I just read that Kwame Brown -- who is somehow still in the NBA, primarily because teams just refuse to give up on him -- is now out for the season with a torn chest muscle. Remember when Michael Jordan drafted this "can't miss" high school phenom with the #1 overall pick in the NBA Draft? The year was 2001, and boy did this draft ... umm, suck. Take a look at the top 15 picks that year:
01. Kwame Brown - High School
02. Tyson Chandler - High School
03. Pau Gasol - Spain
04. Eddy Curry - High School
*Are we sure the 1-and-done rule is bad for basketball?
05. Jason Richardson - Michigan State
06. Shane Battier - Duke
07. Eddie Griffin - Seton Hall (RIP)
08. DaSagana Diop - Senegal
09. Rodney White - Charlotte
10. Joe Johnson - Arkansas
11. Kedrick Brown - Community College
12. Vladamir Radmanovic - Yugoslavia
13. Richard Jefferson - Arizona
14. Troy Murphy - Notre Dame
15. Steven Hunter - DePaul
Here we are, 10 years later, and not a single guy on that list is / was a star in the NBA other than Pau Gasol (unless you want to count Joe Johnson?), who was a relative unknown at the time compared to the other names listed. That said, Tony Parker and Gilbert Arenas came out of this draft - though much later. Some other blast from the past names? Kirk Haston (16th overall!), Omar Cook (think he regrets leaving St. John's after his freshman season?), Joe Forte (left UNC as a sophomore, likely flipping burgers now), Jamaal Tinsley (ugh), and Brian Scalabrine (forget what I say about very few impact players - this guy still gets run in the League). Wow.
In any event, I was curious about Kwame's stats, seeing as how this is the 10-year anniversary of him being drafted #1 overall. It is ... well ... as disappointing as you envisioned:
Now, before you say, "That isn't terrible," let me point out that he has banked over $100 million in his 10-year (not counting this season) NBA career. He averaged 57 games per season (out of 82), boasts a career scoring average of 6.8 ppg, along with 5.5 rebounds per game, and a Shaq-like 57% clip at the free throw line.
At 6'11" 270 lbs, drafted #1 overall, I think we're gonna go ahead and label this one a bust and move on. Perhaps he'll be inspired by Eddy Curry's transformation (lost 100 lbs?!) and come back better than ever.
2 comments:
This class is absolute garbage. No wonder I hate this league!
Not sure I even need to look to know that this had to be the worst of the decade, but it'll make for a future column ... Adam Morrison was a top 4 pick at one point, I'm just sayin'.
Post a Comment