Celtics Draft History: Good, Bad and the Ugly

By Chuck McKenney

RedsArmy.com Columnist

On the whole, I would say the Celtics have been successful with their draft picks during the first 40 years of the franchise's existence. The next 20 are mediocre at best. I'm not going to kid you or myself by opining on any draft selections previous to 1962 (still 10 years before my birth but I like the Havlicek pick). It was a different era and I will leave that to a different writer. Let's start with the good (as seen by one humble C's fan who uses the term 'research' loosely):

In 1962 the Celtics selected John Havlicek with the number 7 pick. Can't argue with a Hall of Famer and the man who made the second greatest steal in team history. (See Bird, Larry in 1987)

Let's jump ahead to 1970. Dave Cowens was the number 4 pick. Another Hall of Famer. End of point.

In 1977 Cedric Maxwell came to Boston with the number 12 pick. Another good pick. Without Max, the C's might not have won Game 7 of the 1984 finals against the Lakers.

In 1978 Red Auerbach had the stones to take Larry Bird with the 6th pick. There is no need to justify this selection. Even at gunpoint I could not do so within the confines of this column. (Does anyone remember the C's took Freeman Williams with the 8th pick?)

The number 3 pick brought Kevin McHale to Boston in 1980. I always thought Red engineered another marvelous move but Glenn Ordway recently said Bill Fitch was the brains behind the Golden St. trade that acquired Robert Parish and McHale. Anyway, McHale is a Hall of Famer, so enough said.

In 1981 the Celtics pulled a rabbit out of the hat in the second round, taking Danny Ainge with the 31st pick. Great pick but it still pains me that Danny was traded away to Sacramento.

Now to Rick Pitino's only shining moment. In 1998 the worst general manager in NBA history took Paul Pierce at number 10. No credit for Pitino, only an idiot would have let Pierce slide out of the tenth spot. Then again....

Ok, I've probably missed a few but let's move on to the Bad:

In 1985 the Green added Sam Vincent with the 20th pick. Sam wore #11. I remember this because that was my number on the Pilgrim High School freshman basketball team. Like Sam, I had little game. Instead of Vincent the C's could have selected A.C. Green, Terry Porter or even (don't laugh too hard) Manute Bol.

Fast forward nine years to 1994. The Celtics head south and pluck Eric Montross out of North Carolina with the 8th pick. I don't remember much about Montross except I was actually optimistic about the pick at the time. Too bad he played with cement shoes. Other options at the time: Eddie Jones, Jalen Rose, Aaron McKie and Wesley Person.

I know 1997 is a painful year. We should have had the number 1 pick and grabbed Duncan but the NBA gods didn't want to see Pitino ruin such a talented big man. Five years ago, Chauncey Billups at number 3 seemed like an awful pick. Now that Mr. Big Shot is an MVP candidate (overated in my eyes) I'll give them a pass. Too bad Pitino has zero patience. I digress because its the Ron Mercer pick at number 6 that really aggravates me. Why? Tracy McGrady went 9th.

In 2000, the Celtics drafted Jerome Moiso at 11. Hidayet Turkaglu, Quentin Richardson, Jamaal Magliore and/or Morris Peterson would have been huge upgrades over this stiff.

The next year, 2001, the C's made an even bigger gaffe. Kedrick Brown was taken at 11. They passed on two studs, Richard Jefferson and Zack Randolph, for a guy who could do little more than jump.

But wait there's more. At 21, the immortal Joe Forte was picked. No sweat. We didn't want Tony Parker or Jamal Tinsley anyway.

Ok, not that you're all worked up. Let's move on to the Ugly.

The Celtics luck officially ran out in 1986. Len Bias made the horrible decision to use cocaine. The future of the franchise was gone and we're all left to ponder, what if? There was a few other deadbeat drug users in this draft, Chris Washburn, William Bedford and Roy Tarpley. If for some reason the Celtics passed on Bias, they could have picked Chuck Person or Ron Harper. (I know its tough to predict when a guy will drop dead, but I had to mention it in this column.)

In 1989 the Celtics took Michael Smith at 13. At the time, we were all told Red loved this guy and he had Larry Bird qualities. Smith was awful. Other options: Tim Hardaway, Shawn Kemp and Vlade Divac.

Now my favorite draft pick in Celtics history. Acie Earl at 19 in 1993. After watching Acie play, many fans had wondered if the Celtics had actually watched Earl RUN! Other options: Sam Cassell and Nick Van Exel. (Acie's revenge: We all remember when the big goof dropped 40 on the C's as a Toronto Raptor in 1996)

There you have it... Who knows what 2006 will bring. Hopefully the Celtics trade it away. But that's just one man's opinion.