There's no doubt that Robinson was considered the best player in college. Until late in the season, Gilliam wasn't even all that highly regarded. Back then there was still a huge stigma attached to JUCO players, it wasn't until his strong run to close out his UNLV career that he even entered the picture. And like I said, Colangelo was rumored to prefer Hopson all the way up until the draft itself. He raved about Gilliam after the fact but that means very little. Anyway, none of us know who we would have selected, that was never my point. I just remember it as far more of a question than most everyone else here does. Not because of talent, just because of risk and availability.
Even for those that don't remember, it should be easy to understand why if you follow the timeline and the logic. Imagine today if the NBA said you could draft Fultz but he won't be available for two full seasons. And, if he chooses, he can re-enter the draft when he does become available. Keep in mind, agents pretty much ran the league back then and rookies weren't capped. If he didn't like your offer, you've just wasted your number one pick. I don't understand why people think it's such a stretch that there was a hot debate over who should be selected first.
