Top 5 Worst Draft Classes
They’re saying that this year’s draft class is going to be a weak one, but it will take some time for us to really conclude that such is the case. You can say all you want about weak classes heading into the draft, but only time can dictate which of them truly are awful.
That said, the jury is allowed to remain out for the 2011 class, but for draft classes of the past the verdict. In some cases, there’s just no arguing when a draft class is bad. Here are five of the worst:
#5 – 2001 Draft Class
First Five: #1 – Kwame Brown (WAS), #2 – Tyson Chandler (LAC), #3 – Pau Gasol (MEM), #4 – Eddy Curry (CHI), #5 – Jason Richardson (GSW).
Best Five: Gasol, Joe Johnson (10th Pick), Zach Randolph (19th Pick), Tony Parker (28th Pick), Gilbert Arenas (31st Pick).
Explanation: This was the year the love affair with high school kids took itself to a whole new level. Brown, Chandler, and Curry took up three of the top four picks without an ounce of college experience, and Chicago even traded 20-10 guy Elton Brand to roll the dice on adding Chandler to Curry (which, for the record, turned out to be a pretty bad idea). Brown personifies these mistakes better than anybody, and despite some big guns having come out of the ’01 draft, we still have to at least mention the rest of the gang just because the top picks this year were so dreadful.
#4 – 1990 Draft Class
First Five: #1 – Derrick Coleman (NJ), #2 – Gary Payton (SEA), #3 Chris Jackson (Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, DEN), #4 – Dennis Scott (ORL), #5 – Kendall Gill (CHA).
Best Five: Payton, Coleman, Tyrone Hill (11th Pick), Cedric Ceballos (48th Pick), Antonio Davis (45th Pick).
Explanation: Payton was a huge star with undeniably great talent, and Coleman had his flashes. Beyond that, we’re staring a whole lot of bad right in the face. There were definitely guys that made rosters and contributed for a number of years, but a lot of them were really, really awful. Take a look at picks 6 through 10: Felton Spencer, Lionel Simmons, Bo Kimble, Willie Burton, and Rumeal Robinson. All lottery picks, completely wasted. And the rest of the draft isn’t a whole lot of better.
#3 – 1973 Draft Class
First Five: #1 – Doug Collins (PHI), #2 – Jim Brewer (CLE), #3 – Ernie DiGregorio (BUF), #4 – Mike Green (SEA), #5 – Kermit Washington (LAL)
Best Five: George McGinnis (22nd Pick), Collins, Washington, Larry Kenon (50th Pick), DiGregorio.
Explanation: Some may be surprised to see that Doug Collins (yes, the coach of the Philadelphia 76ers) was the first overall pick in this draft, but what’s even more surprising is that he was arguably the best player to come out of this group. The guys you see in the “Best Five” listed above add some credibility, but let the record show how difficult it was to actually assemble a “Best Five” from that group.
#2 – 1971 Draft Class
First Five: #1 – Austin Carr (CLE), #2 – Sidney Wicks (POR), #3 – Elmore Smith (BUF), #4 – Ken Durrett (CIN), #5 – George Trapp (ATL).
Best Five: Artis Gilmore (117th Pick – originally opted for ABA), Spencer Haywood (30th Pick), Wicks, Carr, Curtis Rowe (11th Pick).
Explanation: The really sad thing is the best player from this draft was taken in a round that doesn’t even exist anymore, and he didn’t even play in the NBA the year after being selected. That leaves us with Haywood, Wicks, Carr, and a whole lot of nothing. Two players chosen in the first round (Dana Lewis, 12th Pick and Collis Jones, 17th Pick), never even played in the NBA.
#1 – 2000 Draft Class
First Five: #1 – Kenyon Martin (NJN), #2 – Stromile Swift (VAN), #3 – Darius Miles (LAC), #4 – Marcus Fizer (CHI), #5 – Mike Miller (ORL).
Best Five: Michael Redd (43rd Pick), Martin, Jamaal Magloire (19th Pick), Jamal Crawford (8th Pick), Hedo Turkoglu (16th Pick).
Explanation: Only two picks from this entire first round every played in an All-Star game, and one of those (Jamaal Magloire) barely counts. The other (Kenyon Martin) has had a reasonable career, but look at the rest of the lottery: Swift, Miles, Fizer, DeMarr Johnson, Chris Mihm, Joel Przybilla, Jerome Moiso… the awful selections are virtually limitless. Some guys made it as career role players, but only Mike Redd, selected in the second round, ever saw any real measure of stardom, and injuries even plagued him. Not good. Not good at all.
Honorable Mention:
1975 Draft Class
First Five: #1 – David Thompson (ATL), #2 – David Meyers (LAL), #3 – Marvin Webster (ATL), #4 – Alvan Adams (PHO), #5 – Darryl Dawkins (PHI).
Best Five: Thompson, Dawkins, World B. Free (23rd Pick), Lionel Hollins (6th Pick), Gus Williams (20th Pick)
Explanation: Thompson is a Hall-of-Famer, and Dawkins and World B. Free certainly made their stamp on the game both on and off the court, but beyond that this is a remarkably boring draft class. Take a look through the first round selections in this draft and the average fan will have never even heard of 2/3 of these guys. Brutal class, but not the worst. There aren’t a lot of drafts on this list that include a Hall of Fame player, Thompson has saved 1975 from complete embarrassment.
1986 Draft Class
First Five: #1 – Brad Daugherty (CLE), #2 – Len Bias (BOS), #3 – Chris Washburn (GSW), #4 – Chuck Person (IND), #5 – Kenny Walker (NYK).
Best Five: Dennis Rodman (27th Pick), Mark Price (25th Pick), Daugherty, Jeff Hornacek (46th Pick), Arvydas Sabonis (24th Pick).
Explanation: Other than Daugherty, who would’ve been great had injuries not stopped his career in its tracks much too early, all the real star power from this draft came in the second round. Price, Hornacek, and recent Hall of Fame inductee Dennis Rodman all were taken in Round #2. As for Round #1… not so great.
{AUTHOR_BOX}2002 Draft Class
First Five: #1 – Yao Ming (HOU), #2 – Jay Williams (CHI), #3 – Mike Dunleavy (GSW), #4 – Drew Gooden (MEM), #5 – Nikoloz Tskitishvili (DEN).
Best Five: Amare Stoudemire (9th Pick), Yao, Carlos Boozer (35th Pick), Caron Butler (10th Pick), Tayshuan Prince (23rd Pick)
Explanation: Even if Jay Williams hadn’t wrecked his motorcycle, we’d still be looking at this draft as a relatively weak one, but without the promising #2 pick in the mix, it looks even worse. While there are clearly some stars that made their way out of this class, there clearly were some dire mistakes made in the top five picks, and 6th overall pick DeJuan Wagner is one of the biggest disappointments of the last decade. There’s enough talent here to keep 2002 in Honorable Mention, but the rest of the draft made the decision particularly difficult.
2006 Draft Class
First Five: #1 – Andrea Bargnani (TOR), #2 – LaMarcus Aldridge (CHI), #3 – Adam Morrison (CHA), #4 Tyrus Thomas (POR), #5 – Shelden Williams (ATL).
Best Five: Rajon Rondo (21st Pick), Aldridge, Brandon Roy (6th Pick), Rudy Gay (8th Pick), Paul Millsap (47th Pick).
Explanation: This is the most recent dud on our list, and we call it that despite the fact that some serious studs have made their way from this class. Regardless, very high (and very bad) picks like Morrison, Shelden Williams, and Patrick O’Bryant (9th Overall), but the number of flops from ’06 quite a bit higher than average. Roy’s early chronic injuries, Thomas’s inability to live up to potential, and a whole lot of mediocrity in the rest of the first round is what puts this group on the list, despite the production of Rondo, Aldridge, and Gay.
Will 2011′s group match up with any of these? My gut tells me, at worst, we’re probably looking at honorable mention. While the amount of star power at the top of the draft is pretty minimal, a lot of the guys in this group can really play, and many of them should have long, successful careers in the league. They might not be future Hall-of-Famers, but they’ve got the potential to at least be solid.
I could be wrong, of course, but only time tells that sort of thing. Let’s let time do its thing, shall we?
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