NBA Power Rankings: The 36 Most Worthless Players in the League

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There are many superstars in the NBA, make no mistake.

On the flip side, there are "un-stars"—guys who couldn't put a ball through a hoop to save their life.

Whether they're overpaid (like Luke Walton), a bust (Hasheem Thabeet) or just a terrible player (Brian Scalabrine), there are horrible players all around us, and they all (including Jamaal Magloire, pictured above) have their reasons for being worthless.

Understanding that each and every one of these players, except maybe the White Mamba, could take me in a game of one-on-one, here are the 36 most worthless players in the NBA.

Don't hesitate to let me know if I missed out on someone, as this was a ridiculously tough topic to research.

 

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36. Charlie Villanueva

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The Pistons are in complete shambles, and a portion of it has to do with Charlie Villanueva and his bad attitude.

He's actually dismal on both sides of the floor and isn't doing anything for Detroit's club.

35. Sebastian Telfair

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Sebastian Telfair is a shining example of how name recognition can keep a guy in the league as long as he pleases.

The fact of the matter is that Telfair is the third-string point guard on one of the NBA's worst clubs, and that in and of itself is pretty embarrassing.

34. Josh Childress

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Uh oh, three-point specialists!

There's a new sheriff in town, and his name is Josh Childress!

Childress drained a jaw-dropping 6.3 percent of his treys this season, his first back in the NBA after his European stint.

Oh, wait, no one really cared when he came back, except for Sporting News Magazine, which foolishly declared him one of the 20 best offseason acquisitions.

33. Yi Jianlian

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I never miss a chance to rip on Yi Jianlian.

To refresh your memory, he is the 7'0" Chinese import who was the Ricky Rubio of 2007—a guy who didn't want to play for Milwaukee, but decided that it was the best thing for him because he was indeed the best thing since sliced bread.

And now?

He averaged 5.6 points per game for the Wizards last season.

32. Greg Oden

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Greg Oden in a suit; I'm not surprised.

Unfortunately for the Blazers, he has only suited up in 82 games over his four-year career due to injury.

If healthy, he can be a good center, but I'm not exactly sure his worth is at an all-time high right about now.

31. Hamed Haddadi

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When you've been in the league for three years and your career high is 10 points, you know you're a given for this list.

Hamed Haddadi does practically nothing for the Grizzlies.

30. Brian Cook

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I'm going to be totally honest with you—I thought Brian Cook was just an injured-reserve mainstay on the Clippers.

In actuality, the 6'9" big played 40 games for the Clips this season. He did, however, average only 4.8 points during those contests.

Doesn't that prove he's pretty worthless?

29. Brian Cardinal

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Brian Cardinal is one of the more hilarious characters in the NBA.

"The Custodian" is also pretty worthless outside of his hustle.

For some reason or another, he actually played in last night's game and has played in other NBA Finals games, therefore making his standing lower on the list.

28. Nate Robinson

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I'm sorry if you love Nate Robinson, but the truth needs to be out there. He's really nothing more than a dunker anymore.

The fans were going nuts when he hit that three for Oklahoma City in the playoffs. 

Doesn't that say something about how odd that was for him to do?

27. DeMarre Carroll

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I hate to pick on former Missouri Tigers, but I just can't let DeMarre Carroll go unmentioned in this slideshow.

It's not like he wasn't given a chance in the league, either. I mean, he averaged a paltry 12 points per 48 minutes in his rookie year, and it didn't get any better during his sophomore campaign.

26. Lazar Hayward

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Sure, he's a rookie.

That doesn't mean he isn't worthless, though.

25. Chris Duhon

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In seven seasons in the association, Chris Duhon has been an extremely disappointing contributor.

In Orlando this past season, he has played third wheel at point guard to Jameer Nelson and Gilbert Arenas.

24. Rashard Lewis

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When you make $20.5 million this season and are due for $45 million more over the next two seasons, you had better be a darn good basketball player.

Rashard Lewis, however, played in only 32 games and scored a mediocre (for someone being paid that much) 11.4 points per game.

You've got to be kidding me. That averages out to over $56,000 per point for the 31-year-old Lewis.

23. Dan Gadzuric

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At least it looks like he's trying to defend Carlos Boozer in the picture.

Regardless, how has Dan Gadzuric pulled together a nine-year career?

22. Patrick Ewing Jr.

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Patrick Ewing Jr. joins Luke Walton on the all-"I'm only on a roster because my dad was a good NBA player" team.

Since I couldn't find any pictures of him in the pros, here he is in college three years ago.

21. Steve Novak

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I hate to rip on former Marquette Golden Eagles, but Steve Novak is about as one-dimensional as it gets with his three-point shooting.

If you're 6'10" and you average 1.1 rebounds per game, you are definitely worthless.

20. Jon Brockman

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Jon Brockman is a lousy NBA player, to say the least.

Oh wait, that's about all you can say about him.

19. Brian Skinner

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I could have a field day with Brian Skinner and why he is worthless, but I'll just leave it at this: Skinner (shown here playing for the Clippers) played six minutes this year with the Bucks.

Throughout the whole season.

18. Joey Dorsey

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I can guarantee Chris Bosh is about to utter these words to Joey Dorsey: "Ha! You suffered a severe drop-off from college and now your 2007-08 season doesn't exist anymore! Ha!"

Dorsey is a non-factor in the NBA. That's just the best way to put it.

17. Francisco Elson

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Aren't big men supposed to average better than 2.2 points and 1.9 boards in 10 minutes of play?

I guess someone forgot to tell Francisco Elson.

16. Anthony Carter

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Anthony Carter is clapping in the picture on the left.

Why?

Because he averaged three points per game in 14 minutes of play this season, his 12th in the association.

His career scoring average of 4.7 makes for confusing conversation on why he is still in the league.

15. Kosta Koufos

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Just another disappointing center from Ohio State (B.J. Mullens and Greg Oden lurk elsewhere on this list), Kosta Koufos has averaged a whopping 3.3 points and 2.3 rebounds over the course of his less-than-spectacular career.

14. DeSagana Diop

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DeSagana Diop is already nine seasons into his mediocre career, and yet he is still in his 20s.

And for the longest time now, he's been pretty useless as a post player.

This past season, he averaged a paltry 1.3 points and 2.5 rebounds per game.

13. Darnell Jackson

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To sum up how worthless Darnell Jackson actually is, you must look at this picture.

See it? He's wearing a Cavs jersey.

Yeah, well he's not a Cavalier anymore.

On the bright side, he had a career year in Sacramento, averaging an astounding 3.2 points per game!

12. Tony Battie

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Tony Battie has long been one of the NBA's most worthless players.

In a career spanning 13 seasons, Battie has never averaged better than eight points or six rebounds.

11. Charlie Bell

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Charlie Bell has always been a mediocre NBA player at best.

Now that he's a third-string point guard on a pretty weak team, his standing dramatically rises!

10. Erick Dampier

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Once upon a time, Erick Dampier was one of the coolest players.

And by "coolest" I mean coolest names to hear on Kobe Bryant NBA Courtside from 13 years ago.

For now, he's a paltry center at a crowded position down in South Beach.

9. Jamaal Magloire

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Jamaal Magloire is one of the most useless players in all of the NBA.

And it's not like the Heat are loaded at center, either, which makes his inclusion on their roster even more puzzling.

8. Johan Petro

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The fact that this guy still has a full-time job (he played 77 games this season) is a mockery to centers everywhere. 

Johan Petro averaged just 3.5 points in just under 12 minutes per game this season for the Nets.

7. Theo Ratliff

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When you score two points in 50 minutes in 10 games over the course of a season, you know you're a worthless player.

6. Jeff Foster

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I don't understand what exactly it is, but for some reason Jeff Foster has held a spot in the Pacers rotation for 12 years.

In that time, he has never averaged better than seven points or nine rebounds in a single season.

To top it off, he's started well over 300 games in his career.

Where do I sign up?

5. Joe Smith

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I'm not sure which feat is more impressive—having belonged to a dozen rosters in the NBA, or the fact that he's still on one.

Nonetheless, Joe Smith, 16 years into his career, is doing nothing too spectacular.

Unless you consider averaging 0.5 points per game to be amazing.

4. B.J. Mullens

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Just file B.J. Mullens under "disappointing Ohio State busts" and we'll be on our way.

No need to mention the 1.2 career scoring average that he sports.

3. Hasheem Thabeet

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Hasheem Thabeet is one of the biggest fails in recent NBA history, but for some reason (and if it's possible) he's underrated in the bust department.

A supposed "block specialist," Thabeet has averaged less than one throughout his career in that category.

2. Brian Scalabrine

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Brian Scalabrine is one of those players who is in the league for reasons unbeknownst to me or any other basketball fan.

What's even more confusing is that "the White Mamba" has a ring.

1. Luke Walton

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Luke Walton was at one point a decent NBA player.

Now that those days have come and gone quickly, the $12 million per the Lakers owe him over the next two seasons is laughable.

Bill's son is definitely a waste of money and one of the worst players to ever collect multiple rings, ever.