NBA Draft Rewind: 1990

By Lorenzo Tanos

We're now on to the ‘90s and one of the more underwhelming drafts of recent years. Well, not really – it's no Class of 1986 or 2000, but 1990's NBA Draft class wasn't any great shakes, although it seemed like that at first. More than a few players from this class had promising debuts, only to spend less than ten years in the NBA or play more than ten years but fail to live up to potential. Only one player in the first round had really lived up to the lofty expectations, and we'll learn about him later. But first, here's the usual link to the complete draft class for easy reference.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_1990.html

THE TOP PICK – Derrick Coleman (NJN, F/C, 6'10"-230, Syracuse) had it all. He was a devastating post player with a decent outside shot, a ferocious rebounder, accurate passer and a force on defense. He was quick, strong and athletic and had Hall of Fame potential from Day One. Though he did win Rookie of the Year honors in 1991 and had three straight 20-10 seasons for the Nets, injuries and an overall crummy attitude caused his career to peak before his 30th birthday. Despite averaging 16.5 ppg, 9.3 rpg and 2.5 apg in a 15-year career and not being a bust per se, Coleman's career was an exercise in "what if?"

THE BEST – No question about this one. Gary Payton (SEA, PG, 6'4"-180, Oregon St., #2) had the best career of all Class of 1990 draft alumni. And the irony about it all is that he was initially gravitating towards "bust" status, averaging in single digits and playing quite inconsistently in his first two seasons. But Payton would turn things around starting in 1992-93, and by the time he retired in 2007, he had collected several All-NBA and All-Defense honors in a 17-year NBA run. He's looking like a cinch for an eventual Hall of Fame induction.

THE BUSTS – Personally, I remember Felton Spencer (MIN, C, 7'0"-265, Kentucky, #6) best for being the basketball "star" that appeared alongside the late Curt "Mr. Perfect" Hennig in his WWF vignettes. All the other athletes who were in those Mr. Perfect promos were legit stars, or would eventually become standouts in their respective sports – Wade Boggs (MLB), Steve Jordan (NFL), MikeModano (NHL). But Spencer was a journeyman center at best, capable of taking up space underneath and playing good "D", but never proving worthy of being selected sixth overall in the 1990 Draft. 1990's other big bust is Bo Kimble (LAC, SG, 6'4"-190, Loyola Marymount, #8), who averaged over 35 ppg in Paul Westhead's supersonic-paced Loyola Marymount team of 1989-90. He never averaged more than 7 points a game in the NBA. But here's the strange thing about Kimble's rookie year – he actually started out averaging almost 15 ppg in the first 15 games of 1990-91. That was quite solid. But after hitting the so-called "rookie wall", Kimble was soon demoted to reserve status. The rest is draft bust history.

Feb 28, 1988; Lexington, KY, USA: Syracuse Orange forward Derrick Coleman (44) in action against the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena. Photo Courtesy By Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports.

THE STEAL – For his very important role in the Chicago Bulls' championship teams of the '90s, Toni Kukoc (CHI, F/G, 6'10"-192, Croatia, #29) was the biggest steal of the 1990 Draft. Granted, he was expected to put up even better numbers, but he did quite well for himself as the Bulls' sixth man in the team's glory days, winning the Sixth Man of the Year award in 1995-96 and wowing crowds with his point guard-like passing ability. But like Scottie Pippen, Kukoc's career was never the same after he left the Bulls' lineup – 2000 to 2006 was mostly spent as a key reserve, but not exactly a super sixth man, for the 76ers, Hawks and Bucks.

More NBA Draft Rewind Articles:

• Weekly NBA Draft Rewind: 2007
• NBA Weekly Draft Rewind: 2006
• Weekly NBA Draft Rewind: 2005
• NBA Weekly Draft Rewind: 2004
• Weekly NBA Draft Rewind: 2003
• NBA Weekly Draft Rewind: 2002
• NBA Weekly Draft Rewind: 2001
• NBA Weekly Draft Rewind: 2000
• NBA Wekly Draft Rewind: 1999
• NBA Weekly Draft Rewind: 1998
• Weekly NBA Draft Rewind: 1997
• Weekly NBA Draft Rewind: 1996
• Weekly NBA Draft Rewind: 1995
• Weekly NBA Draft Rewind: 1994
• Weekly NBA Draft Rewind: 1993
• NBA Draft: Weekly Draft Rewind 1992
• NBA Draft: Weekly Draft Rewind 1991
• NBA Draft: Weekly Draft Rewind 1989
• NBA Draft: Weekly Draft Rewind 1988
• NBA Draft: Draft Rewind 1986
• Review of 1985 NBA Draft
• NBA Draft Weekly Rewind: 1984
• NBA Basketball: NBA Draft Rewind: 1983
• NBA Draft History: Weekly Draft Rewind 1982
• NBA Draft Weekly Rewind: 1981

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