Atlanta Hawks' Top 10 Worst Draft Picks of All Time

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After losing starting center Al Horford, the Atlanta Hawks have been struggling to win games over sub .500 teams.  They've been getting demolished by teams with winning records and are still paying Joe Johnson's contract.

We figured it was an appropriate time, then, to examine some of the team's greatest blunders though the years in the NBA draft (of which there are many).

You've got to find some humor through the pain, right?

10. Acie Law

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Draft Position

11th overall pick, 2007 NBA Draft

Picked Before:

Thaddeus Young, Rodney Stuckey, Glen Davis

Acie Law is often forgotten because he was picked in the 2007 NBA Draft along with Al Horford, who ended up being one of the best draft picks that the Atlanta Hawks ever made.  

Despite being an All-American point guard for Texas A&M, Law never amounted to much in the NBA, averaging just 4.2 PPG and 1.6 APG.  

After bouncing around to several NBA teams during his career, Law is currently playing overseas in Greece.

9. George Trapp

Draft Position

5th overall pick, 1971 NBA Draft

Picked Before:

Fred Brown, Curtis Rowe, Spencer Haywood

Despite having an excellent college career while attending Long Beach State, George Trapp was not able to do much besides be a role player in the NBA.  After two disappointing seasons for the Atlanta Hawks, Trapp was traded to the Detroit Pistons, where he played for four more seasons before ending his career.

Trapp averaged 8.8 PPG and 3.9 RPG for his career. 

8. Al Wood

Draft Position

4th overall pick, 1981 NBA Draft

Picked Before:

Steve Johnson, Tom Chambers, Rolando Blackman, Kelly Tripucka, Larry Nance, Danny Ainge

After being a dominant scorer for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels, Al Wood was never able to transfer his collegiate scoring abilities to the NBA.

Wood ended up playing six NBA seasons for four different NBA teams before retiring.  He averaged 11.8 PPG and 3.0 RPG for his career.  

7. Marvin Williams

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Draft Position

2nd overall pick, 2005 NBA Draft

Picked Before:

Deron Williams, Chris Paul, Andrew Bynum, Danny Granger, David Lee

Marvin Williams declared for the NBA draft after only one year coming off the bench for the University of North Carolina.  He has since spent his time in the NBA as a mediocre scorer, often sitting on the bench in late-game situations for the Hawks.

While his current career averages of 11.7 PPG and 5.4 RPG are not terrible by any stretch, those stats fall far short of the expectations for someone that was the second overall pick in the draft over Chris Paul.

6. Shelden Williams

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Draft Position

5th overall pick, 2006 NBA Draft

Picked Before:

Brandon Roy, Rudy Gay, J.J. Redick, Rajon Rondo

Shelden Williams left Duke University as their all-time record holder for blocked shots and rebounds, as well as being considered a consensus First Team All-American.

After he was drafted by the Hawks, his level of play came nowhere close to matching his dominant college days.  He has since been bouncing around to various NBA teams that are still hoping some of his first-glance potential exists.

Williams is currently averaging 4.5 PPG and 4.0 RPG for his career.

5. DerMarr Johnson

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Draft Position

6th overall pick, 2000 NBA Draft

Picked Before:

Jamal Crawford, Hedo Turkoglu, Quentin Richardson, Jamaal Magloire, Michael Redd

It is very telling that DerMarr Johnson's career is more well known for his various run-ins with the law than the potential he showed coming out of the University of Cincinnati in 2000.

After short stints with various NBA teams, Johnson is currently playing basketball in South America.

He averaged 6.2 PPG and 2.2 RPG for his career. 

4. Keith Edmonson

Draft Position

10th overall pick, 1982 NBA Draft

Picked Before:

Lafayette Lever, Eric "Sleepy" Floyd, Ricky Pierce

Even though the Hawks ended up acquiring their all-time greatest player (Dominique Wilkins) from this draft via trade, their actual draft pick barely made an impact on the franchise's history.

Keith Edmonson averaged 21.3 PPG as a senior with Purdue University, who made the Final Four that season.  His explosive scoring ability did not transfer to the NBA, however.

Edmonson only played in 87 games during his four-year professional career, averaging 6.0 PPG. 

3. Rumeal Robinson

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Draft Position:

10th overall pick, 1990 NBA Draft

Picked Before:

Tyrone Hill, Jayson Williams, Elden Campbell, Antonio Davis, Cedric Ceballos

After helping to lead the University of Michigan to a national title in 1989, Rumeal Robinson skipped his senior season to enter the NBA draft.  He went on to play for six teams during his six-year career before retiring from basketball.

Robinson is currently serving a prison sentence for bank fraud.

2. Adam Keefe

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Draft Position

10th overall pick, 1992 NBA Draft

Picked Before:

Robert Horry, Malik Sealy, Hubert Davis, Latrell Sprewell

While playing at Stanford University, Adam Keefe led the Pac-10 for three seasons and was the conference's fifth all-time scorer.

His collegiate skill of dominating opponents under the basket never blossomed in the NBA.  Keefe averaged a mere 5.0 PPG and 4.1 RPG during his NBA career, only two years of which were spent with the Atlanta Hawks.

1. John Koncak

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Draft Position

5th overall pick, 1985 NBA Draft

Picked Before:

Chris Mullin, Detlef Schrempf, Charles Oakley, Karl Malone, Joe Dumars, A.C. Green, Terry Porter, Michael Adams

In one of the best drafts in NBA history, the Atlanta Hawks chose Southern Methodist University's 7 foot center John Koncak over future Hall of Famers Karl Malone, Detlef Schrempf, and Joe Dumars, along with a host of other All-Star caliber players.

To make matters worse, Koncak was eventually signed to a $13.1 million dollar contract in 1989.  At the time, this gave him a higher salary than Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson.  Considering that he was averaging a mere 6.2 PPG and 6.1 RPG (and coming off the bench) back then, you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who thought he was worth the price the Hawks were paying for him.

Koncak eventually developed a reputation as a reliable defender during his career, but his low scoring combined with his ridiculous draft position and salary gave him an infamous spot in Atlanta Hawks lore than many fans would rather forget.