NBA's Top Draft Busts by S.I.

[spurscenter]

LaRue Martin, Portland Trail Blazers | No. 1 -- first round, 1972

Portland passed on future Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo to take fellow big man Martin, who never averaged more than seven points in his four NBA seasons. The Loyola product retired in 1976, a year before the Blazers won their first and only championship.

http://i.cnn.net/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/0706/nba.draft.busts/images/martin.jpg

[spurscenter]

Bowie's selection underscores the cardinal rule behind NBA Draftology: You can't draft for need. The Blazers, flush with Jim Paxson and Clyde Drexler on the wings, needed a center and passed on drafting Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and John Stockton. Bowie struggled with injuries throughout his 10-year run and finished with career averages of 10.9 points and 7.5 rebounds.

http://i.cnn.net/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/0706/nba.draft.busts/images/new.lakers.jpg

[spurscenter]

Of the dozens of busts in the '86 draft, most either fell victim to obesity (John "Hot Plate" Williams) or drug problems (William Bedford, Roy Tarpley). Washburn combined the two in one spiraling descent out of the lottery and into oblivion. The North Carolina State product totaled 222 points in 72 career games.

http://i.cnn.net/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/0706/nba.draft.busts/images/gallery19.jpg

[spurscenter]

It never got better for Benson than winning the national title at Indiana. He did stick in the NBA for 10 seasons but produced only three double-digit scoring campaigns.

http://i.cnn.net/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/0706/nba.draft.busts/images/benson.jpg

[spurscenter]

The Pacers pegged Stipanovich as their interior cornerstone, sort of a working-man's version of Ralph Sampson, who was taken No. 1 in the same draft. Stipanovich put up decent numbers for five seasons before a degenerative knee condition ended his career.

http://i.cnn.net/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/0706/nba.draft.busts/images/gallery13.jpg

[spurscenter]

Koncak and Kleine spent the bulk of their time in the NBA cashing in on their right to commit six fouls per game.

http://i.cnn.net/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/0706/nba.draft.busts/images/gallery7.jpg

[spurscenter]

The first in a series of "Next Jordans" flamed out before producing a fraction of what MJ accomplished. Hopson averaged 10.9 points in five seasons.

http://i.cnn.net/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/0706/nba.draft.busts/images/gallery16.jpg

[spurscenter]

Ferry had no interest in playing for the Clippers so he toiled for a season in Italy before Los Angeles agreed to trade his rights. Venerated Cavs GM Wayne Embry made one of the worst moves of his career by sending scoring machine Ron Harper to the Clippers for Ferry, who spent 10 nondescript seasons in Cleveland.

http://i.cnn.net/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/0706/nba.draft.busts/images/gallery11.jpg

[spurscenter]

Find him on a poster near you. To his credit, Bradley developed into a so-so big man who ranks 11th on the all-time list in blocks. He's the perfect example of a player whose draft position colors the perception of his career.

http://i.cnn.net/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/0706/nba.draft.busts/images/gallery9.jpg

[sa_butta]

I couldnt beleive Pervis Ellison was not on that list. I guess there are just too many busts to list.


And BTW, just post the link

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0706/nba.draft.busts/content.1.html?cnn=yes

[spurscenter]

Average in name and game, Smith has had a serviceable career for six teams, but later selections Antonio McDyess, Jerry Stackhouse, Rasheed Wallace and (especially) Kevin Garnett have had better careers.

http://i.cnn.net/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/0706/nba.draft.busts/images/gallery17.jpg

[spurscenter]

The go-to guy for a UCLA team that won the national championship in '95, O'Bannon led the Nets right back into the lottery and played just two seasons in the NBA.

http://i.cnn.net/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/0706/nba.draft.busts/images/gallery2.jpg

[spurscenter]

LOOK AT THE FUNNY PHOTO!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bust-worthy on so many levels. The Kandi Man was taken before future All-Stars Antawn Jamison, Vince Carter, Dirk Nowitzki and Paul Pierce and a host of more suitable selections. Even the final pick of the first round, Nazr Mohammed, has had a much more distinguished career in the pivot.

http://i.cnn.net/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/0706/nba.draft.busts/images/gallery18.jpg

:lol :lol

[spurscenter]

Indiana acquired the draft rights to the preps-to-pros, Kevin-Garnett lookalike for solid big man Antonio Davis. Bender showed tantalizing flashes of his potential but never put it together before cutting short his career because of knee injuries in February 2006.

http://i.cnn.net/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/0706/nba.draft.busts/images/gallery10.jpg

[spurscenter]

The 25-year-old still has time to turn it around, of course, but his body of work -- career averages of 7.7 points and 5.7 rebounds -- suggests that's a longshot.

http://i.cnn.net/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/0706/nba.draft.busts/images/gallery12.jpg

[spurscenter]

Skita created a buzz with his predraft workouts, and that was that. Four teams discarded him in four seasons.

http://i.cnn.net/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/0706/nba.draft.busts/images/new.nuggets.jpg

[spurscenter]

I couldnt beleive Pervis Ellison was not on that list. I guess there are just too many busts to list.


And BTW, just post the link

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0706/nba.draft.busts/content.1.html?cnn=yes

I know they left out PERVIS!!! I cant believe that.

Yea but did it this way to show in one page. I dont mind.

[cherylsteele]

What.......no mention of Alfredrick Hughes??

[ambchang]

I thought Pervis made an All-Star team. He was pretty good for a couple of seasons with Washington before his injuries.

[spurscenter]

Sam bowie is the worst pick ever. passed on jordan!

[u2sarajevo]

Bowie's selection underscores the cardinal rule behind NBA Draftology: You can't draft for need. The Blazers, flush with Jim Paxson and Clyde Drexler on the wings, needed a center and passed on drafting Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and John Stockton. Bowie struggled with injuries throughout his 10-year run and finished with career averages of 10.9 points and 7.5 rebounds.

http://i.cnn.net/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/0706/nba.draft.busts/images/new.lakers.jpgI know this is off topic and I apologize.... but when Rodman was a Spur he was the epitome of bad assedness.

That green hair looked freaky back then, but now it just reeks of "I'm a bad ass and you ain't.".

[GhostofAlfrederickHughes]

What.......no mention of Alfredrick Hughes??
I'm your huckleberry.

[samikeyp]

Average in name and game, Smith has had a serviceable career for six teams, but later selections Antonio McDyess, Jerry Stackhouse, Rasheed Wallace and (especially) Kevin Garnett have had better careers.

and in some ways, he hurt KG's career with all that crap that went down when the T-Wolves got him.

[michaelwcho]

Sam bowie is the worst pick ever. passed on jordan!


This is a silly attitude, a myth. He looked to be an excellent pick at the time. No one knew he would suffer an injury-plagued career, and Jordan would turn into this superman.

For more info:
http://bigbluehistory.net/bb/bowie.html

[2pac]

Portland offered Houston the second pick they used on Bowie for Ralph Sampson.

Houston said hell no.

Houston could have had Hakeem and Jordan.

[slacker77]

The first in a series of "Next Jordans" flamed out before producing a fraction of what MJ accomplished. Hopson averaged 10.9 points in five seasons.

http://i.cnn.net/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/0706/nba.draft.busts/images/gallery16.jpghe looks like chris tucker

[Viva Las Espuelas]

What about Derrick Coleman?

[MrChug]

I couldnt beleive Pervis Ellison was not on that list. I guess there are just too many busts to list.


And BTW, just post the link

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0706/nba.draft.busts/content.1.html?cnn=yes

Ellison DID have a pretty darn good 3rd and 4th season, but started slow and finished slower. Too short and skinny for a center at that time of Dream, D-Rob, Ewing, and even Eaton.

[Findog]

Thanks, this pics are going into my flickr collection:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fashionable_male/collections/72157600256916409/

[florige]

Wasn't JR. Reid like a top ten pick? He sucked royally too in the league.

[Findog]

What about Derrick Coleman?

He had a serviceable NBA career. A lot of these "busts" were just taken too high.

Where is Roy Tarpley on this list? Thanks for screwing up my team RT.

[Guajalote]

Come on now Spurs fans. Let's air out our own closets, shall we? It's been long enough that the bleeding should have stopped by now.

LET'S GIVE IT UP FOR...

http://thedraftreview.com/history/drafted1990/images/dwayne-schintzius.jpg


DWAYNE THE MAN, THE MULLET, THE SECOND OF OUR TWIN TOWERS!!!

[SenorSpur]

I know this is off topic and I apologize.... but when Rodman was a Spur he was the epitome of bad assedness.

That green hair looked freaky back then, but now it just reeks of "I'm a bad ass and you ain't.".

I know it's hindsight, but seeing as how Portland had already had Jim Paxson (who was close to all-star caliber) and then had just drafted Drexler the previous season it's hard to find fault with them for drafting Bowie. They needed a center and he was serviceable, when healthy.

It made absolutely no sense for them to draft Jordan. I know it's easy to crucify the Blazers in hindsight because of how Jordan turned out. However, no one alive expected Jordan to evolve into the best player the world has ever seen.

[bigfish22]

I don't see why you couldn't have condensed all these pictures into one post instead of having each merit its own post. Are you just trying to up your post count?

And what does any of this have to do with the Spurs? Take this to the NBA forum.

Man, now I see what that poll was all about. I should have voted for you

[Vito Corleone]

No list of draft busts is complete without listing Joe Barry Carrol.

The Golden State Warriors trade to the Boston Celtics a 1st round pick and a center named Robert Parrish for the rights to take this guy. The first pick went on to be Kevin Mchale. So in essence they gave up McHale and Parrish for a guy nicnamed Joe Barely Cares.

He is #1 and it is not even close.

[Findog]

http://i.cnn.net/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/0706/nba.draft.busts/images/gallery18.jpg

What's going on with Adrian Griffin's eyes?

[mardigan]

What about Derrick Coleman?
Guys that average 20 and 10 for 3 straight years usually avoid lists like this, guy was a beast before he started getting hurt. His stats will suprise you

[DarkReign]

Darko Milicic

The fact that he hasnt been brought up is deplorable.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

It's so sickening that Kwame Brown was drafted at all. I hate this whole "Ooo he's 18 has lots of upside" bull shit that waters down our game. Yet another disaster for teams that coulda been avoided had he gone to college.

[florige]

Darko Milicic

The fact that he hasnt been brought up is deplorable.


Probably because they are hoping that this kid is going to be a late bloomer in the league.

[Vito Corleone]

Darko is a bust mainly because of what was taken after him, I think out of the top 10 picks that year he is by far the worst.

He is another example of drafting off of potential, the guy didn't even start for his european team and he was expected to come here and be an all-star?

when you draft low like the spurs it pays to take a long shot but when you have the 2nd pick of the draft you go for the sure thing.

[Findog]

Probably because they are hoping that this kid is going to be a late bloomer in the league.

he might end up being a useful player in this league. A lot of what goes into a "bust" has to do with where he's taken.

[whottt]

I don't know how Pervis did against the rest of the NBA...but I sure seem to remember him tearing us up. He was one that seemed to give Drob a lot of trouble, and it seemed like the Spurs had difficulty beating the Bullets for a few years because of Pervis. He is on my mental list of Spurs pain in the ass opponents for some reason...but I can't remember why I put him there now.

[whottt]

Darko is a bust mainly because of what was taken after him, I think out of the top 10 picks that year he is by far the worst.

He is another example of drafting off of potential, the guy didn't even start for his european team and he was expected to come here and be an all-star?

when you draft low like the spurs it pays to take a long shot but when you have the 2nd pick of the draft you go for the sure thing.


Darko is also a bust because the Pistons wouldn't give him a lick of PT...he's basically only been playing NBA Ball for a year and a half, and he's not that bad.

He's not in the league of a lot lottery picks in that draft...but he's not a complete scrub either, Detroit messed up by not playing him IMO.

[MrChug]

Darko Milicic

The fact that he hasnt been brought up is deplorable.

Yah, and I'm pretty ashamed I didn't mention Michael Olawa-cant-play. :depressed

[wildbill2u]

Come on now Spurs fans. Let's air out our own closets, shall we? It's been long enough that the bleeding should have stopped by now.

LET'S GIVE IT UP FOR...

http://thedraftreview.com/history/drafted1990/images/dwayne-schintzius.jpg


DWAYNE THE MAN, THE MULLET, THE SECOND OF OUR TWIN TOWERS!!!
What about Walter Berry? A top collegian at St. Johns, He was taken by Portland at 14 (ahead of their pick of Arvidis Sabonis at 24).

They traded him after 7 games to SA showing Portland knew how to drop a red-hot horseshoe. SA traded him the next year in mid-season. Took us a bit longer to admit a mistake. He was out of the league the next year.

[L.I.T]

Robert Traylor.

Dajuan Wagner.

[RC's Boss]

Portland offered Houston the second pick they used on Bowie for Ralph Sampson.

Houston said hell no.

Houston could have had Hakeem and Jordan.
No shit???? That would have been a NASTY squad for real! Man, from possibly '88-98 they would've been owning the west!