Portland hopes to wipe away sins of past NBA drafts

The Portland Trail Blazers are scratching their heads, trying to figure out which player to take with the No. 1 pick at Thursday's NBA draft.

The pressure is on to make the right choice.

Portland's decision could make or break not only the upcoming season, but could have a major impact on the team's success for the next 10 years.

There are plenty of examples for the Trail Blazers to study. They can just look in their own backyard for an example of missing out on the big one.

And boy what a miss it was in 1984 when Portland, with the No. 2 overall pick, selected University of Kentucky center Sam Bowie, and the Chicago Bulls with the very next pick took Michael Jordan.

Bowie was hampered by numerous injuries during his 10-year career, while Jordan went on to lead the Bulls to six NBA titles, and established himself as the best player ever.