The NBA Draft is an exciting time for teams and fans alike since they can get a good glimpse of the future of their team. Oftentimes, teams pick up gems in through the early picks, but there are instances when these top first-round picks turn out to be busts. Here are a few of the biggest losers in NBA Draft history.
The 2007 Portland Trail Blazers The Blazers are unlucky in the draft. Back in 2007, they used their first pick to choose Greg Oden over Kevin Durant. Both were big men, but Oden was more dominant inside the paint, and at this point, Durant wasn’t Durant yet. But Oden suffered one injury after another, ultimately causing his career to be a disappointment.
The 1998 Los Angeles Clippers In 1998, the Clippers picked Michael Olowokandi first overall, much to the surprise of many scouts. He hadn’t played organized ball until he was an adult. The result? 10 seasons of 8 points per game. To think that “The Kandi Man” was chosen ahead of players such as Dirk Nowitzki and Paul Pierce was just baffling.
The 1984 Portland Trail Blazers Did we mention that the Blazers are unlucky in the draft? If you thought the Oden deal was bad because they passed on Durant and Oden kept on getting injured, their experience in 1984 was worse. They first lost a coin toss against the Rockets and missed the chance to get Hakeem Olajuwon. So they chose another big man, but with a history of injuries – Sam Bowie (who went on to play in only 139 games in five years). One small detail though – they could’ve chosen a young player from North Carolina named Michael Jordan. The Chicago Bulls couldn’t be any happier.
Allen R. Hartman shares his opinions on sports issues as a blogger. For his thoughts on the hottest sports issues, follow him on Twitter. Tags: bust, NBA, draft picks References: http://uproxx.com/dimemag/25-college-stars-busts-nba/ http://www.nbcsports.com/top-nba-draft-busts-all-time http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1657535-15-biggest-nba-draft-busts-of-all-time Images: http://image.oregonlive.com/home/olive-media/width620/img/nba_impact/photo/21504574-mmmain.jpg Image source: oregonlive.com http://fadeawayworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/sam_bowie.jpg?x21867 Image source: fadeawayworld.com
The 2007 Portland Trail Blazers The Blazers are unlucky in the draft. Back in 2007, they used their first pick to choose Greg Oden over Kevin Durant. Both were big men, but Oden was more dominant inside the paint, and at this point, Durant wasn’t Durant yet. But Oden suffered one injury after another, ultimately causing his career to be a disappointment.
The 1998 Los Angeles Clippers In 1998, the Clippers picked Michael Olowokandi first overall, much to the surprise of many scouts. He hadn’t played organized ball until he was an adult. The result? 10 seasons of 8 points per game. To think that “The Kandi Man” was chosen ahead of players such as Dirk Nowitzki and Paul Pierce was just baffling.
The 1984 Portland Trail Blazers Did we mention that the Blazers are unlucky in the draft? If you thought the Oden deal was bad because they passed on Durant and Oden kept on getting injured, their experience in 1984 was worse. They first lost a coin toss against the Rockets and missed the chance to get Hakeem Olajuwon. So they chose another big man, but with a history of injuries – Sam Bowie (who went on to play in only 139 games in five years). One small detail though – they could’ve chosen a young player from North Carolina named Michael Jordan. The Chicago Bulls couldn’t be any happier.
Allen R. Hartman shares his opinions on sports issues as a blogger. For his thoughts on the hottest sports issues, follow him on Twitter. Tags: bust, NBA, draft picks References: http://uproxx.com/dimemag/25-college-stars-busts-nba/ http://www.nbcsports.com/top-nba-draft-busts-all-time http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1657535-15-biggest-nba-draft-busts-of-all-time Images: http://image.oregonlive.com/home/olive-media/width620/img/nba_impact/photo/21504574-mmmain.jpg Image source: oregonlive.com http://fadeawayworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/sam_bowie.jpg?x21867 Image source: fadeawayworld.com
