Greatest Franchise Altering Moment in the History of Every NBA Team

We're over 100 days into the NBA lockout, and the owners and players have passed over the mandated deadline by David Stern, canceling the first two weeks of the season.

Whatever.  Fine.  I don't want to talk about it.

In case you couldn't tell, I'm pretty much in full-on sulk mode.  At one point it actually seemed like the owners were on the verge of some kind of deal with the players and we could actually have hope for a season starting on time, so long as David Stern eased off his deadline.

It didn't happen, and at this point it looked as if it was all a show, so rather than looking at the disappointment that's sitting right here I've decided that it would be better to look back, back before I was completely disappointed with how the people operating this league acted.

So, I'll go ahead and rehash the moment in each franchise's history that altered their future the most, good or bad. 

Atlanta Hawks-Drafting Bob Pettit

The Atlanta Hawks have had three major peaks in their history with some minor success in between, but only come out with one championship in their 60-plus years with the league.

The most important player in their history has to be Bob Pettit, a man who was thought of as the most important power forward in league history up until Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett fought for the title.

Atlanta drafted Bob Pettit back in 1954 and made it to five NBA finals with the big man, winning just once in 1958 to go along with two MVP Awards.

Boston Celtics-Hiring Red Auerbach

There are very few instances in sports history where one man seriously changes the history of the sport they are a part of, but Red Auerbach definitely did that.

Auerbach was hired by the Celtics in 1950 at a point when the franchise was nearly ready to go belly up.  He instantly turned the team into a winner, and didn't have a losing season with the Celtics in his entire tenure as the head coach.

Auerbach was responsible for drafting, among other people, Bill Russell and Larry Bird who were the cornerstone of dynasties that won 16 titles.

Without Auerbach, the Celtics could have disappeared completely, with him they won 16 titles.

Charlotte Bobcats-Blowing Up Their Team in 2011

The Charlotte Bobcats haven't existed for very long, so there haven't been many franchise altering moments in their history, but I think this season will prove to be their most important.

The Bobcats traded away their most famous player and the cornerstone of their franchise since their inception in 2004, Gerald Wallace, along with their leading scorer, Stephen Jackson in favor of the future.

They ended up drafting Bismack Biyombo and Kemba Walker, two guys with huge upside and huge flopability factors, which could send the franchise toward the moon or in a shame spiral into relocation.

Chicago Bulls-Drafting Michael Jordan

There isn't a more important player in the history of the game, so it's not surprising that the most franchise altering moment in the Chicago Bulls' history is drafting Michael Jordan.

Sure, Scottie Pippen was the straw that broke the camel's back in terms of them winning championships, and Jerry Reinsdorf breaking them up was pretty big, but Michael Jordan being drafted was the bigest thing to happen to them, hands down.

Cleveland Cavaliers-Winning the 2003 Draft Lottery

I tried to find something different.  Anything different.  But the fact is that winning the 2003 draft lottery and drafting lottery was the most franchise-altering thing that the Cavs ever did.

It turned the Cavs into one of the most valuable franchises in the NBA and led to Gordon Gund selling them to Dan Gilbert, who is now one of the most outspoken owners in the league.

I considered Ted Stepien selling the Cavs as a huge moment for the team, because Stepien completely ruined the team in just two short years owning them, but LeBron's arrival trumps that.

Dallas Mavericks-Dirk for a Tractor

The Dallas Mavericks were a brutal team in the early 1990s.  At one point they had the worst two-year stretch a team could imagine, going 11-71 and 13-69 in 1993 and 1994. 

The Mavericks were no stranger to the draft lottery during the 90s, so when they drafted Robert Traylor with the sixth pick in 1998, it was just another pick in the long list of lottery picks they had during the decade.

When they traded him for DIrk Nowitzki, people started to question whether or not his game would translate to the NBA.  Well, 13 seasons later Dirk finally brought the Mavericks a title.

Denver Nuggets-George McGinnis for Alex English

The Denver Nuggets lost in the final ABA Championship game before they jumped to the NBA with three other franchises and they probably fared the best of the four up until 1990. 

Why did they manage so much better than the others, they took a risk.

In 1980 they traded George McGinnis, an aging player but their second leading scorer, for Alex English, a young up-and-comer.

English kept the Nuggets in contention throughout the 80s while McGinnis was out of the league within five years.

Detroit Pistons-Trading for Bill Laimbeer

When the Pistons drafted Isiah Thomas in 1981, they were pretty sure they had their point guard for the next decade. However, the team had no identity.

They then traded a handful of peanuts and Paul Mokeski for Bill Laimbeer the next season, giving the Pistons their second most important player.

Most importantly, Laimbeer played in a similar style to Thomas, as they were both rough-and-tumble players who would intimidate their opponents in any way they saw fit.  They had to wait the better part of a decade, but they ended up winning two championships at the end of the 80s. 

Golden State Warriors-1972 US District Court Decision

The most important thing to happen to the Golden State Warriors didn't even happen on the court.  Well, I guess technically it did happen in court, just not the basketball kind.

After just two seasons with the San Francisco Warriors, Rick Barry decided to jump to the ABA in 1967 for a big paycheck.

He stuck around until 1972, at which point he was ready to go back to the NBA, but a US District Court decided that he had to go back to the Warriors if he wanted to go back to the NBA.

Barry went back to the Warriors and ended up leading them to a championship in 1975, which just so happened to be his lone MVP year also.

Houston Rockets-Back-to-Back Terrible Seasons

Thanks to a lull in performance in the early 1980s, the Houston Rockets were able to get the number one pick in the 1983 NBA draft (along with the number three pick in a trade from five years back with the Cavs). Then, they were bad enough the following season to get the number one pick again.

In the end, their 1984 squad boasted Hakeem Olajuwan, Ralph Sampson and Rodney McRae, three very good young players.

This core would go on to form the "Twin Tower" lineup that the Rockets boasted in the 80s and then after a rebuilding effort Hakeem would go on to lead the team to two titles in the non-Jordan portion of the 90s.

Indiana Pacers-Drafting Reggie Miller

The Indiana Pacers were lucky enough to win an ABA Championship back in 1970, '72 and '73, but they haven't been able to lift the trophy over their heads since.

They closest they came, however, was because of the leadership of the man they drafted in 1987, Reggie Miller.  The pick was surprising because the Pacers picked him over an Indiana University standout, Steve Alford.

Miller went on to become one of the two greatest shooters in league history, leading the team to the NBA Finals in 2000, while Steve Alford--well, he didn't.

Los Angeles Clippers-Drafting Blake Griffin

The Los Angeles Clippers have had a ton of disappointment in their history, but nothing has happened that fundamentally altered the fortunes of their franchise, really ever.

They have always been downtrodden and have only been to the playoffs seven times in 41 seasons, that's why you have to look to the future with the Clippers.

They drafted Blake Griffin, a kid that looks as if he could be one of the five best players in the league in within four years, and could even lead them to the playoffs this season, a major accomplishment for a Clippers team.

Los Angeles Lakers-Losing Gail Goodrich

There are a ton of things that I could have picked for the Lakers.  They have traded for three of the most important centers in NBA history, they've hired one of the two best coaches twice and they've won 17 championships.

However, the most important thing that they've ever done was let the Hornets sign Gail Goodrich away from them.  The Hornets had to give up a few draft picks to compensate for signing a veteran free agent from the Lakers.  That pick just happened to end up being Magic Johnson.

Magic went on to lead the Lakers to five titles in the 80s and (with the help of Larry Bird) primed the nation with a basketball revival, getting them ready and interested for Michael Jordan.

Memphis Grizzlies-Signing Zach Randolph

Having been around since the mid-90s, it's a bit surprising that the Grizzlies had never won a playoff series before this year.  What got them that ever-elusive first playoff win?  A trade for a player that nearly everyone agreed was a bad match.

Hell, it was even called a "war on fans" at times.

So it's a bit surprising that the main reason the Grizzlies were able to make it to the playoffs and upset the number one seeded Spurs in the playoffs was because of Zach Randolph.

Miami Heat-Summer of 2010

Is there really any question about this one?

Sure, they drafted Dwyane Wade back in 2003 and traded for Shaq in 2004 leading to a title in 2006, but what they did last summer was downright stunning.

The Heat singed both LeBron james and Chris Bosh to go along with Dwyane Wade, creating what seemed to be a juggernaut at the time.

They didn't win a championship last season, but it's not like they finished 40-42 either.

Milwaukee Bucks-1969 Draft

The single championship in Milwaukee Bucks history just so happens to be because they drafted the man that would eventually become the all-time leading scorer in NBA history.

The Bucks picked up Lew Alcindor fresh off four transcendent years with UCLA, added Oscar Robertson a season later and ended up winning the championship that year.

Minnesota Timberwolves-Joe Smith Fiasco

The worst thing that could happen to the Minnesota Timberwolves with a young, rising star happened to them back in 2000.

They wanted to sign Joe Smith, but they wanted to do it at a lesser price than what he was asking.  They told him that if he signed for a smaller contract now that they would give him a bigger contract down the line.  Smith agreed and everything seemed hunky-dory, that is until the NBA found out.

The league gave them 40 lashes for their wrong-doings, along with a huge fine and stripping them of five first round picks.

They ended up losing only three first-rounders, but they still went three years with Kevin Garnett in his prime without a first round draft pick.

New Jersey Nets-Invasion Fee

Things looked great for the four franchises coming into the NBA in 1976, that is until the Nets learned that they would have to pay a fine upwards of $4 million for infringing on the Knicks territory on top of their $3.2 million entry fee.

Well, before they realized that they would pay nearly $5 million to the Knicks, they had promised Dr. J a big raise that they couldn't pay him with the huge fees.  He held out of camp and they did the only thing they could, selling him to Philadelphia for $3 million.

New Jersey was likely robbed of early prosperity in the NBA and potentially a championship in the 1980s.

New Orleans Hornets-Trading for Vlade Divac

At the time, this trade made complete sense for the New Orleans Hornets, and I would still back it up to this day.  They needed a big man, the Lakers had one, so they traded the newly drafted Kobe Bryant for Vlade Divac in 1996.  Kobe's agent had said that he wouldn't play in New Orleans, so they traded him.  No problem.  End of story right?

Obviously not.

Divac spent just two seasons in New Orleans, both 50-win seasons, but the team never made it past the semifinals in the playoffs.

Kobe went ahead and won five titles. 

New York Knicks-1967 Draft

For the New York Knicks in 1967, things could only get better.  They hadn't had a winning season since 1959 and were looking for anything to put them over the top.

In that draft they took Clyde Frazier fifth overall and ended up picking up Phil Jackson in the second round.

Frazier was the cornerstone of their 1970 and 1973 championship teams while Jackson was their first option off the bench in 1973. 

Oklahoma City Thunder-Clay Bennett Buying the Team

If it weren't for Howard Schultz's incompetence, David Stern's ego and Clay Bennet's guile, this slide would be about the Seattle Supersonics and there might not even be one about an Oklahoma City team.

Schultz sold the Sonics to Bennett in 2006, who he thought was going to try to keep the team in Seattle.  Bennett, knowing that David Stern was crazy for new arenas made half-assed efforts to get a new arena in Seattle, leading to him concluding that the team couldn't survive in then-home KeyArena and that the city was unwilling to build them a new one.

Bennett then filed with the league to move the team and then proceeded to break the lease with KeyArena right after they voted to let the team move.

Orlando Magic-Los Angeles' Love for Big Men

If it weren't for the Lakers' love of the league's best big men, the Magic could have de-railed the Bulls second dynasty.

Shaq and Penny Hardaway were proving to be a dangerous combination, but Shaq had bigger and brighter things on his mind.  Most notably, Los Angeles.

Shaq split for the coast in 1996, signing a huge contract with the Lakers and becoming the cornerstone of their three-peat from 2000 to 2002.

Philadelphia 76ers-Poaching Superstars

We already went over how the Philadelphia 76ers capitalized on the Nets need for money back in 1976 by buying Julius Erving, but they needed another piece to win a title.

In 1982 they signed Moses Malone to an offer sheet, which his Houston Rockets matched.  However, the Rockets ended up trading him before the season even started in September for Caldwell Jones and Philadelphia's 1983 first round draft pick.

Philadelphia went on to win the title in 1983. 

Phoenix Suns-Barkley for Hornacek

It may not have ended up with a championship team in Phoenix (then again, nothing really has), but a trade in 1992 brought one of the most important non-Michael Jordan players of the time to Phoenix.

The Suns essentially traded Jeff Hornacek and two blow-up dolls for Charles Barkley, who took them to the Finals in his first season with his new team.

Portland Trail Blazers-Bill Walton's Injuries

How important would Bill Walton have been to the Portland Trail Blazers if he never developed so many injuries?  It's hard to say, but when you look at what he did for the team with the injuries, it's a pretty scary thought.

Walton never played more than 65 games for the Blazers, but he still helped them win a championship in his third year in the league and ended up winning an MVP Award in 1978, despite playing in just 58 games.  He was so effective that voters thought 58 games of Walton was more valuable than any other player in the league.

Walton could have turned the Blazers into a juggernaut, helping them to multiple championships and ended up being remembered as the greatest center of all-time.  This is depressing.

San Antonio Spurs-1997 Draft Lottery

In 1997 the Spurs really had an unfortunate year. David Robinson played in all of six games and their leading scorer was a 37-year-old Dominique Wilkins.  They finished 20-64 with their worst record in team history.

They ended up getting the best present possible for their misery, however, as they won the draft lottery and drafted Tim Duncan with the number one overall pick.

Duncan teamed up with Robinson to lead the team to titles in 1999 and 2003 and then two more in 2005 and 2007. 

Sacramento Kings-Game Six

The Sacramento Kings were on the way to a championship in 2002.  They were going to beat the Lakers and then thrash whoever the East had to throw at them.  They were the best team in the league by leaps.

However, as has been accused time and time again, and pretty much confirmed by Tim Donaghy's testimony in 2007 that the referees leaned on the Lakers to win that game to send it to a seventh game.

The Kings lost that game, then lost game seven.  The Lakers won the championship and the Kings never made it back to the Western Conference Finals, and now the team is on the verge of leaving Sacramento.

Who knows what would have happened if they would have won that fateful game six.

Toronto Raptors-Trading Tracy McGrady

The Toronto Raptors could have ended up with both Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter on their team in the early 2000s.  The two played together for one full season and one lockout-shortened season before Toronto traded McGrady to Orlando for a pick that would end up being Fran Vazquez.

Letting the two develop together could have been more than exciting, and it could have netted the Raptors some more success in the playoffs (provided that they don't let McGrady control the ball in the playoffs).

Utah Jazz-Signing Jerry Sloan

There are good coaches, there are great coaches and then there are coaches like Jerry Sloan.

Throughout NBA history, there are just a handful of guys that actually made a difference when coaching their team, and Sloan was one of them.

After three years of coaching Chicago, he was hired by Utah in 1988, where he stayed up through this past season.

Under Sloan, the Jazz missed the playoffs just three times and made it to the Finals twice, but were never quite able to capture a ring.

Washington Wizards-Elvin Hayes for Nothing

Before the Gilbert Arenas incident, before they changed their name from the Bullets to the Wizards (they should have stayed the Bullets, the irony would have been terrific with Arenas), the Washington Bullets were pretty much a good team year in and year out, they just couldn't win a title.

They ended up winning a championship in 1978 in miraculous fashion, as they were just six games above .500 on the season.  It was all because of their veteran leadership from Wes Unseld and Elvin Hayes, whom they had traded the Houston Rockets for in 1972 for a nearly over-the-hill Jack Marin.

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