8p9s Roundtable: Best and Worst Draft Picks in Pacers History

5. Who is a better at drafting: Donnie Walsh or Larry Bird?

Donahue: This sounds like a copout, but it’s a push. Neither could be considered a mad genius, but both are pretty good. Walsh brought in Reggie, the Davis Boys, and Al Harrington, but was also responsible for George McCloud, Scott Haskin, and the Freddie Jones misstep. Bird tabbed Paul George, Roy Hibbert, and was bright enough to take Danny Granger when he felt to 17. However, he has reached for players like Tyler Hansbrough and Miles Plumlee, and the 2006 draft class of Shawne Williams and James “Flight” White was an unmitigated disaster. Taken as a whole, both have used the draft effectively, if not efficiently, to build good Pacers teams.

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Ochoa: Can they tie? Walsh brought in the first wave of awesome Pacers’ basketball, then Bird was able to bring the Pacers back to relevancy years later. They’ve both picked some studs and also picked their fair share of duds. I’m going to dub Larry Bird the winner because he’s responsible for the more recent brand of Pacers basketball.

Washburn: I would probably give Bird the slight edge because, usually, even his “bad picks” ended up contributing SOMETHING, SOMEWHERE. Besides Shawne Williams of course. However, both are definitely above-average to good talent evaluators, and while there aren’t a ton of “home runs,” the organization could be in far worse shape.

Wade: Walsh. In six drafts from 1987 to 1991, The Don drafted Chuck Person, Reggie Miller, Rik Smits, Antonio Davis, and Dale Davis. He did have the advantage of having much higher picks than Bird has ever had to work with — Person was taken fourth, Smits second. And the Reggie pick, in a vacuum, wasn’t as brave as the folk tale goes; nobody in their right mind would have taken Steve Alford 11th, and everyone knew Miller would be good. But taking a string bean shooter when the team’s best player (Person) was already a shooter isn’t something many GMs in the ’80s would have done, and pulling Antonio Davis with a second rounder is the one move that truly allowed the Pacers to flourish. Reggie, Rik, and Dale alone would have taken the team far, but that one pick launched the most successful decade in the team’s NBA history.

Next: Roy Hibbert Yet to Reveal if He Will Stay in Indiana

5. Who is a better at drafting: Donnie Walsh or Larry Bird?

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