NBA Playoffs: The Five Most Disappointing Players

Here is a look at the top five most disappointing performers in the first round of this year's NBA playoffs.  An Honorable Mention goes out to Yao Ming, whose presence would have made the Jazz-Rockets series more intriguing and could have possibly helped Tracy McGrady escape the first round.

5.  Carmelo Anthony, Denver Nuggets

While Carmelo Anthony may be a very talented scorer and looks to put up great numbers for the next 10 years, he has had little success in the playoffs.

In five years, he has now lost in the first round five times and has a combined playoff record of 4-20.  This year his Nuggets failed to win a game as Carmelo could not get things going; his scoring fell to 22.5 ppg, and he shot only 36 percent.

This, coupled with lackluster effort, makes one wonder if Carmelo (at the age of 23) has already enjoyed the last championship of his career, when he won in 2003 with Syracuse University.

4.  Andrea Bargnani, Toronto Raptors

Chris Bosh could really use some help in the frontcourt, and so far, the talented Bargnani has failed to live up to his No. 1 pick.  Across the board, his numbers dipped in this his sophomore year, as he seemed to be mired in a season-long shooting slump, finishing the year at 38 percent from the field.

While his regular season was a disappointment, Bargnani managed to produce even less in the postseason, as he scored only 6.4 ppg on 33 percent shooting.

3.  Washington Wizards

For all of their talk, their insults at LeBron, and the hard fouling, they produced little drama. The Wizards could not stop LeBron or the Cavaliers when it mattered.

Even with Gilbert Arenas missing Game Six, the Wizards inexplicably lost in front of a raucous home crowd, allowing LeBron to quiet them down for a second straight first round exit.

2.  Leandrinho Barbosa, Phoenix Suns

In Barbosa's five-year career with the Suns, the team has appeared in the playoffs in each of the past four seasons. In each playoff campaign, Barbosa's shooting percentage has been lower than in the corresponding regular season.

This year against the Spurs was no different, as Barbosa shot only 34 percent from the field and 22 percent from behind the arc, failing to provide any light to spark the offense. 

While the Suns had many costly blunders, particularly letting Game One get away from them, Barbosa's performance was dismal, particularly at a time when another Suns bench player, Boris Diaw, showed flashes of brilliance particularly in Games Four and Five.

1.  Erick Dampier, Dallas Mavericks

While the Mavericks season as a whole was a disappointment, no player was more disappointing during the regular season or the postseason than Dampier.

Dampier, who was expected to produce more with the departure of Desagana Diop, failed to come close to earning his $10 million salary this season.  He finished the regular season averaging only 6.1 ppg, and his playoff production dropped to only 3.6 ppg. 

In the past few seasons, when Dampier has scored, rebounded and defended the lane, the Mavericks have been very successful.

It's no surprise that now that the Mavs' dominance has vanished, so too has Dampier.