One of my friends had asked me, who's the one player past or present that I would want to see on the Celtics? This one was an easy question for me and I'm sure most Celtics fans too. It was the night of the 1986 NBA draft and the Celtics had the number 2 overall pick. Cleveland was first and selected Brad Daughtry who was a center and then came the Celtics pick and there was a name on the board that was of particular interest…Len Bias. Now, who is Len Bias some of you may be asking? Bias was one of the best players in college basketball at the time and even as being compared to Michael Jordan according to then Celtics scout Ed Bager. He said, “He’s maybe the closest thing to Michael Jordan to come out in a long time.” Hearing this about someone you knew the Celtics would jump on this kid and how could they not when in his senior year he averaged 23.2 points per game along with a 54 percent field goal percentage (all of which are more than Jordan’s career high’s in college besides field goal percent). These stats may not like much, but if you ever saw him during a game, you would definitely think this kid has the potential to become something big.
On draft night when Bias heard his name called he put on his new Celtics hat with excitement and happiness and you could tell the Celtics future is looking pretty bright with Bias in the fold now. However, two days later the Celtics received tragic news about Bias. Len Bias had passed away 2 days after the draft due to a cocaine overdose leaving the Celtics, Celtics fans, and all of the basketball world in a state of shock and sadness. Flash forward to today and the Celtics have only won 1 championship (2008) since Bias had passed away, this made me think, what could the Celtics have been? Well, lets say he was healthy for the most of his career and progressed the way his playing shows, and I think the Celtics could have maybe got at least 1-2 titles and made the 90’s a difficult time for Michael Jordan and all the other powerhouse teams then. Bias would’ve been coming off the bench behind Larry Bird but that would’ve been fine because that means the Celtics would have had one of the deepest benches in the NBA with Bias and Bill Walton leading the way. After the big 3 of Bird, Mchale, and Parrish would retire, Bias would have stepped in Bird’s spot and would be able to lead the Celtics for times to come. Again, this is all speculation because Bias may have been a bust we don’t know. That’s why Bias remains one of the greatest athletes to never have played the game and leaves all Celtics wondering one question…what if?
