http://www.sltrib.com/sports/ci_3845771 The article is about Olowokandi but I am a little suprised to see Stevie (and Marbury) on the list Worst Draft Picks EVER 1. Michael Olowokandi No. 1 1998 L.A. Clippers They could have taken: Dirk Nowitzki, Vince Carter, Paul Pierce 2. Benoit Benjamin No. 3 1985 L.A. Clippers They could have taken: Karl Malone, Joe Dumars, Chris Mullin 3. Dennis Hopson No. 3 1987 N.J. They could have taken: Scottie Pippen, Reggie Miller, Kevin Johnson 4. Steve Francis No. 2 1999 Vancouver They could have taken: Shawn Marion, Andrei Kirilenko, Andre Miller 5. Stephon Marbury No. 4 1996 Milwaukee (to Minnesota) They could have taken: Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Ray Allen 6. Len Bias No. 2 1986 Boston They could have taken: Ron Harper, Mark Price, Jeff Hornacek 7. Nikoloz Tskitishvili No. 5 2002 Denver They could have taken: Amare Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer, Caron Butler 8. Kwame Brown No. 1 2001 Washington They could have taken: Pau Gasol, Tony Parker, Gilbert Arenas 9. Darko Milicic No. 2 2003 Detroit They could have taken: Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Carmelo Anthony 10. Shawn Bradley No. 2 1993 Philadelphia
of course it was a bad pick. the team that picked him never saw him play a minute in their jersey. he absolutely belongs on this list for that reason.
They think Andre Miller has had a better career than Steve Francis? It's kind of sad to see how far he's fallen.
No way Francis should be on that list, and although I don't care for Marbury, neither should he. Hello Kent Benson, LaRue Martin and and Joe Barry Carroll?
based on thier criteria - who they could have picked in retrospect, how can Marbury not be on the list. They could have had Kobe (3 titles...likely one of the top 5 players EVER in terms of talent level), Nash (2 MVP's, transformed the game) or Ray Allen (who is clearly better than Marbury).
If they're basing this off of the fact that Francis refused to put on a uniform of the team that drafted him well then I suppose this "worst draft pick" label could be considered appropriate. However, there is no way you can consider Francis a "bust" or anything along those lines. The guy is a former franchise player (no pun intended) as well as former All-Star. Can you say any of that about Jonathan Bender, taken at #5 of that very same draft over the likes of Rip Hamilton, Kirilienko, Artest, Marion, Maggette, Marion, Terry or hell I could go forever?!?!
This is a dumb article IMO, the power of hindsight I guess. Wow! Some team could have gotten Andre Miller instead of Francis! Stop the press. And no Sam Bowie over MJ? I guess someone should tell the Jazz they could have Boozer in the 2002 draft instead of paying him 13M/year.
i'm pretty certain that's what they mean. and again...if that's what they mean, his mention on this list is entirely appropriate, and i think it's correct. you take a guy who never plays one minute for you??? you get taken in the trade because the other team knows your desperate. yeah, i think that qualifies for a real sucky draft.
i'm sorry ..LaRue Martin .....5 pts 5 rebs, 4 seasons ...#1 overall pick worst draftpick every hands down
Wow, yeah the Celtics should have known that the dude was going to OD and die! Stupidest thing I've ever seen published.
While I agree that would make sense, it obviously isn't the criterion. The reason I say that is that when naming Stephon Marbury, they listed three players that they said would have been better picks: one of them is Kobe Bryant. Guess what? He refused to put on the uniform of the team that drafted him too. He forced a trade to the Lakers from the Charlotte Hornets. It's interesting that nobody has ever seemed to have forgotten about Steve Francis shunning Vancouver but people very seldom mention Kobe Bryant doing the exact same thing to Charlotte. Especially considering Francis had a better excuse - most players don't want to play in Canada due to the high taxes. I suppose my point is this: I have no problem with them naming Steve Francis as one of the worst picks ever if that was indeed the reason, so long as they also list Kobe Bryant!
