Bird thought 'there's no way in hell' DeAndre Jordan would make it in the NBA
Predicting a 19-year-old's potential future in the NBA is never an easy thing, not even when you're a former Hall of Famer or Executive of the Year.
Celtics legend, and current President of the Indiana Pacers, Larry Bird, has had quite the successful history drafting good players at lower draft positions.
He drafted Danny Granger with the 17th pick in the 2005 NBA draft, Paul George 10th in 2010, and Kawhi Leonard at 15 in 2011 - all of which turned out to be All-Stars. Finding talent later in the draft has never been an issue for the three-time NBA MVP, but one player he admits he did miss out on is DeAndre Jordan.
Jordan - who was drafted by the Clippers with the 35th overall pick in 2008 - didn't have a believer in in the Pacers' front-office boss back then.
"When he came in here to work out the first time, I couldn’t believe the kid was even thinking about coming out," Bird told David Aldridge of NBA.com. "He was tall, he could run and he could jump. But basketball (skills)? Had none."
Those skills took a while to develop - like many young big men in the NBA - but he still managed to make an impact quite early on. He has never shot under 60-percent from the field in his career, and has led the entire league in that category each of the past four seasons.
The Texas A&M product didn't have a lot to offer on the offensive end as a rookie, but his defense and athleticism was what impressed the Clippers. Those same attributes are responsible for vaulting him into All-NBA status the past two seasons, and continue to blow the 2012 NBA Executive of the Year away.
"I thought there’s no way in hell this kid will ever make it in this league. And I don’t know who got with him, or what he did, but to watch him play and perform on a nightly basis the way he does is just breathtaking to me," Bird continued. "After everything I’ve seen, I always go back to that. It’s pretty amazing. And this wasn’t this year; this happened five years ago. And just watching him, he was in here the other night and I thought, boy, I’m so proud of that kid. It’s amazing."