Curse of the Lottery: Biggest Busts Among First Half of NBA First-Round Picks
The big winner stemming from the NBA draft are fans after they can stop mocking the mock drafts, put ESPN's contemporaneous gab fest (featuring never-ending wingspans and manhood-testing Berlitz language course) behind them plus stop enduring the perfunctory day-after winners/losers analysis.
Player ratings projecting future results as a professional are virtually worthless. Does the name Renardo Sidney when he was a high school phenom mean anything to you? Enough said on that topic! Wouldn't you love the Worldwide Leader (in Liberal Lunacy) to replay its glowing comments over the years about platinum pro prospects who subsequently became little more than spare parts sold for "Sanford and Son" scrap?
All hands were on deck for ESPN's draft raft attempting to generate interest comparable to its NFL cruise liner. At least journalistic jewel Jalen Rose didn't label any Duke draftee as an "Uncle Tom" as part of his Fraud Five routine (no Big Ten Conference crown) before the network finally issued hipster a pink slip the next week. On the other hand, Rose could have previously had legitimate reasons to dump on the Dookies, who were beset with more than their share of lottery-pick underachievers in a 14-year span from 1993 through 2006 (William Avery, Bobby Hurley, Trajan Langdon, Cherokee Parks and Shelden Williams).
Of course, the talent level required to compete for an extended period in the NBA is off the chart. Despite ESPN's hype regarding the NBA draft, no one should have wasted his time watching the inconsequential second round unless you are a family member. Since the NBA draft went to two rounds in 1989, only about one-third of the second-round picks eventually played in three or more seasons in the league.
Amid the pedestrian post-draft dogma from ESPN's First Take and FS1's Undisputed occasionally is a disgusting manufactured smearing of American-born white centers unworthy of their draft status because of skin color. Do the know-it-alls really believe Chris Andersen, Nick Collison, Michael Doleac, Matt Geiger, Kris Humphries, Joe Kleine, Jon Koncak, Meyers Leonard, Will Perdue, Mason Plumlee, Joel Przybilla, Joe Wolf, etc., survived so long in the NBA as honkey backups because of some sort of racial quota? Debating Humphries' intellect regarding divorce drama with kinky Kim Kardashian is quite another matter. Did the cable networks' staggering show prep convince them that aforementioned whiteys had less impact on the league than previous top six picks such as William Bedford, Robert "Tractor" Traylor, Hasheem Thabeet, Ekpe Udoh, Chris Washburn; let alone Williams? At times, it seems as if former partners Skip Baseless and Screamin' A. Stiff, plus their sanctimonious sidekicks with respective networks, are more impressed by formerly incarcerated Bedford, who was known as "Willie B" - as in "Will he be at practice?" Bedford was picked by Phoenix in 1986 ahead of Ron Harper Sr. and Dell Curry. That monumental miscue was almost as bad as the Suns' international insult in 2016 selecting Dragan Bender (Croatia) over Buddy Hield and Jamal Murray plus subsequently-traded Georgios Papagiannis (Greece) over Caris LeVert and Pascal Siakam.
Naturally, front-office executives make mistakes. But do you trust professional scouts who've evaluated prospects countless times to meet specific franchise needs or ill-equipped commentators? ESPN's occasional tasteless crew, sorely in need of a 12-step program to cure race baiting, viewed the collegians a handful of times with one eye on the nearest mirror but think they absorbed just enough information to spew racial garbage comparable to WNBA wizard Natasha Cloud.
Baseless, likely still receiving therapy from being blindsided by former colleague Rose about his Oklahoma high school playing credentials, and Stiff, a self-proclaimed expert apparently because he briefly sat on the end of coach Big House Gaines' bench at Winston-Salem State, along with their colleagues, have stereotypically tried to cite every first-round Caucasian big man who failed to become an All-Star. Meanwhile, the delusional dolts conveniently overlook a striking number of African-American frontcourt busts; many of whom didn't boast the academic credentials to be on a college campus in the first place.
The NBA draft lottery was introduced in 1985 when Wake Forest felon forward Kenny Green became the inaugural lottery-pick flop (selected ahead of Karl Malone, Joe Dumars, A.C. Green and Terry Porter). As lousy as Chris Washburn's selection was at #3 the following year by Golden State, the biggest blunder by the Warriors involving a North Carolina State frontcourter was 10 years later in 1996 when they chose Todd Fuller ahead of eventual MVPs Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash. Yikes! Golden State officials should have a self-imposed banishment for life from setting foot in Raleigh, N.C., arena.
Any dialogue regarding dreadful draft decisions should be based on a fair share of context and facts; not a superficial color-coding perspective resembling an ambulance chaser. Taking up the slack for cable TV's inane social engineering, following are the biggest NBA flops - yes, there are some Caucasians - among the top 14 picks in lottery-era drafts:
No. 1 pick - UNLV's Anthony Bennett (2013 - one choice ahead of Victor Oladipo and nine choices ahead of CJ McCollum/averaged 4.4 ppg and 3.1 rpg while shooting 39.2% from the floor in four NBA seasons)
No. 2 - Connecticut's Hasheem Thabeet (2009 - one choice ahead of James Harden, five choices ahead of Stephen Curry and seven ahead of DeMar DeRozan/2.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg and 0.8 bpg in five seasons)
No. 3 - Gonzaga's Adam Morrison (2006 - five choices ahead of Rudy Gay/7.5 ppg and 2.1 rpg while shooting 37.3% from the floor in three seasons) and North Carolina State's Chris Washburn (1986 - one choice ahead of Chuck Person and five choices ahead of Ron Harper Sr./3.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg and 0.2 bpg in two seasons)
No. 4 - Croatia's Dragan Bender (2016 - two choices ahead of Buddy Hield and three ahead of Jamal Murray/5.4 ppg while shooting 39.9% from the floor in four seasons)
No. 5 - Australia's Dante Exum (2014 - one choice ahead of Marcus Smart and two choices ahead of Julius Randle/5.7 ppg and 1.8 rpg while shooting 40.7% from the floor in six seasons); Croatia's Mario Hezonja (2015 - six choices ahead of Myles Turner/6.9 ppg and 3.1 rpg while shooting 41.7% from the floor in five seasons); Kansas' Thomas Robinson (2012 - one choice ahead of Damian Lillard and two choices ahead of Harrison Barnes/4.9 ppg and 4.8 rpg in five seasons), and Duke's Shelden Williams (2006 - three choices ahead of Rudy Gay and six ahead of J.J. Redick/4.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg and 0.5 bpg in six seasons)
No. 6 - Memphis State's William Bedford (1986 - two choices ahead of Ron Harper Sr. and nine ahead of Dell Curry/4.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg and 0.5 bpg while shooting 41.6% from the floor in six seasons); Texas Tech's Jarrett Culver (2019 - seven choices ahead of Tyler Herro/6.5 ppg and 2.8 rpg while shooting 40.1% from the floor in first four seasons); Cincinnati's DerMarr Johnson (2000 - two choices ahead of Jamal Crawford/6.2 ppg and 2.2 rpg while shooting 41.1% from the floor in seven seasons); Oklahoma's Stacey King (1989 - five choices ahead of Nick Anderson and six ahead of Mookie Blaylock/6.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg and 0.5 bpg in eight seasons); Michigan's Robert "Tractor" Traylor (1998 - three choices ahead of Dirk Nowitzki and four ahead of Paul Pierce/4.8 ppg and 3.7 rpg in seven seasons); Baylor's Ekpe Udoh (2010 - three choices ahead of Gordon Hayward and four ahead of Paul George/3.5 ppg and 2.9 rpg in seven seasons), and Czech Republic's Jan Vesely (2011 - three choices ahead of Kemba Walker and five ahead of Klay Thompson/3.6 ppg and 3.5 rpg in three seasons)
No. 7 - Duke's Bobby Hurley (1993 - three choices ahead of Lindsey Hunter and four ahead of Allan Houston/3.8 ppg and 3.3 apg while shooting 35.3% from the floor in five seasons)
No. 8 - West Virginia's Joe Alexander (2008 - one choice ahead of D.J. Augustin and two choices ahead of Brook Lopez/4.2 ppg and 1.8 rpg while shooting 41% from the floor in two seasons); BYU's Rafael Araujo (2004 - one choice ahead of Andre Iguodala/2.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg and 0.1 bpg while shooting 40.5% from the floor in three seasons); Arizona's Stanley Johnson Jr. (2015 - five choices ahead of Devin Booker/6.2 ppg and 3.1 rpg while shooting 39.1% from the floor in first eight seasons); Loyola Marymount's Gregory "Bo" Kimble (1990 - three choices ahead of Tyrone Hill/5.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg and 0.9 apg while shooting 38.6% from the floor in three seasons); France's Frank Ntilikina (2017 - five choices ahead of Donovan Mitchell and six ahead of Edrice "Bam" Adebayo/4.8 ppg and 2.2 apg while shooting 37.1% from the floor in first six seasons); Michigan State's Shawn Respert (1995 - two choices ahead of Kurt Thomas and 13 ahead of Michael Finley/4.9 ppg and 1 apg while shooting 41.4% from the floor in four seasons), and Michigan's Nik Stauskas (2014 - five choices ahead of Zach LaVine and 17 ahead of Clint Capela/6.7 ppg and 1.5 apg while shooting 38.9% from the floor in six seasons)
No. 9 - Arizona State's Ike Diogu (2005 - 12 choices ahead of Nate Robinson and 13 ahead of Jarrett Jack/6 ppg and 3.1 rpg in six seasons); North Carolina's Eric Montross (1994 - one choice ahead of Eddie Jones and four choices ahead of Jalen Rose/4.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg and 0.6 bpg in eight seasons); UCLA's Ed O'Bannon Jr. (1995 - one choice ahead of Kurt Thomas and 12 choices ahead of Michael Finley/5 ppg and 2.5 rpg while shooting 36.7% from the floor in two seasons); Bradley's Patrick O'Bryant (2006 - two choices ahead of J.J. Redick and 12 ahead of Rajon Rondo/2.1 ppg, 1.4 rpg and 0.4 bpg in four seasons); Georgetown's Michael Sweetney (2003 - nine choices ahead of David West and 12 ahead of Boris Diaw/6.5 ppg and 4.5 rpg in four seasons), and Indiana's Noah Vonleh (2014 - four choices ahead of Zach LaVine/4.7 ppg and 4.9 rpg in eight seasons)
No. 10 - BYU's James "Jimmer" Fredette (2011 - one choice ahead of Klay Thompson and five choices ahead of Kawhi Leonard/6 ppg and 1.4 apg in six seasons); Oregon's Luke Jackson (2004 - five choices ahead of Al Jefferson and seven ahead of Josh Smith/3.5 ppg and 1.2 rpg while shooting 35.7% from the floor in four seasons), and Sudan's Thon Maker (2016 - one choice ahead of Domantas Sabonis/4.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg and 0.7 bpg in five seasons)
No. 11 - Kansas' Cole Aldrich (2010 - seven choices ahead of Eric Bledsoe/3.1 ppg and 3.3 rpg in eight seasons); Connecticut's James Bouknight (2021 - two choices ahead of Chris Duarte, four ahead of Corey Kispert, five ahead of Alperen Sengun and six ahead of Trey Murphy III/5.1 ppg and 1 apg while shooting 35.3% from the floor in first two seasons); North Carolina State's Todd Fuller (1996 - two choices ahead of Kobe Bryant and four ahead of Steve Nash/3.7 ppg, 3 rpg and 0.3 bpg while shooting 42.2% from the floor in five seasons); Duke's Trajan Langdon (1999 - two choices ahead of Corey Maggette, five ahead of Ron Artest and seven ahead of James Posey/5.4 ppg, 1.3 rpg and 1.3 apg while shooting 41.6% from the floor in three seasons); Texas A&M's Acie Law IV (2007 - one choice ahead of Thaddeus Young and 37 choices ahead of Marc Gasol/3.9 ppg and 1.6 apg while shooting 41.3% from the floor in four seasons), and UCLA's Jerome Moiso (2000 - five choices ahead of Hedo Turkoglu/2.7 ppg and 2.7 rpg in five seasons)
No. 12 - Connecticut's Hilton Armstrong Jr. (2006 - nine choices ahead of Rajon Rondo and 12 ahead of Kyle Lowry/3 ppg and 2.6 rpg and 0.5 bpg in six seasons); Wake Forest's Kenny Green (1985 - one choice ahead of Karl Malone, six choices ahead of Joe Dumars, 11 ahead of A.C. Green and 12 ahead of Terry Porter/4.4 ppg and 1.7 rpg while shooting 41.2% from the floor in two seasons); Kansas' Xavier Henry (2010 - seven choices ahead of Avery Bradley/5.7 ppg and 1.9 rpg while shooting 40.6% from the floor in five seasons); Georgia's Alec Kessler (1990 - seven choices ahead of Dee Brown and 15 ahead of Elden Campbell/5.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg and 0.3 bpg in four seasons); Russia's Yaroslav Korolev (2005 - nine choices ahead of Nate Robinson and 10 ahead of Jarrett Jack/1.1 ppg while shooting 28.3% from the floor in two seasons); Duke's Cherokee Parks (1995 - one choice ahead of Corliss Williamson, two choices ahead of Eric Williams, three ahead of Brent Barry, four ahead of Alan Henderson, five ahead of Bob Sura and six ahead of Theo Ratliff/4.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg and 0.6 bpg in nine seasons), and Alabama's Joshua Primo (2021 - one choice ahead of Chris Duarte, three choices ahead of Corey Kispert, four ahead of Alperen Sengun and five ahead of Trey Murphy III/5.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg and 1.8 apg while shooting 37.2% from the floor in first two seasons)
No. 13 - Tennessee's Marcus Haislip (2002 - 10 choices ahead of Tayshaun Prince and 22 ahead of Carlos Boozer/3.5 ppg and 1.5 rpg in four seasons); Alabama's Kira Lewis Jr. (2020 - two choices ahead of Cole Anthony, six ahead of Saddiq Bey and eight ahead of Tyrese Maxey/5.8 ppg and 1.9 apg while shooting 40.1% from the floor in first three seasons); North Carolina's Kendall Marshall (2012 - seven choices ahead of Evan Fournier/5 ppg while shooting 39.9% from the floor in four seasons); Greece's Georgios Papagiannis (2016 - seven choices ahead of Caris LeVert and 14 ahead of Pascal Siakam/4.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg and 0.6 bpg in two seasons); Boston College's Jerome Robinson (2018 - one choice ahead of Michael Porter Jr. and six choices ahead of Kevin Huerter/4.5 ppg and 1.8 rpg while shooting 36.3% from the floor in three seasons); BYU's Michael Smith (1989 - one choice ahead of Tim Hardaway and four ahead of Shawn Kemp/5 ppg and 1.5 rpg in three seasons), and Kansas' Julian Wright (2007 - one choice ahead of Al Thornton, two choices ahead of Rodney Stuckey and three ahead of Nick Young/3.9 ppg and 2.3 rpg in four seasons)
No. 14 - Duke's William Avery Jr. (1999 - two choices ahead of Ron Artest and four ahead of James Posey/2.7 ppg and 1.4 apg while shooting 33% from the floor in three seasons); Louisville's Earl Clark (2009 - three choices ahead of Jrue Holiday/4.4 ppg and 3 rpg in six seasons); Michigan State's Mateen Cleaves (2000 - two choices ahead of Hedo Turkoglu, three ahead of Desmond Mason and four ahead of Quentin Richardson/3.6 ppg and 1.9 apg while shooting 38.9% from the floor in six seasons); George Washington's Yinka Dare (1994 - one choice ahead of Eric Piatkowski, three choices ahead of Aaron McKie and nine ahead of Wesley Person/2.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg and 0.6 bpg in four seasons); Oregon State's Scott Haskin (1993 - 10 choices ahead of Sam Cassell/2 ppg, 2 rpg and 0.6 bpg in one season); Nebraska's Rich King (1991 - 10 choices ahead of Rick Fox/1.9 ppg, 1 rpg and 0.1 bpg in four seasons); Indiana's Romeo Langford (2019 - 14 choices ahead of Jordan Poole/4.6 ppg and 2.1 rpg in first four seasons), and Arkansas' Moses Moody (2021 - two choices ahead of Alperen Sengun and three ahead of Trey Murphy III/4.6 ppg and 1.6 rpg in first two seasons)