25 Worst Decisions of the Last Decade in the NBA

Like any professional sports league over the last decade, the NBA has had its share of successes and failures.

Mixed with the good, great or unforgettable moments are also the bad, awful and downright shameful times that the league has endured.

The following list will outline 25 of the worst decisions made in the league since 2001. It will look at draft picks, bad salaries, bad trades and both on- and off-court decisions that have shaped the league during that time.

With the seriousness of some of these negative decisions, it is no wonder that the league is currently in turmoil with the lockout.

Hopefully the league can learn from these mistakes, leave them behind and just get back to playing basketball.

These bad decisions are not ranked and are not in any particular order.

The Decision

On July 8, 2010 LeBron James announced that he was going to take his talents to South Beach and join the Miami Heat.

As a free agent, James did have every right to play for whichever team he chose. The bad decision here is the method that he announced it to the world.

During a live ESPN special called The Decision, James quickly went from NBA hero to villain in a matter of a few minutes. Not only did Cleveland Cavalier fans turn on James, but fans in almost every NBA city had a new player to hate.

Whether the criticism is deserved or not, James labored through a season where he was hated everywhere he went.

James later stated, “If I had to go back on it, I probably would do it a little bit different...But I’m happy with my decision.”

Splitting Up Shaq and Kobe

Two of the greatest players in NBA history also happened to have two of the biggest egos that eventually led to their being split up as teammates.

Virtually from day one in 1996 when both joined the team, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant did not seem to like each other very much.

The two played together for the Los Angeles Lakers from 1996-2004 and won three championships together, but could never get past their off-court differences that led to the trading of O'Neal to the Miami Heat.

There are many bad decisions here, but ultimately they all culminated in this duo being broken up.

While Bryant and the Lakers have gone on to win more championships without Shaq, and O'Neal won another in Miami, imagine how many more championships they could have won together had they been able to get along.

Bad Draft Picks Part 1

No team get is expected to draft perfectly every time, but these teams missed so badly they are now infamously bad.

One could easily make a list of the 25 worst draft picks, but between this slide and two others, here are six of the worst draft decisions.

Darko Milicic, Detroit Pistons 2003

Milicic was the second overall pick with Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade the next three picks. To say the Pistons missed on Milicic is an understatement.

Nikoloz Tskitishvili, Denver Nuggets 2002

Tskitishvili was drafted by the Nuggets with the fifth overall pick when Amar'e Stoudemire, Caron Butler, Tayshaun Prince, John Salmons, Carlos Boozer and Luis Scola were still available. He lasted 172 games in the league.

Guns in the Locker Room

In late December 2009, it was discovered that Gilbert Arenas was storing unloaded guns in his locker at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C.

Not only was that a violation of team policy, it was also against District ordinances as well. Arenas was charged with the felony charge of carrying an unlicensed pistol.

To make matters worse, it was also discovered that Arenas' teammate Javaris Crittenton had firearms in his locker at the same time, and that the two had them when arguing over a gambling debt.

After investigation, both players were suspended for the remainder of the season. Arenas was sentenced to two years probation and 30 days in a halfway house. Crittenton was given a year's probation.

Following the incident, Arenas tried to do the right thing by writing an article in the Washington Post where he took responsibility for his actions and committed to be a better role model.

Charlotte Bobcats

After the Hornets left Charlotte in 2002, the NBA returned to the city in 2004 with the expansion Bobcats being introduced to the league.

Since that time they have struggled and have put together a franchise record of 222-352.

Not only have they struggled on the court, they have also had a rough time forming a team. With notable draft picks like Adam Morrison, Sean May and Emeka Okafor who have not done much for the team, the Bobcats have had to piece together teams during their time in the league.

While there have been many bad decisions on the part of the Bobcats, perhaps the worst was to return an NBA team to a city that had just lost one to relocation. If it didn't work before, why would it work the second time around?

On a positive note for the Bobcats, the team did make the playoffs in 2010 and things are looking up with the addition of point guard Kemba Walker in the recent NBA draft.

Bad Contracts Part 1

Just like the list of bad draft picks, one could list at least 25 bad contracts that have helped lead to the current lockout situation

Between the two slides, here are four guys who are making a ton of money with not as much production on the court.

Gilbert Arenas

Arenas is set to make more than $19 million next season and over $20 million each year for the next two seasons. This is an insane amount of money who has been a team headache more than he has been a contributor. By way of comparison, he is making more than teammate Dwight Howard who is one of the most dominant players in the league.

Ben Gordon

Gordon is set to make over $11 million next season and will receive a million dollar raise each of the next two. He is coming off some of the worst seasons in his career, and looks to be the odd man out in the Pistons guard rotation. With the team drafting Brandon Knight to be the point guard, Gordon could spend a lot more time on the bench. That is a lot of money to pay a guy that is not on the court much.

Laker Riots

While I do know that this is a very small percentage of Laker fans, this one is ridiculous.

After the Lakers won the NBA title in 2009, a peaceful celebration at the Staples Center turned ugly when crazy fans started fires, smashed windows, threw firecrackers bottles and rocks at police and began attacking taxis and cars.

Despite efforts by the Los Angeles Police Department to stop violence after the Lakers again won in 2010, similar incidents broke out in "celebration" of the win.

Bad General Manager Hirings

Even though Isiah Thomas headlines this list with the job that he did for the New York Knicks, his post-playing-day troubles started long before he worked in New York.

Thomas had stints as a part owner and executive vice president with the Raptors, head coach of the Pacers and the owner of the Continental Basketball Association just before it went bankrupt and folded.

The bad choice here does not belong to Thomas, but rather to James Dolan, who missed the warning signs of disaster and hired Thomas anyway.

The good news for the Knicks is that the team is finally getting out from under the bad decisions made by Dolan and Thomas. Adding Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony is a good step in the right direction.

Other Bad General Manager Hirings

Billy Knight: Atlanta Hawks

Kevin McHale: Minnesota Timberwolves

Billy King: Philadelphia 76ers

David Kahn: Minnesota Timberwolves

Danny Ferry: Cleveland Cavaliers

NBA All-Star Weekend Celebrity Game

The NBA All-Star Celebrity Game made its debut at during the 2004 All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles.

Notable celebrities who have participated in the game include Terrell Owens, Nelly, Sean Paul, Mark McGrath, Chris Tucker and Rob Kardashian.

The game was not a terrible idea until last year when Justin Bieber not only took the floor, but he went home with MVP honors. His stat line included eight points, two rebounds and four assists.

I personally think that the league should bring back the Legends Game rather than have the celebrities play. I would rather see Karl Malone, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and David Robinson instead of Justin Bieber.  

Bad Draft Picks Part 2

Two more awful draft picks include:

Hasheem Thabeet, Memphis Grizzlies 2009

Thabeet was taken with the second overall selection in the 2009 draft. Players the Grizzlies missed out on include James Harden, Tyreke Evans, Stephen Curry, Brandon Jennings and the list goes on.

Marvin Williams, Atlanta Hawks 2005

While Williams has not been the worst ever, it is considered bad due to the players who were left available. Deron Williams and Chris Paul went with the next two selections, and Danny Granger, David Lee and Monta Ellis all were drafted later.

Kobe in Colorado

In the offseason of 2003, while Kobe Bryant was to undergo a medical procedure on his knee, he was arrested under the accusation that he had committed a sexual assault on a 19-year-old hotel employee the night before his scheduled surgery.

Bryant admitted to a consensual affair, and endured months of criticism and the legal proceedings to resolve the issue.

More than a year later the case was dropped due to his accuser not being willing to testify in the trial. The two sides later settled a civil lawsuit.

Just after the accusations, Bryant's image was temporarily tarnished and he lost several of his biggest endorsements. Not long after the whole incident was resolved, Bryant regained big endorsement deals and signed a huge contract with the Lakers.

Carlos Boozer Cheats the Cavaliers

Not sure which side made the worse decision on this one was, but it ended poorly overall.

Following the 2003-2004 season, Carlos Boozer and the Cavaliers apparently reached an agreement for him to sign a contract with the team if they let him out of his contract. Instead of signing, he quickly used his free-agent status to sign a bigger deal with the Utah Jazz.

The two sides went back and forth in the media with neither taking responsibility for the confusion.

Boozer was quoted as saying, "There was no commitment. It's unfortunate how the turn of events went through the media, I'm not a guy that gives my word and takes it away. I think I've made that clear."

Cavalier owner Gordon Gund countered by saying in a letter posted to the team website, "In the final analysis, I decided to trust Carlos and show him the respect he asked for. He did not show that trust and respect in return. That's what happened."

If Boozer would have stayed in Cleveland would he have been that player that LeBron needed to win a championship?

Jayson Williams Shooting

Jayson Williams spent nine seasons with in the NBA with the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets.

Unfortunately for Williams, his legal record is as long as his professional basketball stat sheet. With trouble including bar fights, DWI charges and being tasered by police, his worst offense came on Valentine's Day in 2002.

Following a charity basketball event, Williams was handling a gun that fired and killed the limousine driver hired to drive the team.

After several years of legal proceedings, Williams pled guilty to aggravated assault and was sentenced to five years in prison. His sentencing was more than eight years after the shooting occurred.

Bad Contracts Part 2

The second list of bad contracts is headlined by one of the worst in the league.

Rashard Lewis

Lewis is set to make over $22 million next season and more than $23 million the year after that. By way of comparison, he will make more than each of the Big Three in Miami. Lewis has a good chance to not do much next season as he has done over the last few years. With the young players that the Wizards want to develop, it could make Lewis a very expensive role player.

Carlos Boozer

The Utah Jazz could not have been happier to see Boozer leave in free agency. After dealing with him not playing more than two full seasons during his career, and watching him injured on the sideline, it was good to see another team take on his problems.

As the team's highest-paid player at more than $13 million next year, he will no doubt find an injury that will keep him out for an extended time so that he can easily collect his paycheck. He will make more than double what his teammate Derrick Rose will earn next year.

Malice at the Palace

This incident is one of the worst in the history of the league.

With less than a minute remaining in a regular-season game in November of 2004, a brawl erupted between the Pacers and the Pistons that ended up involving fans in the stands.

After a fight started on the court, a fan threw a drink at Ron Artest who went into the stands after the fan he thought threw the drink and started a massive brawl between players and spectators.

As a result of the fighting, Ron Artest was suspended for the rest of the season. Stephen Jackson and Jermaine O'Neal also missed significant time for engaging in a fight with fans.

In all, nine players missed time and the combined lost salaries totaled more than $11 million.

Legal charges were also filed against players and fans who were involved.

Bad Draft Pick Part 3

No list of bad draft picks would be complete without these two guys:

Adam Morrison, Charlotte Bobcats 2006

The Bobcats missed badly in a draft where they really needed a quality player. Morrison played for three different teams before being waived by the Wizards early last season. Brandon Roy, Tyrus Thomas, Rudy Gay and Rajon Rondo were taken later in the first round.

Greg Oden, Portland Trail Blazers 2007

If Oden can overcome his injury woes, he may have a chance to not be known as a bad draft pick. Until then, picking him over Kevin Durant was a really bad decision. Even if Oden does come back and have a solid career he will not surpass Durant, who is on track to be one of the greatest players in league history.

The Lockout

Now that the first two weeks of the NBA regular season have been cancelled, and it is likely that there is more to follow, this year's lockout makes the list of one of the worst decisions in the last decade.

While the lockout itself may be needed to get the players and owners to agree to a plan to secure the long-term viability of the league, missing games is going to have lasting effects on the league, its fans and anyone associated with the NBA.

The bad decision here is not the lockout taking place, but the fact that the two sides have not yet been able to come to an agreement.

Even though the NBA had more serious issues to work out, the league needed to follow the NFL and get things done before the season started.

The longer the lockout continues, and the more games that are lost, the worse it will be for the league.

Bad Trades Part 1

There have been many bad trades over the last decade.

Here are some of the ones that make you scratch your head and wonder why teams would ever make such a move. The Pau Gasol trade to the Lakers is featured on a different slide.

2006 Timberwolves Trade Rights to Brandon Roy for Randy Foye

Leave it to the Timberwolves to make a bad trade. On draft night, Minnesota selected Roy with the sixth overall pick and quickly shipped him to Portland for the draft rights of Randy Foye.

Roy went on to win the Rookie of the Year Award, and is a three-time All-Star. Although he has been slowed by injuries, he has been one of the brightest young stars in the league. 

Foye is playing for his third team and has yet to make an All-Star team. 

2005 Lakers Trade Caron Butler for Kwame Brown

Whenever Kwame Brown is involved in a trade, chances are good that it is a bad one. In 2005 the Lakers traded Caron Butler and Chucky Atkins to the Washington Wizards for Kwame Brown and Laron Profit.

Maybe the Lakers thought Butler was just another player in the Shaquille O'Neal trade, but he has gone on to have a much better career than Kwame Brown.

Moving the SuperSonics from Seattle

After playing in Seattle from 1967-2008, the SuperSonics were moved from a great basketball city that had won an NBA title and had a strong history in the league.

In 2006, after many attempts to secure funding for much-needed updates to its stadium, the SuperSonics were sold to an ownership group led by Clayton Bennett, an Oklahoma City businessman.

The team relocated to Oklahoma City after repeated attempts to renovate the arena failed.

Not to take anything away from the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have done very well with the team, but the wrong team relocated. Instead, it should have been the now-struggling Hornets moving to Oklahoma after playing regular-season games there during the 2005-2007 seasons.

Not funding an arena was a big mistake as it took a franchise with a strong history out of a good NBA city.

Tim Donaghy Bets on the NBA

In another of the worst incidents in league history, it was discovered that one of the league's officials was betting on NBA games.

In 2007 it was reported that veteran official Tim Donaghy was placing large amounts of money on NBA games and that he had been making calls that affected the point spread of games.

A shocked commissioner David Stern called the incident a "wakeup call that says you can't be complacent."

Donaghy was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison, but left a lasting mark on he NBA.

Pau Gasol Traded Twice

Pau Gasol has become one of the best players currently in the NBA.

He is a two-time NBA Champion with the Lakers, was the Rookie of the Year in 2002, is a four-time All-Star and a seven-time European Player of the Year.

With all of his accomplishments, it is hard to see why he has been traded twice in his career.

On draft night in 2001, Gasol was selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the third overall pick. His rights were quickly traded away to the Memphis Grizzlies for Shareef Abdur-Rahim.

After six-and-a-half seasons in Memphis, Gasol was again traded in a lopsided trade with the Lakers in exchange for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, his brother Marc Gasol and draft picks that turned out to be Greivis Vasquez and Donte Green.

The acquisition of Gasol helped the Lakers to win two more NBA titles, and we all know about Kwame Brown.

Jerry Sloan Retires Mid-Season

Not that he would have it any other way, but it does not seem right that the coach with the third-most wins in league history retire in the middle of the season without due recognition from the league.

Sloan, known for his hard-working attitude and no-nonsense approach to the game, surprisingly retired in the middle of last season after coaching the Utah Jazz for 22 seasons and becoming the only coach in league history to win 1,000 games with one team.

The retirement, coupled with a trade that sent All-Star Deron Williams away from the team, crippled the Jazz for the rest of the season as they limped to one of the worst seasons in team history as the team tried to find an identity with a new leader.

In retrospect, it would have been better for the team had Sloan stayed around, as the player that was reported to be in conflict with Sloan was traded shortly after his retirement.

He would have been a calming force to a team that was pushed further into rebuilding sooner than expected.

Michael Jordan and the Wizards

Michael Jordan is the greatest player in NBA history.

His time in Chicago was legendary. His time with other teams, not the same.

After he retired from the Bulls for the second time Jordan was hired as the president of basketball operations for the Washington Wizards. He was also a part owner.

Jordan did get rid of several overpaid players, but is best known for using the 2001 first overall draft pick on Kwame Brown.

In September of 2001, Jordan announced that he would come back as a player yet again, and he spent two seasons playing for the Wizards.

While he did average over 20 points per game, he was not able to bring his team to the level he had hoped for, nor did he help the Wizards get to the playoffs.

In the end it would have been better for Jordan to have stayed retired as he did not really improve things for the Wizards.

Bad Trades Part 2

Just a couple of more trades.

2006 Houston Trades for Shane Battier

Trading for Shane Battier is not a bad thing. He was a solid player for the Rockets for several seasons. The bad part about this trade is that they gave up the rights to Rudy Gay to get him.

In 2006 Houston sent the rights to Gay, the eighth overall pick, and Stromile Swift to the Grizzlies for Battier. After another trade, Battier returned to Memphis and is now teammates with Gay.

2006 Bulls Trade LaMarcus Aldridge

In 2006 the Chicago Bulls traded the rights to LaMarcus Aldridge, who was the second overall pick, to Portland for the rights to Tyrus Thomas and Viktor Khryapa.

Aldridge has gone on to be a very good but underrated player for the Trail Blazers while Thomas was traded to the Bobcats in 2010. Khryapa is now playing in Russia.

Andrei Kirilenko's Hair

This slide sort of speaks for itself, but during his time in the league, Andrei Kirilenko has sported some pretty awful haircuts.

From the Ivan Drago look to the Mohawk or the Mop, Kirilenko can never seem to get it right.

I am not sure what would be right for a 6'9" skinny Russian, but he has not found it yet.

Add in the fact that he has a new full-back tattoo of his World of Warcraft character, and Kirilenko is set to have a pretty good look when the next season starts.

Now he just needs to find a team that will take him.

Information for this article found on basketball-reference.com, hoopshype.com and Wikipedia.