Top 10 Draft Busts of the Decade

Another one from Kelly Dwyer.

1. Darko Milicic
2. Entire 2000 Draft
3. Kwame Brown
4. Nikoloz Tskitishvili
5. Adam Morrison
6. Rafael Araujo
7. Yaroslav Korolev
8. Rodney White
9. Kedrick Brown
10. Yi Jianlian

Kind of a cop-out picking the entire 2000 Draft (and unfair to Michael Redd who was a steal), but it is admittedly hard to pick just one player from that class.

i was laughing at the no.2 spot. oh yeah, David Noel should be there instead of Rodney White or Kendrick Brown

David Noel was picked in the second round. How would he be considered a bust?

oh wait, some PBA announcer guy said that he was drafted 7th. oh i guess they were wrong

Jay Williams is probably another player who could be on that list. I suppose he was given a reprieve given the circumstances that ended his career, but all the same he's probably at least an honourable mention.

I wouldn't put Yi on that list just yet. It's been only 2 seasons since he was drafted. True, he has yet to show any strong sign of promise in these two seasons but he did have a period last season where he was playing really well until he broke his finger and had to sit out. I would give him a couple more season to prove himself plus additional minutes to do so. That's just my opinion though.

Yi is a bit of a premature inclusion, though there are a few players who were taken after him that so far appear to be the more preferable selections given the benefit of hindsight.

Yi is a weak forward and he really stoned the Nets.

oh yeah i got more candidates:
1. No one could ever forget Joe Smith (average name, average game ) he is best as a role player, but hey, 1st overalls ain't role players all throughout their careers
2. Jonathan Bender (he had a litle hype late in his career, but it ended in an injury)
3. Danny Manning (he was always behind Karl Malone, poor bastard)
4. Ademola Oukalaja (i don't know the spelling, i just think this is it)... i think he was drafted 11th... correct me if i'm wrong
5. (i forgot the name, i'll edit this post when i remember it)

We're talking about the decade 2000-2009, at least for this particular list.

Yi is a weak forward and he really stoned the Nets.

oh yeah i got more candidates:
1. No one could ever forget Joe Smith (average name, average game ) he is best as a role player, but hey, 1st overalls ain't role players all throughout their careers
2. Jonathan Bender (he had a litle hype late in his career, but it ended in an injury)
3. Danny Manning (he was always behind Karl Malone, poor bastard)
4. Ademola Oukalaja (i don't know the spelling, i just think this is it)... i think he was drafted 11th... correct me if i'm wrong
5. (i forgot the name, i'll edit this post when i remember it)

Not only that we are talking about this decade which none of your players fills in ... further you "dont know any names" and claim things that are not right. Ademola Okulaja went undrafted and signed with the 76ers. He was a simple training camp addition. Not more. Maybe you should inform yourself before posting.

Given a bit more time for the list to prove itself/solidify some cases, I think the draft class of 2009 might have some people worthy of inclusion. Hasheem Thabeet's summer league play was atrocious.

Also Andrew, I'd cut Jay Williams a bit of slack. The list doesn't seem to take into account players whose careers were promising but cut short by injury. Eddie Griffin [#7, 2001] would've made a strong case under such circumstances (for crime and then death), or even Shaun Livingston, who was picked before a good number of better prospects -- Devin Harris, Luol Deng, Andris Biedrins, Andre Iguodala -- the list is a long one there, and Greg Oden's making a pretty good case for himself right now.

Shaun Livingston would definitely be on the list, being picked before two all-star point guards, and several other good players. Greg Oden is not making a good case for himself, considering he had the best rookie season of any player from that 2007 class. (albeit a late one)

Also Andrew, I'd cut Jay Williams a bit of slack. The list doesn't seem to take into account players whose careers were promising but cut short by injury. Eddie Griffin [#7, 2001] would've made a strong case under such circumstances (for crime and then death), or even Shaun Livingston, who was picked before a good number of better prospects -- Devin Harris, Luol Deng, Andris Biedrins, Andre Iguodala -- the list is a long one there, and Greg Oden's making a pretty good case for himself right now.

I agree that the circumstances are a little different and as I said he's perhaps more of an "honourable mention" rather than a bonafide candidate for the top ten, but all things being equal that pick did turn out to be a bust. Perhaps not in the sense that some of the others were busts, but all the same it was a selection (and sadly, a career) that didn't live up to expectations.

Yi is a weak forward and he really stoned the Nets.

oh yeah i got more candidates:
1. No one could ever forget Joe Smith (average name, average game ) he is best as a role player, but hey, 1st overalls ain't role players all throughout their careers
2. Jonathan Bender (he had a litle hype late in his career, but it ended in an injury)
3. Danny Manning (he was always behind Karl Malone, poor bastard)
4. Ademola Oukalaja (i don't know the spelling, i just think this is it)... i think he was drafted 11th... correct me if i'm wrong
5. (i forgot the name, i'll edit this post when i remember it)

Not only that we are talking about this decade which none of your players fills in ... further you "dont know any names" and claim things that are not right. Ademola Okulaja went undrafted and signed with the 76ers. He was a simple training camp addition. Not more. Maybe you should inform yourself before posting.

You're talking about Fran Vazquez i guess

Kwame Brown sucks!!!

how about Ron Mercer??

Fitzy is rolling in his grave.

Mike Sweetney (9th overall, 2003) is another name I'd throw out there. Drafted ahead of Mickael Pietrus, David West, Boris Diaw, Josh Howard and Mo Williams, not to mention Kyle Korver, James Jones, Dahntay Jones, Jason Kapono, Luke Walton, Kendrick Perkins, Travis Outlaw, Carlos Delfino and Sasha Pavlovic. The latter group may not be as good an idea at ninth overall compared to the former, but I'd put them over Sweetney. At least they're still in the league and in a team's regular rotation.

Michael Sweetney ate his way out of the league. Fairly ridiculous to have Yi on there, since he has shown moments of potential, and brings a lot more publicity to his team than an obese guy who can't play.

Dee24 change your sig or I will kill it.

But, it's ***A REALLY NICE PIECE OF ART***

Michael Sweetney ate his way out of the league. Fairly ridiculous to have Yi on there, since he has shown moments of potential, and brings a lot more publicity to his team than an obese guy who can't play.

I'd put Sweetney in over Yi, though Yi might still at least be on the fringe of the list in a few years when we can make a fairer evaluation.

Give Yi more time but I don't think he'll reach Yao Ming's level.

i don't think Yi will reach 7'6 sometime.

EDIT: joke, just 4 laughs... but i do think he won't make it way up there... unless he adds some muscle in his game, maybe he'll be a slower version of Pau Gasol.

if you look at Yi, he has an above-average mid-shooting game, but can't shoot when being guarded by vets like Duncan. and he's too slow to free himself up.

i remember Lawrence Frank said that Jason Collins was better than Yi since Jason Collins would be willing to not score in a team wherein everyone is a ballhog. poor Yi.

i remember Lawrence Frank said that Jason Collins was better than Yi since Jason Collins would be willing to not score in a team wherein everyone is a ballhog. poor Yi.