We all know that the NBA Draft can be full of unpleasant surprises for those who get to pick first. The benefit of being able to pick your next star calmly can turn into a nightmare on several occasions. This was the case with Michael Jordan's Washington Wizards when they decided to give Kwame Brown a chance, or the Portland Trail Blazers when they believed they had Greg Oden as the league's next dominant center. Note that other first choices aren't as bad as the ones just mentioned. And The Athletic arranged them in a specific order.
10. Pervis Ellison, Louisville, Sacramento Kings, 1989
Photo: sportscasting
Credits: Most Improved Player
Notable Picks in Draft Same: Glen Rice (4), Tim Hardaway (14), Shawn Kemp (17), Vlade Divac (26), Clifford Robinson (36)
Sacramento wasn't allowed to pick first very often during the NBA Drafts, and when she did, she was completely wrong. Pervis Ellison, the first choice from Louisville, is in this situation. The Californians chose to entrust the fate of their franchise to the former center in a Draft class that included several intriguing names.
The Kings decided to send "Out of Service Pervis" (his nice nickname coined by Danny Ainge, ed) to Washington after only a year (closed at about 8 points on average). Pervis spent his best years in the capital, averaging 16.2 points and 9.8 rebounds over four seasons and winning a nice Most Improved Player award in 1992. Then there was nothing else. He had a special circumstance: he had knee problems that severely limited his potential.
9. Fred Hetzel, Davidson, San Francisco Warriors, 1965
Photo: projects.latimes
Credits: All-Rookie
Notable Picks in Draft Same: Rick Barry (2), Billy Cunningham (5), Dick Van Arsdale (10), Tom Van Arsdale (11), Bob Love (33)
What about Fred Hetzel, the Warriors' first-round pick in 1965? Fred's first year in California was a disappointment: he averaged only 6.8 points per game (albeit in 12 minutes) while shooting 39 percent from the field. In his third season in the NBA, Fred has significantly improved his numbers, averaging 19 points per game. Then, like Pervis, he suffered an injury that limited his mobility. Fred decided to retire at the age of 28 after only six seasons in the league.
8. Rodney “Hot Rod” Hundley, West Virginia, Cincinnati Royals, 1957
Photo: wikipedia
Awards: All-Star (2x)
Notable Picks in Draft Same: Sam Jones (8)
Rodney Hundley, who retired from the game at the age of 28, suffered a similar fate. He spent six years with the Lakers, three with the Minneapolis Lakers, and three with the Los Angeles Lakers after their relocation. Hundley had a double-digit points average for a couple of seasons, but he was forced to retire after multiple problems with his crystal knees. He went on to become one of the most popular NBA technical commentators on television.
7. Art Heyman, Duke, New York Knicks, 1963 Credits: All-Rookie
Photo: foundagrave
Notable Picks in Draft Same: Nate Thurmond (3), Gus Johnson (10)
Art Heyman's story is a classic example of someone who could have been but wasn't. Despite this, Heyman had a good rookie season with the New York Knicks, averaging 15.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game. In a few years, he appeared to be capable of capturing the rest of the League.
Instead, by the end of his second season, his bad temper had manifested itself in such a way that the Knicks had decided to remove him from the rotation. As a result, the New York franchise decided to send the player elsewhere, first to San Francisco, then to Philadelphia in his third season, and finally out of basketball in 1966. He joined the ABA in 1967 and played for three more seasons before retiring in 1970.
6. Bill McGill, University of Utah, Chicago Zephyrs, 1962
Photo: projects.latimes
Notable Picks in Draft Same: John Havlicek (8), Chet Walker (12), Don Nelson (17)
Bill McGill spent three NBA seasons with four different teams before moving to the NABL and eventually the ABA. McGill played for ten different teams in three different leagues over eight years. Not one of these stood out.
5. Dick Ricketts, Duquesne, St. Louis Hawks, 1955
Photo: spark.adobe
Notable Picks in Draft Same: Maurice Stokes (2), Jack Twyman (8)
Dick Ricketts only spent three years in the NBA as a professional player, dividing his time between basketball and baseball. He eventually dropped out of basketball to devote his full attention to baseball. Ricketts averaged 9.3 points + 6.3 rebounds per shoe in his three years in the league and shot a questionable 32.8 percent from the field. Maybe it was for the best.
4. Mark Workman, West Virginia, Milwaukee Hawks, 1952
Photo: thedraftreview
Notable Picks in Draft Same: Clyde Lovellete (9)
Not even Mark Workman's arrival in the NBA has signaled the end of his career. Workman has spent more time with the Harlem Globetrotters than he has with the league. That said, he was drafted first overall by the Milwaukee Hawks, with whom he only played 5 games at 2.2 points per game before finishing with the Philadelphia Warriors, where he set a career-high with 5.3 points per game. After 14 inactive appearances with the Baltimore Bullets the following year, his NBA career came to an end.
3. LaRue Martin, Loyola Chicago, Portland Trail Blazers, 1972
Photo: marca
Notable Picks in Draft Same: Bob McAdoo (2), Paul Westphal (10), Julius Erving (12)
LaRue Martin is finally here. In a Draft class that included Bob McAdoo and Julius Erving, there was a lot of talk about the former Portland Trail Blazers player. Martin was viewed as a key player by the Oregon franchise at the time. LaRue was so important that he was traded after four seasons and packaged to the Seattle SuperSonics, who put him to the test by cutting him before the season. Martin, fortunately for him, has found success outside of basketball and now serves on the board of directors of the National Basketball Retired Players Association.
2. Gene Melchior, Bradley, Baltimore Bullets, 1951
Photo: foxsports
Banned for life by the NBA
Notable Picks in Draft Same: Mel Hutchins (2)
Gene Melchiorre, a classic Italian surname, is not a household name among NBA fans, but his story is still worth telling. Gene was the Bullets' first-round pick in the 1951 draft, but he was suspended from the league after only two months in Baltimore.
What is the reason for this? Well, Melchior was arrested after a scandal in which he was involved in match-fixing involving 32 players and seven schools during his college days. By pleading guilty to the crime before a New York court, Melchior and four of his teammates admitted to taking bribes to keep scores low against St. Joseph and Oregon State University. The NBA decided to ban all players involved, including Gene after his criminal sentence was suspended.
1. Anthony Bennett, UNLV, Cleveland Cavaliers, 2013
Photo: pinterest
Notable Picks in Draft Same: Victor Oladipo (2), CJ McCollum (10), Steven Adams (12), Giannis Antetokounmpo (15), Rudy Gobert (27)
The intriguing names from the 2013 Draft class can be seen above, and it would be insane to pick someone before Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Cleveland Cavaliers (actually, the other 13 teams, ed) decided not to give the Greek a chance to stake everything on Anthony Bennett, a little-known Canadian.
Bennett's name was a surprise to several NBA teams who had never heard of him or considered him during the Combine, so the Cavs' selection surprised everyone. And now we know why: the winger has only been in the league for four years - which is already too long - and has spent time in Cleveland, Minnesota, Toronto, and Brooklyn. He hasn't appeared in an NBA game since 2017.
