Marvin & Sheldon Williams

[dhawk]

Marvin & Sheldon come in ranked 5a & 5b, LOL!!! That's sad but probably close to being true, especially for Shell-head.

Darko, Oden among pack of worst picks

Tuesday, December 29, 2009 | Print Entry

Posted by Chad Ford

The NBA Draft can be quite a crap shoot. Highly regarded players in college, high school or international play can end up being busts in the NBA.

When a team takes a bust in the early lottery, it can have devastating effects for teams. Here's a look at 10 of the worst draft picks from the past decade. Virtually all of the draft picks have one thing in common -- a team swung for the upside fence and ended up striking out.

1. Darko Milicic, Detroit Pistons, No. 2 overall in 2003

Darko Milicic's name will forever live in infamy in Detroit and on my personal Wikipedia page. Milicic was a super talented 17-year-old Serbian big man who was known as an athletic, 7-foot-1, forward who could play in the paint and shoot it from the perimeter. I traveled all the way to Serbia to see him in November 2002, along with a number of NBA scouts and we were all wowed by his skill to size ratio. An amazing workout in front of Pistons GM Joe Dumars and myself in New York the day before the NBA Draft lottery convinced us both that he was going to be a star. Long-time Pistons scout Will Robinsion (the guy who discovered Dumars and Grant Hill) compared him to a young Wilt Chamberlain. The Pistons were so enthralled that they ended up drafting Milicic ahead of Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade.

Alas, just a few months after getting drafted, Darko's name became more punchline than legend. Head coach Larry Brown had no need for Darko on his NBA Championship team. Milicic would play only in blowouts or at the end of games, and fans anointed him the Human Victory Cigar. During his third season in the league, the Pistons gave up on him and traded him to Orlando for a future first round pick. Milicic began to show some promise in Orlando alongside Dwight Howard, but Orlando decided to go in a different direction when Milicic hit free agency and Darko signed with the Grizzlies, expecting big playing time. It never happened. He now earns regular DNPs at the end of the New York Knicks bench and has recently indicated that he wants to return to Europe next year -- ending his NBA career and sealing his destiny as the worst bust of the decade.

2. Kwame Brown, Washington Wizards, No. 1 overall in 2001

Michael Jordan may be the greatest player to ever play the game. But as a GM, he got off to a shaky start when he took Brown with the No. 1 pick in the 2001 draft. Jordan was wowed by Brown's size and body. In a workout, the day before the draft, Brown dominated another top prospect, Tyson Chandler, in a one-on-one workout and afterwards told Jordan that if MJ drafted him, he'd never regret it. Yeah, right.

Brown got off to a shaky start with head coach Doug Collins and eventually slid into the abyss. His confidence shattered by Jordan and Collins' rapid-fire criticism, Kwame never really developed. While he had a ton of physical abilities, his bad hands and lack of self-esteem have kept him from ever living up to his potential. Had Jordan drafted Pau Gasol (who went No. 3 that year) his reputation in the front office may have been much, much better.

3. Nikoloz Tskitishvili, Denver Nuggets, No. 5 overall in 2002

New Nuggets GM Kiki Vandeweghe famously drafted Tskiitshvili without ever actually seeing him play. Vandeweghe had been the guy behind Dirk Nowitzki's development in Dallas and based on Mike D'Antoni's glowing reports about Skita (D'Antoni was Tskitishivili's head coach in Italy), Vandeweghe decided to gamble.

Unfortunately for the Nuggets, Skita was more myth than player. He had all the physical tools you want in a forward, but had no real basketball IQ. He was a kid who looked terrific in workouts and clueless in an actual game.

Four picks later, the Phoenix Suns drafted Amare Stoudemire. Stoudemire went on to win Rookie of the Year honors. Skita was out of the league four years later with a career 30-percent FG percentage.

4. Adam Morrison, Charlotte Bobcats, No. 3 overall in 2006 -- over Brandon Roy

Chalk Morrison up as Michael Jordan's second devastating mistake as a GM. This time the scene moves to Charlotte, where Jordan had just bought a stake in the Bobcats and was named the team's vice president. The Bobcats were in desperate need of a 2 guard and Roy looked like the perfect fit for the Bobcats. However, Jordan was wowed by Morrison's career at Gonzaga, loved his workout and decided to gamble on the athletically challenged Morrison.

The results have been disastrous for Charlotte. Morrison was awful as a rookie. He missed his entire sophomore season with a serious knee injury and then was ultimately traded to the Lakers. Meanwhile Roy has gone on to be one of the best 2 guards in the game.

5a. Marvin Williams, Atlanta Hawks, No. 2 overall in 2005 -- over Chris Paul

Marvin Williams was the consensus upside pick in the draft. He was incredibly skilled for a player his size and had just put on a terrific performance in the NCAA Tournament. However, every scout in the league knew that Paul was going to be special and was a perfect fit in Atlanta. The Hawks had a gaping hole at the point guard position and had drafted two athletic forwards -- Josh Smith and Josh Childress -- the year before. Paul would've been the perfect complement to them. Even Paul knew it and a few days before the draft he campaigned for the Hawks to take him at No. 2.

In a move that only Billy Knight could pull off, Knight ignored all of the context and selected Williams over Paul. At the time, a source inside the Hawks front office told me that Knight believed Paul was too small and that he really only liked big point guards.

Paul has gone on to be one of the best point guards in the history of the game. Williams has been an average player who has especially struggled of late after inking a five-year deal as a free agent this summer.

5b. Shelden Williams, Atlanta Hawks, No. 5 overall in 2006 -- over Rajon Rondo

One year after the CP3 debacle, Knight had a chance to redeem himself. Washington guard Brandon Roy looked like he could play some point guard in the league. Kentucky point guard Rajon Rondo looked like the perfect type of point guard to push the pace and play smothering defense. But Knight balked at both Roy and Rondo and instead took Williams about 10 places higher than any other GM had predicted he would go.

Of course, the Hawks had already drafted three other forwards in the past two years and while the thinking was that Williams could play some center for them, it didn't work out. The Hawks gave up on Williams a few years later. Meanwhile Roy is a two time All-Star and Rondo has a championship ring and huge contract extension with the Celtics.

6. Yaroslav Korolev, Los Angeles Clippers, No. 12 overall in 2005

Head coach Mike Dunleavy has historically done a lot of the Clippers scouting over the years. In 2005 Dunleavy took a disastrous trip to the Euroleague Final Four in Moscow. There he saw an international Juniors tournament that featured a young Russian named Yaroslav Korolev. Korolev was the Russian equivalent of Dunleavy's son, Mike Dunleavy Jr. He had a high basketball IQ, moved well, shot the ball with range and could play the point guard in a pinch. Dunleavy fell in love and promised Korolev that he'd take him with the 12th pick -- never thinking that a player like Danny Granger might slip all the way down to 12th.

Korolev turned out to be a disaster. While he did look great in that Juniors tournament, he had no real experience playing at the highest levels of the game and was completely overwhelmed.

7. Fran Vasquez, Orlando Magic, No. 11 overall in 2005

This list is beginning to read like the perils of drafting international players. In this case, GM Otis Smith just didn't do his homework. Vasquez was a big, bouncy forward in Spain having a breakout season. Every scout in the league was high on him. But there was a problem. Several weeks before the draft Vasquez began having doubts about playing in the NBA and started getting lucrative offers to stay in Spain. Virtually every team in the league got the message and Vasquez plummeted on our Big Board.

The Magic didn't know what was going on, didn't interview Vasquez before the draft or talk to his agent and then -- surprise! -- found out a few days after drafting him that Vasquez didn't really want to play in the NBA. Five years later, Vasquez is still in Spain and still doesn't have any real desire to play in the league. Players the Magic passed on to get Vasquez include Danny Granger, David Lee and Monta Ellis.

8. Rafael Araujo, Toronto Raptors, No. 8 overall in 2004

Newly minted Raptors GM Rob Babcock didn't take long to screw up the Raptors. The Raptors had just landed Chris Bosh in the 2003 draft and had been playing him at center. Bosh wanted to move to the four so Babcock began scouring the draft for a center.

The problem was, there weren't any great centers other than Dwight Howard and Emeka Okafor in the 2004 draft. Instead of taking the best player available (i.e. Luol Deng or Andre Iguodala) or taking a risk on a young, athletic big like Andris Biedrins, Babcock selected Araujo, a 24-year-old Brazilian who had put up good numbers at BYU. Most scouts had him ranked somewhere between the mid- to late-first round on the draft boards. The Raptors reached and then watched Araujo flounder for two years before sending him in a trade to the Jazz. Araujo played just 28 games in his third season before falling out of the league.

9. Greg Oden, Portland Trail Blazers, No. 1 overall in 2007 -- over Kevin Durant

This may be very premature, but after Oden went down with his second season-ending injury the question has to be asked -- did the Blazers blow it when they drafted Oden over Kevin Durant?

The short-term answer is a definitive yes. Durant has turned himself into one of the most dominating scorers in the game. Oden, by the time the season is over, will have missed two of his first three seasons with injuries.

The long-term answer is a little harder. Oden was beginning to look worthy of that No. 1 pick early this season before the injury. If he can ever find a way to stay healthy, he still has the size and defensive instincts to be a great NBA center. But with so many questions swirling around his long-term health, it's becoming impossible to justify Oden over Durant.

10. Jordan Hill, New York Knicks, No. 8 overall in 2009 -- over Brandon Jennings

This one, too, may be a bit premature. We are only a third of the way into the season and big men, especially big men like Hill, take longer to develop. However Hill can't find any minutes on a lottery team while Jennings has been terrific in the early going. Given Jennings' strong play it seems like a stretch to say that the Knicks drafted the right guy.

It could be a costly mistake. The Knicks are trying to lure LeBron James as a free agent this coming summer. They need to convince LeBron that they have enough young talent around him to make them contenders. Having Jennings on the roster could make a pretty impressive case. Hill? Not so much.

Edited December 29, 2009 by dhawk

[RedDawg#8]

That Shelden one hurt the most to me. NObody would have taken him at 5 that year. NOBODY but us. When Marvin came out, EVERYbody said he was the 2nd best player in that draft, so to me anyone would have made the same mistake of picking him there. What surprises me the most is that ppl always bring up Marvin as the bust of 2005, but what about Andrew Bogut???? He's not exactly a franchise center an he was the #1 pick in case ppl forgot. He never gets mentioned. To me, scouts screwed up both of those guys stocks that year.

[spotatl]

Bogut is a borderline allstar center. Marvin williams is a below average starting small forward.

[RedDawg#8]

After further research. Bogut is avg. 15 and 10 this year. thats pretty good. I heard he got benched the other night cuz of a lack of effort on defense so I was basing my opinion on that. Do I think he was worth the #1 pick, nope, but he isnt a bust either. My mistake

Edited December 29, 2009 by RedDawg#8

[LordOfNYork]

bogut is greater at his position than marvin at his. That GM screwed the hawks over, but past is past. The new GM made a good choice bringing in Crawford.

[macdaddy]

While Marvin sure ranks up there as a huge draft mistake I'm not sure he compares to these other guys in terms of bust-a-bility. He's been a starter for 4 years and is still a starter on one of the top teams in the league. Other than Oden he's getting compared to guys who couldn't cut it in the league or don't get off the bench.

Of course re-reading the title its 'worst picks' so that makes sense. In the first sentence he mentions guys who are 'busts in the nba'. To me there's a difference between a blown pick and player who's a bust.

Edited December 29, 2009 by macdaddy

[Atlantaholic]

Also, Milwaukee starting center was Dan Gadzuric, so C was a position of great need for them... Bogut has been a mild disapointment, but only because of injuries. We had TWO starting small forwards on our team when we drafted Marvin... so the only reason he was picked was because he was supposed to be a perennial all star caliber talent once he developed. Compare what he has brought to the team to his expectations, and you have one of the all time most dissapointing #2 picks in NBA history..

[spotatl]

I do think that Knight scores extra "points" on the bad pick scale because he bypassed a guy at a position of need because he was so convinced that Marvin would become the better player. I don't think you will often mess up by taking the best player available- but you are basically doubling down on the pick to skip over a player of need in order to take someone else.

And I am in the camp that bust is an official term now for guys who don't have their third or 4th year team options picked up. (or rarer guys who don't get extended a qualifying offer) These are guys who were shown to not at all be worth their draftslot and were absolute busts. I don't think Marvin should be thought of as a bust but he was clearly a terrible pick.

[benhillboy]

From henceforth I will refer to #24 as "Hot Marvage."

[BusBoyIsBack]

SHelden Williams over Rondo?

Talk about revisionist history mentioning Rondo.

And that old GM did not screw over the Hawks. That old GM put together our current starting lineup. And the new GM put us over the top by building a better bench.

[Sothron]

Knight was never going to draft Paul because of his size, the only real debate was between Marvin or Deron Williams. I still can not believe we passed on Deron.

As for Shellhead, we all saw that. I almost got banned on realgm for going nuts on the board when we actually drafted him. I thought as we all did that this "promise" was a smokescreen ESPECIALLY after it came to light before the draft we didn't even work him out.

But no, Knight showed what an idiot he was by blowing that pick. He passed on Roy because of medical concerns about his ankle and shin and instead got us the worst draft pick that I can ever remember in Atlanta. At least Marvin is an average NBA starter when he feels like putting in the effort. But Shellhead? Wow. That one still hurts.

Just imagine a Hawks team with this lineup:

Deron Williams

Brandon Roy

Joe Johnson

Josh Smith

Al Horford

That's four to five All-star level talent on the same roster.

[BusBoyIsBack]

Knight was never going to draft Paul because of his size, the only real debate was between Marvin or Deron Williams. I still can not believe we passed on Deron.

As for Shellhead, we all saw that. I almost got banned on realgm for going nuts on the board when we actually drafted him. I thought as we all did that this "promise" was a smokescreen ESPECIALLY after it came to light before the draft we didn't even work him out.

But no, Knight showed what an idiot he was by blowing that pick. He passed on Roy because of medical concerns about his ankle and shin and instead got us the worst draft pick that I can ever remember in Atlanta. At least Marvin is an average NBA starter when he feels like putting in the effort. But Shellhead? Wow. That one still hurts.

Just imagine a Hawks team with this lineup:

Deron Williams

Brandon Roy

Joe Johnson

Josh Smith

Al Horford

That's four to five All-star level talent on the same roster.

Imagine it? Are you kidding? Do you really think if we landed Deron Williams and Brandon Roy we would have been sorry enough to get Horford? Heck if we had Deron Williams we wouldn't have even been sorry enough to get Roy.

It amazes me the logic or lack thereof in this revisionist history.

And it's even more hilarious when people complain when we have with the fortune of landing the Horford pick, now have one of the most promising young rosters in the league. In fact it's THE MOST. No other young team in the league is as good as ours.

There are a few with potential, but not nearly getting results like ours.

Last time I checked CP3 and Deron Williams have won jack squat

Edited December 29, 2009 by BusBoyIsBack

[Sothron]

Imagine it? Are you kidding? Do you really think if we landed Deron Williams and Brandon Roy we would have been sorry enough to get Horford? Heck if we had Deron Williams we wouldn't have even been sorry enough to get Roy.

It amazes me the logic or lack thereof in this revisionist history.

And it's even more hilarious when people complain when we have with the fortune of landing the Horford pick, now have one of the most promising young rosters in the league. In fact it's THE MOST. No other young team in the league is as good as ours.

There are a few with potential, but not nearly getting results like ours.

Last time I checked CP3 and Deron Williams have won jack squat

So how does that change blowing not drafting Paul, Deron Williams or Brandon Roy? 'cause, ya know, that's the actual topic. Not how years later after those blown picks we finally have a good team.

[DJlaysitup]

I do think that Knight scores extra "points" on the bad pick scale because he bypassed a guy at a position of need because he was so convinced that Marvin would become the better player.

BK also gets extra points IMO due to his total inability to see solid players in the second round. I realize this doesn't exactly apply in this discussion...but BK bypassed guys like Milsap and others that could have really helped our team. He was one of the worst GMs as far as judging draft talent in the history of the world.

[gsuteke]

This list makes Chad Ford come across gay to me because Marvin isn't in the "bust" category those other players are. (I can't sign off on Oden yet either IMO as being a bust yet)

Marvin's a bust because of Paul. That's lame.

Marvin is average - hardly a bust. BK whiffed nobody is arguing that.

[BusBoyIsBack]

So how does that change blowing not drafting Paul, Deron Williams or Brandon Roy? 'cause, ya know, that's the actual topic. Not how years later after those blown picks we finally have a good team.

Because those blown picks helped us get a BETTER team. We don't have Al Horford if we got our PG of the future. We are a more complete team because of it.

[Sothron]

Because those blown picks helped us get a BETTER team. We don't have Al Horford if we got our PG of the future. We are a more complete team because of it.

Again, that's neither here nor there. No one can deny that Marvin and Shellhead are busts especially considering who was taken after them. Just because we finally lucked up on Horford does not take away how bad those picks were.

[HawksBalla]

Marvin and the Landlord are the biggest reasons why we fired Knight and why Knight doesnt have a job. Those were both HUGE whiffs. I think if we take Paul or Roy, we make the playoffs in 2007. Knightmare also apparently whiffed pretty bad on Acie Law.

And no offense to Horford at all but Paul >>>>> Horford. We're talking about one of the best point guards this decade. So no, I dont think it was an even trade on missing Paul to get Horford.

[spotatl]

You can't give Knight credit for drafting Horford- If the Hawks didn't win the lottery that season then the Suns would have gotten the draftpick. And when midseason the Hawks did their best to convey the pick since they have up a significant amount of caproom to trade for Anthony Johnson in a desperate push to try and make the playoffs. If Knight had his way Horford wouldn't be on the team.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

This list makes Chad Ford come across gay to me because Marvin isn't in the "bust" category those other players are. (I can't sign off on Oden yet either IMO as being a bust yet)

Marvin's a bust because of Paul. That's lame.

Marvin is average - hardly a bust. BK whiffed nobody is arguing that.

I agree. No way he belongs on that list. If he belongs on the list, you better put Tyrus Thomas and definitely Yi Jilian on that list as well.

LOL @ 5a and 5b . . . that's a hater right there.