Len Bias Story

I think with Bird getting older, the Celtics might use Bias as the centerpiece of a rebuild. Though with Bias coming off the bench early on, the old guard of Boston, namely Bird, Parrish, Dennis Johnson and Danny Ainge might be able to make one last title run, but it'll be up to Bias to be the kryptonite for either Da Bulls or the Bad Boys.
True but the Celtics would definitely need another piece if they want to beat the Bulls, Pistons, and others during the 90's.
 
True but the Celtics would definitely need another piece if they want to beat the Bulls, Pistons, and others during the 90's.

Don't forget an aging Lakers squad, the Hakeem era Rockets, and a young Seattle team with Payton and Kemp together, not to mention Charlotte and Orlando closer to the eastern seaboard.
 
Don't forget an aging Lakers squad, the Hakeem era Rockets, and a young Seattle team with Payton and Kemp together, not to mention Charlotte and Orlando closer to the eastern seaboard.
I was thinking that the piece they need may be Shawn Kemp or Tim Hardaway. Say after the 1988-89 season the Celtics trade on their old guard for a pick. They either get Tim or Shawn allowing them to contend.
 
I was thinking that the piece they need may be Shawn Kemp or Tim Hardaway. Say after the 1988-89 season the Celtics trade on their old guard for a pick. They either get Tim or Shawn allowing them to contend.

Good idea. Would Vlade Divac make a good Celtic, or is he a better fit on another ballclub?
 
Yeah I heard somewhere that Bird was considering retiring around '88. That's probably what happens with a young Celtics superteam TTL.

More realistically though, Wilson does 3-4 years at Illinois, meaning he comes out in '88 or '89. This is when the Miami Heat, Charlotte Hornets, Minnesota Timberwolves, & Orlando Magic come into existence, so if you wanna make things really fun, put him on one of those teams as a 1st overall draft pick. Maybe send him to Orlando... imagine a Benji & Shaq pairing. Maybe Shaq never goes to the Lakers.

EDIT: Benji & Shaq Magic vs. ''Bias Brothers'' Celtics vs. the 90's OTL Knicks... East Coast basketball would basically be set.

Would Wilson want to go the full way though? He was top high school prospect, and is probably a guaranteed lottery pick. If he goes 4 years he risks injury. Though, I have to say that a Magic team with Wilson, Shaq, and maybe Penny is a title contender from 94-2004 almost.

EDIT: And who's to say that all those teams are the ones that become expansions? Maybe instead of Charlotte its Louisville and instead of Orlando its New Orleans, for instance?
 
Would Wilson want to go the full way though? He was top high school project, and is probably a guaranteed lottery pick. If he goes 4 years he risks injury. Though, I have to say that a Magic team with Wilson, Shaq, and maybe Penny is a title contender from 94-2004 almost.
He most likely would not mind 3 years but would he be able to keep Shaq and Penny together long enough to be win a title.
 
Hmm interesting...

I imagine it depends on just how dominant he is as a rookie, and how much playing time he gets. The problem with being drafted to a title contender as a rookie is that you don't get many minutes, so I see him sitting on the bench a lot and probably not getting enough playing time to make a case for ROTY or influence the finals much.
 
I imagine it depends on just how dominant he is as a rookie, and how much playing time he gets. The problem with being drafted to a title contender as a rookie is that you don't get many minutes, so I see him sitting on the bench a lot and probably not getting enough playing time to make a case for ROTY or influence the finals much.
Celtics head coach knowing that Bird was getting more and more injury prone could decide to give more minutes to Bias, so he can rest his star player. Just a thought...
 
Celtics head coach knowing that Bird was getting more and more injury prone could decide to give more minutes to Bias, so he can rest his star player. Just a thought...

Not in '86. We're talking a guy who is still in his prime, if the tail end of it. He was still making First All-NBA teams and All-Star games. The 88-89 season is probably the first time Bias sees any sort of meaningful minutes.
 
Yeah I heard somewhere that Bird was considering retiring around '88. That's probably what happens with a young Celtics superteam TTL.

More realistically though, Wilson does 3-4 years at Illinois, meaning he comes out in '88 or '89. This is when the Miami Heat, Charlotte Hornets, Minnesota Timberwolves, & Orlando Magic come into existence, so if you wanna make things really fun, put him on one of those teams as a 1st overall draft pick. Maybe send him to Orlando... imagine a Benji & Shaq pairing. Maybe Shaq never goes to the Lakers.

EDIT: Benji & Shaq Magic vs. ''Bias Brothers'' Celtics vs. the 90's OTL Knicks... East Coast basketball would basically be set.

Actually, the four expansion teams that came into the league (Heat, Hornets, Magic, T-Wolves) were excluded from the lottery their first year.

I do agree with you about Wilson, though. Guys didn't really start doing the one and one or HS thing until about 1995.

I think that Wilson leads the Illini to the Elite 8 (in this timeline, they are the 2-seed in the West in 1987 with Benji instead of Iowa) before losing to UNLV. Then, the next year, they get the 1-seed in the Midwest instead of Purdue, and they go all the way. Benji and Nick Anderson (HS teammates) both come out together, and they are drafted by the Clippers in the first round in 88 (Wilson first overall, Anderson sixth overall).
 
Actually, the four expansion teams that came into the league (Heat, Hornets, Magic, T-Wolves) were excluded from the lottery their first year.

I do agree with you about Wilson, though. Guys didn't really start doing the one and one or HS thing until about 1995.

I think that Wilson leads the Illini to the Elite 8 (in this timeline, they are the 2-seed in the West in 1987 with Benji instead of Iowa) before losing to UNLV. Then, the next year, they get the 1-seed in the Midwest instead of Purdue, and they go all the way. Benji and Nick Anderson (HS teammates) both come out together, and they are drafted by the Clippers in the first round in 88 (Wilson first overall, Anderson sixth overall).

Then we can get finals showdowns between the Clippers and the Celtics in the early '90s, when all players reach their peaks.
 
Actually, the four expansion teams that came into the league (Heat, Hornets, Magic, T-Wolves) were excluded from the lottery their first year.

I do agree with you about Wilson, though. Guys didn't really start doing the one and one or HS thing until about 1995.

I think that Wilson leads the Illini to the Elite 8 (in this timeline, they are the 2-seed in the West in 1987 with Benji instead of Iowa) before losing to UNLV. Then, the next year, they get the 1-seed in the Midwest instead of Purdue, and they go all the way. Benji and Nick Anderson (HS teammates) both come out together, and they are drafted by the Clippers in the first round in 88 (Wilson first overall, Anderson sixth overall).

I know they were excluded from the lottery. I was just saying for fun, what if they weren't?

And as for the Clippers picking Benji, they still had Donald Sterling as owner. I don't see the Clippers picking Benji for that reason alone.
 
I know they were excluded from the lottery. I was just saying for fun, what if they weren't?

And as for the Clippers picking Benji, they still had Donald Sterling as owner. I don't see the Clippers picking Benji for that reason alone.

Oh, OK. Good point. If Wilson stays four years and ends up with the Magic in 89, that could have been something if they still end up with Shaq three years later, and then still get Horace Grant in the summer of 1994. A Benji-Shaq-Grant core would have been pretty good.
 
I know they were excluded from the lottery. I was just saying for fun, what if they weren't?

And as for the Clippers picking Benji, they still had Donald Sterling as owner. I don't see the Clippers picking Benji for that reason alone.
I can kind of see Benji going to the Pacers as Kansas was quite good so Danny Manning still goes first he was also Naismith Basketball Player of the Year.

Also hear me out. Would Jordan getting injured midseason and never becoming a goat have dire effects?
 
I can kind of see Benji going to the Pacers as Kansas was quite good so Danny Manning still goes first he was also Naismith Basketball Player of the Year.

Also hear me out. Would Jordan getting injured midseason and never becoming a goat have dire effects?

Jordan got injured for nearly the entire '86 season after breaking his foot. It's not that much of a stretch for Jordan to become one of those ''injury prone'' players who never achieves his full potential. With Benji & Len Bias alive, however, it's on you what effects that would have.

EDIT: Benji & Reggie Miller on the Pacers? Holy shit......
 
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Not in '86. We're talking a guy who is still in his prime, if the tail end of it. He was still making First All-NBA teams and All-Star games. The 88-89 season is probably the first time Bias sees any sort of meaningful minutes.

Bias would have seen meaningful minutes immediately off the bench. Figure 15 minutes a game with Bird on the bench and 15 minutes with Bird moving to PF when McHale or Parrish sit. He might get a few minutes at OG too.
 
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