THE SPORT COUNT

Sometimes, it doesn’t matter where you draft. Great players are often left waiting until the second round, if they’re drafted at all. A high lottery pick doesn’t guarantee a thing. Upside can confuse. Wingspans can distract. Big mistakes can be made, even by the best-intentioned general managers.

#10 | Mouhamed Sene | Seattle Supersonics | 2006

Other Notables Mistakes At #10: Keyon Dooling, Orlando Magic, 2000 | Jarvis Hayes, Washington Wizards, 2003 | Luke Jackson, Cleveland Cavaliers, 2004

Remember that thing about wingspans? Sene was a clasically raw Senegalese shot-blocker with a ridiculous wingspan (7′8″) and an appropriate expectation of upside attached.

Sene clearly couldn’t play, expending all his energy racking up fouls and looking confused. It took just three months for the Sonics to boot him to the D-League. Since then, he was waived, then picked up by the Knicks in 2009. In other words, he was cheap, tall, and New York wanted to keep salaries low.

#9 | Michael Sweetney | New York Knicks | 2003

Other Notables Mistakes At #9: Patrick O’Bryant, Golden State Warriors, 2006 | Rodney White, Detroit Pistons, 2001

The Knicks, for all their recent failures, have done well at the draft, picking up Wilson Chandler, David Lee, and Nate Robinson towards the back end of the selections. The Sweetney pick was not one of their successes.

Battling constant weight problems in his rookie year, their ninth pick gave them 42 uninspiring games.

Sweetney was semi-serviceable in his second year (19 minutes, 8 points, 5 boards), but was never fit enough to contribute consistently. He was used as salary fodder in the trade that sent Eddy Curry to Chicago, and Sweetney has been wearing suits for the Bulls since.

#8 | Rafael Araújo | Toronto Raptors | 2004

Other Notables Mistakes At #8: DeSagana Diop, Cleveland Cavaliers, 2001 | Joe Alexander, Milwaukee Bucks, 2008

Befitting their status as the only non-US team, Toronto are an international franchise. They pride themselves on their worldly scouts. When it comes time to pull the trigger on an oversized white man who’ll undoubtedly struggle against superior NBA competition, the Raptors don’t hesitate.

Araújo wasn’t any good when he was drafted, and he never got any better. In his rookie year, he averaged 3 points and 3 boards; a slightly better contribution than what he offered to the Jazz in his last year in the league, three seasons later. Oversized, a bad shooter, and consistently incompetent at fundamental basketball tasks, Araújo was a badly wasted opportunity, drafted ahead of Andre Iguodala (9th) and Al Jefferson (15th).

#7 | Corey Brewer | Minnesota Timberwolves | 2007

Other Notables Mistakes At #7: Eddie Griffin, Houston Rockets, 2000 | Chris Mihm, Cleveland Cavaliers, 2000

With his sophomore season cut to just 15 games after knee surgery, it may be a little premature to proclaim Brewer a bust.

But it’s not far off. Brewer joined a terrible Timberwolves team, ripe for rookie playing time, a starting spot his for the taking. He responded by delivering 6 points (at 37.5%), 4 boards and a cheeky steal in 22 minutes.

#6 | Robert Traylor | Dallas Mavericks | 1998

Other Notables Mistakes At #6: DerMarr Johnson, Atlanta Hawks, 2000 | Dajuan Wagner, Cleveland Cavaliers, 2002 | Martell Webster, Portland Trail Blazers, 2005 | Yi Jianlian, Milwaukee Bucks, 2006

Note to Wolves fans: sorry. You really don’t want the 6th pick in the draft. Where teams become desperate for an upside pick, while struggling to find a guy ready to play right now. It’s a bad spot.

But the nod goes to ‘Tractor’ Traylor. Able to dominate despite — and partly because of — his weight in college, Traylor was a mess playing against professional athletes. While his natural ability was clear, his inability not to be fucking enormous limited his playing time and contributions. He was waived by Cleveland after the 2004-05 season, going on to have aorta surgery, and a failed stint with the Nets.

#5 | Nikoloz Tskitishvili | Denver Nuggets | 2002

Other Notables Mistakes At #5: Jonathan Bender, Toronto Raptors, 1999 | Shelden Williams, Atlanta Hawks, 2006

If the Nuggets had snagged Tskitishvili in the middle of the second round, he may have been a nice pick-up. But as such an early pick, taken ahead of Nenê Hilario (7th), Amar’e Stoudemire (9th) and Caron Butler (10th), Tskitishvili was an abomination. Career stats: 11 minutes, 3.0 points, 1.8 rebounds (at 7′0″), 30.4% from the field (unbelievable), and nothing else.

Presumably inspired by the Dirk Nowitzki pick in 1998, the Nuggets were looking for size combined with a stroke. Big Niko had the former, and emphatically lacked the latter.

#4 | Marcus Fizer| Chicago Bulls | 2000

Other Notables Mistakes At #4: Eddy Curry, Chicago Bulls, 2001

Fizer was drafted into a Chicago frontcourt already packed full of Elton Brand. Despite the lacklustre situation, he received 22 minutes per outing in his rookie year, and gave back 9.5 points and 4.4 rebounds. Not good, but not horrible.

He never got any better. Never developed. Ended up playing in Israel, where the standard of play suited.

#3 | Adam Morrison | Charlotte Bobcats | 2006

Other Notables Mistakes At #3: Raef LaFrentz, Denver Nuggets, 1998

If Bobcats fans existed, the city of Charlotte would be bathed in tears whenever Morrison’s sad little mouse face popped up on their television sets, his slumped body hung next to the Lakers bench.

What a monumentally bad choice: a weak, defensively appalling shooter taken ahead of Tyrus Thomas (4th), Brandon Roy (6th) and Rudy Gay (8th). 2006 was a notoriously weak draft pool, but the Bobcats found a way to turn ill-fortune into a self-made embarrassment.

Morrison was given the green light as a rookie, rarely benched despite his 37.6% clip combining with a stunning lack of rebounding effort or playmaking ability. He was happily sent to the Lakers for a guy no one in Los Angeles liked (Vladimir Radmanovic), gifting Morrison one of the least-deserved championship rings in the history of the sport.

#2 | Marvin Williams | Atlanta Hawks | 2005

Other Notables Mistakes At #2: Stromile Swift, Vancouver Grizzlies, 2000 | Jay Williams, Chicago Bulls, 2002 (a wise pick, but turned out terribly once Williams nearly killed himself in a motorcycle accident in 2003) | Darko Miličić, Detroit Pistons, 2003

Marvin Williams is yet to show he’s a bust. He continues to improve, recently developing an accurate three-point shot, and sporadically staying with his man on the defensive end. But he’s yet to show he can really play. Yet to show he isn’t expendable. Yet to justify his high selection.

Especially when that pick came with Deron Williams (3rd) and Chris Paul (4th) still available. But even in a weaker draft, Williams was a reach. Stromile Swift may have been a bigger bust, but in terms of disappointment — and injury to a franchise — the Marvin pick takes it.

Special mention should go to Darko Miličić*, a wretched creature who has, at best, managed to contribute as a shot-swatter sporadically. At worst, he decimated the dreams of a Pistons community dreaming of a long-term championship contender with Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, or Chris Bosh on board.

Williams narrowly gets the nod due to his contributions being limited to inconsistent scoring, the most easily replaced NBA facility.

#1 | Kwame Brown | Washington Wizards | 2001

Other Notables Mistakes At #1: Michael Olowokandi, Los Angeles Clippers, 1998 | Kenyon Martin, New Jersey Nets, 2000

As a front office man, Michael Jordan has developed a reputation as a very good golfer. Picks like the fundamentally flawed Kwame Brown selection earned it for him. What a bad call. What a lazy selection.

Jordan saw nothing but upside in Brown, a dominant force in high school, a big man with post ability. Unfortunately, Brown was lazy, unmotivated, and famously small-handed. Jordan went for a home run selection, and was struck out. 4.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in his rookie year. Traded twice. Is consistenly mocked. Rarely contributes. Those same, small, sad hands.

And he was taken ahead of Pau Gasol (3rd), Jason Richardson (5th), Joe Johnson (10th), and even Gilbert Arenas (30th).

Just like Chuck Berry sang, it goes to show you never can tell.

Posted By: Anton

*This article originally, and unjustifiably, omitted Darko Miličić from consideration.

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