Indiana Pacers: Worst Draft Picks of the Larry Bird Era

The Indiana Pacers made a big splash on draft night by taking forward Kawli Leonard from San Diego State with the 15th pick in the first round and then promptly trading him to the San Antonio Spurs for guard George Hill.

Hill, an Indianapolis native and an IUPUI graduate, joins the Pacers coming off an 11.6 ppg with 2.5 assists average as a Spur last year.

In addition to giving up the promising Leonard, the Pacers also sent second-round pick Davis Bertans and Erazem Lorbek (a 2005 second-rounder) to the Spurs.

Larry Bird, who has had a more prominent role on draft day since Donnie Walsh's departure as president of the Pacers in early 2008, has a checkered history with the draft. Some of his motivation for trading for Hill may stem from his bad experience with the draft since 2003.

While it remains to be seen how Hill will fit in with the Pacers in 2011-2012 and beyond, he is at least a known commodity.

Much of the Pacers' futility since the Brawl at the Palace in 2004 can be attributed to poor draft picks who failed to pan out. This slideshow will showcase the worst Pacers draft picks since 2003 and will explain why they struck out so miserably.

Pacers Signee Sarunas Jasikevicius Couldn't Stop Anyone

Although not technically a draft pick, the Pacers did sign international phenom and former Maryland Terrapin Sarunas Jasikevicius to a three-year, $12 million deal in 2005. Jasikivecius showed flashes of clutch shooting and good penetration skills as the best player on the Maccabi Tel Aviv Euroleague squad. 

Folks in the NBA really took notice of him during the 2004 Olympics, however. Lithuania beat a sluggish Team USA behind the strength of Jasikevicius' 28 points.

Once in the NBA, Jasikevicius suffered due to his lack of athleticism. He just couldn't defend the quicker guards in the NBA, and his liability on that end of the floor limited his playing time.

In addition, he never established himself as a shooter and he couldn't get to the basket fast enough to get past or around the big men.

After a lackluster first year with the Pacers (Jasikevicius claims that then-Pacers coach Rick Carlisle misled him when he promised him that he'd be a key part of an up-tempo offense) the Pacers sent Jasikevicius to the Golden State Warriors as a part of a mammoth trade.

Jasikevicius never caught on in Golden State, either. He played in just twenty-six games for the Warriors in 2006, averaging a paltry 4.3 points-per-game.

Shortly thereafter the Warriors bought out his contract and Jasikevicius waltzed back to the Euroleague, leaving nothing to the Pacers but sorrowful memories of Larry Bird's ill-advised signing.

Josh McRoberts, Jarrett Jack and Brandon Rush Are Serviceable but Underwhelming

The year was 2008. In another draft day trade, the Pacers pick Jerryd Bayless and then trade him (along with Ike Diogu) to the Portland Trailblazers for Josh McRoberts, Brandon Rush and Jarrett Jack.

This trio has proven to be decent, although they certainly have never lived up to their draft status. Jack, who played for the Toronto Raptors and is now with the New Orleans Hornets, was the 22nd pick in the 2005 draft. He has been a stop-gap measure at point guard for a few teams and can be an effective spark off the bench, but he is mediocre in most aspects of his game.

Josh McRoberts was a highly touted McDonald's All-American at Carmel High School north of Indianapolis and was a high-performer at Duke during his two-year college career. The Trailblazers picked him early in the 2nd round in 2007, but he never gained traction there due to a perceived attitude problem and a lack of physicality. Since coming to Indiana he has improved most aspects of his game. In the end, though, he's really "just a guy" at power forward who can occasionally make a spectacular dunk.

Brandon Rush was a key player on the 2008 Kansas National Champion team. As a shooting guard, his dribble penetration, court awareness and shooting skills made him an enticing prospect. As a pro, however, he has been plagued by apathy and his game has improved very little since he came into the league. He was often in ex-coach Jim O'Brien's doghouse and lost minutes to less talented players. The jury is still out on Rush, and he may be able to turn it around under newly-named head coach Frank Vogel.

Despite some good flashes from Jack, McRoberts and Rush, each one has been largely disappointing.

Shawne Williams' Trouble with the Law Hampered His Development

Shawne Williams, a 6-9 forward out of Memphis, was the Pacers first round pick in 2006 at the 17th spot. Problems with the law plagued Williams early on in his career and culminated with an arrest for marijuana possession in 2007.

He was traded soon after the incident. Unfortunately, Williams' run-ins with the law have continued, with another arrest for drug possession in 2010.

Williams had the size, athleticism and shooting touch to be a special player in the NBA. None of those qualities actually came through once the games started.

Williams can be considered a true draft bust and a huge mistake by Larry Bird. Although this pick may not be quite as wretched as the infamous Jonathan Bender for Antonio Davis draft day trade of 1999, it certainly comes close.    

David Harrison an Unmitigated Disaster

Now the center for the Guangdong Southern Tigers, David Harrison's career as a Pacer was short, fraught with controversy and laden with unrealized expectations.

The Pacers picked Harrison at No. 29 in the first round in 2004. Harrison had a stellar three year college career at the University of Colorado. A seven-footer and weighing close to 280 pounds, he was projected to be a starter-quality player in short order in the NBA.

Although possessing good shot-blocking skills, Harrison's offensive game was putrid and he seemed to approach the game from a place of profound indifference.

His minutes-per-game decreased steadily over his three year tenure with the Pacers and after the 2007-2008 season, they released him. The Minnesota Timberwolves signed him for the preseason in late 2008, but he was waived before the season started. 

2011 finds him playing in China...a world away from Indiana. Harrison makes a strong case for himself as the worst pick of the Larry Bird presidency.

Despite these awful picks, Bird remains president. The 2010-2011 season, with the dramatic end-of-the-year turnaround under Frank Vogel, gave Pacers fans hope for the future.

Their strong showing against the Bulls in the first round was keyed by younger players that Bird has collected in the past few years.

Danny Granger, Darren Collison, A.J. Price, Tyler Hansbrough, Paul George and Roy Hibbert form a solid core that will only be enhanced by the addition of George Hill.

Now that Bird's growing pains (and the lingering effects of the Brawl at the Palace) are over, the Pacers can emerge in 2012 as a team to be reckoned with.