National Basketball Association

The most forgettable draft picks for every NBA team, from God Shammgod to that jorts guy

Published Nov. 15, 2016 3:18 p.m. ET

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Chris Chase

We always talk about busts anytime the NFL or NBA Draft rolls around. I'm far more fascinated by another set of players: The kind you completely forgot existed. I'm not talking about foreign players who never set foot on an NBA floor or guys from small colleges you'd never heard of and whose name you only vaguely remember in passing. I'm talking about famous college players you've completely forgotten about or never knew were taken by a certain team. Our list of the "oh yeah, THAT guy" pick for every NBA team is below.

Atlanta Hawks - Scoonie Penn, Ohio State (2000, Round 2, No. 57)

Penn had a great college career, starting at Boston College, where he won Rookie of the Year and All-Conference honors, then at Ohio State, where he was Player of the Year in 1999 and twice a third-team All-American. He and Michael Redd made up the most formidable backcourt in the country in those years, but Penn couldn’t catch on in the NBA. He didn't play a single minute, but had a successful pro career in Europe. He’s now an analyst for the Big Ten network.

Boston Celtics - Fab Melo (2012, Round 1, No. 22)

The exciting Melo might have left Syracuse after his sophomore season anyway, as he was coming off a Big East Defensive Player of the Year season and evidently had a first-round guarantee. But he was deemed ineligible before the 2012 NCAA tournament for academic reasons, basically clinching his exit. (Syracuse was No. 1 much of the 2012 season and a No. 1 seed in the tournament. They survived but struggled without Melo and lost in the Elite Eight.) Melo ended up playing in just six games for the Celtics for a total of 36 minutes. He’s now a journeyman in Brazil.

Brooklyn Nets - Yinka Dare, George Washington (1994, Round 1, No. 14)

The late GW star’s claim to NBA fame was going 77 games and all the way into his third season before registering an assist, an all-time record. In his scant 1,002 career minutes, Dare had just four assists.

Charlotte Hornets - Adam Morrison, Gonzaga (2006, Round 1, No. 3)

The floppy-haired Gonzaga star (aren’t they all?) was as bad as you remember, even before a knee injury kept him out of the 2007-08 season. He shot like Estelle Getty in a Sly Stallone movie and though he put up some decent point totals as a rookie, they mostly came in games where he was shooting every time he touched the ball. Then it got worse: In 31 games with the Lakers, Morrison never scored more than seven points. Yet, up until Sunday, he had the same number of rings as LeBron.

Chicago Bulls - JamesOn Curry, Oklahoma State (2007, Round 2, No. 51)

As a high schooler, Curry broke the North Carolina state record for most points, beating out guys like Michael Jordan, James Worthy, Chris Paul and David Thompson. But on the night after he dropped 47 in a win, Curry was charged with multiple felonies involving the possession and sale of marijuana. Some said it was a witch hunt in which an undercover officer pestered Curry to get him some weed rather than Curry serving as some sort of high-school kingpin. Long story short, UNC pulled his offer, Eddie Sutton does what Eddie Sutton does and Curry played well enough at Oklahoma State to get drafted. He ended up playing a total of 3.9 seconds in the NBA, then bounced around Europe and the D-League while continuing to have brushes with the law.

Cleveland Cavaliers - Dajuan Wagner, Memphis (2002, Round 1, No. 6)

Wagner, the much heralded high-school star who made a brief stop at Memphis, Calipari-style, didn’t start a game after turning 20 and was out of the league at 23. Wagner was best known for scoring 100 points in a high-school game. The best output of his NBA career was when he dropped 33 as a rookie..

Dallas Mavericks - Nick Fazekas, Nevada (2007, Round 2, No. 34)

The Nevada star was a two-time WAC Player of the Year who helped Nevada make its first NCAA tournament in 19 years as a freshman and then continued the streak for his four years at school. That freshman year, Nevada upset No. 2 seed Gonzaga to make the Sweet 16, where they narrowly lost to eventual national finalist Georgia Tech. The four tourney wins Nevada had with Fazekas are their only in history. In the pros, Fazekas scored four points for the Mavs and was a crucial part of the trade that brought Jason Kidd to Dallas (or, I should say, his release was a crucial part of the trade). He currently plays in Japan, where he’s a two-time NBL MVP. I always thought Fazekas would be one of those guys who was never a star but stayed in the league for 10 years as a solid role player. But I also thought taking Greg Oden over Kevin Durant was the right move, so, here we are.

Denver Nuggets - Julius Hodge, NC State (2005, Round 1, No. 20)

Hodge was one of those college players who seemed like he was in school longer than Tommy Boy, aka Gerry McNamara Syndrome. He was the key force in turning NC State into a respectable team in the early aughts, winning ACC Player of the Year in 2004 but will perhaps best be known as the guy Chris Paul hit in the goods during the regular-season finale when Wake Forest traveled to Raleigh. (CP3 said fans were heckling his late grandfather.) He played just 23 NBA games before bouncing around international leagues. (That’s a common thread here. While your knee-jerk reaction might be to feel pity for the guys who never made it, many made a fine living playing overseas. Though it might not have been the fulfillment of their dreams, it was still a good way to make some money. The best players in Europe reportedly clear €1 million per year (easily) while the guys who bounce around seem to make, at minimum, €100,000 if they’re playing in one of the five or six major leagues - Spain, Russia, Italy, Greece, Israel, French, etc. (Finding Euro basketball salaries is very hard which gives you an appreciation of just how sleazy and brazen American agents are.)

Detroit Pistons - Korleone Young, High school (1998, Round 2, No. 40)

Though Kwame Brown is the poster child for high-school-to-NBA busts, dude played 607 NBA games and made around $60 million in his career. The real cautionary tale is Korleone Young who played the fewest games of any American high schooler drafted straight to the pros (3). He came from the basketball factory Hargrave Military Academy and his decision was apparently a stunner to everybody. “"It was a surprise to all of us," his coach Kevin Keats told ESPN in 2001. "Normally, when a kid is thinking about something like this, you'll hear about it. But with Korleone, it was a total surprise.” At least Korleone’s name is remembered; it probably has something to do with the fact that he was named after the Corleone family from The Godfather. (His first name was actually Suntino and he avoid tollbooths, I hope.)

Golden State Warriors - Steve Logan, Cincinnati (2002, Round 2, No. 29)

At the time of the 2002 NBA Draft, the University of Cincinnati all-time points list read as follows: 1. Oscar Robertson; 2. Steve Logan. Logan, a first-team All-American, never signed with the Warriors and went to play in Europe. He was scheduled to be inducted into the Cincinnati Hall of Fame but serious troubles with the law led to the honor being rescinded.

Houston Rockets - Bryce Drew, Valparaiso (1996, Round 1, No. 16)

You all remember the ageless Bryce Drew of the annual March Madness clip - hitting the game-winning three-pointer in the NCAA tournament and then diving on the floor as his teammates tackled him in celebration. But now Drew is a 41-year-old head coach at Vanderbilt coming off a five-year stint at Valpo (where he took over for his dad) and an undistinguished six-year NBA career.

Indiana Pacers - Damon Bailey, Indiana (1994, Round 2, No. 44)

He might have been the most famous high-school player since Magic Johnson or even Lew Alcindor. His final high-school basketball game sold out the Hoosier Dome and his decision to stay at home to play for Bobby Knight surprisingly didn’t lead to a statewide holiday. But Bailey’s college career, while respectable, was hardly a star turn and when the Pacers drafted him in the second round, it almost felt like a favor.

Los Angeles Clippers - Bo Kimble, Loyola Marymount (1990, Round 1, No. 8)

You have to go surprisingly far down the Clippers list to find a player, which you wouldn’t expect. It turns out the Clippers busts are either guys you’ve never heard of or players with high expectations who ended up having solid, but not spectacular, NBA careers. (Say what you want about Michael Olowokandi but dude still played 10 seasons in the league.) No, the biggest bust, sadly, was Bo Kimble, the best friend and high-school teammate of Hank Gathers, the star college player who tragically died on the court of a Loyola Marymount game. When Loyola went to the NCAA tournament weeks later, the team won its first three games, with Kimble shooting his first free throw every night with his left hand - a tribute for his fallen friend. He had a brief three-year career.

Los Angeles Lakers - Toby Bailey, UCLA (1998, Round 2, No. 45)

The former Bruins star was on the title team of 1995, but flamed out quickly in the pros, starting just 12 games before he was out of the league.

Memphis Grizzlies - Xavier Henry, Kansas (2010, Round 1, No. 10)

A top-ranked high schooler, Henry was the subject of an intense recruiting battle and stunned many when he chose to play for John Calipari at Memphis instead of going to KU, where his mother and father had played basketball. Once Calipari left for Kentucky, however, Henry reopened his recruiting and ended up at Kansas. He played one forgettable season with the Jayhawks and only a few more in the pros.

Miami Heat - Wayne Simien, Kansas (2005, Round 1, No. 29)

Coming out early wasn’t Simien’s problem. He was a four-year starter who bridged the Roy Williams to Bill Self years and was named Big 12 POY and a consensus All-American in 2005. Yet he started just two games in the NBA.

Milwaukee Bucks - Doron Lamb, Kentucky (2012, Round 2, No. 42)

Lamb was the fifth UK player taken in the 2012 draft. He was a great college player done in by the thing that’s done in so many other players of his ilk: Lamb was too small to play the two and didn’t have the skills to play the point. He lasted as many years in the NBA (2) as he did in college.

Minnesota Timberwolves - Jonny Flynn, Syracuse (2009, Round 1, No. 6)

We could have literally picked any of 10 players, but Flynn is the most infamous. Picked one spot after another point guard, Ricky Rubio, Flynn was seen as a disaster from the start and, well, everybody pretty much nailed that one. Only one player taken in that first round played fewer seasons than Flynn. However, the player taken at No. 7, directly after Flynn, has gone on to have a semi-successful NBA career. His name is Steph Curry.

New Orleans Pelicans - Josh Harrellson, Kentucky (2011, Round 2, No. 45)

JORTS!

New York Knicks - Frederic Weis, France (1999, Round 1, No. 15)

Weis is best known for getting hurdled by Vince Carter at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He was taken by the Knicks one year before but never ended up leaving the European league. Weis, who overcame personal issues near the end of his career, has always been good-natured about the Carter dunk. “[Carter] deserves to make history,” Weis told ESPN. “Sadly for me, I was on the video, too. I learned people can fly.

Oklahoma City Thunder - Mitch McGary, Michigan (2014, Round 1, No. 21)

The former Michigan star played 72 minutes this year for the Thunder and was inactive for the playoffs so, yeah, that draft pick isn’t looking so hot.

Orlando Magic - Miles Simon, Arizona (1998, Round 2, No. 42)

Simon wasn’t saying “championship” in Orlando. It was more “my NBA career lasted two points and five games.” He’s currently an ESPN analyst.

Philadelphia 76ers - Jerry Stackhouse, North Carolina (1995, Round 1, No. 3)

I’d forgotten all about this. Stackhouse played two seasons in Philly before playing his prime in Detroit and then bouncing around to six more teams. That means Stackhouse and Allen Iverson (the top pick in 1996) were on the same team for a while? Why don’t I remember this? And is there any video of their practice?

Phoenix Suns - Kendall Marshall, North Carolina (2012, Round 1, No. 13)

Marshall has been in the league four years and has played for four teams. And I don’t know who looks worst here, but the former Carolina star has started 12 games total with three of those teams. In one season though, he started 45 games. That was the year he was on the Lakers.

Portland Trail Blazers - Qyntel Woods, Northeast Mississippi Community College (2002, Round 1, No. 21)

Woods was an NBA bust and we mention him here only to say that he still played more games for the Blazers than Greg Oden. (Qyntel went on to become a superstar in Europe, by the way.)

Sacramento Kings - Patrick Ewing, Georgetown (2008, Round 2, No. 43)

I’m entirely convinced that if Patrick Ewing had named his son, say, Rodney, then Georgetown's Rodney Ewing wouldn’t have been selected in the ’08 Draft.

San Antonio Spurs - [Blank]

Since the 2000 Draft, the Spurs have selected 16 players who never played a minute in the NBA. But hey, it seems to work for the Spurs. If other teams catch wind of this, expect a lot of players from Missouri, Boston College and Brown to go in the draft tonight.

Toronto Raptors - Jimmy King, Michigan (1995, Round 2, No. 35)

Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard and … who were those two other guys? Jimmy King and Ray Jackson filled out the Fab Five, of course. Jackson was the only one not drafted, but King’s pro career wasn’t much better. He played two seasons and made one start.

Utah Jazz - Dell Curry, Virginia Tech (1986, Round 1, No. 15)

Before he was best known as Steph’s father, Dell Curry, a three-point and free-throw specialist, was a star on the early Charlotte Hornets teams. What’s surprising, however, is that Curry was initially taken by the Jazz and played a signal season there. He was then traded to the Cavaliers who left him open in the expansion draft when Charlotte took him and he finally found his NBA home.

Washington Wizards - God Shammgod, Providence (1997, Round 2, No. 45)

God didn’t last long in the NBA, playing just 20 games. But the playground legend has lived a fascinating life. His best friends growing up were Ma$e and Cam'ron and he hung out with Puffy and Jay Z. And then there's the tale he’ll be dining out on for the rest of his life: He taught Kobe Bryant how to dribble - I mean, how to really dribble - when the teenager was in 11th grade.

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