[the barronParticipant]

Here is my list of the top bust for each draft in the past seven years. These were only players selected in the top ten of each draft.

2002- Jay Williams(2nd pick, bike accident ended his career), Nikoloz Tskitishvili(5th pick, one of the biggest bust of all time, the guy is still trying to make the NBA as he is playing in this year’s summer league), Dajuan Wagner(6th pick)

2003- Darko(2nd pick, a decent bench player that will play 7-9 more years in the league as an 8th man, but this guy was picked ahead of Melo, Bosh, and Wade), Mike Sweetney(9th pick, big man from Georgetown never got it going)

2004- Shaun Livingston(4th pick, had something nice going but that gruesome knee injury set him back), Josh Childress(6th pick, took the Greeks money), Rafael Araujo(8th pick, I thought this big man from BYU was gonna be good, but man was I wrong about him), Luke Jackson(10th pick, big mistake by the Cavs)

2005- Not many bust in this years top ten. Andrew Bogut and Marvin Williams are good players but don’t look as good because they were picked ahead of deron Williams and CP3. Fran Vasquez and Korolev were picked 11th and 12th so those guys stand out as bust in this draft.

2006- Adam Morrison(3rd pick, I truly thought this guy would one day become an all-star instead of sitting on the bench in street clothes), Shelden Williams(5th pick, at least he married Candace Parker), Patrick O’Bryant(9th pick), Saer Sene(10th pick)

2007- Greg Oden(1st pick, i hope this guy turns it around but as of right now, just not that impressive and he needs to get healthy), Yi(6th pick), Corey Brewer(7th pick)

2008- The top ten in this class for the most part had good starts to their careers. Danilo Gallinari(6th pick, was injured for most of the season so we’ll see this year), Joe Alexander(8th pick, got outplayed by second round pick Luc Richard Mbah a Moute)

So who has the highest probability to be this years top ten pick bust? Which of the above guys did you think were gonna be the sure thing but ended up busts?

[Cameron Crazy 22Participant]

great player just got hurt
he lived up to his hype

[OldSkoolBasketballParticipant]

Brandon Jennings from Compton. He is a thug and I see several suspensions and becomes a Sebastian Telfair.

[j1232eParticipant]

As not even played in one nba game and already I despise him. I really don’t care if he fails. Not good for the league.

[dejuiceboxParticipant]

what ever happened to Dajuan Wagner i remember hearing he was supposed to be legit i havent heard his name in years

[the barronParticipant]

i think Brandon Jennings has already created a tense situation in Milwaukee. of all the guys selected in the top ten i want them all to succeed(especially Blake in LA, Curry in GS, Hill in NY, and even Rubio whenever he gets to play in the league) but as for Jennings i really dont care.

[j1232eParticipant]

for the 2 gaurd. I also thought he was going to have a long average career. 10-12 ppg.

[Knicksboy34Participant]

adam morrison will live up to the hype this year

[BasketballGuru24Participant]

Rafeal Arujo Was Probably One Of The Biggest Bust i have ever seen get drafted…..lol you guys probably don’t even know who this guy is but he got drafted 8th overall in the 2004 draft….skipping players like igodula,josh smith, j.r smith and jameer nelson………overall this guy was nothing but garbage…….this years draft bust might be Jennings Or Might be tyreke evans since they try to make him play PG and thats not his position, and will turn into a turnover machine

[BasketballGuru24Participant]

dajuan wagner had some type of colon disease that kept him out of the league……..but in his rookie season he was very good, adn i think he could have turned into a star….he recovered from his surgery in which they removed his whole colon, but is not the same and now playes in the euroleague

[j1232eParticipant]

was big and very strong with little girl hands. Rafa was way to strong for his own good. still he struggled to palm a basketball. I hear he is playing in russia.

[Tobe BryantParticipant]

Trust me…Dajaun Wagner was the truth!! That colon disease really threw him off though. This guy probably would have a legit all-star due to his prolific scoring abilities. Could have possibly paired with LeBron and MAYBE Boozer.

[esperanzafleet69Participant]

dujuan wagner went 2 year in the nba averaging like 4 pts per game…. before he had his colon disease… wiki that

[Tobe BryantParticipant]

Trust me…Dajaun Wagner was the truth!! That colon disease really threw him off though. This guy probably would have a legit all-star due to his prolific scoring abilities. Could have possibly paired with LeBron and MAYBE Boozer.

[Rubio is a beastParticipant]

Renember Jennings comments about Rubio on ESPN? He played Rubio, but Rubio barely played. Rubio had 0 pts, 3 assists, while Jennings had like 8 points. The dude shouldnt have said anything. He is going to be basketball’s T. O. (he wont be good, but he will talk like T.O.). Im guessing hes going to blame his teammates for missing shots, forcing TO, and not giving him the ball
He wasnt at the draft when he was picked. Embarrasing
Jennings: 10ppg, 1asg,2spg, FG%=35%. He will take tons of shots, make some, and blame his teammates for not giving him the ball.

[the barronParticipant]

Dajuan Wagner’s illness is what caused him to be on this list. Jay Williams and Shaun Livingston were also good players but because of their injuries they can be considered a minor bust especially when they were drafted this high. It’s not their fault they got injured(maybe Jay Williams shouldv’e never gotten on a bike) but their teams and fans can look back and say that they weren’t the right pick.

[llperez]

you honestly think Morrison is gonna live up to the hye this year? He might still carve out a decent career for himself, but I doubt it will be in LA where he will battle with Walton, and Vujacic for backup minutes behind Ron and Kobe. Even in his rookie year, he would have like one good shooting quarter then be like 3-10 the rest the game. I wish him luck, but I don’t see him living up to the hype he had coming out.

Also, guys like Bogut and Marvin Williams are not busts in my book. Clearly they should not have been taken ahead of Paul or DWill, but they are very solid players that are continuing to improve. Also, too early to include Oden or Yi on this list, some guys take some time to get it together.

As for this years draft, I’m predicting that Thabeet will be looked at as a bust. He will be decent but never probably worth the number 2 pick.

[maravich44Participant]

Milicic was a bust without question. Anytime you are drafted #2, you are expected to perform at an extremely high level. This bust was magnified for 2 reasons.
1. Melo, Bosh, Wade and others were passed over.
2. Pistons had such a good team at that time, by adding Melo or one of the other players; their run would have been prolonged. It’s not often a very good team gets the second pick in the draft. Sucks for the Pistons that the pick was such a big miss.

[europebasketball]

dajuan wagner was amazing he was from camden in high school averaged 44 ppg and one game scored 100 and he is a free agent right now.

[europebasketball]

Dajuan Wagner was mostly compared to allen iverson because of his scoring ability

[europebasketball]

what are talking about you’re wrong!!!! darko needed to be on a right team to become the 2nd overall player that he was, come on you’re wrong

[Stanford hoopsParticipant]

a thug..lol..are you serious..because he talked about rubio and said something to a friend that was taped hes a thug….he has zero run in’s with the law..his highschool and euro club said he is a great teammate..both teams teammates said hes a great teammate..hasnt gotten in any trouble..but hes a thug??..wow..so what would john wall be since he go arrested already and got in trouble in school and inschool suspension last year?…just curious if theres a doble standard here even though being arrested is worst then saying someone is overrated

[Stanford hoopsParticipant]

and can a player who hasnt played in the nba yet be a bust?..also a player who had injuries yet there are still young , can they be considered bust too?

[baller03]

I know there are alot of haters out there, but i think Brandon jennings will be a solid point in the league. I know he talks alot and has an a**whole attitude, but he will not be a Sebastian Telfair. He is very flashy and I see Jennings as a “showtime” point guard. He probably shouldn’t have opened his mouth so i totally understand why you guys hate him. But from a basketball stand point, I personally think he is the truth.

[OldSkoolBasketballParticipant]

When I said thug I don’t mean he has commited a crime or something. His personality is like a thug thats what I meant.

[WildDudeParticipant]

Rubio is gonna be the bust of this class, he won’t even come and play for Minny, it shows how scared he is of the competition in the NBA so his attitude alone shows me what type of player he could potentially be…

2000- too many but Marcus Fizer hasn’t played a game since 03

2001- Kwame Brown easily

2002- Nickoloz Tskitishvili- only 507 total points in 172 games while Jay Williams and Dajuan Wagner did more their rookie years.

2003- Darko Milicic is too easy but I gotta go with Mike Sweetney (9th overall) very dominant in Georgetown but barely lasted in the NBA- he could have been great for the Knicks.

2004- I agree on Rafael Araujo, because Shaun Livingston is actually trying to make a comeback and he is still very young…

2005- This actually was a pretty strong top 10 but I’m gonna go with Channing Frye/Ike Digou – its a toss up because they’ve had similar careers sofar, its a matter of who lasts longer, I’m gonna go with Channing Frye lasting longer because of his size and length, as well as the ability to shoot the three.

2006- too soon to tell but I see Adam Morrison being decent in the future- he has been held back by injuries and such… I’m going with Patrick O’bryant who has done absolutely nothing. Shelden Williams has definitely not been worth the #5 pick, and he should be the bigger bust because they passed up good players such as Brandon Roy.

2007- I’m a Nets fan but I’m still going with Yi Jian Lan as the biggest potential bust, Corey Brewer is pretty terrible too but if he bulks up who knows…

2008- This seems like its turning out to be a very strong draft so I’ll go with Danilo Gallinari here, but if Joe Alexander doesn’t step up with RJ gone its gonna be him.

2009- Ricky Rubio as of now because he won’t even be in the NBA next year so he obviously will have the least points.

[Stanford hoopsParticipant]

yeah he prob shouldnt the first time about rubio..thats something you say to youre friends or family like the second time when he was taped and didnt know it…jennings will be a special player..another thing i dont understand is how some people can say wall is good be great even though jennings gave him work during both of there senior years when they met up each of the three times..jennings numbers across the board was better during the season and he had a much harder schedule against better competition..personally you cant base either on what they did in hs but for those who are basing wall on hs why not base both while they both were seniors and bradon was the player of the year by most publications

[esperanzafleet69Participant]

actually he had his rookie year in which he played just 47 games (which ended up being the most of his illustrious career…) and averaged 13 pts with dismal other stats… after that it was all downhill from there… playing 44 games the next season then down to 11 then to 1

[Stanford hoopsParticipant]

shows how scared he is?…you do know he has a pretty big buyout that the nba only pays 5ook of and the rest he has to pay out of packet..he should come because you want him to come?…so lets just say you make 40k a year..you have a buyout for 3million that you have to pay to go to another job who is offerring 50k a year and they can give 200k towards youre buy out for youre job…and the next year youre buyout almost doubles…also the job will still be there 2 years from now with zero buy out…if you dont take it that makes u scared???..thats very interesting

[WildDudeParticipant]

Look, as Twill put it… hes been making money since he was 11, I’m sure he has more than enough money to go to the NBA now and if the knicks, or Sacramento picked him he’d go to the NBA but for some reason he has something against Minnesota and honestly I don’t want him in the NBA, but why bother going for the draft if hes not gonna come over? If the T’wolves didn’t pick Flynn it might have been a different story…

[Stanford hoopsParticipant]

yeah but how does that make him scared is my comment…plus even if you make or have money that doesnt mean you wanna give it for abuyout..im sure people on here have money for a new car but that doesnt mean they are gonna go get a new car…the fact that he decided to come 2 years from now instead of now means what?…fans are mad becasue they dont get to see him…so what…minny is fine with it and new that could happen hence they drafted flynn…i personally dont think he would have did well this year but he choice to stay overseas for 2 years im cool wit it..same with blake griffen decideing to play a extra year in college or players staying in college instead of comming to the nba..i have zero problem with it…sabonis did it tiggo splitter did it..alot of euros do it and they have no buyouts..teams even draft a player and tell them to stay over…only the fans seems to have a issue with it which im sure the players could care less about how they feel on the issue and i have no prob with that

[WildDudeParticipant]

I never said I have a problem with it, in fact I hope he stays overseas for the rest of his career… but this is the same guy who said he wanted to play in the NBA so badly he’d do it for free. He is only waiting for Minny to trade him then he’ll come to the NBA I’m sure and why would he sign a 2 year deal rather than sticking with his old deal that kept him from coming to the nba? he might stay overseas because thats the easiest thing to do… because they obviously can’t be labeled a bust because they haven’t been around enough to show that they are… such as Juan Carlos Navaro- he was great in his lone season with memphis but he can’t be a bust because he wasnt in america long enough.

[Stanford hoopsParticipant]

lol..you hope he stays..lol….its actully a better decision for his career cuz he can work on the things he lackget alil stronger ..since hes only 18…in the long run its a great decision

[CameronCrazieParticipant]

Jay Wiliams was not a bust he averaged 10pts 5asts 3rbds per game as a rookie

[maravich44Participant]

I don’t understand what you mean. Why am I wrong????? Are you saying Darko has had a good career or is a good player? Are you saying the teams he has played on is the reason he didn’t play well. Interesting how you think I was wrong calling him a bust. I think you need to back that statement with some sort of fact. I really don’r understand what you are saying.
He has been in the league for a few years on different teams and has done very little. You must be a european fan. He might have been great there, but show me some evidence that he was anything but a bust in the NBA.

Would you rather have him or the players drafted 3-5 that year. That was a deep and rich draft. That’s why the NBA is drooling over next season’s free agents.

If you’re going to call me out on my opinion, have a little info to back your side of the discussion!

[Stanford hoopsParticipant]

the only reason id say darko isnt a bust is becaus ei wouldnt have drafted him number 2 in that draft..matter of fact i said second round because i seen him play overseas and didnt like him…al my friends said the same thing thats why we were stunned when he went where he did..other then that bust bust bust

[maravich44Participant]

The point is he WAS drafted #2, and this surprised no one. His age, skill set and size had most scouts drooling and someone would have drafted him very high even if the Pistons passed on him. Even if he were drafted 10, he would have been considered a bust. The circumstances in which he was drafted made his failure more dramatic.

[Stanford hoopsParticipant]

not sure if that was directed at me sinc ei already said he is a bust and stated my opinion

[dejuiceboxParticipant]

you just know that the league bribed the Pistons to not take Melo, Wade or Bosh they offered some incentive that was too good to pass up i mean Darko Milicic? Take a chance on some unknown scrub from Europe or draft Bosh, they play the same position and Bosh was proven in college
maybe the incentive was that championship vs the lakers…

[Stanford hoopsParticipant]

lol…that was just a horrible decision by dumars…whats worst is when they asked him about it he said he would do it again with the information he had and after watching him….the top seven teams didnt have him first ont here draft board..lol

[maravich44Participant]

Dumars is a sharp guy (usually). His scouts must have been brutal. What a price to pay. I guess there’s only one person (europebasketball) that thinks he wasn’t a bust. I’m still very curious to hear his side of the story!

[OldSkoolBasketballParticipant]

Europebasketball seems like a troll to me.

[maravich44Participant]

Scandanavia? : ) He would take Darko over Melo, Wade and Bosh. But I’m wrong and can admit it. Where is he to defend himself?? Still dying to hear his justification. Maybe he went to Holland to sample!?!?

[Stanford hoopsParticipant]

it was dumars who really really wanted him..he actually say him play and still wanted him…i will say hes smart for the championship run..not so smart with that and trading billups for iverson then firing curry in the middle of the summer

[OldSkoolBasketballParticipant]

They shouldn’t have fired Saunders anyway.

[sheltwon3Participant]

Darko was a bust for now but unlike that dude that Denver drafted, Darko really have decent NBA skills but he is young as still learning the game and with the mental effect of him being drafted higher and the expectations, he kind of fell off. My thing is if Mike D can get a decent player out of Darko will he still be a bust because dude is still young enough to get it with some confidence. Also calling a player a thug when he just got caught being just like every other player when the camera is not rolling is stupid. Also using the phrase thug to someone is just being honest about their opinions and confident is uncalled for because if he was white and was like that people would not call him a thug. White people on CNN and all them other shows are 100 times as cocky and they say a lot of inapropriate things too out in the open. Are they thugs. Have any of yall listen on those shows? How can one group of people have opinions and not have any athletic bone in their body but another group who can actually maybe stand behind their words be called a thug. Explain me that.

[Michael.S.Participant]

Have any of yall listen on those shows? How can one group of people have opinions and not have any athletic bone in their body but another group who can actually maybe stand behind their words be called a thug. Explain me that.

that sounds a bit racist my friend

[Michael.S.Participant]

i am 16 , white, 5’9, and i can dunk
im more athletic than 95% of all my black friends

[rtbtParticipant]

I think by every measurement, up to this point in time, Darko Milicic is a draft bust. However, the book isn’t closed on this guy because he’s still only 24, he’s 7 feet tall, weighs around 275 pounds, and is an excellent jumper for a big guy. He had games in Memphis where he scored in double figures, blocked 5 or 6 shots, and also had double digit rebounds. In order to do that in the NBA, it requires big time talent and he has it. That’s why Dumars drafted him with the second choice. Unfortunately he only plays up to his potential in short bursts because in the next game he would do nothing.

I don’t know why Milicic is so inconsistent, but I suspect he’s been in two terrible situations. First he was an 18 year old kid on a star studded veteran team where he was completely lost. Then he was on a team in Memphis where nobody understood the concept of team. Most of the guys who played regularly lived by the shoot first principle, which means big guys in the post rarely touch the ball.

Now he’s in a great situation in NY and it’s up to Milicic to prove he can still become a dominant NBA center. If he fails in NY, there will be no more excuses.

[Stanford hoopsParticipant]

the thing about talent though is it will show in practice. which is the reason j’oneal was kept in portland for so long..unless he makes a very big transformation like 15pts and plays defense he is considered a bust…a number 2 pick out of that draft i expect more..i dont wanna hear an excuse about confidence this is a mans leauge you only get one year to get babied….but thats if youre a later pick not a number 2 pick..if hes still having that problem or can barely contribute in each place he goes then he needs work harder,go to the d leauge or back overseas..we need to stop making excuses for players like that….on another note im pretty sure shewlton wasnt trying be rascist but he makes a good point with some of the news peopel saying all types of things…also the gm organization and scott skills said thought jennings shouldnt have said what he said they like his confidence and wouldnt change a thing about him..they also said they rather have a player like him then a player comming in whos not sure about there selfs because the best players always feel they are better then everone else

[JoeWolf1]

Darko often goes by as the biggest bust of the past few years, but Kwame Brown is just as much of a bust or more, and i think when all is said and done Darko will have a better career. Kwame Brown was the worst #1 pick since Candy Man, only without two or so good seasons that Olawakandi put up with the Clippers. Kwame brown averaged like 9 and 7 one year and that was his peak, atleast Darko is a shot blocking presence, and i could see getting a little better because he is still young enough to still be considered as a project, Kwame is the biggest bust of the last 10 years

[Stanford hoopsParticipant]

yea kwame is also..but im pretty sure his stats are better then darkos..i could be wrong though ill go check after this..both are pretty big bust..id say darko more so since you could have had wade bosh carmelo…3 potenial hall of famers

[JoeWolf1]

Kwame’s stats are a little better, with scoring and rebounding, but Darko is a better shot blocker, good point about the hall of famers, Kwame’s draft was pretty terrible, i don’t think Washington’s kicking themselves for not drafting Eddy Curry

[Stanford hoopsParticipant]

i change my mind about drako..hes more of a bust then i thought.,.i though it was 2 teams he wasnt that good with..he wasnt that good with mem orlando and det…and now some people are guessing he will just get better with his fourth team??…he may have a fulls gold season since the offense in ny is run and gun in which anyone can score…also there career shot blocking averages…kwame..1.0..darko..1.2

[rtbtParticipant]

Up to this point in time, I think by every measurement, Darko Milicic is a draft bust. However, the book isn’t closed on this guy because he’s still only 24, he’s 7 feet tall, weighs around 275 pounds, and is an excellent jumper for a big man.

He had games in Memphis and Orlando where he scored in double figures, blocked 5 or 6 shots, and grabbed double digit rebounds. In order to do that in the NBA, it requires big time talent and he has it. That’s why Dumars drafted him with the second choice. Unfortunately he only plays up to his potential in short bursts, while in most games he does essentially nothing.

I don’t know why Milicic is so inconsistent, but I suspect he’s been in two terrible situations that shattered his confidence. First he was an 18 year old kid on a star studded veteran Pistons team where he was completely lost. Most recently, he was on a team in Memphis where nobody understood the team concepted. Most of the guys who played regularly in Memphis lived by the shoot first principle, which meant big guys in the post rarely touched the ball.

Now he’s in a great situation in NY and it’s up to Milicic to prove he can still become a dominant NBA center. If he fails in NY, there will be no more excuses. More importantly, we’ll should find out if his lack of production in the past was a result of his team situation or a lack of drive and desire on his part.

[Stanford hoopsParticipant]

everone has talent in the nba..it doesnt take big time talent to do that sometimes..it takes big time talent to do that consistantly which he cant..even damon jones scored a bunch of point every blue moon

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