NBA's Biggest Draft Busts

[Jeffx]

Of course, the Knicks are at the top of the list, but the Nets made their share of bonehead moves too.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baske ... s.html#ph0

[hova-]

Tough to see those guys not making it. But I really have to see that there were some draft classes were it was simply tough to choose the right guys like that 2000 draft class.

What really hits me is this pic of Jonathan Bender. Its so tough to see such young guys near to the stat of invalid. I guess many of those players would not have been bust without their injuries.
That to say I also think that the clubs are responsible for the injuries of some players. Many times I think they should just have noticed it earlier and helped the player with everything possible so that he can have a long career.

[bee-boy]

Bowie over Jordan was the biggest to me.

[Angelo]

I would say Michael Olowakandi and Kwame Brown

[Valor]

Sam Bowie and Michael Olowakandi, hands down

[Martti.]

Bowie the first for me because of the reason, why Portland didn't take him. Just because they already had Clyde and didn't need another SG. That combo could have been even more amazing then Pippen and Jordan.

Kwame Brown, Michael Olowokandi, Darko and Marcus Fizer are also on my list.

[shadowgrin]

why Portland didn't take him. Just because they already had Clyde and didn't need another SG.

Because they needed a big man more than a SG at that time?

[Jeffx]

why Portland didn't take him. Just because they already had Clyde and didn't need another SG.

Because they needed a big man more than a SG at that time?

True. It's easy to kill Portland now, but that's hindsight. Sam Bowie was a solid college player, and back then Portland needed a big man to contend with Kareem and the Lakers.

[Martti.]

My opinion is that at no 2 you should pick the best player available.

[SAAB]

Perhaps the most truthful assessment of the greatness of Hakeem Olajuwon's career:

You never hear the Rockets criticized for taking him over Michael Jordan.

[benji]

You can predict these threads before you come in. It'll be the same four or five guys from the last decade along with Bowie.

And is Bowie really an actual "bust"? The guy averaged 14/10 per 36 despite his injuries that completely changed his career trajectory. I mean, he only averaged 13.5/9 in college and his final season was 11/9 so he out performed expectations. (And Jordan was only a 20/5/2 guy in college, it wasn't like he was the guaranteed greatest post-merger player.) The Rockets do deserve criticism for not taking Jordan just as the Blazers do if you're one of those people who like to criticize others for not acting on knowledge they didn't have. The Blazers at least had Drexler and were a 50 win team the year prior, the Rockets wound up starting Lionel Hollins at two-guard.

Plus, it's silly to declare a guy a "bust" simply because he was drafted over a superior player. This is like 95% of all draftees. Outside of Dirk, Carter and Pierce everyone in the 1998 draft was taken over Brad Miller.

Anyway, the real busts are guys mentioned in the gallery like LaRue Martin (5/5 per game on 45% shooting, out of the league in four years), basically everyone in the 1986 Draft, Bo Kimble (he averaged 35ppg as a senior and was out of the league in less than three years), etc. Olowokandi does deserve to be on the list because everything surrounding that pick is incredible.

Also, here's one to think about, how about Steve Francis?

[Lamrock]

Francis was an above-average (albeit overrated) player until he got traded to the Knicks.

[J@3]

The Grizzlies used their #2 pick to get him, he then refused to play for them and they had to trade him for about 90 players. That's a pretty big bust pick.

[Lamrock]

In that sense, Fran Vasquez is the biggest bust of all-time.

[J@3]

You could say Vasquez was a bust, but really pick #2 and #11 are pretty different when it comes to importance for a team. I'd put Francis above even Len Bias, because the Celtics were still good without him.

[Andrew]

Plus, it's silly to declare a guy a "bust" simply because he was drafted over a superior player. This is like 95% of all draftees. Outside of Dirk, Carter and Pierce everyone in the 1998 draft was taken over Brad Miller.

Agreed, though I think you can draw a line. With someone like Sam Bowie or Sam Perkins (the former of course being selected before Michael Jordan and the latter before Charles Barkley and John Stockton), they had respectable careers in their own right and expectations weren't through the roof, as you noted. With someone like Michael Olowokandi, we not only have the benefit of hindsight but even at the time he wasn't exactly a bonafide can't-miss prospect. I'd say that busts are selected before great players, but being selected before a great player doesn't necessarily make a player a bust.

[Mayerhendrix]

To justify the Traylor/Nowitzki deal somewhat, it would've seemed like a good deal at the time: proven domestic basketball star in college for an international player [and those are always risky].

[The X]

To justify the Traylor/Nowitzki deal somewhat, it would've seemed like a good deal at the time: proven domestic basketball star in college for an international player [and those are always risky].

Traylor was about 300 pounds plus at the time & Nowitzki had dropped like 55 points for the international team in the Hoops Summit game....I thought it was a good deal at the time for the Mavs....admittedly I never expected Traylor to be so much of a bust, but Nowitzki seemed like a better prospect....either way, Paul Pierce shouldn't have fallen past 3 to Denver (they picked wrong Jayhawk in Raef LaFrentz)....

[hova-]

Well Traylor was praised as a mini Shaq with his mass and his powerdunks. Nowitzki at that time played in the 2nd division in Germany. Not a high level at all. My respect goes to those guys of the Mavs scouting staff who decided to make things serious with Dirk. Im not really sure wether or not Dirk was the better prospect, X. A skinny german kid playing 2nd division basketball. And also at that time Dirk did not have such a good stroke from midrange and beyond the arc. He was agile and quick for a 7 footer, but his shot was still very raw.

[Sauru]

bowie is not the worst draft ever. the only reason he is ever mentioned is cause jordan went 3rd. the trailblazers did, what any team in the nba would have done at that time, if they already had clyde

[Andrew]

Mel Turpin is perhaps a bigger bust in that Draft (sixth overall), given the way his career turned out and a couple of the players picked after him.

[The X]

Well Traylor was praised as a mini Shaq with his mass and his powerdunks. Nowitzki at that time played in the 2nd division in Germany. Not a high level at all. My respect goes to those guys of the Mavs scouting staff who decided to make things serious with Dirk. Im not really sure wether or not Dirk was the better prospect, X. A skinny german kid playing 2nd division basketball. And also at that time Dirk did not have such a good stroke from midrange and beyond the arc. He was agile and quick for a 7 footer, but his shot was still very raw.

It was the Hoops Summit game that sealed Nowitzki's fate in the lottery

[hova-]

Well Traylor was praised as a mini Shaq with his mass and his powerdunks. Nowitzki at that time played in the 2nd division in Germany. Not a high level at all. My respect goes to those guys of the Mavs scouting staff who decided to make things serious with Dirk. Im not really sure wether or not Dirk was the better prospect, X. A skinny german kid playing 2nd division basketball. And also at that time Dirk did not have such a good stroke from midrange and beyond the arc. He was agile and quick for a 7 footer, but his shot was still very raw.

It was the Hoops Summit game that sealed Nowitzki's fate in the lottery

I know .. I think he had 33 and 14 I read once. Still its pretty optimistic to draft a guy who played good in one game.