Boston Celtics: Top 10 “Could Have Been’s” Since 1996

Number 10: Manu Ginobili 

Career Averages: 14.0 Points/1.4 Steals/4.0 Assists/52% Field Goal Percentage

Awards: Sixth Man of the Year 07-08/2x NBA All Star/2x All NBA 3rd Team/4x NBA Champion

In the Celtics defense, almost every team in the NBA passed up the opportunity to draft Manu Ginobili. He was taken with the second to last pick in the 1999 draft by the San Antonio Spurs. The Celtics had one pick in the 99′ draft, and that pick came just two spots before the Spurs selected Ginobili at number 58. The Celtics instead took Kris Clack with the 56th pick in the draft, and if you’re asking yourself who the hell is Kris Clack? It’s probably because he never even played in an NBA game.

The Spurs got perhaps the steal of the century by drafting Ginobili, who has played a huge role in the success of the franchise over the last 17 years. I have Ginobili at number 10 on the list for that exact reason.

He was virtually unknown heading into the draft and it’s hard to fault the Celtics for not taking a player that they didn’t even know was out there. All the credit in the world goes to the Spurs organization for finding and scouting Ginobili.

It’s also difficult to determine just how successful Manu’s career would have been had he been selected by another team. It’s just one of those situations where the player was a perfect fit for the system and flourished because of it. One of the many reasons why the Spurs are considered to be the Patriots of the NBA.

Nonetheless, Ginobili has had quite the professional career and thus deserves a spot on the list.

Next: The Big Spaniard