NBA Draft History: What If a Coin Toss Decided the No. 1 Pick In 1992?

It was the year of the Show of Shows.

It was the year that Michael Jordan finally had his ring.

It was the year that marked the 100th anniversary of the great sport we know as basketball.

And it was the year of Larry Johnson.

Larry Johnson's college career came to an end this year. The previous spring, he led the UNLV Running Rebels to a National Championship. The team was close to winning back-to-back championships, but an upset from Duke prevented the repeat.

Nonetheless, Larry Johnson finished a solid college career. He won the John Wooden and Naismith Awards, becoming the consensus national player of the year. His future was now to be determined in the 1991 NBA Draft, where he'd be bound to become the first pick.

We know how it all went after he got drafted.

Larry Johnson had a somewhat-successful NBA career. Although he didn't win an NBA championship or league MVP, he was still a moderately-skilled player. He was popular as a member of the Charlotte Hornets and New York Knicks. He even enjoyed a trip to the NBA Finals in 1999 with the latter.

Johnson was a two-time NBA All Star, both of those selections being made while he was in Charlotte. He won the Rookie of the Year award as well. Larry Johnson's achievements were minimal, but his contributions on the court were invaluable at times.

Larry Johnson was a great pick for the Hornets—but what if he didn't become the number one pick for them? What if the NBA Draft Lottery was eliminated? What if the first pick was once again decided by a coin toss?

The Coin Toss

The Denver Nuggets were the punching bag of the NBA in the 1990-91 season. They lacked a big man or viable guard, and thus were affected immensely. They were 20-62, so they had to put their chances on the newly-reinstated coin toss in May.

They'd go up against the Miami Heat, a team that went 24-58 for the second-worst record in the NBA that season. They also needed a big man, and had to make up for that by drafting Larry Johnson—but they'd have to win the coin toss as well.

Let's say David Stern got the owners of the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets to gather at his office in New Jersey to make the coin toss. Both owners crossed their fingers as the golden coin flipped in the air. The Nuggets owner said "Heads" in hopes of it coming up as so.

It didn't.

The coin showed the NBA logo, signaling that it was tails. It was in the favor of the Miami Heat. The Heat GM shook his fist in excitement, realizing that he had the pick of a lifetime.

In June of 1991, the Miami Heat selected National Player of the Year Larry Johnson, as expected. The Denver Nuggets settled on Kenny Anderson, a talented guard from Georgia Tech. The disgruntled Hornets, who wished to have the flawed lottery continue, selected Dikembe Mutumbo at fourth, feeling they had the worst out of the three teams.

Miami Heat Revised History

Larry Johnson adjusted quickly to the Heat's play. He became the main man for Miami, and averaged 20.3 ppg on his way to winning Rookie of the Year. He became an All-Star his rookie year, the first in franchise history to achieve such a feat. Despite the Heat's failure to make the playoffs, Miami fans soon had faith in Larry Johnson.

The Heat management decided to pull some strings. After drafting Harold Miner in the 1992 NBA Draft, they traded a future pick and a starting guard for Alonzo Mourning. The slight sacrifice of the Miami starter was worth it. A contributing Harold Miner, the star Larry Johnson, and rookie sensation Alonzo Mourning became a strong front court.

They made the playoffs multiple years, and won the Atlantic Division crown in consecutive years. In 1997, the Heat were a win away from the NBA Finals, losing to the eventual-champion Chicago Bulls in seven games. In 1998, they were a win away from an Eastern Conference Finals return, but a buzzer beater from Reggie Miller sent the favored Heat packing.

In the 1999 lockout season, the duo of Larry Johnson and Alonzo Mourning was enough to stop the lackluster eighth-seeded Knicks. The Heat finally overcame an obstacle, and reached the NBA Finals. They'd go on to lose to the San Antonio Spurs in seven games.

The loss disheartened Johnson, and he asked for a trade. He was eventually traded to the Knicks, where he helped them reach the 2000 Eastern Conference Finals, only to lose to the Pacers—and...well, yeah, that's where reality took over again.

Denver Nuggets History

Kenny Anderson became the star point guard for the Denver Nuggets. Anderson and Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf became a great back court, although many were above them in experience and skills.

The Nuggets made the Western Conference Playoffs as an eighth seed, but had to play the favored Seattle Supersonics. Without a good center to constantly challenge Seattle, the Nuggets fell in five games. The Sonics would go on to defeat the Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets, and New York Knicks respectively to win their second NBA championship.

Charlotte Hornets History

The Charlotte Hornets got more than what they bargained for in Dikembe Mutumbo. His skills were tremendous, and surprised them to the point where they were glad to have had the fourth pick by default.

Mutumbo became their big man, and was on the All-Rookie first team in the 1991-1992 NBA season. He also achieved the rare accomplishment of winning the rebounding championship in his first year.

The Hornets became a winning team, but always fell short of making the Finals. The Hornets were always challenged by the Bulls, Knicks, and Miami Heat for all of their great years. They also blew an opportunity to become a gradual contender when they traded Kobe Bryant for Vlade Divac in the 1996 NBA Draft.

Though Divac helped greatly, injuries on both centers doomed the team's championship hopes. Mutumbo was eventually a free agent, and signed with the needy Philadelphia 76ers. He achieved the dream of making the NBA Finals in 2001, but...yeah, reality took over here too.

I'll be back with Part Three: The Toss for Shaq!