georgia Tech

Ferrell was actually undrafted in the 1988 NBA Draft.

Actual Selection: PG             David Rivers        Notre Dame

Ferrell went undrafted in the real draft, but he shouldn't have. He was a better guard than Rivers and would have helped the Los Angeles franchise.

- Noland