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9th October, 2008 - 12:12 am
By Andrew Perna
Just three installments remain in the series, with this chapter housing names like Michael Jordan, Kevin McHale, and Carmelo Anthony. It was incredibly hard to leave off a number of players, and I’m sure after reading you’ll see exactly who I decided skip over this time around.
Without further ado, here are the top ten careers of players that were taken with the third overall pick in the NBA Draft.
10. Carmelo Anthony – No. 3 in 2003 (Denver)
I chose Anthony over Baron Davis and Pau Gasol, thanks to his individual achievements. He will score the 10,000th point of his career this year, in just his sixth NBA season. He has averaged more than 20.8 points in each of his five campaigns and is a two-time All-Star.
For his career, Carmelo has averaged 24.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in 379 games with the Nuggets. He became the second-youngest player in NBA history to score 30 points in just his sixth game when he dropped thirty Nov. 7, 2003, against the Clippers.
9. Chauncey Billups – No. 3 in 1997 (Boston)
Billups has made a name for himself in the postseason, winning the Finals MVP award in 2004 as the Pistons defeated the star-studded Lakers. He has posted 14.8 points and 5.5 assists in his eleven-year NBA career. Those numbers would be much higher had he not jumped around (five teams) prior to joining Detroit.
He averaged a career-high 18.5 points and 8.6 assists in 2006 and has been named to three All-Star teams. Billups has been honored for his defense, as well, making a pair of All-Defensive Second Teams (2005-06). He has also made an All-NBA Second (2006) and Third (2007) Team during his impressive run with the Pistons.
8. Grant Hill – No. 3 in 1994 (Detroit)
Hill, who has averaged 19.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in 697 games, would be much higher on this list had injuries not derailed his career early and often. He missed the entire 2003-04 season and appeared in less than thirty games in three other campaigns because of an ankle injury and staph infection that nearly killed him.
He has qualified for the postseason with each of his three teams (Detroit, Orlando, and Phoenix) but has never made it out of the first round in six tries. He averaged 23.4 points, 6.8 points, and 5.4 assists in five games for the Pistons against the Hawks in 1997, but wasn’t able to propel the team into the second round. Hill is a seven-time All-Star, was the co-Rookie of the Year with Jason Kidd (1995,) and won a gold medal with the United States in Atlanta (1996).
7. Buck Williams – No. 3 in 1981 (New Jersey)
Williams played for three teams – the Nets, Blazers, and Knicks – in his seventeen-year NBA career, winning the Rookie of the Year award in 1982 with New Jersey. He left Maryland after three seasons and retired 13th on the NBA’s all-time rebounds list. He averaged 12.8 points and 10.0 rebounds in his career, which consisted of 1,307 games and 108 playoff contests.
He excelled in the postseason, as well, averaging 11.2 points and 8.7 rebounds while making the playoffs in New Jersey, Portland, and New York. He was an All-Star on three occasions and was remarkably consistent during his career. He missed more than twelve games just three times in his career, with all of those occurrences coming in his final three seasons.
6. Bill Cartwright – No. 3 in 1979 (New York)
Bill Cartwright averaged 13.2 points and 6.3 rebounds in his fifteen NBA seasons, split between the Knicks, Bulls, and Sonics. He made the All-Rookie Team in 1980 and made his only All-Star appearance in the same season. He had his best statistical season, as well, posting 21.7 points and 8.9 rebounds while playing all 82 games.
Cartwright won three NBA Titles with the Bulls (1991-93) and re-joined the team as an assistant coach and won two more championships on the bench in 1997 and 1998. He played in 124 postseason games, posting 8.9 points and 5.4 rebounds, mostly with the Bulls. Cartwright might have had a lengthy run with the Knicks, but he suffered several foot injuries, and the arrival of Patrick Ewing made him a backup a few seasons in his career.
5. Pete Maravich – No. 3 in 1970 (Atlanta)
A leg injury and a bout with alcoholism shortened Maravich’s career, limiting him to just ten seasons, but he did plenty of damage in close to 700 games. ‘Pistol’ Pete averaged 24.2 points, 5.4 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game during his time with the Hawks and the New Orleans Jazz. He played 26 games with the Celtics before retiring in 1980.
Maravich, who passed away in 1988 at the young age of 40, was enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987, seven years after his retirement. Pete was a five-time All-Star and played in 26 postseason games. He never made it far into the playoffs but averaged 18.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.8 assists in the postseason. He died tragically of a heart attack while playing a pickup game because of an unknown congenital heart defect.
4. Kevin McHale – No. 3 in 1980 (Boston)
McHale is known today for trading Kevin Garnett to the Celtics, but he helped Boston win several titles as a player back in the 1980s. He averaged 17.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game in his career, which consisted of 971 regular-season contests. McHale won three titles with the Celtics – in 1981, 1984, and 1986 – and was a seven-time All-Star and two-time Sixth Man of the Year.
He was a member of the NBA’s 50th anniversary team, thanks in large part to Boston’s playoff success in the 1980s. McHale posted 18.8 points and 7.4 rebounds in 169 postseason games while averaging more than twenty points in six of his thirteen playoff runs.
3. Nate Thurmond – No. 3 in 1963 (San Francisco)
Thurmond appeared in fourteen NBA seasons, spending time with the Warriors, Bulls, and Cavaliers. He averaged 15.0 points and 15.0 rebounds in 964 career games and 11.9 points and 13.6 rebounds in 81 playoff contests. Thanks to his tremendous averages, he was enshrined into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985.
He became the first player in league history to record a quadruple-double, posting 22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists, and 12 blocks while with Chicago. He made seven NBA All-Star teams and was a talented defensive player. Blocks were not a recorded stat until the last four years of his career; he averaged 2.1 per game. He averaged 20.5 points and 22.0 rebounds in 1968 and is widely thought of as one of the best centers in the game’s history.
2. Dominique Wilkins – No. 3 in 1982 (Utah)
Wilkins averaged 24.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 1,074 career games, scoring more than 26,000 points in the process. He upped his game slightly in the playoffs, posting 25.4 points and 6.7 rebounds in 56 games. The ‘Human Highlight Reel’ also led the NBA in scoring (30.3 ppg) during the 1985-86 season, his fourth campaign in the league.
Dominique won the Slam Dunk Contest twice and was a nine-time All Star in his fifteen-year career. He also won a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics with the United States and made an All-NBA Team (either First, Second or Third) on seven occasions. It’s hard to believe that Wilkins never earned more than $3.5 million in a season.
1. Michael Jordan – No. 3 in 1984 (Chicago)
Was there really any question as to whether or not Jordan would top this list? M.J. averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 2.3 steals in 1,072 career NBA games. In addition, he posted 33.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 5.7 assists in 179 playoff games while winning six NBA Titles and six Finals MVP awards.
Jordan won five MVP awards in the regular season, was named to fourteen All-Star teams (winning the MVP three times), was the league’s Defensive Player of the Year (1988), a ten-time All-NBA First Team selection, and was the 1985 Rookie of the Year. Jordan led the NBA in scoring ten times during his career, which consisted of fifteen seasons.
Andrew Perna is a Senior Writer for RealGM.com and would love to hear what you think about this list. Feel free to e-mail him at Andrew.Perna@RealGM.com |
