Who are the best No. 6 picks in NBA Draft history?
The Thunder slid to the No. 6 pick in the NBA Draft Lottery on Tuesday, and history suggests stars arent easily found at that slot. Sure, the Thunder might find a way to trade up, but lets say it stays at sixth. If so, Thunder fans might want to look at the 1978 and 2012 drafts for inspiration. Heres a look back at the best No. 6 picks in the common draft era (since 1966) sorted by win shares, according to Basketball Reference. Tramel:Lack of NBA Draft Lottery luck isn't new to Thunder. Things worked out the last time. 1. Larry Bird, 1978  The Indiana State star fell to the Celtics at No. 6 after Mychal Thompson, Phil Ford, Rick Robey, Micheal Ray Richardson and Purvis Short went off the board. Bird actually returned to college for his senior season after the draft before joining the Celtics as a rookie in 1979. Bird is in his own class of No. 6 picks. The hall of famer won three NBA championships in Boston (1981, 1984, 1986) and he was twice named Finals MVP. Bird was a three-time MVP, a 12-time All-Star and a 10-time All-NBA selection. He averaged 24.3 points, 10.0 rebounds and 6.3 assists in his 13-year career  all with the Celtics. 2. Adrian Dantley, 1976  In 1974, a freshman Dantley led Notre Dame to a 71-70 win against UCLA. It snapped UCLAs 88-game winning streak  the longest in college basketball history. Two years later, the Buffalo Braves drafted Dantley with the sixth overall pick. Dantley was traded from the Braves, to the Pacers, to the Lakers and finally to the Jazz all in his first four seasons. The 6-foot-5 forward established himself in Utah. Dantley was a six-time All Star with the Jazz, and he led the league in scoring in 1980-81 and 1983-84. NBA Mock Draft 2.0:Detroit Pistons are locked in on Cade Cunningham for their pick at No. 1  3. Damian Lillard, 2012  Lillard is the best No. 6 pick in the last decade, and its not close. Portlands star point guard was named second-team All-NBA this season after averaging 28.8 points, 7.5 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game. Still only 30 years old, Lillard ranks 12th among all active players in career points. He has six All-NBA nods to go along with six All-Star selections. 4. Hersey Hawkins, 1988  Hawkins was the AP Player of the Year at Bradley in 1988. The Clippers selected the 6-foot-3 guard with the sixth pick before trading him on draft night to the 76ers. Hawkins spent his first five seasons in Philadelphia, including an All-Star year in 1990-91 when he averaged 22.1 points per game. 5. Shane Battier, 2001  Battier was never an All-Star, but he won two NBA titles and was twice named to the All-Defensive second team. Battier spent his first five NBA seasons in Memphis, but his two championships (2012, 2013) came at the end of his career in Miami. He won his first ring against the Thunder. The 6-foot-8 forward was a career 38% 3-point shooter. 6. Fred Brown, 1971  Downtown Freddie Brown played his entire 13-year career in Seattle. He ranks second only to Gary Payton in both games and points in a SuperSonics uniform. Brown was an All-Star in 1975-76, and he led Seattle to the 1979 NBA championship. 7. Danilo Gallinari, 2008  Thunder fans know him well. Gallinari, now with the Hawks, averaged 18.7 points on 41% 3-point shooting last season in Oklahoma City. The Italian forward was drafted sixth by the Knicks and played for the Nuggets and Clippers before landing with the Thunder. He crossed the 10,000-career points threshold this season. 8. Scott Wedman, 1974  The Colorado product was drafted by the Kansas City-Omaha Kings with the sixth pick. He later played for the Cavaliers and Celtics, winning two championships with Bird in 1984 and 1986. Wedman was a two-time All-Star and was named to the All-Defensive team in 1979-80. 9. Wally Szczerbiak, 1999  Szczerbiak, now a college basketball analyst for CBS Sports, averaged 18.7 points with the Timberwolves in 2001-02 and was named an All Star. That was Szczerbiaks only All-Star appearance, but he was a good NBA player for 10 seasons. He averaged 14.1 points and 4.0 rebounds for his career. 10. Orlando Woolridge, 1981  Woolridge was known as a ferocious dunker, competing in back-to-back dunk contests in 1984 and 1985. The 6-foot-9 forward from Notre Dame played his first five seasons in Chicago before bouncing around with several teams. Woolridge, who wore No. 0, averaged a career-high 25.1 points per game with the Nuggets in 1990-91, and he had career averages of 16 points and 4.3 rebounds. Just missed the list  11. Kenny Smith, 1987  12. Tom Gugliotta, 1992  13. Antoine Walker, 1996  14. Brandon Roy, 2006  15. Trent Tucker, 1982