NBA Draft - Worst #8 Picks Since 1980

Worst #8 Picks since 1980

5.  Lancaster Gordon, Los Angeles Clippers, 1984, from Louisville (201 games, 6 starts, 5.6 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 1.5 apg) - One of my favorite names on any of these lists, Gordon may have been the first in a long-line of Clipper mis-drafts.  A shooting guard with a career 39% FG rate will not last long in the league.  If the Clippers were looking for a big, they could have opted for Otis Thorpe or Kevin Willis in 1984.  They weren't the only ones to bypass John Stockton as well.  Instead, Gordon gave them 4 seasons of barely 13 minutes a game.

4.  Shawn Respert, Portland Trail Blazers, 1995, from Michigan State (172 games, 5 starts, 4.9 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 1.0 apg) - Fortunately for Portland, Respert was dealt to Milwaukee on draft night for Gary Trent and a draft pick, not a staggering deal, but Trent turned out far more effective than Respert.  The Spartan-product played for 4 teams in 4 seasons before playing internationally to round out his career.  10 years after he was drafted, he revealed he had stomach cancer diagnosed late in his rookie season.  Brent Barry and Michael Finley were the best guards taken after Respert in the 1st round in 1995.

3.  Bo Kimble, Los Angeles Clippers, 1990, from Loyola Marymount (105 games, 5.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 0.9 apg) - His collegiate career will always be remembered for his tribute to friend Hank Gathers, but unfortunately, his professional career will not be remembered for much.  Injuries plagued his brief NBA stint and Kimble was left to finish out his professional career in the CBA.  The Clippers selected Loy Vaught 5 picks later, so picking Tyrone Hill at 8 would have doubled up at power forward.  The 1990 draft was very weak at guard, so the Clippers are less at fault here than usual.  Let's just keep that lasting image of the Kimble's left-handed free throw and just forget about the NBA.

2.  Rafael Araujo, Toronto Raptors, 2004, from BYU (139 games, 2.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 0.3 apg) - Araujo was the first senior selected in the 2004 draft, so maybe all that college seasoning is not what it is cracked up to be.  Araujo flamed out after 3 seasons with stints in Toronto and Utah, claiming he never got a fair chance.  When he played, he almost averaged more fouls (2.2) than points.  He competed internationally after his NBA career like many on these lists.  Andre Iguodala, Al Jefferson and Josh Smith were all drafted after Araujo in 2004.

1.  Joe Alexander, Milwaukee Bucks, 2008, from West Virginia (67 games, 0 starts, 4.2 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 0.7 apg) - Alexander vaulted up the draft boards after his pre-draft athletic testing was off the charts.  That never translated to the NBA and Alexander was somewhat mysteriously out of the league after 2 seasons and not much of an opportunity.  In 2011, he did average over 20 ppg in the D-League, but he has never made his way back to the A-League.  He was selected before Brook Lopez and Roy Hibbert, but unfortunately for Milwaukee, they already had Andrew Bogut at center.