2011 NBA Draft: Power Ranking Every No. 1 Draft Pick Since 1980
The 2011 NBA draft will be here before you know it and whoever is taken with the first-overall pick will join an elite company and some company they'd rather not be mentioned in the same sentence with.
With that in mind, we've broken down every first-overall pick since 1980 and ranked them from worst to best. As always, if you have any thoughts, make sure to leave them below. Who do you think the best pick was in that time span?
On the flip side, who do you think was the worst?
No. 31: Kwame Brown (2001)
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Kwame Brown was the first high-schooler to go first-overall and he fell flat on his face.
Brown has become the subject of countless jokes for his skill, or lack there of, since he debuted. He's been a total bust and has bounced around the league and usually gets booed by the home fans at every destination.
He is, quite possibly, the greatest bust of all time.
No. 30: Michael Olowokandi (1998)
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When you're supposed to be the savior of the Los Angeles Clippers, you should probably at least average double digits in something.
Michael Olowokandi averaged a measly 8.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per-game. For a first-overall pick, that's atrocious. There are no words to describe how bad of a pick this was and how big of a bust he was in the NBA.
It didn't take long for him to fizzle out of the league, and rightfully so.
No. 29: Greg Oden (2007)
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I figured I'd use a picture of Greg Oden in street clothes, because that's all we've really seen him in.
Oden's career has been plagued by injuries from the start and he's barely been able to stay on the floor so we have no idea what to expect from the big man out of Ohio State. This was a concern with Oden and they've been realized in Portland.
Oh, what could have been if the Blazers took Kevin Durant instead.
No. 28: Joe Smith (1995)
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When you're drafted before Kevin Garnett and Rasheed Wallace, you better play well, only it never happened.
Smith had a relatively strong start to his career, but he never was able to piece it all together and has become a journeyman in the league, picking up minutes here and there and never really contributing much on the court.
To be quite frank, Smith was an utter bust.
No. 27: Pervis Ellison (1989)
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Pervis Ellison came out of college as Never Nervous Pervis, but never really got a chance to live up to his nickname.
Ellison's career was ravaged by injuries and he missed huge gaps of time with various injuries and it destroyed his career. In fact, it got so bad that Danny Ainge, a teammate at the time, nicknamed him Out of Service Pervis.
If that isn't salt in the wound, I don't know what is.
No. 26: Danny Manning (1988)
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Danny Manning came out of Kansas with a ton of promise, but he never really could reach the highest peaks in the NBA.
Manning had injury issues and he had a long career, but ended up bouncing around the league with numerous teams for a bunch of years before finally retiring. It's always a shame to see talented players have their skills sapped from them because of injuries.
However, averaging 14 points and five rebounds isn't a terrible stat line for a career.
No. 25: Andrea Bargnani (2006)
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Andrea Bargnani is a big man that plays like a shooting guard.
Bargnani puts no effort into defense or rebounding and settles for outside jump shots and puts up empty numbers on bad teams. Not only that, but he's soft and has no makeup that will translate to him being a franchise player.
That's all you can really say about the Italian big man.
No. 24: Joe Barry Carroll (1980)
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When you earn the nickname "Joe Barely Cares," you're not doing much right.
However, contrary to that opinion, Joe Barry Carroll was a productive NBA player, even if he wasn't Kevin McHale, who was selected third in the 1980 draft. Carroll averaged 17.7 points and 7.7 rebounds a game in his career, so it wasn't all lost.
It hasn't stopped people from unfairly labeling him a bust.
No. 23: Ralph Sampson (1983)
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Ralph Sampson came out of Virginia with a ton of expectations.
The problem is, he never lived up to any of them. Sampson didn't have a terrible career, averaging 15.4 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, but he struggled with injuries at times and didn't have a terribly long career either.
Sometimes players are over-hyped, and Sampson was one of them.
No. 22: John Wall (2010)
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This ranking will change over the years, but John Wall has to sit here because of what we've seen from him so far.
Wall has shown a feel for the game, only the thing is that he doesn't have much in terms of talent around him. Once the Wizards surround him with talent, he's going to be getting Blake Griffin-type attention, attention he deserves.
If it weren't for Griffin, Wall would be the Rookie of the Year.
No. 21: Brad Daugherty (1986)
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Injuries cut his career short, but Brad Daugherty had a pretty good career, considering it didn't have much in terms of longevity.
Daugherty was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers and played his entire career there, averaging 19 points and 9.5 rebounds per-game. I know it doesn't say much, but he was a unanimous selection to the Cleveland Cavaliers all-time team.
There is no telling what his career would have looked like if he had been able to stay healthy.
No. 20: Kenyon Martin (2000)
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Kenyon Martin was the first pick in the 2000 draft, and while he hasn't lived up to that billing, the whole draft stunk.
In fact, only three players — Martin, Jamaal Magloire and Michael Redd has ever made an All-Star Game out of the first round of that draft. It was a horrible, horrible draft and the Nets can't really be blamed for whiffing on the pick. New Jersey got some great years out of him before he went to Denver.
Injuries also slowed Martin down and limited his impact and skill set.
No. 19: Blake Griffin (2009)
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I'm not going to try and project Blake Griffin, because that simply wouldn't be fair.
However, I will pencil him in for a Rookie of the Year award, because that's inevitable at this point for Blake Superior. We missed a year of his career because of knee surgery, but he came back and he has dunked all over this league.
If he keeps this up, that's frightening to think about. He'll be all over posters for years to come.
No. 18: Andrew Bogut (2005)
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Andrew Bogut has quietly put up a really solid stat line during his short career.
Bogut is averaging 12.7 points and 9.4 rebounds per game with the Milwaukee Bucks and plays solid defense on top of it. Milwaukee is trying to build around him with Brandon Jennings, but the Bucks only have a first-round playoff exit last year to show for it.
If the Bucks can get more talent around him, Bogut could really show off his skill set.
No. 17: Larry Johnson (1991)
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Continuing with the theme of some of these early slides, Larry Johnson lost a lot of his potential because of injury.
Johnson had an explosive style that led to some notoriety in the league, but a back injury forced him to change his playing style and eventually, the power forward never really was the same again, especially during his later years with the New York Knicks.
The man still did win Rookie of the Year and had some really productive seasons with the Charlotte Hornets.
No. 16: Derrick Coleman (1990)
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Derrick Coleman had so much potential, but he wasted it.
Coleman came into the league and won the Rookie of the Year award and looked to be on the way to a great career. But after that, Coleman started to become a major issue in the locker room and also had issues staying in shape.
DC fizzled out of the league and really wasted a great opportunity.
No. 15: Glenn Robinson (1994)
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Glenn Robinson had a ton of talent, only his knees just wouldn't cooperate.
Robinson had a lot of promise when he came into the league and he certainly put up monster seasons early on in his career, but he had multiple issues with his knees, and it really took a lot of the tools out of the box for Robinson.
He ended his career going out on top with San Antonio in 2005 and hasn't played since.
No. 14: Mark Aguirre (1981)
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Mark Aguirre isn't a name that will blow you away, but he's a guy that was a major part of two championship teams.
He was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks and played there for most of his career, before being traded to the Detroit Pistons in 1989. Aguirre then helped the Pistons win back-to-back championships before seeing his minutes cut in Detroit. The small forward then finished up his career with the Los Angeles Clippers.
While he's not always talked about when it comes to the greats, 20 points and five rebounds a game is nothing to scoff at.
No. 13: Elton Brand (1999)
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Elton Brand is probably one of the more under-appreciated players in the league today.
Brand isn't a dominant force by any stretch of the imagination, but he is certainly a solid player that can give you a double-double, or close to it, every night out. A knee injury has slowed him down a bit, but Brand is a guy that is contributing to a feisty Sixers team.
He averaged 18.9 points and 9.6 rebounds for his career. That's a pretty hearty stat line.
No. 12: Yao Ming (2002)
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While injuries have really hurt Yao Ming's career at this point, he still has been a dominant player.
Yao has averaged 19 points and 9.2 rebounds for his career and if his feet hadn't betrayed him, we'd be talking about how he was having one of the better careers from a center in recent memory. He's hurt again and who knows what's next for the big man.
A change of scenery and a better medical staff might do him well, but with his size and stature, it's unlikely anything will change.
No. 11: Derrick Rose (2008)
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Derrick Rose is taking the leap, and it's only his third season.
Rose has turned into an elite point guard in this league and he's playing MVP-caliber basketball this year. The Chicago Bulls look like one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference and a serious threat to make a deep run in the playoffs.
A lot of that is because of Rose, who has helped the team overcome injuries to Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah.
No. 10: Chris Webber (1993)
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Chris Webber was originally drafted by the Orlando Magic, but was traded to the Golden State Warriors before he ever played a game.
Webber was a dominant player during his career, but it was a knee injury that really took his explosiveness away and changed his career drastically. Before that, he won the Rookie of the Year award. Despite the injuries, he averaged 20.7 points and 9.8 rebounds for his career.
Eventually, he'll end up in the Hall of Fame for his body of work, even if he doesn't have a ring.
No. 9: James Worthy (1982)
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There weren't many players with a clutch gene like Big Game James.
James Worthy went first-overall to Los Angeles and he was a playoff monster for the Lakers. For his career in the postseason, Worthy averaged 21 points, five rebounds, four assists and shot 51 percent from the floor.
Furthermore, in Game 7 of the 1988 Finals, Worthy put up a 36 point, 16 rebound, 10 assist game to help the Lakers win the title. That's all you really need to know about Worthy's pedigree.
No. 8: Dwight Howard (2004)
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Dwight Howard has turned into a monster this year, and that's scary for the rest of the NBA.
Howard has already been to one Finals and now that he's starting to really hone his skills on the low post, he's really starting to dominate games more than he had in the past. He's still young and has plenty of basketball ahead of him.
We're going to see some great things from Superman in the future.
No. 7: Patrick Ewing (1985)
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Even though Patrick Ewing never truly dominated the NBA like people thought he would, there's no denying Ewing's impact on the game.
Ewing is a member of the 20,000 point, 10,000 rebound club and the man averaged 21 points and nine rebounds for his career. The low rebound numbers have a lot to do with Ewing hanging on longer than he should have, playing with Seattle and Orlando before retiring.
Also hurting his legacy was that his teams either came up short or played better without him on the floor.
No. 6: Allen Iverson (1996)
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He may be a polarizing figure, but no one can deny Allen Iverson's talent.
Few players have captivated the league quite like Iverson and no one will ever forget how he carried the Sixers to the NBA Finals and then stole a game in Los Angeles for Philadelphia. Eventually, he wore out his welcome and was as much of a headache as he was talented.
Iverson is out of the league and most recently played in Turkey, and that's no way it should end for the Answer.
No. 5: David Robinson (1987)
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Some players just look like basketball players, and David Robinson looks made for the NBA.
The Admiral had every skill and physical tool needed to succeed at the pro level, but Robinson didn't win a championship until Tim Duncan came to down and helped lead San Antonio to the championship in 1999 and 2003.
There's no telling what Robinson's final numbers would have looked like had he not missed a couple of years because of his obligations with the Navy, which cost him two seasons.
No. 4: LeBron James (2003)
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This may be a sore subject for Cleveland fans everywhere, but LeBron James is an all-world talent.
He took the Cavaliers on his back and led them to a Finals appearance and gave the city a team to root for and that it could be proud of. As we all know, he's now in Miami with the Heat after leaving on national television.
It was an ugly situation, but there's nothing you can say that can take away from his skill on the basketball court.
No. 3: Shaquille O'Neal (1992)
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Look at how in-shape Shaq is there.
There is no denying it, Shaquille O'Neal is one of the most dominant players to ever come into the NBA. Shaq took the league by storm, especially after some of the other great centers retired. What O'Neal did in some of those Lakers Finals runs will never be forgotten.
While Shaq is kind of playing out the rest of his days, we should remember the days when O'Neal would dominate games and playoff runs.
No. 2: Hakeem Olajuwon (1984)
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There aren't many players quite like Hakeem Olajuwon.
The Dream is simply one of the greatest big men of all time and he had a low-post arsenal that is one of the most versatile of all time. Olajuwon won two championships with the Rockets and averaged 21.8 points per game to go with 11.1 rebounds.
Who could ever forget the way Olajuwon dominated Shaquille O'Neal in the 1995 NBA Finals? The Dream scored at least 30 points in every game in that series as the Rockets swept the Magic.
No. 1: Tim Duncan (1997)
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When you're the greatest power forward of all time, you have to get the top spot on this list.
Tim Duncan has quietly had one of the greatest careers of any player in recent memory and will go down as one of the top players in the history of the game. He may not be as flashy as some of the other players in the NBA, but he's just as talented.
Enjoy him while he's still around, because he's one of the most fundamentally sound players in the history of the game.
