I had forgotten that the Pacers finished 2nd to the Knicks in the Draft Lottery, the year Patrick Ewing came out. Think the fortunes of those two teams might have been a little different if the Pacers had won the Lottery that year?
The year Reggie Miller came out, Pacer fans wanted local legend Steve Alford in the 1st round, not Reggie. Not only a smart move, but a gutsy one to pass over a local star for a guy who was best known as Cheryl Miller’s brother. Plus, they basically played the same position. Not many of today’s GM’s would have the guts to make that call or end up caving under pressure and just trading the pick away rather than upset the fan base.
The Knicks were T-O-U-G-H back in those days. Greg Anthony & Derek Harper at PG, Starks & Doc Rivers at SG, Mason at SF, Oakley at PF, & Ewing at C, with Charles Smith backing both up. Not exactly an offensive powerhouse, but certainly a defensive juggernaut.
