Middle of the Pack Biggest Busts Too Soon to Tell Best
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ZSW [C M Y K]CC4 Tuesday, Jun. 23, 2015 ZSW [C M Y K] 4 Tuesday, Jun. 23, 2015 C4 • SPORTS • STAR TRIBUNE • TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2015 TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2015 • STAR TRIBUNE • SPORTS • C5 2015 NBA DRAFT HISTORY BEST OF THE REST OF FIRSTS The NBA has held 30 drafts since the lottery began in 1985. With the Wolves slated to pick first for the first time Thursday, staff writer Kent Yo ungblood looks at how well the past 30 N o. 1s fared. Yo u might be surprised how rarely the first player taken turned out to be the best player. MIDDLE OF THE PACK BEST OF ALL 1985 • KNICKS 1987 • SPURS 1992 • MAGIC 1993 • MAGIC 1986 • CAVALIERS 1988 • CLIPPERS 2003 • CAVALIERS Patrick Ewing David Robinson Shaquille O’Neal Chris Webber Brad Daugherty Danny Manning LeBron James Center • Georgetown Center • Navy Center • Louisiana State Forward • Michigan Center • North Carolina Forward • Kansas Forward • St. Vincent-St. Mary Career: Averaged 21.0 points and 9.8 Career: Spurs had to wait two years Career: Sixth all-time in scoring, O’Neal Career: ROY and a five-time All-Star, High School, Akron, Ohio Career: Averaged 19 points and 9 .5 Career: Averaged 14.0 pts and 5.2 rebounds over a 17-year Hall of Fame for Robinson, who came back from woN four titles, was ROY, a 15-time Webber averaged 20.7 points and 9.8 rebounds in eight seasons. A five- rebounds in a career hampered by Career: Rookie of the Year, an All- career. R OY. He was an 11-time the Navy to win R OY, score 20,790 All-Star, was an MVP once and was rebounds over 15 seasons. He and time All-Star, helped Cavs to confer- knee injuries. Averaged 20 points for Star every year since his second All-Star, and his Knicks lost in the career points, win two titles and one named NBA Finals MVP three times. Sacramento lost to the Lakers in seveN ence finals in 1992. Atlanta team that advanced to sec- season, four-time league MVP and NBA Finals twice. MVP in Hall of Fame career. Best player: O’Neal, who was in the games in the controversial 2002 Western Conference finals. Best player: F Dennis Rodman, ond round in 1994. two-time Finals MVP. Best player: F Karl Malone, louisiana Best player: Robinson, barely. top five iN MVP voting eight times. Southeastern Oklahoma State (27th, Best player: G Mitch Richmond, Kan- Best player: James. With career Tech (13th overall by Utah). Second Notable: Draft also included fellow Notable: Alonzo Mourning, the No. 2 Best player: Webber, in a strong draft. Detroit). Seven-time All-Defense first sas State (fifth, Golden State). Rookie of averages of 27.3 points, 7.1 all-time in scoring, averaged a career Hall of Famers Scottie Pippen (fifth) pick, is in the Hall of Fame. Seven Notable: First round also included team, won five NBA titles. the Year. Six-time All-Star was a reserve rebounds and 6.9 assists, consid- double-double. and Reggie Miller (11th). Pippen woN players drafted in the first round Sam Cassell, Allan Houston, Nick VaN Notable: Daugherty was only top-10 on the ’02 Lakers championship team. ered by many to be best player ever. Notable: First round produced four six titles with Michael Jordan, and played with the Wolves: Christian Exel and Penny Hardaway. pick to be an All-Star; Len Bias (sec- Notable: Richmond was only future Notable: A wonderful draft that Hall of Famers — Ewing, Malone, Miller scored 25,279 points. Laettner, Tom Gugliotta, Malik Bust: C ShawN Bradley (second). He ond pick) died soon after the draft. Hall of Famer in the draft. also included Carmelo Anthony, Chris Mullin (seventh) and Joe Bust: G Dennis Hopson (third). The Sealy, Anthony Peeler, Oliver Miller, played a long time, but Never up to Bust: C Chris Washburn (third). Scored Bust: F Tim Perry (seventh). Averaged Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Dumars (18th). 1987 Big TeN Player of the Year strug- LaPhonso Ellis and Latrell Sprewell. the standards of a second overall pick. 222 points, played in 72 games . only 6.8 points over eight seasons . Bust: C Darko Milicic, (second). Bust: TakeN third after Ewing and gled before heading overseas. Bust: F/C Adam Keefe (10th). Aver- Wolves fans saw how disappointing Wayman Tisdale, Benoit Benjamin aged 5.0 points over nine seasons 1990 • NETS 1991 • HORNETS this player was. A bust amplified by played 15 years but rarely impressed. with three teams. Derrick Coleman Larry Johnson the folks drafted around him. Center/forward • Syracuse Forward • UNLV 1996 • 76ERS 1997 • SPURS 2004 • MAGIC Career: R ookie of the Year and a one- Career: A two-time All-Star and 1992 Allen Iverson Tim Duncan Dwight Howard time All-Star, he averaged 16.5 points R OY, Johnson averaged 16.2 points Guard • Georgetown Forward • Wake Forest Center • Southwest and 9.3 rebounds over 15 seasons. and 7.5 rebounds, helping lead the Atlanta Christian Career: R OY, MVP, 11 times an All-Star Career: ROY, 15-time Knicks into the 1999 NBA Finals. Academy Best player: G Gary Payton, Oregon Photos by Associated Press; and three-time All-Star Game MVP, All-Star, two-time State (second, Seattle). Nine-time All- Best player: C Dikembe Mutombo, ALLSPORTS (Webber) he led the 76ers to the NBA Finals in league MVP and Career: Has aver- Star and once named Defensive Player Georgetown (fourth, Denver). Eight- 2001 . three-time NBA aged 1 8.1 points of the Year. WoN one championship. time All-Star and four-time Defen- Best player: G Kobe Bryant (13th, Finals MVP, has and 1 2.7 rebounds. sive Player of the Year, he helped get Notable: Chicago took Toni K ukoc Charlotte, traded to Lakers). AN All- woN five titles. Eight-time All-Star Philadelphia to the 2001 NBA Finals. early in the second round, but he Star 17 times , one-time league MVP Best player: Duncan, and three-time Defen-en- didn’t arrive in Chicago until 1993. Notable: Ex-Michigan State G Steve and twice NBA Finals MVP, he holds the only player to be named both to sive Player of the Year. Bust: G Bo Kimble (eighth). High Smith led class with 13,430 points. five championship rings. the All-NBA and All-Defensive teams Best player: Howard, who helped lead scorer out of Loyola Marymount Bust: F Doug Smith (sixth). Averaged Notable: A very deep draft, with four in every one of his first 13 seasons. Orlando to the 2 009 NBA Finals, los- played only 105 games. 8.0 points over five seasons probable Hall of Famers in Bryant, Notable: Only four players scored ing to the Lakers in five games. Iverson, Ray Allen and Steve Nash. more than 10,000 points in this draft: Notable: Top three scorers in this draft 1994 • BUCKS 1999 • BULLS Bust: C Todd Fuller (11th). Averaged 3.7 Duncan, Tracy McGrady, Chauncey — Howard, Al Jefferson and Josh Smith Glenn Robinson Elton Brand points in five seasons for four teams. Billups and Stephen Jackson. — were selected out of high school. Bust: C Tony Battie (fifth). He never Bust: G ShauN Livingston (fourth). He Forward • Purdue Forward/center • Duke averaged better than 8.4 points per was s lowed by a k nee injury . Career: A two-time All-Star, Robinson Career: Rookie of the Year. Averaged game. averaged 20.7 points over 11 seasons. 20 points or better in six of his first He led the Bucks to the playoffs three eight seasons. Twice an All-Star. 2009 • CLIPPERS 2010 • WIZARDS 2011 • CAVA LIERS 2012 • PELICANS times. One trip to the conference finals. Best player: F ShawN MarioN (ninth, AT A GLANCE LEBRON’S LEGACY Blake Griffin John Wall Kyrie Irving Anthony Davis Best player: G Jason Kidd (second, Phoenix). Four-time All-Star who Forward • Oklahoma Guard • Kentucky Guard • Duke Forward • Kentucky Dallas). Rookie of the Year. A 10-time played in more than 100 playoff All-Star who was a part of the 2011 games, he was a part of the 2011 Career: After missing the 2009-10 Career: Two-time All-Star who has Career: He has averaged 21 points Career: Finished fifth in MVP voting NBA champion Dallas Mavericks. champion Dallas team. 4 27.35 178 season because of a knee injury, he averaged 17.6 points and 8 .7 assists and 5.7 assists in four seasons. R O Y, after averaging 24.4 points and 2.9 Notable: Kidd, Grant Hill (third) and Notable: Nine players became All- Regular-season MVPs, Career points per game, Career playoff wins, returned to win ROY and is a five- and has led the Wizards to back-to- three-time All-Star, 2014 All-Star blocks this season. JuwaN Howard (fifth) combined to Stars. likely no Hall of Famers. which is the second- which ranks fourth all- which ranks fifth all- time All-Star with career averages of back playoff berths. Game MVP. Best player: Davis, a two-time All- 21.5 points and 9.7 rebounds. play 56 seasons. Bust: F JonathaN Bender (fifth). most (Kareem Abdul- time and is the second- time and is the second- Best player: Wall, who gets the nod Best player: Irving, whose knee injury Star who can dominate at both ends Bust: C Eric Montross (ninth). Aver- Underperformed until career was Jabbar had six) of any highest (Elgin Baylor, most (Tim Duncan, Best player: G Stephen Curry (sev- over DeMarcus Cousins and Paul altered the tone of the 2015 NBA of the court.