No. 1 Draft Picks Cursed by Injury?
Being the No. 1 overall pick has always been burdened with expectations to uplift a woebegone franchise, but through a strange coincidence, players taken first have had a hard time simply staying on the court in recent seasons because of some unfortunate breaks, sprains and tears.
Washington Wizards point guard John Wall missed the first 33 games before finally making his debut, but Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose and Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut have yet to play this season and Toronto Raptors center Andrea Bargnani is currently sidelined with torn ligaments in his right elbow and a strained right wrist.
The past two No. 1 picks, point guard Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers and New Orleans forward Anthony Davis, have already missed significant time this season. 2004 No.1 pick Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard recently went down with a torn labrum and still recovering from season-ending back surgery last season.
Since Bogut went first to Milwaukee in 2005, Rose was the only top choice not to miss at least 13 games because of injury or illness in one of his first two seasons and even he has been bitten by the injury bug recently. Blake Griffin and Greg Oden both missed the first full season after they were drafted after developing serious knee injuries
Of the past 10 No. 1 picks, Miami HEAT forward LeBron James is the most successful and the only exception to the injury curse, winning three most valuable players awards and an NBA championship as well as the healthiest, since he has never missed more than seven games in any NBA season.
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