Cleveland Cavaliers: Worst Draft Pick Mistakes in Team History

With news of Christian Eyenga being sent down to the Canton Charge, the 30th pick from the 2009 NBA Draft might have seen his last NBA action in Monday's win against the Bobcats. Eyenga's raw athleticism has remained just that, a trait that propels him over opponents in lesser leagues, but remains ineffective in the NBA.

Since 2000, the skill (or luck) of selecting college prospects has diminished among Cavaliers executives. The selection of Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson is hopefully a step in the right direction, but with exception to the player who left the Cavs high and dry for South Beach, not much has gone right for the Cavs in the first round of the draft.

Here's a look at the more notable draft mistakes made by the Cavaliers, along with an extra tease of who could have been taken if the Cavaliers had a better magic ball.

Shannon Brown: No. 25 in 2006

Who Could Have Been Selected: Jordan Farmar, Paul Millsap

Shannon Brown went on to find moderate success with the Los Angeles Lakers, but couldn't find a place in the Cavaliers' rotation during his one-and-a-half year with the team. Brown only played in 38 games for a very competitive Cavalier team.

Christian Eyenga: No. 30 in 2009

Who Could Have Been Selected: Marcus Thornton, DeJuan Blair

Instead of selecting a more proven commodity found in college basketball, the Cavaliers decided to take a chance on the explosive forward from the Congo. Eyenga's impressive dunks caught the eye of fans, but his time spent on the basketball court has predominately been in Europe and the NBDL.

Eyenga is only 22 years old, leaving this "project" far from finished. Only a short drive from Cleveland, Eyenga should star for the Canton Charge, avoiding time wasted on the bench during his continued development.

DeSagana Diop: No. 8 in 2001

Who Could Have Been Selected: Joe Johnson, Zach Randolph, Tony Parker

Averaging an incredible 2.0 points per game over a 556-game career, DeSagana Diop held high expectations from the Cavaliers as a talented but raw center. Diop stuck around Cleveland for four years, never taking much playing time away from Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

Remarkably, Diop is still in the NBA as a member of the Charlotte Bobcats at the age of 30.

Vitaly Potapenko: No. 12 in 1996

Who Could Have Been Selected: Kobe Bryant!

Is it worse to have selected Vitaly Potapenko over Kobe Bryant, or select Kobe Bryant and then trade him to the Lakers?

The Ukraine Train only played two years and change for the Cavs, starting 15 games while averaging 8.6 points at his peak. The Cavs needed to make room for Shawn Kemp in the front court (insert joke here), resulting in trading Vitaly to Boston.

The draft wasn't all bad though, as the Cavaliers selected Zydrunas Ilgauskas with the No. 20 pick.

Dajuan Wagner: No. 6 in 2002

Who Could Have Been Selected: Amare Stoudamire, Caron Butler, Nene Hilario

Dajuan's incredible scoring ability was never realized in a Cavaliers' uniform due to numerous injuries, including his battle with ulcerative colitis that forced him out of the league and the removal of his colon.

The 2001 Naismith Prep Player of the Year made attempts with the Warriors and a European team to make a comeback, but his time away from the game led to a sad end to his career.

Luke Jackson: No. 10 in 2004

Who Could Have Been Selected: Jameer Nelson, Al Jefferson, Kevin Martin, Josh Smith

Luke Jackson's decorated career at Oregon led to the Cavs selecting the sharp-shooting senior to give the team an additional scoring threat. Jackson's back problems continued the poor luck with injured draft picks for the Cavs, allowing Luke to only participate in 46 games, never averaging more than three points a game.

Luke is still looking to keep alive his dream of playing professional basketball, signing with Hapoel Jerusalem B.C. in 2011, after a stint playing for the Idaho Stampede.

Trajan Langdon: No. 11 in 1999

Who Could Have Been Selected: Corey Maggette, Metta World Peace, Andrei Kirilenko

Oh the forwards who could have been coupled with No. 8 pick Andre Miller!

Trajan's entire NBA career was spent with the Cavaliers, 119 games over three years, averaging 5.4 points a game. The former Duke star found his home in the Euroleague, playing for a variety of teams from 2002-2011.

Trajan announced his retirement this past June of 2011, after leading CSKA Moscow to a Russian League Crown.