NBA: The Worst Second Overall Draft Picks in History

Alpha Male · Jul 10, 2015

http://www.cheatsheet.com/sports/who-are-the-worst-second-overall-picks-in-nba-history.html/3/

Jay Williams is on the list. So is beasley who some people thought the bulls should have taken over rose.

Scoot26 · Jul 10, 2015

Year	Pick	Drafted By	Traded to	Name	Comment
2015	1.2	LA Lakers		D'Angelo Russell	Cannot comment yet
2014	1.2	Bucks		Jabari Parker	Torn ACL rookie year
2013	1.2	Magic		Victor Oladipo	Coming along; still has room for improvement
2012	1.2	Bobcats		Michael Kidd-Gilchrist	Not worth the #2 pick
2011	1.2	Timberwolves		Derrick Williams	Bust
2010	1.2	76ers		Evan Turner	Bust
2009	1.2	Grizzlies		Hasheem Thabeet	Bust
2008	1.2	Heat		Michael Beasley	Bust
2007	1.2	SuperSonics		Kevin Durant	Not a bust finally! MVP/ multiple all-star; though foot injury destroyed 2014-15 season
2006	1.2	Bulls	Trailblazers	LaMarcus Aldridge	ALL-STAR!
2005	1.2	Hawks		Marvin Williams	Bust
2004	1.2	Bobcats		Emeka Okafor	Had a few good season; injuries ruined his career.
2003	1.2	Pistons		Darko Milicic	Bust
2002	1.2	Bulls		Jay Williams	Injury bust
2001	1.2	Clippers	Bulls	Tyson Chandler	Probably not worth the #2 pick, but has had a solid overall career
2000	1.2	Grizzlies		Stromile Swift	Bust
1999	1.2	Grizzlies		Steve Francis	Great talent, good player, but major head case
1998	1.2	Grizzlies		Mike Bibby	Had a solid career
1997	1.2	76ers	Nets	Keith Van Horn	Had a few good seasons, but was never the force he was expected to be.
1996	1.2	Raptors		Marcus Camby	In one of the strongest drafts ever, he was one of the weakest picks among those. Hard to call him a bust, but much better players went after him.
1995	1.2	Clippers	Nuggets	Antonio McDyess	Had a solid career
1994	1.2	Mavericks		Jason Kidd	HOF
1993	1.2	76ers		Shawn Bradley	Bust
1992	1.2	Hornets		Alonzo Mourning	Very good NBA career
1991	1.2	Nets		Kenny Anderson	Had a solid career, but probably not #2 pick worthy
1990	1.2	Supersonics		Gary Payton	HOF
1989	1.2	Clippers		Danny Ferry	Bust for this pick
1988	1.2	Pacers		Rik Smits	Solid career
1987	1.2	Suns		Armon Gilliam	Solid career
1986	1.2	Celtics		Len Bias	Died 2 days after draft
1985	1.2	Pacers		Wayman Tisdale	Average player
1984	1.2	Trailblazers		Sam Bowie	Injury Bust
1983	1.2	Pacers		Steve Stipanovich	I don't even know who the hell this is
1982	1.2	Clippers		Terry Cummings	Good player, solid career
1981	1.2	Pistons		Isiah Thomas	HOF
1980	1.2	Jazz		Darrell Griffith	???
1979	1.2	Bulls		David Greenwood	Bust for the position picked
1978	1.2	Kings		Phil Ford	N/A
1977	1.2	Kings		Otis Birdsong	N/A
1976	1.2	Bulls		Scott May	N/A
1975	1.2	Lakers		David Meyers	N/A
1974	1.2	76ers		Marvin Barnes	N/A
1973	1.2	Cavaliers		Jim Brewer	N/A
1972	1.2	Braves		Bob McAdoo	HOF
1971	1.2	Trailblazers		Sidney Wicks	HOF
1970	1.2	Rockets		Rudy Tomjanovich	Better coach than player. But Kermit Washington kind of took his playing career away
1969	1.2	Suns		Neal Walk
1968	1.2	Bullets		Wes Unseld	HOF
1967	1.2	Bullets		Earl Monroe	HOF
1966	1.2	Pistons		Dave Bing	HOF
1965	1.2	Knicks		Bill Bradley
1964	1.2	Pistons		Joe Caldwell
1963	1.2	Bullets		Rod Thorn
1962	1.2	Knicks		Paul Hogue
1961	1.2	Knicks		Tom Stith
1960	1.2	Lakers		Jerry West	HOF
1959	1.2	Pistons		Bailey Howell
1958	1.2	Royals		Archie Dees
1957	1.2	Pistons		Charles Tyra

Axl Rose · Jul 10, 2015

it would have to be Darko as the worst 2nd overall pick

RiDLer80 · Jul 10, 2015

Goddamn LaMarcus Aldridge. Goddamn. That still hurts.

Although, if we keep him we probably don't end up drafting high enough to get Rose.

Axl Rose · Jul 10, 2015

thinking about it did Celtics ever get compensation for Len Bias? or did they just get fucked out of a 2nd overall pick?

clonetrooper264 · Jul 10, 2015

If you're gonna call Jay Williams one of the biggest busts for smashing himself into a pole, you should call Len Bias the biggest bust :smh:

Scoot26 · Jul 10, 2015

AirGordon7 said:
thinking about it did Celtics ever get compensation for Len Bias? or did they just get fucked out of a 2nd overall pick?

fucked. That and Reggie Lewis is why they sucked in the 90s.

Alpha Male · Jul 10, 2015

RiDLer80 said:
Goddamn LaMarcus Aldridge. Goddamn. That still hurts.

Although, if we keep him we probably don't end up drafting high enough to get Rose.

Yeah but LMA is a hall of famer. I don't think rose will be when its all said and done. If i had to choose i would take LMA.

Alpha Male · Jul 10, 2015

clonetrooper264 said:
If you're gonna call Jay Williams one of the biggest busts for smashing himself into a pole, you should call Len Bias the biggest bust :smh:

Even before he did that he had a weak rookie season.

clonetrooper264 · Jul 10, 2015

Alpha Male said:
Even before he did that he had a weak rookie season.

10 points and 5 assists is poor? I guess Deron Williams (11 points 5 assists) was a bust his rookie year too.

He showed promise. Even won rookie of the month. He wasn't amazing statistically, but it's not like you knew he would be terrible after that year. In fact, a lot of people thought he was the PG of the future.

Scoot26 · Jul 10, 2015

clonetrooper264 said:
10 points and 5 assists is poor? I guess Deron Williams (11 points 5 assists) was a bust his rookie year too.

He showed promise. Even won rookie of the month. He wasn't amazing statistically, but it's not like you knew he would be terrible after that year. In fact, a lot of people thought he was the PG of the future.

way too much stock put into rookie seasons. If you watched that season, you saw he showed some promise and had ability. He wasn't going to be no Isiah Thomas or what we got later in Derrick Rose, but he showed he could become quite a good PG in the league. But destroyed his career instead with that damn motorcycle. And THEN, we ended up with Kirk. Fucking. Hinrich because of it.

Axl Rose · Jul 10, 2015

also Cartwright was trying to run the triangle thats a hard thing to learn and Jay had a tough time adjusting i think

they shoulda ditched it and came up something more simpler for these young guys that were only 20 years old

Axl Rose · Jul 10, 2015

Scoot26 said:
way too much stock put into rookie seasons. If you watched that season, you saw he showed some promise and had ability. He wasn't going to be no Isiah Thomas or what we got later in Derrick Rose, but he showed he could become quite a good PG in the league. But destroyed his career instead with that damn motorcycle. And THEN, we ended up with Kirk. Fucking. Hinrich because of it.

actually it was that shitty Jalen Rose trade that got us Kirk Hinrich...he chucked us to a few more wins

if we were high enough or he fell we would have taken Wade...that was the guy Pax really wanted

not sure who he would have taken if Jay never got hurt and Wade was taken..maybe Pietrus

clonetrooper264 · Jul 10, 2015

AirGordon7 said:
actually it was that shitty Jalen Rose trade that got us Kirk Hinrich...he chucked us to a few more wins

if we were high enough or he fell we would have taken Wade...that was the guy Pax really wanted

Let's just blame the Heat for not trading that pick to us

nbafan23 · Jul 10, 2015

Sidney Wicks in the HOF?

clonetrooper264 · Jul 10, 2015

nbafan23 said:
Sidney Wicks in the HOF?

The College Basketball HOF!

Solid career though. 17/9/3 averages

Scoot26 · Jul 10, 2015

clonetrooper264 said:
The College Basketball HOF!

Solid career though. 17/9/3 averages

I dont know why I thought he was in the HOF.

ChettheJet · Jul 14, 2015

Several of the busts were in the era when so many GMs fell in love with drafting kids right out of high school.

The Bulls had even split of bad luck and bad picks. Scott May was on the undefeated Indiana team, came in after the Dick Motta contending teams were broken up. Had he not been injured he was probably on his way to being a solid unspectacular NBA player but not more. Greenwood is not a bust as much as a good complimentary player on a bad team. Had he been on a good team he would have been like say Charles Oakley or Horace Grant but he couldn't be one of the key players he needed to be. His fate was sealed when the Bulls lost the coin flip for the first pick and the Lakers ended up with Magic Johnson. Stew on that one for a few decades and get back to me. I genuinely believe that Jay Williams would have become an all star level player. He didn't play much early in the year and had trouble adjusting to the NBA game but by the end of the year he was on his game. But of course he was an idiot on a motorcycle in the city and that was that,

Steve Stipanovich was a 6-11 center with a good outside shot who was in line to be the second coming of Jack Sikma. Except he wasn't very strong, never could rebound and was a bust. David Meyers was a UCLA forward on great teams, too small but almost strong enough to be a 4, too slow and couldn't shoot well enough to be a 3. Ended up like another UCLA player Greenwood good but never great. Otis Birdsong, great before he got hurt which he did continually and then never the same. Marvin Barnes, mostly ABA where the nickname Bad News was perfectly suited, more off the court troubles than big games.

Darrell Griffith out of Louisville was a spectacular 6-4 dunking guard, DR. Dunkenstein. Had a pretty good NBA career that went unnoticed playing in Utah on below 500 teams.

Gustavus Adolphus · Jul 14, 2015

RiDLer80 said:
Goddamn LaMarcus Aldridge. Goddamn. That still hurts.

Although, if we keep him we probably don't end up drafting high enough to get Rose.

I just don't understand, knowing what we now know, why anybody would prefer Rose to Aldridge.

clonetrooper264 · Jul 14, 2015

Gustavus Adolphus said:
I just don't understand, knowing what we now know, why anybody would prefer Rose to Aldridge.

I find it irrelevant. Either way we lose to Lebron

NBA: The Worst Second Overall Draft Picks in History

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