Dominique got a lot of shyt for going off the beaten path so to speak. As a high school phenom he was “supposed” to go NC State and be the next David Thompson but he instead wanted to forge his own path so he went to Georgia which was super controversial at the time. Then after declaring for the draft Jerry West wanted the Lakers to take him with the number 1 pick but they went with James Worthy instead. Utah picked him 3rd but he refused to play for them so they traded him to Atlanta for John Drew, Freeman Williams and $1 Million.
If Nique ends up LA playing with Kareem and Magic he definitely wins a few championships and his legacy looks wayyyyy different today. He stays a few years in Utah until Maline and Stockton come along and thats a trio that can get to at least a few Western Conference Finals.
Atlanta wasn’t “Atlanta”’in the 80’s when Nique got there. HE put Atlanta sports on the map and was the sole athletic draw until Deion Sanders got there. Nique was carrying those 80’s squads to 50 win seasons with nobody else on an All Star level except Doc Rivers. By the time the team really tried to give him sone help Moses Malone was over the hill and Reggie Theus wasn’t a great fit. Dominique wasn’t looked at as a “winner” because he couldn’t get last the Pistons or the Celtics but if you look back at those playoff series (especially the infamous duel in 88) Nique was giving his all every possession, every shot. He was more than just a flashy dunker and anyone would tell you he was a fierce competitor. He gave Jordan buckets. He gave Bird buckets. He gave those Pistons squads buckets. Night in and night out.
