“Portland Steals Bowie, ’84 Draft”

New York – The Portland Trail Blazers appear to be the big winners in the 1984 NBA Amateur Draft, held this weekend at Madison Square Garden in New York, snatching University of Kentucky superstar, Sam Bowie, with the draft’s second selection.

“We were shocked he was still around,” exclaimed a jubilant Larry Weinberg, owner of the Portland Trail Blazers. “We thought for sure the Rockets were going to nab him.”

The Houston Rockets drafted first, selecting the University of Houston’s Akeem Olajuwon, a fairly respected center in his own right. In the eyes of most experts, however, Olajuwon pales in comparison to the much more refined Bowie. Nevertheless, with Houston set on the former Cougar, Trail Blazers coach Jack Ramsay was left licking his chops.

“Wow!” exclaimed a disbelieving Ramsay. “This will change the (Trail Blazer) franchise forever. Forget Walton,” referring to former Portland star Bill Walton, who led the Blazers to the 1977 NBA championship. Like Walton, Bowie is seen as a dominating center, but one who is without all the injury problems that plagued Walton’s career.

Left out in the cold were the Chicago Bulls, who, apparently shell-shocked, picked utility-guard Michael Jordan from North Carolina with the draft’s third selection. “I was very surprised when they handed me the pick,” admitted NBA Commissioner David Stern, who announced the selections. “This game is built around the big man, and when you have guys like (Kentucky star) Melvin Turpin on the board, you don’t expect to see a name like Jordan so early.”

Many critics, including Lacy J. Banks of the Chicago Sun-Times, echoed Sterns comments. “Guards don’t win championships. Centers do!”

Asked why he chose Jordan over the bigger names of Turpin, Lancaster Gordon, or Leon Wood, Bulls Owner Jerry Reinsdorf was at a loss to justify himself. “I thought the Blazers were looking at (Charles) Barkley, and we were a lock for Bowie. When I heard (Bowie’s) name called, my heart sank. I don’t know what happened after that.”

All this comes after weeks of disappointment for the Trail Blazers, who for months had hoped to snag Indiana’s Uwe Blab. But when Blab decided to return for his senior season at Indiana, and it appeared that Bowie would be taken by Houston, the Blazers’ organization was publicly deflated.

On Saturday, that all seemed to change with the selection of Bowie. “I can’t wait for next year,” roared Blazer rookie Clyde Drexler, who seemed comfortable with the notion of playing in Bowie’s shadow for many years to come. “That’s fine with me. Just bring on the champagne.”

Bowie played three seasons at Kentucky, averaging a staggering 14.7 points, and 9.8 rebounds-per-game. He only missed two full seasons with knee injuries.

Immediately following Saturday’s draft, Bowie signed a multi-year endorsement deal with Kaiser Permanente for an unprecedented $62,000.