30 For 30: Luck of the Leprechaun
Posted: Fri Feb 16, 2018 10:35 am
What if I told you the Kyrie Irving drama actually already happened 25 years ago?
On July 19, 2019, Kyrie Irving made one of the most controversial decisions in Sim League history, not only turning down a Supermax contract, but leaving for the team's most bitter rival. A move of this magnitude containing this much animosity had to feel unprecedented to almost every GM in Sim League. But this story already happened... all the way back in 1993.
Flashback to 1990
Sim League's creation draft brought about excitement and activity like never seen before. And with this excitement brought some incredible parity that we may never see again in Sim League history. Every team had 1-2 stars, and no roster was constructed with the intention of losing for the next 3-4 years.
The Boston Celtics were relatively un-noteworthy the first 2 years of Sim League. They drafted Dennis Rodman with the 18th pick of the creation draft, and he led the league with 13.4 rebounds per game. Although the Celtics were able to win the Atlantic, they did so with a meager 47-35 record. Let's flash forward to 1991.
The Celtics GM had a not-so-secret affinity for Chris Webber and made it known in 1991 that he planned to acquire as many 1993 picks as possible with the intention of selecting Chris Webber with the #1 overall pick. By the end of the season in 1991, he had acquired 7 first round picks for the 1993 draft. But no pick would become as significant as the 76ers' pick which was traded in a relatively ho-hum deal.
The 76ers franchise began much like the Celtics: unspectacular and unnoticeable. The team won 36 games in its inaugural season, only to literally one-up itself to 37 wins in 1991. The team was anchored by young center Vlade Divac and propelled offensively by star Tim Hardaway.
So why did this trade mean anything? The Celtics traded for 6 (SIX!) first round picks and were fully intent on bottoming out themselves. Well let's zip back to the time of the trade: October 15, 1991. The Celtics have made clear they are trading any asset they have available for 1993 First Rounders. In doing so, they've gutted their team of current talent, which is why 76ers GM Bo Jangles must have been thrilled when Celtics GM Conroy reached out about trading his own 1992 first rounder in exchange for the 76ers' 1993 first rounder. The Celtics were a team that was primed to lose 50+ games, and the 76ers had just won 36 on their own. Not only would the 76ers be getting a better pick, they'd get the pick a year earlier. Because of this, the 2 GMs agreed to letting the Celtics pick hold Top 2 protection forever, but even still, that didn't seem like a huge deal. Even if the Celtics had the worst record in the league (highly unlikely), the Celtics pick still had well over a 50% chance of conveying to the 76ers.
So why was this deal significant? Well, to be frank, it didn't appear to be at the time it was made. The trade post (http://fbbsimleague.proboards.com/threa ... rs-celtics) contained a total of 3 posts: 1) The trade 2) The accept 3) The Processed from the Commish. In fact, one of the most significant trades in Sim League history was viewed just 60 times.
Let's flash forward to 1992, draft lottery day. The Celtics are slotted 6th, giving the 76ers about an 80-85% chance of keeping the pick. The 76ers had an 80-85% chance of splashing into the 1992 season with 2 brand new top 10 picks. Things hold to form as picks 13-7 are revealed. Then, pandemonium. The Boston Celtics pick has jumped into the top 3, meaning the only chance the 76ers have of receiving the pick is if the Celtics pick 3rd. There are 5 minutes between when it is revealed the Celtics are in the top 3 and when the 3rd pick is revealed to be... the Los Angeles Clippers. The Celtics not only get to keep their pick, but they get to draft an absolute superstar in Alonzo Mourning, a player who will wind up going down as a top 5-10 player in sim league history.
As for the 76ers, things could not have gotten much worse. In the span of one incredible longshot, the 76ers had 1) lost a top 6 pick 2) Watched as the pick they would receive next year tanked in value when the Celtics drafted Alonzo Mourning and 3) Watched as their own pick they were sending out in 1993 skyrocketed in value because they lost out on a top 6 pick.
The trade was dubbed the worst in Sim League history. Alonzo Mourning averaged 22-10 with 3.5 blocks on his way to a Rookie of the Year. The Celtics were propelled to a 47-35 record, good for the 20th pick in the draft, and lost in 7 in the NBA Finals to the Lakers. Meanwhile, the 76ers slumped to a 27-55 record, good for the 6th pick in the draft. What had initially seemed like a lopsided trade for the 76ers turned into a disaster: trading away their own 6th pick for the 20th pick in the same draft.
While the Celtics didn't select Chris Webber, they were able to use the momentum from 1992 and turn it into a championship in 1993, exacting revenge on the Lakers from the prior year. As if all that weren't enough, the Celtics got to go into the 1994 offseason with over half their cap free. They would be an obvious free agent destination for any star available. Meanwhile, the 76ers, despite going 44-38, had gone in and out of being MIA for about a season and a half. It was an obvious gutpunch to lose a top 10 pick and then convey your own top 10 pick for virtually nothing.
Flash Forward to the 1994 Offseason
This was the most significant free agency in Sim League history. After the creation draft, every 1st round pick was signed to a 4 year contract. For the first time, the best 30 players from the creation draft were all up for grabs. Now there were obvious Supermax candidates: Gary Payton, Hakeem Olajuwon, Shawn Kemp, Karl Malone, Kevin Johnson, Patrick Ewing, Scottie Pippen, and Brad Daugherty all signed their Max contracts with their prior teams almost immediately. While that was expected, what was unexpected was the exception of one name on that list: Tim Hardaway.
In 1993, Tim Hardaway led the 76ers with an average of 20 points, 10.6 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals per game. He took Philadelphia to its first ever playoff appearance. Surrounded by a young core of Vlade Divac and Bobby Phills, the 28 year old Hardaway appeared to have had his prime years saved by the 76ers. With a new 5 year contract, the 76ers seemed ready to take the next leap into a top 4 seed... then... again... disaster.
GM Bo Jangles didn't submit any free agency bids so Hardaway, a 28 year old superstar in his prime, on July 22nd, 1994 walked directly over to the 76ers' most bitter rival, the Boston Celtics, and accepted a max offer. All hell broke loose. The 76ers, in the course of an unfortunate trade and an inexplicable mishap had gifted the Celtics a top 6 pick and a top 15 player for essentially nothing. And the Celtics incredible run of luck continued. After somehow jumping into the top 2, they grabbed the more productive of the top 2 picks, received the #6 pick for their troubles, and were rewarded for their championship with a 28 year old All NBA point guard.
Needless to say, the Celtics won the Championship in 1994 after going 65-17 in the regular season. In the 4 years of Tim Hardaway, the Celtics went 262-66 in the regular season, reaching the Finals 3 times, and winning a championship.
Meanwhile, the 76ers never had a winning season in those 4 years, and Bo Jangles stepped down as the GM of the 76ers.
Flash Back to the Present
And so, when Kyrie Irving on July 19, 2019, almost 25 years to the day of Hardaway's decision, almost inexplicably decided to leave Charlotte for New Orleans, we can be reminded that history ALWAYS repeats itself.
On July 19, 2019, Kyrie Irving made one of the most controversial decisions in Sim League history, not only turning down a Supermax contract, but leaving for the team's most bitter rival. A move of this magnitude containing this much animosity had to feel unprecedented to almost every GM in Sim League. But this story already happened... all the way back in 1993.
Flashback to 1990
Sim League's creation draft brought about excitement and activity like never seen before. And with this excitement brought some incredible parity that we may never see again in Sim League history. Every team had 1-2 stars, and no roster was constructed with the intention of losing for the next 3-4 years.
The Boston Celtics were relatively un-noteworthy the first 2 years of Sim League. They drafted Dennis Rodman with the 18th pick of the creation draft, and he led the league with 13.4 rebounds per game. Although the Celtics were able to win the Atlantic, they did so with a meager 47-35 record. Let's flash forward to 1991.
The Celtics GM had a not-so-secret affinity for Chris Webber and made it known in 1991 that he planned to acquire as many 1993 picks as possible with the intention of selecting Chris Webber with the #1 overall pick. By the end of the season in 1991, he had acquired 7 first round picks for the 1993 draft. But no pick would become as significant as the 76ers' pick which was traded in a relatively ho-hum deal.
The 76ers franchise began much like the Celtics: unspectacular and unnoticeable. The team won 36 games in its inaugural season, only to literally one-up itself to 37 wins in 1991. The team was anchored by young center Vlade Divac and propelled offensively by star Tim Hardaway.
So why did this trade mean anything? The Celtics traded for 6 (SIX!) first round picks and were fully intent on bottoming out themselves. Well let's zip back to the time of the trade: October 15, 1991. The Celtics have made clear they are trading any asset they have available for 1993 First Rounders. In doing so, they've gutted their team of current talent, which is why 76ers GM Bo Jangles must have been thrilled when Celtics GM Conroy reached out about trading his own 1992 first rounder in exchange for the 76ers' 1993 first rounder. The Celtics were a team that was primed to lose 50+ games, and the 76ers had just won 36 on their own. Not only would the 76ers be getting a better pick, they'd get the pick a year earlier. Because of this, the 2 GMs agreed to letting the Celtics pick hold Top 2 protection forever, but even still, that didn't seem like a huge deal. Even if the Celtics had the worst record in the league (highly unlikely), the Celtics pick still had well over a 50% chance of conveying to the 76ers.
So why was this deal significant? Well, to be frank, it didn't appear to be at the time it was made. The trade post (http://fbbsimleague.proboards.com/threa ... rs-celtics) contained a total of 3 posts: 1) The trade 2) The accept 3) The Processed from the Commish. In fact, one of the most significant trades in Sim League history was viewed just 60 times.
Let's flash forward to 1992, draft lottery day. The Celtics are slotted 6th, giving the 76ers about an 80-85% chance of keeping the pick. The 76ers had an 80-85% chance of splashing into the 1992 season with 2 brand new top 10 picks. Things hold to form as picks 13-7 are revealed. Then, pandemonium. The Boston Celtics pick has jumped into the top 3, meaning the only chance the 76ers have of receiving the pick is if the Celtics pick 3rd. There are 5 minutes between when it is revealed the Celtics are in the top 3 and when the 3rd pick is revealed to be... the Los Angeles Clippers. The Celtics not only get to keep their pick, but they get to draft an absolute superstar in Alonzo Mourning, a player who will wind up going down as a top 5-10 player in sim league history.
As for the 76ers, things could not have gotten much worse. In the span of one incredible longshot, the 76ers had 1) lost a top 6 pick 2) Watched as the pick they would receive next year tanked in value when the Celtics drafted Alonzo Mourning and 3) Watched as their own pick they were sending out in 1993 skyrocketed in value because they lost out on a top 6 pick.
The trade was dubbed the worst in Sim League history. Alonzo Mourning averaged 22-10 with 3.5 blocks on his way to a Rookie of the Year. The Celtics were propelled to a 47-35 record, good for the 20th pick in the draft, and lost in 7 in the NBA Finals to the Lakers. Meanwhile, the 76ers slumped to a 27-55 record, good for the 6th pick in the draft. What had initially seemed like a lopsided trade for the 76ers turned into a disaster: trading away their own 6th pick for the 20th pick in the same draft.
While the Celtics didn't select Chris Webber, they were able to use the momentum from 1992 and turn it into a championship in 1993, exacting revenge on the Lakers from the prior year. As if all that weren't enough, the Celtics got to go into the 1994 offseason with over half their cap free. They would be an obvious free agent destination for any star available. Meanwhile, the 76ers, despite going 44-38, had gone in and out of being MIA for about a season and a half. It was an obvious gutpunch to lose a top 10 pick and then convey your own top 10 pick for virtually nothing.
Flash Forward to the 1994 Offseason
This was the most significant free agency in Sim League history. After the creation draft, every 1st round pick was signed to a 4 year contract. For the first time, the best 30 players from the creation draft were all up for grabs. Now there were obvious Supermax candidates: Gary Payton, Hakeem Olajuwon, Shawn Kemp, Karl Malone, Kevin Johnson, Patrick Ewing, Scottie Pippen, and Brad Daugherty all signed their Max contracts with their prior teams almost immediately. While that was expected, what was unexpected was the exception of one name on that list: Tim Hardaway.
In 1993, Tim Hardaway led the 76ers with an average of 20 points, 10.6 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals per game. He took Philadelphia to its first ever playoff appearance. Surrounded by a young core of Vlade Divac and Bobby Phills, the 28 year old Hardaway appeared to have had his prime years saved by the 76ers. With a new 5 year contract, the 76ers seemed ready to take the next leap into a top 4 seed... then... again... disaster.
GM Bo Jangles didn't submit any free agency bids so Hardaway, a 28 year old superstar in his prime, on July 22nd, 1994 walked directly over to the 76ers' most bitter rival, the Boston Celtics, and accepted a max offer. All hell broke loose. The 76ers, in the course of an unfortunate trade and an inexplicable mishap had gifted the Celtics a top 6 pick and a top 15 player for essentially nothing. And the Celtics incredible run of luck continued. After somehow jumping into the top 2, they grabbed the more productive of the top 2 picks, received the #6 pick for their troubles, and were rewarded for their championship with a 28 year old All NBA point guard.
Needless to say, the Celtics won the Championship in 1994 after going 65-17 in the regular season. In the 4 years of Tim Hardaway, the Celtics went 262-66 in the regular season, reaching the Finals 3 times, and winning a championship.
Meanwhile, the 76ers never had a winning season in those 4 years, and Bo Jangles stepped down as the GM of the 76ers.
Flash Back to the Present
And so, when Kyrie Irving on July 19, 2019, almost 25 years to the day of Hardaway's decision, almost inexplicably decided to leave Charlotte for New Orleans, we can be reminded that history ALWAYS repeats itself.
