10 Infamous NBA Draft Busts of the past 10 Years

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Now that the NBA Draft is o-v-a, let’s critique the past before we venture into the future.

What a much better title to a (classic?) movie trilogy!!!
Venture to the Future!!!
Okay, not so much.

There are EASY busts to find, as you’ll see below, but I want to change things up a little bit. It’s just my style…

Here are the “guidelines”:
A) I’ll display the EASY pick (or picks) after my own selection.
B) Only one sentence of justification (I hope).
C) I’ll share a BUST I predicted correctly and a BOOM I didn’t see coming.
D) I’ll try and eliminate bias. Key word: try.

2008 – #6. Danilo Gallinari (New York via Italy)
I may chew on these words in the coming years (hope I do!), yet I wonder far too often if passing up on Brook Lopez, Eric Gordon, or even Jerryd Bayless may haunt Donnie Walsh from his first season as Knicks GM.

Easy Pick: #8 Joe Alexander (Milwaukee via West Virginia)
BUST: Tougher thank you think to isolate…
BOOM: #22 Courtney Lee (Orlando via Western Kentucky)

2007 – #1. Greg Oden [Portland via Ohio State]
Nobody hopes I’m wrong more than me; HOWEVER, as of now (AS OF NOW), he’s a BUST. As of now…

Easy Pick: #7 Corey Brewer (Minnesota via Florida)
BUST: #20 Jason Smith (Philadelphia via Colorado State)
BOOM: #26 Aaron Brooks (Houston via Oregon)

2006 – #3. Adam Morrison [Charlotte via Gonzaga]
As sloppy an early 1st round (save teammates Brandon Roy & LaMarcus Aldridge thus far) you’re likely to see in recent memory, this first round was a mess altogether; made no better by another somewhat baffling selection by the GM known as MJ.

Easy Pick: #10 Mouhammed Sene (Seattle via Belgium)
BUST: #9 Patrick O’Bryant (Golden State via Bradley)
BOOM: #21 Rajon Rondo (Boston via Kentucky)

2005 – #6. Martell Webster [Portland via Seattle Prep School]
While many of the names after him didn’t far any better, Webster was a high schooler who was chosen specifically because of how he shot the deep ball, which still makes no sense to me at all.

Easy Pick: #11 Fran Vazquez (Orlando via Spain)
BUST: #12 Yaroslav Korolev [LA Clippers via Russia]
BOOM: #30 David Lee [New York via Florida]

2004 – #10. Luke Jackson [Cleveland via Oregon]
A personal favorite of mine, the former Duck was a sensational college scorer who fell flat on his face in a far-too-athletic NBA.

Easy Pick: #8 Rafael Araujo (Toronto via BYU)
BUST: #13 Sebastian Telfair (Boston via Mean Streets of Brooklyn)
BOOM: #26 Kevin Martin (Sacremento via Western Carolina)

2003 – #2. Darko Milicic [Detroit via Serbia]
Perhaps the “too easy pick”, Milicic went to a STACKED Detroit roster after a guy named LeBron and before guys named Carmelo, Bosh, and Wade.

Easy Pick: #9 Michael Sweetney [New York via Georgetown]
BUST: #10 Jarvis Hayes [Washington via Georgia]
BOOM: #18 David West [New Orleans via Xavier]

2002 – #2. Jay Williams [Chicago via DOOK]
A motorcycle crash, nearly fatal, in 2003 rocked the career of the former collegiate standout; nevertheless, questions had remained concerning Williams’ size and decision making abilities.

Easy Picks: #5 Nikoloz Tskitishvili [Denver via Italy] & #6 Dejuan Wagner [Cleveland via Memphis]
BUST: #12 Melvin Ely (LA Clippers via Fresno State)
BOOM: #34 Carlos Boozer (Cleveland via DOOK)

2001 – #9. Rodney White [Detroit via Charlotte]
Whenever you mention 2001, you think Kwame Brown; however, White – the National Freshman of the Year – left the NBA in 2005 with little to nothing to show for his career.

Easy Pick: #11 Kedrick Brown (Boston via Okaloosa-Walton Community College)
Too Easy Pick: #1 Kwame Brown (Washington via Michael Jordan’s machinations)
BUST: #17 Michael Bradley (Toronto via Villanova)
BOOM: #10 Joe Johnson (Boston via Arkansas Southern)

2000 – #6. DeMarr Johnson [Atlanta via Cincinnati]
58 selections and only 3 All-Stars (Kenyon Martin, Jamaal Magloire, & Michael Redd) emerged, none more telling a sign than the journeyman Johnson, who may have rode the coattails of fellow first-round pick Kenyon Martin to far too high of a selection.

Easy Pick: #4 Marcus Fizer [Chicago Bulls via Iowa State]
BUSTED: #7 Chris Mihm [Cleveland via Texas]
BOOM: #37 Eddie House [Miami via Arizona State]

Note: This draft was an absolute blood bath. God bless Michael Redd for making something of this train wreck of "talent".

1999 – #15. Frederic Weis [New York Knicks via France]
Perhaps best known as the ultimate “poster” for Vince Carter, Weis was taken over Queens’ own Ron Artest and never signed with the Knicks to play a single game in the NBA.

Easy Pick: #5 Jonathan Bender [Indiana Pacers via Picuyane High School]
BUSTED: #11 Trajan Langdon [Cleveland via DOOK]
BOOM: #9 Shawn Marion [Phoenix via UNLV]

Now it’s YOUR turn to bring out your disappointments and surprises.
Well come on!!!

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