NBA Draft 2011: Player Each Team Drafted That Never Lived Up to Full Potential
Some of you may be thinking to yourself that you've seen plenty of lists like this one before, but trust me when I say that you probably haven't.Ā
This is different than a simple list of each team's biggest draft bust of all-time. It's a list of the player for each team that was highly touted but failed to live up to the expectations that weighed upon their shoulders for the bulk of their career. You're going to see some big names here.Ā
From the "next Michael Jordans" to the international players who never even ventured over to the United States, the following 30 players can all be summed up in one word: disappointing.Ā
Read on to find out who they are.Ā
(N.B. Because media hype has grown as time has progressed, expectations have similarly risen in recent years, meaning that this list is biased towards modern players)
Atlanta Hawks: Shelden Williams
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The Landlord absolutely dominated the paint during his stellar career with the Duke Blue Devils. He was a two-time defensive player of the year and joined Tim Duncan and Ralph Sampson as the only members of the 1,500-point, 1,000-rebound and 350-block club for ACC players.Ā
Most people thought that his dominant style of play would translate to the NBA, and thus the expectations reached a high point when the Atlanta Hawks drafted Shelden Williams with the fifth overall pick of the 2006 NBA draft.Ā
But Williams proved to be a giant bust and never lived up to the potential so many thought he had. The big man lasted only two years with the Hawks before he was shipped off to Sacramento. His career high averages still remain the 5.5 points and 5.4 rebounds he put up during his rookie season.Ā
Boston Celtics: Joe Forte
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Joe Forte played at Chapel Hill for two seasons before declaring himself eligible for the 2001 NBA draft. In that short time with the North Carolina Tar Heels, he managed to be named the 2000 ACC Rookie of the Year and the 2001 ACC Men's Basketball Player of the Team.Ā
Scouts drooled over the potential he oozed out of him at times during his two seasons at the collegiate level, and Forte was selected by the Boston Celtics at No. 21. It quickly proved to be a mistake.Ā
Forte, who was selected before fellow guards Gilbert Arenas and Tony Parker, lasted in the NBA for two seasons before ineffectiveness and legal troubles ended his career at the sport's highest level, forcing him to ply his trade overseas.Ā
Charlotte Bobcats: Adam Morrison
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After a stellar career with Gonzaga that saw him battle it out with J.J. Redick for the title of best collegiate basketball player, Adam Morrison drew many comparisons to superstars like Larry Bird. Despite the 70's-style mustache and the shaggy hair, Morrison seemed to be destined to become a star.Ā
The Charlotte Bobcats drafted the former Bulldog with the No. 3 pick of the 2006 NBA draft, but he quickly saw his playing time lessened thanks to a shooting slump and poor defense. Morrison would never really get another shot at proving himself, especially after he suffered a brutal knee injury.Ā
Morrison has won a few rings with the Los Angeles Lakers, but his role was really just to keep the bench warm. I can't help but wonder if he would have blossomed in the right situation, because Morrison was so incredibly talented and never got his fair shake in the NBA.Ā
Chicago Bulls: Marcus Fizer
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As an Iowa State Cyclone, Marcus Fizer received countless accolades despite playing for a small school not traditionally known as a basketball powerhouse. Fizer led the Big 12 in scoring twice and was named a consensus All-American at the conclusion of his junior season.Ā
All of that was enough for him to become one of the potential "next Michael Jordans." Somewhat ironically, Fizer was drafted by Jordan's own team, the Chicago Bulls, with the No. 4 pick in the 2000 NBA draft.Ā
Now playing in Puerto Rico, the heavily-tattoooed Fizer averaged just 9.6 points per game during his NBA career and didn't remind too many people of No. 23.Ā
Cleveland Cavaliers: Danny Ferry (Kind Of)
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Now the Vice President of Basketball Operations for the San Antonio Spurs, Danny Ferry was at one point a draft selection of the Cleveland Cavaliers who really just failed to pan out. He was one of the most highly touted high school recruits before committing to play at Duke during his college years.Ā
Ferry was a two-time All-American (first team once and second team once) and is one of the greatest players in both Blue Devils' history and ACC history. Hoping that his talent would translate to the pro game, the Los Angeles Clippers selected Ferry with the No. 2 pick of the 1989 NBA draft, but the college star decided against playing for the Clippers and went instead to Italy.Ā
Tired of the situation, Los Angeles dealt his rights to Cleveland, the team with which Ferry would spend the vast majority of his career. The forward who once drew comparisons to Larry Bird averaged as high as 13.3 points for a season, but never became anywhere near the star he was expected to be.Ā
Dallas Mavericks: Doug Smith
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Even though he has one of the most generic names imaginable, Doug Smith was at one point expected to become a star. This was largely in part to his incredible play in college at the University of Missouri, where Smith performed so well that his number was retired by the Tigers.Ā
The Dallas Mavericks selected Smith with the No. 6 pick on the 1991 NBA draft, but they were most assuredly not rewarded for the selection. Smith would only spend five seasons in the NBA.Ā
The first few were with Dallas before he finished up his career in Boston, eating clam chowder with the rest of the Celtics. Smith averaged just eight points per game over the course of his career, a far cry from the dominant numbers he was expected to put up.Ā
Denver Nuggets: Nikoloz Tskitishvili
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One of the worst draft picks ever made in any sport, Nikoloz Tskitishvili was selected by the Denver Nuggets with the No. 5 pick of the 2002 NBA draft.Ā
Let's hear just a few of the nice things said about Tskitishvili through the years:Ā
ESPN columnist Bill Simmons called him "the worst-case scenario for any foreign pick."
Simmons' colleague at ESPN, David Schoenfield, ranked the selection of Tskitishvili as the 30th-worst pick of all-time in any sport.Ā
Obviously the 7'0" Georgian who averaged 2.9 points and 1.8 rebounds per game during his four seasons in the NBA didn't live up to his ridiculously high potential.Ā
Detroit Pistons: Darko Milicic
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Often called one of the biggest busts in the history of the NBA draft, Darko Milicic was selected by the Detroit Pistons at No. 2 in the 2003 NBA draft.Ā
The Serbian was highly thought of at the time and expected to develop into an all-time great, but he never really received consistent playing time, at one point leading him to say, "I've said it 10,000 times, the best way for me to improve is to play. All the work in practice and individual workouts can only help me so much."
Regardless of the reason, Milicic by no means became a star. He's bounced around from team to team throughout the years and is currently enjoying a bit of a career upswing in Minnesota. But his career averages of 6.1 points and 4.3 rebounds per game remain very disappointing indeed.Ā
Golden State Warriors: Chris Washburn
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Some people have said before that a picture can speak a thousand words. This picture proves that phrase.Ā
Chris Washburn averaged 17.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game during his one full season at North Carolina State, but even then major red flags were being sent up. The 6'11" center with remarkable athleticism, great size, soft hands and impressive speed for a man of his stature never attended classes, was caught stealing a stereo, and had his work ethic questioned repeatedly.Ā
His potential outweighed the potential problems in the minds of the Golden State brass, who selected Washburn with the third-overall pick in the 1986 NBA draft.Ā
Washburn lasted just two seasons in the NBA, averaging 3.1 points and 2.4 rebounds per game in the 72 games he participated in, before failed drug tests spelled the end of his NBA career.Ā
Houston Rockets: Yao Ming
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Yao Ming, the 7'6" Chinese center currently with the Houston Rockets, has been a fantastic player when he's been on the court. But therein lies the problem; Ming is simply never healthy.Ā
Ming was the No. 1 pick in the 2002 NBA draft and the Rockets expected him to become the cornerstone that they could build their franchise around.Ā
During his championship-less career, Ming has averaged 19.0 points and 9.2 rebounds per game, but he's missed way too many games. His feet simply can't hold up his massive body.Ā
It's a shame that injuries derailed a promising career, but that doesn't hide the fact that Yao was never truly able to live up to his potential.Ā
Indiana Pacers: Jonathan Bender
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Jonathan Bender, a 7'0" power forward from Picayune Memorial High School, was incredibly hyped going into the 1999 NBA draft. After all, the young man seemed to have an incredible amount of athleticism and all-around basketball skill to go along with his impressive size.Ā
The Toronto Raptors let the hook sink into their metaphorical lip when they selected Bender with the No. 5 pick of the draft, expecting Bender to become a surefire All-Star.Ā
However, Bender just never really got it going and injuries dramatically shortened his career. Now that his comeback with the New York Knicks is over, Bender will go down with career averages of 5.5 points and 2.2 rebounds.Ā
Los Angeles Clippers: Michael Olowokandi
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The Kandi Man is just one of the many draft busts in the history of the beleaguered Los Angeles Clippers organization, but Michael Olowokandi is perhaps the biggest of them all.Ā
Even though he first touched a basketball at age 17, Olowokandi managed to average 22 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks per game during his senior season at the University of the Pacific. It was enough to tempt the Clippers into drafting him because of his insanely high ceiling.Ā
That ceiling turned out to merely be an illusion though, as Olowokandi never panned out. When he retired in 2007, he did so with averages of 8.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, hardly impressive stuff. There were flashes of greatness, but not one flash was sustained.Ā
Los Angeles Lakers: Andrew Bynum
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It may very well prove to be too soon in Andrew Bynum's career to put him on this list, but I truly believe that it's the right decision.Ā
Bynum dominated high school basketball while playing at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North, Solebury School and St. Joseph High School, averaging 19.2 points, 14.9 rebounds and 5.6 blocks per game. At the tender young age of 17, Bynum elected to go pro and was drafted by the Lakers at No. 5 in the 2005 NBA draft.Ā
He would quickly become the youngest player to ever step on the court in an NBA game, but since then, injuries have hindered both the career and the development of the seven-footer. There's still time, but Bynum is nowhere near the player many expected him to become.Ā
Memphis Grizzlies: Stromile Swift
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The headlining bust of the putrid 2000 NBA Draft, Stromile Swift was drafted second overall out of LSU by the Vancouver Grizzlies.Ā
Swift led the LSU Tigers to a Sweet 16 appearance during his time there and displayed a tantalizing amount of potential in college, enough to justify his status as such a high pick. Unfortunately, his NBA career could not justify the selection.Ā
The power forward, who now plays in the Chinese Basketball Association, finished his NBA career averaging 8.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. I guess he should be happy that he's gotten to do a lot of traveling?
Miami Heat: Harold Miner
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Any time your nickname is Baby Jordan, you know that high expectations have been placed upon your shoulder. For some reason, such was the case with Harold Miner. That reason, though, was probably that the basketball nation was truly desperate for the next star.Ā
Miner was drafted No. 12 in the 1992 NBA draft by the Miami Heat after an impressive collegiate career at USC and then helped spread the Miner-fever by winning the Slam Dunk Contest as a rookie.Ā
All you need to know is that Miner's career point total is less than Jordan's career offensive rebounds total. He didn't exactly live up to his potential.Ā
Milwaukee Bucks: Vin Baker
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Sports Illustrated once deemed Vin Baker "America's Best Kept Secret" because the forward toiled away in obscurity at Hartford despite averaging 28.3 points per game during his senior season after posting 27.6 points and 9.9 rebounds per game the year before.Ā
NBA scouts picked up on his ridiculous talent though, and drafted Baker with the eighth pick of the 1993 NBA draft.Ā
Baker quickly made four All-Star teams, but then his game immediately dropped off. His weight soared to over 300 pounds and his numbers fell precipitously. The former great revealed that he was a recovering alcoholic and that substance abuse was ruining his career.Ā
He was never the same.Ā
Minnesota Timberwolves: Isaiah Rider
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Another of the potential "next Michael Jordans," Isaiah "J.R."Ā Rider was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the fifth pick of the 1993 NBA draft. He had shown off his skills at both junior college and UNLV, where he was named a second-team All-American at the end of his senior season.Ā
Rider won the Slam Dunk Contest one year after he was drafted and started off his career with two strong seasons. But then he started getting in trouble and wasting his potential.Ā
You won't believe this, but just read what Rider did wrong during his NBA career:
Insubordination towards Minnesota management, fifth-degree assault for kicking a female manager of a sports bar, marijuana possession, illegal cell phone usage by altering it to charge calls to someone else's bill, gambling in public, another marijuana possession, spitting at a heckler, multiple arrests in Atlanta, insubordination towards Atlanta management, parking in the spot of Atlanta Thrasher's head coach Curt Fraser and missed practices.
Wow.Ā
New Jersey Nets: Dennis Hopson
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Ohio State's all-time leading scorer was a prolific shooter with great size and passing abilities for a shooting guard. He seemed like a sure thing to succeed in the NBA after becoming an All-American and leading his team in both scoring and rebounding during his final season in Columbus.Ā
But Dennis Hopson fell apart after he was drafted by the New Jersey Nets with the No. 3 pick of the 1987 NBA draft. He would only last in the NBA for five seasons.Ā
Hopson led the Nets in scoring during the 1989-1990 season with 15.8 points per game--by far his most successful campaign--but he still only lasted for five years. He will always be remembered as a player who couldn't live up to his potential.Ā
New Orleans Hornets: J.R. Reid
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J.R. Reid is one of the most heavily recruited players to ever come out of high school. He was named 1986 Gatorade and USA Today high school player of the year and was ranked as the No. 1 prospect by many sources. Reid decided to attend North Carolina and played well enough there to eventually become the fifth pick of the 1989 NBA draft by the Charlotte Hornets.Ā
Reid didn't do much at the sport's highest level though. He averaged just around 11 points per game during each of his first three seasons in the NBA, but then his production began to trail off into nothingness.Ā
After 11 seasons in the league, Reid retired with averages of 8.5 points and five rebounds per game. His retirement was not greeted with the same type of fanfare that was expected when he first came into the league.Ā
New York Knicks: Frederic Weis
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The 7'2" French center was drafted at No. 15 in 1999 by the New York Knicks, but Frederic Weis still hasn't played a single game in the NBA. It's hard to beat that type of "not living up to your potential" in the NBA.Ā
In fact, Weis is still most famous for "Le dunk de la mort," or "the dunk of death." And no, Weis was not on the giving end of this dunk. Rather, he was literally jumped over by Vince Carter during the 2000 Summer Olympics.Ā
Hey, at least Weis has played well at points in Europe!
Oklahoma City Thunder: Danny Vranes
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Danny Vranes led Skyline High School to the Utah high school basketball championship and then went on to become a great scorer at the University of Utah.Ā
He impressed teams to such an extent with his consistent scoring abilities that he was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics, now of course the Oklahoma City Thunder, with the No. 5 pick of the 1981 NBA draft with the expectations that he would become a producer of a lot of points in the NBA.Ā
This was not the case though, as Vranes only lasted for seven years in the NBA and never averaged more than 8.4 points per game. In fact, over the course of his career, Vranes put up just 5.1 points per contest.
At least he was a good defender.Ā
Orlando Magic: Fran Vazquez
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Much like Frederic Weis and the New York Knicks, Fran Vazquez is on the list because he has literally never stepped onto an NBA court, thus coming nowhere near fulfilling his lofty potential in the NBA.Ā
Vazquez was drafted by the Orlando Magic in 2005 with the 11th-overall pick, but he decided to stay in Spain with his girlfriend and continued to play in the Spanish ACB League.Ā
Technically, the Magic still retain his rights if he ever stops playing in Europe, but I wouldn't count on him ever coming across the pond. Vazquez is still only 28 though, so who knows what will eventually unfold.Ā
Philadelphia 76ers: Shawn Bradley
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A prolific shot-blocker in high school and at BYU, Shawn Bradley was also fully capable of putting up points and pulling down rebounds in bunches. All of those things appealed to NBA scouts, but the most tantalizing thing about Bradley was his 7'6" frame.Ā
The Philadelphia 76ers drafted Bradley with the No. 2 pick in the 1993 NBA draft, overlooking the fact that he was rather lanky and uncoordinated. The Shawn Bradley Experiment lasted just two seasons before he was traded to the New Jersey Nets.Ā
Bradley was a great shot-blocker in the NBA, but the rest of his game left something to be desired, and he never developed into the dominant low-post presence that he was expected to become. He retired averaging 8.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game.Ā
Phoenix Suns: William Bedford
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After a successful career at Memphis, William Bedford was drafted with the No. 6 pick of the 1986 NBA draft by the Phoenix Suns with the expectation that he would become a great player at the professional level.Ā
Those dreams definitely did not come to fruition. Bedford, a seven-footer, played for the Suns, the Detroit Pistons and the San Antonio Spurs during his six seasons in the league, averaging 4.1 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.Ā
Drugs then ruined both his career and his life, at least to some extent. Bedford has been arrested for drug possession multiple times, once when he was caught with 25 pounds of marijuana in 2001. Bedford was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2003 and currently serves his time in a Fort Worth prison until his release in 2013.Ā
Portland Trail Blazers: Greg Oden
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Greg Oden absolutely dominated the college basketball world during his one season at Ohio State and then became fully embroiled in a battle for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft with Texas' Kevin Durant.Ā
Oden won in the end, but that was the last time he got the best of Durant, who is now a two-time scoring champion in just four seasons.Ā
The big Buckeye, on the other hand, has dealt with knee trouble and foul issues for the duration of his still-short NBA career and has never been able to put together even one good season. There's still time for Oden to turn his career around, but he's currently averaging 9.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in the 82 games he's played since he was drafted in 2007.Ā
Sacramento Kings: Pervis Ellison
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Never Nervous Pervis led Louisville to a national championship in his first season as a Cardinal, winning the tournament's award for Most Outstanding Player in the process. That made him the first freshman to win that award since Arnie Ferrin did so back in 1944.Ā
After four successful years at Louisville, the Sacramento Kings made Ellison the No. 1 overall pick of the 1989 NBA draft, but injuries hampered him to such an extent that teammate Danny Ainge nicknamed him Out of Service Pervis.Ā
Injuries remained a problem for Ellison throughout his career and never gave him a fair chance to live up to his potential. He retired averaging 9.5 points and 6.7 rebounds per game over the course of his 11 years in the league. During that time, he only played in of 474 of 902 possible contests.Ā
San Antonio Spurs: Johnny Dawkins
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Johnny Dawkins had a fairly decent career at Duke. He was the Blue Devils' all-time leading scorer until J.J. Redick came along, and helped lead his team to a 37-3 record during his senior season. That year, which saw Dawkins' team lose to Louisville in the championship game, the point guard averaged 20.2 points per game and was named the Naismith College Player of the Year.Ā
Many expected Dawkins' success to carry over to the next level, especially the San Antonio Spurs, who deemed him worthy of the 10th-overall pick in the 1986 NBA draft. It is a true testament to the franchise's drafting prowess that Dawkins takes this spot on the slideshow because he still had a decent career; he just never lived up to the reputation that preceded him from his college glory days.Ā
Dawkins played in the league for nine seasons, averaging 11.1 points, 5.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game.Ā
Toronto Raptors: Vince Carter (Kind Of)
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Vince Carter, who was drafted at No. 5 in the 1998 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors and immediately traded to the Toronto Raptors, has enjoyed a stellar NBA career.Ā
Carter was the 1999 Rookie of the Year and has since made eight All-Star Teams and thrown down countless highlight-reel plays while averaging 22.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.Ā
So, you may ask, why is Mr. Carter on this list at all?
Well, of all the players hailed as potential "next Michael Jordans," Carter did the least with the most. Talent-wise, he's one of the all-time greats as he has a tremendous blend of athleticism and skill.Ā
As anyone who has read Bill Simmons' "Book of Basketball" knows, Carter was too lackadaisical during his prime and failed to live up to his potential by quite a good bit. He could've been an all-time great and wasn't.Ā
Utah Jazz: Jose Ortiz
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At Oregon State, Jose Ortiz played two seasons and managed to be selected as an All-American once and the Pac-10 Player of the Year once as well.Ā
Playing in the National Superior Basketball League of Puerto Rico and various European leagues, Ortiz dominated as well.Ā
He was good enough that the Utah Jazz thought he could be great in the NBA, therefore spending the 15th overall pick of the 1987 NBA draft on him.
But Ortiz would only play in the NBA for two seasons. He averaged 2.9 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.Ā
Washington Wizards: Kwame Brown
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The first No. 1 overall pick to be drafted straight out of high school, Kwame Brown was very highly thought of. Note that "was" is a very key word in the previous sentence.Ā
Hand-picked by Michael Jordan, Brown had incredibly high expectations placed upon him, but he failed to live up to them in any way thanks to a combination of immaturity and a simple lack of production.Ā
Brown is now a member of the Charlotte Bobcats, interestingly enough associating him with MJ once more, and he's playing better than he has in quite some time. However, despite that, he's still only averaging 6.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game during his career.Ā
