NBA Draft - Worst #2 Picks Since 1980

Worst #2 Picks since 1980

4.  Sam Bowie, Portland Trail Blazers, 1984, from Kentucky (10.9 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.8 bpg) - Bowie is an honorary member of this list for one reason only...he was selected the pick before Michael Jordan.  Bowie's career numbers are not awful and he did as much as his knees allowed him.  This is not as much a reflection of Bowie, but on the Trail Blazers for missing out on the greatest NBA player of all-time.

3.  Stromile Swift, Vancouver Grizzlies, 2000, from LSU (8.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.2 bpg) - Swift never materialized into a starting forward in the NBA, garnering just 97 starts in his 547 career games.  The 2000 draft is going to become a theme as maybe the worst ever, but when Terry Catledge is your similarity comparison for your career, #2 was probably a little high for you to be selected.

2.  Jay Williams, Chicago Bulls, 2002, from Duke (1 season, 9.5 ppg, 4.7 apg, 2.6 rpg, 1.1.spg) - A terrible motorcycle accident ended the playing career of Williams after just one season with the Bulls.  Some picks are bad because of unforeseen circumstances that are not basketball related.  This happens to be one of them.  Had Williams been better as a rookie, he may have avoided this list, but the truth was he had a disappointing rookie season and was never able to atone for that.

1.  Darko Milicic, Detroit Pistons, 2003, from Serbia (6.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.3 bpg) - Darko is technically still active in the NBA, although that term could be used loosely all the way back to 2003.  Let's recap the 2003 draft...LeBron, Darko, Carmelo, Bosh, Wade.  One of these names just doesn't belong here, it is not Carmelo because his talents aren't in South Beach.  The Pistons screwed this one up.  NBA legend Lee Nailon is Darko's similarity comparison, further cementing his status as the worst #2 draft pick that I have seen.