The Los Angeles Lakers were the defending NBA champions, all-time greats Karl Malone and Allen Iverson still were on top of their games and Shane Battier had just led Duke University to the NCAA National Championship. That was the basketball backdrop for the 2001 NBA Draft, which saw the Washington Wizards select first. That’s a pick the Wizards would like to have back, isn’t it?
Hindsight is 20-20, of course, which is why it’s always fun to look back at NBA Drafts and say, “What were they thinking!?” Sports fans tend to remember the busts more than the draft steals, even though most drafts have some of both. With at least two huge busts in the first round and eight picks never even stepping foot on an NBA court, however, the 2001 NBA Draft may have been one of the worst ever. While that’s a matter of opinion, these five facts about the 2001 NBA Draft can’t be disputed:
The Wizards selected Kwame Brown No. 1 – Sad, but true, the Wizards wasted their No. 1 pick on one of the biggest busts in NBA history. A McDonald’s All-American in high school, Brown had the body to be a beast, but the 6-11 big man has averaged double figures just once in his 10-year NBA career and has started more than 49 games just once (in 2005-06 for the Lakers). Brown has mostly come off the bench for the Wizards, Lakers, Grizzlies, Pistons and currently is on the Bobcats. Just how disappointing has Brown’s professional career been? Let’s put it this way, he entered the 2010-11 NBA season with 3,413 career points; Dwight Howard, the No. 1 overall pick two years later, started the 2010-11 season with 8,538 career points. At least the Wizards got it right in 2010 when they selected John Wall from the University of Kentucky with the first overall pick.
The first four picks did not attend college – Aside from Brown, the next three picks also went straight to the NBA. They were Tyson Chandler, Pau Gasol, who played in Europe, and – speaking of busts — Eddy Curry, who were selected by the Los Angeles Clippers, Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls, respectively. Chandler has had a respectable NBA career, but has been nowhere near the type of player one would expect for the No. 2 overall pick. Entering the 2010-11 season, the 7-1 Chandler had career averages of 8.1 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. Curry never reached his full potential either, but at least he averaged double figures six straight years, including in 2006-07 when he scored 19.5 points per game for the New York Knicks. Gasol has enjoyed the best career of the bunch. He’s scored more career points than the first two picks combined and has averaged 18 points per game for his career. Furthermore, Gasol, who played his first six season in Memphis, was a key member of the Los Angeles Lakers’ last two NBA championships.
Four players from the University of Arizona were selected – You probably know the names Richard Jefferson and Gilbert Arenas, but do you remember Michael Wright and Loren Woods? Those four college stars led the Wildcats to the National Championship game in 2001 where they lost to the Duke Blue Devils. Jefferson was drafted by the Houston Rockets in the first round (13 th overall) and Arenas was taken by the Golden State Warriors in the second round with the 30 th overall pick. Both have had productive NBA careers, which can’t be said for their former Arizona teammates. Wright was selected by the New York Knicks with the 38 th overall pick and the Minnesota Timberwolves took Woods seven slots later. While Woods’ NBA career lasted all of 215 games, Wright never set foot on an NBA court, which brings us to our next fact …
Eight picks never played in the NBA – Being “The Man” in high school or college doesn’t guarantee NBA success. Look no further than these eight players taken in the second round. Aside from Wright, who was the highest pick of the draft never to crack an NBA lineup, Eric Chenowith (Kansas), Kyle Hill (Illinois), Ousmane Cisse (no college), Andre Hutson (Michigan), Maurice Jeffers (Saint Louis), Robertas Javtokas (no college) and Bryan Bracey (Oregon), never made it to the big time. Interestingly, Chenowith’s Jayhawks lost to Hill’s Fighting Illini in the 2001 NCAA Regional Semifinal. The Spurs drafted Javtokas and Bracey with the 55 th and 57 th picks, respectively, but they made up for those blunders with a brilliant pick they made earlier in the draft – hold that thought for a second. Incidentally, 14 other players selected in the 2001 NBA Draft appeared in fewer than 100 NBA games. Nobody ever said making it in the NBA was easy.
Tony Parker was the last pick of the first round – The San Antonio Spurs picked Parker with the 28 th overall pick of the 2001 NBA Draft. It turns out, the 6-2 guard from Bruges, Belgium was the steal of the draft. Parker became an instant starter, averaged 9.2 points and 4.3 assists per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie team. He hasn’t averaged below 14.7 points and and 5.3 assists per contest since in any season. Parker is a three-time NBA All-Star and has been a member of three San Antonio championship teams; he was named the 2006-07 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player. Other guards drafted before Parker include Raul Lopez (24 th overall), Brandon Armstrong (23 rd overall) and Sasser (22 nd overall). If you’re wondering who they are, you’re not alone.
Sources
Basketball-Reference.com / 2001 NBA Draft. Accessed Jan. 5, 2010.
