OPINION

By Steve Greenberg

updated 11:39 a.m. ET June 21, 2008

You can go all the way back to the beginning of time, as The List has done, and judge for yourself, but make no mistake: You will not find a better NBA draft than the one that took place in 1984.

That was the year of Akeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and John Stockton.

It's debatable whether there is a close second. If there is one, 1960 -- led by Oscar Robertson and Jerry West -- has to be in the running.

But the very nature of the draft changed for good in 1985, the first year of the draft lottery, when the Knicks just happened (cough) to get the luck of the draw (hack) and win the right to select Patrick Ewing (over-rated! Clap clap clap clap clap!) No. 1.

Thus, 1984 doesn't make The List of the top 10 NBA drafts in the lottery era:

1. 1996
An almost unfathomably great year for guards, with Allen Iverson going No. 1 overall and Ray Allen, Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash trickling in later in the first round. Other guys with solid careers include (in order of selection) Marcus Camby, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Stephon Marbury, Antoine Walker, Peja Stojakovic, Jermaine O'Neal and Derek Fisher.

2. 2003
Someday, depending on how many championships these guys rack up, this class could challenge 1984: LeBron James (No. 1), Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, David West, Josh Howard ... and the quality doesn't end there.

Special feature NBA Draft: First picks If history has taught us anything, Michael Beasley will be selected first

3. 1987
What a year for hard-working, team-oriented winners: David Robinson (No. 1), Scottie Pippen, Kenny Smith, Kevin Johnson, Horace Grant, Reggie Miller and Mark Jackson. Reggie Lewis, a 20-ppg scorer whose heart gave way in 1993, also was in the '87 class.

4. 1999
No All-NBA first-teamers in this group, just a load of high-end talent and versatility: Elton Brand (No. 1), Baron Davis, Lamar Odom, Rip Hamilton, Shawn Marion, Corey Maggette, Ron Artest, James Posey, Andrei Kirilenko and -- best for last -- Manu Ginobili late in the second round.

5. 1985
Any coach would have loved to have had any of these guys: Ewing, Chris Mullin, Detlef Schrempf, Charles Oakley, Karl Malone, Joe Dumars, A.C. Green and Terry Porter.

6. 2001
It's funny how a draft once known for big-guy busts -- Kwame Brown, Tyson Chandler, Eddy Curry -- got all shiny and new thanks to Pau Gasol, Jason Richardson, Shane Battier, Joe Johnson, Richard Jefferson, Zach Randolph, Gerald Wallace and --- best for last --- Tony Parker. Oh, yeah, and Gilbert Arenas in the second round. Oh, yeah, and Chandler turned out to be a hell of a player after all.

7. 1995

Pick-by-pick draft recap, team analysis, more Report card: How'd your team do in draft? Clippers take Griffin at No. 1 in draft Celizic: On draft night, Knicks look ahead Wolves trade Lawson to Nuggets Magic made deal for Vince Carter Vote: Which team improved most?   Video: Hansbrough dismisses skeptics   Video: Top prospects talk about their games   Slideshow: Top prospects  |    Worst busts

Top picks Joe Smith (No. 1), Antonio McDyess and Jerry Stackhouse never quite made it huge, but all hung in there long enough to wind down their careers with dignity. Later picks Rasheed Wallace and (superstar alert) Kevin Garnett are the leaders of this forward-rich band, with role-player Spurs Kurt Thomas, Brent Barry and Michael Finley on backup vocals.

8. 2005
Not a lot of quality overall in this draft, but it produced the new wave of point guards -- Deron Williams, Chris Paul and Raymond Felton -- and a potentially top-flight big man in Andrew Bynum. And that gives it staying power.

9. 1997
Tim Duncan, Chauncey Billups, Tracy McGrady and ... and ... bupkis. Still, that's a mighty impressive trio.

10. 1992
It's tempting to go with 1998 (Vince Carter, Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce, Rashard Lewis) or 2004 (Dwight Howard, Emeka Okafor, Luol Deng, Al Jefferson, Josh Smith) in this spot, or even something crazy like 1986 (worst first round ever but Jeff Hornacek, Mark Price and Dennis Rodman all in the second round!). But even though his best classmates are Alonzo Mourning and, yikes, Big Shot Rob Horry, Shaquille O'Neal has to get the nod. Oh, go on, complain about it.

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