I hope this question makes sense! I couldn't think of a better way to word it.
Anyways, this post was inspired by all the "was XXX player from the early 2000s actually great" posts popping up in this thread that people who watched them play provide important context for that goes beyond the states.
Who are you all excited to shoot down those takes (or explain why they're better than their stats) about 20 years from now? I think one will likely be Harden. I think 20 years from now younger fans might look at his statistical profile and think he's like a top 25 player ever (or close), and I'm excited to be there to tell them why they're wrong. Another might be Butler. 20 years from now, young fans who didn't watch Butler basically be a top-3 most feared guy in the playoffs for a half decade might be baffled by why some of us old fans rate him so highly.
Who are some of yours (and feel free to tell me why I'm wrong about Butler or Harden :) )?
Sam Bowie.
Sorry, Portland. Maybe you should just stop drafting centers. Bowie missed two full seasons at Kentucky after suffering stress fractures in his legs. Whatever, he was 7'1", what could go wrong? Everything. Bowie was only able to manage 139 games in five years with Portland before salvaging a bit of hope during a solid four years with the Nets. Oh yeah, some guy named Michael Jordan was drafted third overall that year, one pick after him. Combined with the injuries, that is more than enough to make him the biggest draft bust of all time. Bowie was just one of a collection of Blazers big men who failed to reach their potential. At the time, Portland was fixated on drafting a center, as it was already a great team having won 48 games the previous season. Bowie was supposed to be the final piece to the puzzle. The roster was already stacked with talent from the likes of Clyde Drexler, Mychal Thompson, Kiki Vandeweghe and Jerome Kersey. Bowie's downfall destroyed title hopes for this squad. The icing on the cake is that Portland lost a coin toss for the first pick in the draft that year. Who went No. 1?
Hakeem Olajuwon. End of story.