NBA: Biggest NBA bust of all modern time?

Biggest bust of modern times

  • Adam Morrison

  • Kwame Brown

  • Greg Oden

  • Anthony Bennett

  • Hasheem Thabeet

  • Jimmer Fredette

  • Other (leave in comments)


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VeloClone

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Jan 19, 2010
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All the guys in the poll did make an NBA roster after their two-year guaranteed contract.

Really, any first round pick, or at least first round top 25 pick that couldn't make a roster after the two guaranteed years is probably a good "bust" candidate, whether the reasons are injuries, emotional, or just lack of NBA talent.

Sorry to go there, but honorable mentions:
Craig Brackins...drafted round 1 at #21, he never made an NBA roster after his second year.
Royce White...drafted round 1 at #16 and played 3 NBA games.
Can't believe it took this long. The only reason I hadn't posted it was because I had to read through the thread first.
 

HFCS

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Aug 13, 2010
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All the guys in the poll did make an NBA roster after their two-year guaranteed contract.

Really, any first round pick, or at least first round top 25 pick that couldn't make a roster after the two guaranteed years is probably a good "bust" candidate, whether the reasons are injuries, emotional, or just lack of NBA talent.

Sorry to go there, but honorable mentions:
Craig Brackins...drafted round 1 at #21, he never made an NBA roster after his second year.
Royce White...drafted round 1 at #16 and played 3 NBA games.

I think taking a chance with Royce at #16 was worth the risk even though obviously he was not compatible with professional basketball.

Most years he'd be the most talented player in the draft. That year it was him and AD who had the most physical/talent upside. AD is #3 in player efficiency rating all time behind only MJ and LBJ.

It didn't work out, but I don't think a team was unwise trying him out mid first round.

If Royce had been top 3 pick he'd definitely be up there with Oden for "what were they thinking" in terms of obvious warning signs...I mean it was a very flamboyant exit from basketball, maybe more than any other in the thread.

unrelated to Royce....but another note about Oden, does anyone remember the video out there during the draft where he said he'd be just as happy being a dentist as a basketball player? Great guy, but can you imagine LeBron or Durant or Jordan or Steph Curry saying they'd be just as happy to cap teeth as be in the NBA? I mean things like that are also warning signs that you are not getting Hakeem Olajuwan.
 

Bigman38

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All the guys in the poll did make an NBA roster after their two-year guaranteed contract.

Really, any first round pick, or at least first round top 25 pick that couldn't make a roster after the two guaranteed years is probably a good "bust" candidate, whether the reasons are injuries, emotional, or just lack of NBA talent.

Sorry to go there, but honorable mentions:
Craig Brackins...drafted round 1 at #21, he never made an NBA roster after his second year.
Royce White...drafted round 1 at #16 and played 3 NBA games.

Royce’s NBA career is one of my biggest Cyclone disappointments. I just wanted to see him play more basketball, and see how far he could go. For me he goes right up there with Niang and Tinsley with guys who were just fun to watch.
 

Drew0311

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I would say top bust ever had to be a top five pick. Fultz is coming around. I think he took a while because he had always been the man and his ego took a hit and it took him a while to recover. If he can stay healthy he will end up being a pretty solid player
 
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HFCS

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Andrea Bargnani and Markell Fultz need to be added to the list.

Bargnani is a great one to bring up.

Just wishing someone is Dirk doesn't make them Dirk.

Now that I think about it Bargnani is one I could have seen coming almost as much as Oden and they were both #1s.

That was a weird draft. If you redid 2006 it'd probably be:
#1 Lowry (24th)
#2 Rondo (21st)
#3 Aldridge (2nd)
#4 Rudy Gay (8th)
#5 Milsap (47th)
#6 JJ Reddick (11th)

You could argue the order of those. I was pretty high on Rudy Gay leading up to that draft and would have taken him if I were a GM. I can't pretend I was high on the others though or even knew who Lowry was.

I guarantee nobody thought Reddick was underrated at 11th.
 

HFCS

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Royce’s NBA career is one of my biggest Cyclone disappointments. I just wanted to see him play more basketball, and see how far he could go. For me he goes right up there with Niang and Tinsley with guys who were just fun to watch.

He's probably the most fun player to watch that you'll never see play at the level his talent should have been at.

Maybe Len Bias with him for different reason.
 

CychiatricWard

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Andrea Bargnani and Markell Fultz need to be added to the list.

Absolutely not. I don’t think you understand what bust means....Should they not have been top picks? Yeah, probably so, but Bargnani has had a really good nba career. Fultz is still only 22 and been decent for the Magic, minus injuries.
 

HFCS

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Absolutely not. I don’t think you understand what bust means....Should they not have been top picks? Yeah, probably so, but Bargnani has had a really good nba career. Fultz is still only 22 and been decent for the Magic, minus injuries.

Hmmm Bargnani better numbers than I remember. Tough to stand out at Toronto before that run. Never rebounded or shot high % for his size but still solid production I'd want from a 5-15 range pick. Only maybe bust because of the #1 and there was a LOT of hype.
 

CychiatricWard

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Bargnani is a great one to bring up.

Just wishing someone is Dirk doesn't make them Dirk.

Now that I think about it Bargnani is one I could have seen coming almost as much as Oden and they were both #1s.

That was a weird draft. If you redid 2006 it'd probably be:
#1 Lowry (24th)
#2 Rondo (21st)
#3 Aldridge (2nd)
#4 Rudy Gay (8th)
#5 Milsap (47th)
#6 JJ Reddick (11th)

You could argue the order of those. I was pretty high on Rudy Gay leading up to that draft and would have taken him if I were a GM. I can't pretend I was high on the others though or even knew who Lowry was.

I guarantee nobody thought Reddick was underrated at 11th.

I think you guys need a refresher on what a bust is. Bargnani is absolutely not a bust. Look at his career stats. Average 20 a game for two years with Toronto and has been a solid role player. Number 1? No. Bust? Absolutely not.

 

CychiatricWard

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Hmmm Bargnani better numbers than I remember. Tough to stand out at Toronto before that run. Never rebounded or shot high % for his size but still solid production I'd want from a 5-15 range pick. Only maybe bust because of the #1 and there was a LOT of hype.

Responded to yours as I now see you quoted mine. The hype was way too high, though.
 
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HFCS

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Another thing is a lot of young pucks are a bust for team that takes them and stars at the next team. Happened even more often when he kids were frequently getting taken.
 

HFCS

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I think you guys need a refresher on what a bust is. Bargnani is absolutely not a bust. Look at his career stats. Average 20 a game for two years with Toronto and has been a solid role player. Number 1? No. Bust? Absolutely not.


He was reeeeeeeeeeeally hyped and he took many years to develop. They had him set up like he was gonna be an immediate all star.
 

JP4CY

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He's probably the most fun player to watch that you'll never see play at the level his talent should have been at.

Maybe Len Bias with him for different reason.
I don’t know why your post made me kind of sidetrack to Mike Taylor. In case anyone’s wondering, he’s still in Europe.
 

AllInForISU

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He had microfracture surgery right after his freshman season and post draft. Sometimes people, including me, remember him having it during the season and that was not true. His leg after the surgery was actually shorter than his other leg. People though he had a limp and that was not the case.

He had 3 micro fracture surgeries. One post draft and he missed his rookie year, one in 2010 and one in 2012 and nothing showed up in pre draft physicals. They had no idea he would miss the entire first year.
 

Peter

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I think you guys need a refresher on what a bust is. Bargnani is absolutely not a bust. Look at his career stats. Average 20 a game for two years with Toronto and has been a solid role player. Number 1? No. Bust? Absolutely not.

20 pts. A game for two seasons is an absolute bust. There are 2nd round and undrafted players that do it all the time. Not production you want from a no. 1 pick or a lotto pick for that matter. Not Bennett’s level bust but on the bust spectrum.
 
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Peter

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Kansas has produced a lot of busts. Wasn’t Thomas Robinson a former no. 3? I remember Cole Aldrich and Jeff Withy were both lottery picks. Just why? Even Wiggins has underperformed as a former no. 1. Only KU player who has done well in NBA is Embiid.