The Biggest Wastes of Talent in the NBA

This is NOT an article about draft busts!

Discussing draft busts is an entirely different topic. Current players like Kwame Brown (No. 1 pick in 2001), Darko Milicic (No. 2 pick in 2003 instead of Carmello, Bosh and Wade) or Hasheem Thabeet (No. 2 pick in 2009, sent to the D-League) aren't "wastes of talent." Those are, simply put, "draft busts."

Let me explain the difference.

A draft bust can occur when people THINK a guy has talent before he is drafted. This happens every year. Some guys just have a game that doesn't translate to the NBA. A waste of talent is where a guy comes into the league and shows flashes of great ability, only to leave us scratching our heads, wondering: "Why can't he do that all the time?"

I am also not talking about washed-up guys who used to have talent. So don't say, "Hey, you left off Vince Carter!" just because he is in the Hall of Fame for Guys Who Wasted Their Talent. I'm talking about guys who still have a chance to do something in the NBA.

Feel free to agree or disagree. This is my list of guys whose talent is being wasted.

10. Shawn Livingston

Let me say this: It breaks my heart to put Shawn Livingston on this list. It's not his fault he got hurt, but injuries are a part of sports, and they are one of the many things that can cause a guy to miss out on his shot at greatness.

I truly believe Livingston was going to be a great player in the NBA, an All-Star type of player, a big point guard that could be a game changer. Sadly, a catastrophic knee injury derailed a promising young player's career.

Quick story: I saw Livingston play in Las Vegas at an AAU Tournament years ago. I was sitting court side, when a guy I recognized asked if the seat next to me was taken. It was Danny Ainge, president of the Boston Celtics. He was there to scout Livingston and he came away pretty impressed, from what I could gather.

Livingston came straight out of Peoria Central (IL) High School, and he was the No. 4 pick in the draft by the Clippers. In his second season, as a 19-year-old kid, he started getting regular minutes for the Clips and appeared in 12 playoff games, averaging 7.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.7 assists.

Then, in his third year in the league, he was playing about 30 minutes per game, averaging over nine points, five assists, and three rebounds. If you ever got to see this kid play in person, he was a terrific passer. He was a 6'7" point guard with a beautiful all-around game—a poor man's version of Magic Johnson. 

Then the knee injury happened, and Livingston has never been the same.

Eventually, Livingston tried a comeback, catching on with Miami, Oklahoma City, Washington and then Charlotte. He is still a decent player and he is only 25 years old. I would love to see him get fully healthy and realize some of that potential he had—for Shaun's sake and the sake of the game.

9. Terrence Williams

Terrence Williams was the No. 11 pick by the New Jersey Nets in the 2009 NBA draft. Honestly, I thought Williams was a good player at Louisville, but I wasn't sure how his game would translate to the NBA.

He was that dreaded "tweener" in my eyes. At 6'6", 220 pounds, he was definitely the perfect build for an NBA shooting guard, but I didn't think he shot it well enough.

Could he play the 3-spot?

I wasn't sure, but New Jersey took a chance on Williams with the 11th pick, and he had a very solid rookie season.

So, why did the Nets trade him already?

Well, Williams has a reputation for being a bit of a headcase. Despite averaging 8.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists as a rookie, the Nets had enough. Williams was buried on the bench. That didn't get him attention. They sent him to the D-League, where he averaged 28 points, 11.3 rebounds and 10.7 assists for crying out loud. Eventually, they traded him to Houston. 

Guys like Williams drive coaches to an early grave. He has all the God-given talent in the world, but for whatever reason he can't harness it. Some guys are just lazy. Others, well, they just can't get along with their teammates or coaches. Williams seems like a good enough guy, but he hasn't put it all together yet.

I really hope he figures it out. He has the talent and he needs to put it to good use. After looking at a guy like Shaun Williams' story, it's just not fair when a guy like Williams literally throws his talent out the window.

8. Brandon Wright

Brandon Wright was the No. 8 pick by the Charlotte Bobcats in 2007. He was traded on draft night in a deal that included Jason Richardson, who is a pretty darn good player.

So somebody thought this guy was going to be a good player! 

This was the scouting report on Wright heading into the draft (courtesy of CBSSports.com):

"

Long-limbed (7-foot-5 wingspan) athlete whose frame continues to add bulk and strength, having the potential to carry at least another 30 pounds without it losing overall fluidness and quickness...Very mobile, with the lateral quickness and long arms to get back and defend the basket...Knows how to use his frame and long limbs to generate a wide base and establish position in the low post...Versatility is one of his strong suits: he can play all three frontcourt positions and can score with his right or left hand...Good post passer who is best when shooting around the basket, displaying the soft touch to convert short jumpers and hook shots...Has very good quickness getting up and down the court and works hard to get position to grab the rebound and spark the transition game...

"

So far, he hasn't been able to crack the rotation in Golden State—and they are desperate for big men. 

That makes Wright look really bad since he is a power forward. He only played in 38 games his rookie season and 39 games last year.

What does it say when you can't get on the court for a bad team? In my book, it says you can't play. What a shame! This guy looked like a really good player coming out of college, and there is no denying he is talented. 

For all you John Henson fans out there: Buyer beware! Brandon Wright looked a whole lot like Henson coming out of UNC. I would argue Wright was a better player, but so far he has been a waste of talent.

7. Marvin Williams

Marvin Williams was the No. 2 pick in the 2005 draft. He was picked ahead of Deron Williams (No. 3) and Chris Paul (No. 4). To be honest with you, at the time I thought he should have gone No. 1 overall to the Milwaukee Bucks instead of Andrew Bogut. 

Allow me to explain myself.

I saw Marvin Williams play at an AAU Tournament when he was going to be a senior in high school. I got to see him play more than one game, with the last game coming against the vaunted Atlanta Celtics' AAU team.

That Atlanta team had Dwight Howard, Josh Smith, Randolph Morris and Javaris Crittenton on their roster. So they were pretty good! 

Marvin Williams was the best player on the floor that day.

He played hard, he knocked down jumpers, he got to the rim and he really outplayed Josh Smith head to head. When he fouled-out late in the game, he got a standing ovation from the crowd.

In a game full of future NBA players, he stood out that much.

I told everybody, "This kid will be a star at North Carolina."

He played for their 2005 National Championship team and he was arguably their most talented player, putting up good numbers as the sixth man. Because he was young and talented and had "upside," people drooled over him going into the draft.

He was the prototypical NBA small forward: 6'9" and athletic, he could play inside and outside and he could make an impact at the defensive end.

So, what happened to him?

Well, his career hasn't been a total bust. He is a solid player. His best season was his third, when he was 21 years old. He averaged 14.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. It looked like he was taking steps towards possibly being an All-Star player. 

But then he took a step backwards. His play slowly declined until last year, at age 24, when he averaged 10.4 points and 4.8 rebounds. Marvin Williams regressed to the point that he is now just an NBA role player.

Williams' biggest problem is that he is not a three-point shooter. He has a little more "power forward" in him than "small forward," if you know what I mean. 

The problem is, he doesn't rebound well enough to be a full-time power forward—that, and the fact that the Hawks also have Al Horford and Josh Smith, who are both better power players than Williams. 

So his game and his career are just stuck in limbo. I personally believe that if Marvin Williams was traded, his career could still take off. 

He has talent. 

It's just being wasted.

6. Anthony Randolph

Anthony Randolph was the No. 14 pick of the 2008 draft, chosen by Golden State. He is a 6'10", do-it-all forward, a freak athlete and a total headcase. 

Perhaps the best description I've heard of Randolph came from Bill Simmons of ESPN.com. Here's what Simmons had to say:

"

He's one of the most breathtaking rookies I've seen in person—ever... There has never been anyone quite like him. He's like a cross between Josh Smith and Lamar Odom, only if you fed him 10 Red Bulls and told him right before the game, "If you can make 10 things happen during the 10 minutes you play tonight, we will quadruple your salary and you will start for the rest of the season" ... and then he does just that, but the coach reneges on the promise so Anthony has a near-crying meltdown on the bench. That's every Anthony Randolph game. I caught him once and, in the span of two hours, he made three "MY GOD!" plays and broke down on the Warriors' bench because Nellie wouldn't put him back in, followed by an assistant consoling him through an entire timeout like Randolph was a third grader who got in trouble for something he didn't do, then had a meltdown and got kicked out of class. It was riveting. The odds of me missing another Clips-Warriors game for the next five years are 10,000-to-1.

"

I don't even know how to follow that one.

Now, I can understand an ultra-talented young player falling through the cracks in an inept organization. The last two guys we've talked about, Brandon Wright (also drafted by the Warriors) and Marvin Williams (with the Hawks), might have been better players if they were put in a better situation.

But we can't make that excuse for Anthony Randolph—he is already on his third team!

He started 22 games as a 19-year-old rookie in Golden State. He followed that up the next season by having a meltdown, then got himself traded to the Knicks, who turned around and traded him to the T'Wolves.

So maybe we should still give Randolph a break—he still hasn't played for a good franchise yet! 

But what does it say when you've been the biggest piece in two major trades—one for David Lee and the other for Carmello Anthony? 

That tells me that this guy has talent. 

So why isn't he using it? 

Here is a clue, from an interview he gave (reported by rotoworld.com) where he talked about taking classes at LSU during the lockout. Randolph said, "The students know I’m from the NBA, but it’s more fun because I can focus on my schoolwork. I don’t have the basketball distraction." 

Yeah, that "basketball distraction" is kind of your job, Anthony. That comment might explain why this guy is such a waste of talent.

5. Tyrus Thomas

Tyrus Thomas was picked fourth in the 2006 NBA draft. I can't believe this as I type the words, but he was actually traded to Chicago for Lemarcus Aldridge, who was the second pick. 

Talk about wanting a do-over! 

Can you imagine the Bulls with Noah at center, Aldridge at power forward (meaning they wouldn't have had to overspend for Boozer), Deng at small forward and Rose at the point? They might have beat the Heat last year and made the NBA Finals.

But that is another article altogether!

We throw around the term "freak athlete" far too often. Most of the guys in the NBA, compared to your average person, are "freaks" in terms of size, speed, quickness, strength and jumping ability. Having said that, Thomas truly is a "freak," managing to stand out from and rise above even the best athletes in the world. 

He is a highlight reel waiting to happen, a SportsCenter Top 10 play in the making.

The problem is, well, that is really all he is.

There is no substance to his game. 

It's okay to have the label "has potential" for a little while. But before too long, that label is traded in for another one: "had potential."

Thomas is quickly approaching "had potential" territory.

His third year in the league, he averaged 10.8 points and 6.4 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.9 blocks per game. He was 22 years old and it looked like he was starting to figure it out. 

So, what happened? 

Well, he was labeled as a guy with a bad attitude, he was uncoachable and he spent some time on the bench. Since the Bulls were a team on the rise, with good, young players like Luol Deng, Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose, they decided to trade Thomas to the Charlotte Bobcats. 

To sum it up, when you get traded for Lemarcus Aldridge on draft night, and you showed flashes of brilliance, you have talent. 

So how do you end up getting traded for Acie Law and Ronald Murray a couple of years later?

How is it that the Bobcats traded up in last year's draft for Bismack Biyombo, a guy who plays the same position as you?

Because you were uncoachable and you wasted your talent, that's how.

4. Eddy Curry

I had to really think about where to put Curry on this list. I mean, he has been a high-paid water boy for the past couple of seasons. But don't forget, people, Eddy Curry used to be a good, young player and it looked like he was going to be an All-Star.

Back in 2001, Eddy Curry was the No. 4 pick by the Chicago Bulls. He came straight out of high school, and was a fairly productive player by his second season in the league. By age 22, he was playing so well that the New York Knicks made a Blockbuster trade to get him.

At 7'0", 295 pounds, Curry is an imposing figure in the paint. His career field-goal percentage is 54.5 percent, and that is really good. He averaged a career high in scoring in 2007 with 19.5 points per game.

So, it's not as if Curry has been awful. 

It's just that he could have been so much more! 

How does a guy this big and this strong never agerage more than 7.0 rebounds per game in a single season? That is unbelievable. 

For his career, Curry averages only 5.3 rebounds and 0.7 blocks per game! He was so fat and so out of shape by the end of his run with the Knicks that his greatest contribution to that franchise was his expiring contract. 

However, Curry is only 28 years old. He could still have a few good years in him if he would just get in shape. Despite making over $68 million in his career, he famously went broke doing things like buying too many cars, paying his chef $6,000 a month and taking out an 85 percent interest loan. 

I said that to say this: Eddy Curry needs money. And we all know what athletes will do in order to get one more big contract.

Well, maybe it's not too late for Eddy Curry.

Recent reports, like this one in the Sporting News, say Curry is trying to get back into shape. He is losing the weight, with the hope that he can sign on with the Miami Heat.

Who knows? Maybe Curry can do it, and maybe he can provide the Heat with some size in the middle—you know, just in case they want a guy who has never shown a willingness to rebound or the ability to block shots.

Eddy Curry could have played in multiple All-Star games. He could have made double the money he has already made. Size and skill wise, he is comparable to Andrew Bynum.

Why didn't he reach that level of play?

This one is easy to figure out. 

Eddy Curry got paid and he got lazy. He is, literally and figuratively, a huge waste of talent. 

3. Michael Beasley

Michael Beasley was the No. 2 pick of the 2008 NBA draft, and there was a big debate on whether he or Derek Rose should be the No. 1 overall pick. That is hard to believe now, since Rose is the MVP of the league and Beasley will probably get traded to his third team before he plays another game.

Beasley averaged 13.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game as a rookie for the Heat, mostly as a reserve. By his second year in the league he was starting and he put up 14.8 rebounds and a career-best 6.4 rebounds per game. 

But his "off the court problems," and the Heat's need to cut salary prior to "The Decision," led to Beasley being traded to Minnesota.

Upon being traded to Minnesota, T'Wolves GM David Kahn gave 1500 ESPN Twin Cities this gem—truly an all-time great quote from an NBA GM:

“He’s a very young and immature kid who smoked too much marijuana and has told me that he’s not smoking anymore,” Kahn said, “and I told him that I would trust him as long as that was the case.”

So, Khan rolled the dice—really getting a steal—trading a second-round draft pick for Beasley. 

The move actually paid off. 

Beasley averaged 19.2 points and 5.6 rebounds, while only shooting 45 percent from the field. He turned the corner and actually looked like he could be a star. 

At 6'10", Beasley is a pure scorer, a match-up nightmare who can score inside against smaller players, or abuse bigger, slower players from mid-range. He is not the rebounder he could be, but playing alongside Kevin Love that deficiency was minimized last year.

There were a lot of rumors that Beasley was a prime trade chip prior to the NBA draft this summer. The T'Wolves had the second pick and Derrick Williams, a 6'8" power forward out of Arizona, was going to be the only good choice for the Wolves in what looked like a weak draft. 

The only problem was that the Wolves already had Kevin Love (PF), Beasley (PF) and the previously mentioned Anthony Randolph (PF).

So, rather than break the record for most power forwards on one roster, it made sense to shop Beasley around. His value was high (no pun intended) and the Wolves hoped they could flip their asset for another roster need.

Then reports came out in early July that Beasley, while getting stopped for speeding, was found with 16 grams of marijuana in his car. So where does that leave Beasley?

As the third biggest waste of talent on our list—and just another example of a bad break for David Khan.

2. Greg Oden

Greg Oden was the No. 1 pick in the 2007 NBA draft. The second pick in the draft was Kevin Durrant.  

Now, in hindsight, yeah, that was not very smart. 

The thing is, most people agreed that Oden should have been the top pick. Alot of people predicted that Durrant would be a great player also, but talented wing scorers can be found in almost every draft.  Oden was seen as a once-in-a-generation talent, a mobile seven footer who could change the game at both ends.  

Here is one pre-draft scouting report (courtesy of DraftExpress.com):

"

Oden was downright dominant from the tip, gaining incredible post position down on the low blocks that allowed him to simply turn and dunk the ball. His ability to gain such position in the paint is unmatched at the college level, and is comparable to that of maybe only Shaquille O’Neal and Yao Ming in the NBA. He used his abnormal lower body strength to muscle helpless defenders under the rim, resulting in a plethora of easy finishes.

"

Shaquille O'Neal. Yao Ming. How about Sam Bowie instead?

Oden hurt his knee and needed micro fracture surgery before he ever played a game in the NBA. He missed the entire 2007-08 NBA season.

Then he missed all of the 2010-11 season after micro fracture surgery on the other knee. 

In between, he chipped his patella in his left knee and sprained his ankle. 

All together, he has only played in parts of two NBA seasons.

Oden has shown the potential to be a dominant center, averaging 11.1 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game in only 23.9 minutes per game during the 2009-10 season. He was only 22 years old then! 

I believe if this guy was fully healthy, playing 35-plus minutes per game, he could develop into the Western Conference's version of Dwight Howard—a dominant defender/rebounder who can also score 20 points per game. 

I really, really hope that Greg Oden finally gets healthy. 

Portland picked up his option for next year, at $8.8 million, so they are also gambling that he will finally play a full season. If he does, he is a game changer. If he doesn't, well, until then we have to label him as a waste of talent.

1. LeBron James

Okay, okay, okay—stop throwing things at the computer screen for just a minute. Give me a chance to make this argument. Then you can agree, disagree or resume throwing things. 

I am not a LeBron hater. I actually want him to be good. So hear me out.

LeBron James is arguably the best player in the NBA. Who is better right now? Hey, some guys like Kobe instead of LBJ. Of course, Dirk had the last laugh in the NBA Finals. Kevin Durant is younger and a better pure scorer. You could argue Dwight Howard impacts the game at both ends better than any player in the league. Dwyane Wade is also pretty darn good.

However you break it down, LeBron is at least in the conversation, right?

I would even go a little further to say that LeBron is one of the best players in the history of the game—both in terms of pure God-given talent and in terms of the numbers he has put up. He has been an impact player since being taken No. 1 in the 2003 NBA draft straight out of high school.

I think LeBron's best season came in 2008, when, at age 23, he averaged 30 points, 7.9 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. That year he was also first-team All-Defense in the NBA. He was a dominant player and he has been ever since coming into the league.

So, why is he on this list?

Because, well, look at him! 

There has never been an athlete like him in the NBA.

He is 6'8" and 240 pounds. Karl Malone, "The Mail Man," who was famous for his work ethic and upper-body strength, was 6'9" and 250 pounds. LeBron is a great athlete, explosive in the open court and able to finish high above the rim. 

Athletically, I don't think it's crazy to compare him to Michael Jordan. Skill-wise, he is a good ball handler, a terrific passer and a capable shooter. I think it is reasonable to compare him to Magic Johnson too.

Read those paragraphs again—as big and strong as Malone, as explosive as MJ, as versatile as Magic. Holy crap!

So, what is he doing on this list?

Well, how can a guy THIS TALENTED keep coming up short in big games? How can a guy who has "Chosen 1" on his back not have an NBA Championship after eight seasons in the league? How can a guy who calls himself King James come up so small in such big moments? For these reasons, LeBron is on this list—because as good as he is, if we are being honest, he should be a whole lot better.

That, by definition, ladies and gentleman, is squandering your talent.

I would love to see James fully realize his potential. 

As someone who loves the game, I want to see LeBron against Rose, Kobe, Durant and Howard. I want to see guys reach their full potential, because that is when the game is the most fun to watch. 

In LeBron's case, I just don't know how much time he puts into his game during the offseason. I know the great ones like Bird, Magic and Jordan were legendary for what they did when nobody was looking. That's what made Jordan the best of the best. He was a supremely gifted athlete, a freak who had the skill and the will. 

With LeBron, I just don't know how bad he wants it. He is so good that it just comes easy to him. But you never back your way into being a champion. Right now, LeBron is the most talented player I've ever seen play. For me to say he is the best player, well, he has a whole lot of work to do.

Until then, I'm going to stand by this statement: He is wasting his talent. 

And when you have the most talent in the NBA, and it's being squandered, that makes you the biggest waste of talent in the NBA.