At the Felt Forum at Madison Square Garden, fans in attendance booed the Blazers selection of Sam Bowie.[1] Part of the problem was that some had perceived Bowie as damaged goods. In September 1981, while at the University of Kentucky, Sam Bowie was diagnosed with having a fractured shin bone in his left leg. This was previously misdiagnosed as a shin splint.[2] Bowie would not play for Kentucky until the 1983-84 season. Prior to the diagnosis, Bowie averaged 17.1 points per game and 9.1 rebounds per game in 1980-81. At that time, there were serious discussions about Bowie entering the 1981 NBA Draft. Bowie was so highly thought of, that he was named to the 1980 US Olympic Basketball Team.[2]
When Bowie returned from his injury in 1983, he would average 10.5 points per game and 9.2 rebounds per game.[2] The Blazers General Manager Stu Inman had made it known that if Sam Bowie passed the Blazers physical examination, he would be drafted by the Blazers.[3]
The Blazers had given Bowie a seven-hour physical to ensure that his leg had recovered from the two-year layoff between 1981 and 1983.[4] The Blazers criteria in selecting Bowie over Jordan was that the Blazers backcourt already had Clyde Drexler and Jim Paxson. The Blazers felt that they had lacked a true center since Bill Walton left the club, and the hope was that Bowie would be able to fill this role.
Note: This is not a complete list; only the first two rounds are covered, as well as any other picks by the franchise who played at least one NBA game.
^Tip-Off, How the 1984 NBA Draft Changed Basketball Forever, Filip Bondy, p.171, Da Capo Press, A Member of the Perseus Books Group, 2007, ISBN978-0-306-81486-0
^ abcTip-Off, How the 1984 NBA Draft Changed Basketball Forever, Filip Bondy, p.33, Da Capo Press, A Member of the Perseus Books Group, 2007, ISBN978-0-306-81486-0
^Tip-Off, How the 1984 NBA Draft Changed Basketball Forever, Filip Bondy, p.130, Da Capo Press, A Member of the Perseus Books Group, 2007, ISBN978-0-306-81486-0
^Tip-Off, How the 1984 NBA Draft Changed Basketball Forever, Filip Bondy, p.172, Da Capo Press, A Member of the Perseus Books Group, 2007, ISBN978-0-306-81486-0