What is your definition of a "draft bust"?

[Niquesports]

1. A guy picked in the lottery that never becomes a starter

2. A guy picked in the top 3 that doesn't reach all-star status

3. A guy picked anywhere in the draft that can't stick in the league

4. Something else


I always thought this was a term that was overused. Too much blame is stuck on the player for not living up to everyone's expectations when in reality it is the scouts'/media's/fanbase's fault for placing those expectations on a player. We'll take Hasheem Thabeet as an example. Picked #2 overall and has spent the majority of his career in the D-league or riding the bench. Why does Thabeet get all of the blame for being a "bust" when it should have been known he was only as good as this, and less blame goes to everyone else who misjudged his talent?

My own definition is a guy who has already showed he has the talent to be a great player in the league yet throws it away. An example is Isaiah Rider who showed All-Star potential but was gone at age 30.

So what's yours?

I am with you on this.Every GM wants to take the sexy pick instead of getting a developed player.Then all the blame goes on the player and not the. Gm or coached that wasn't able to develop the player.Look at T mac with the Raptors and j ONeil with the Blazers. The Pacers and Magic saw something and got production that the other teams couldn't. However sometimes u can blame the player.How was the players work ethics,could the player learn the system,off court issues and attitude.

[Posterize246]

I am with you on this.Every GM wants to take the sexy pick instead of getting a developed player.Then all the blame goes on the player and not the. Gm or coached that wasn't able to develop the player.Look at T mac with the Raptors and j ONeil with the Blazers. The Pacers and Magic saw something and got production that the other teams couldn't. However sometimes u can blame the player.How was the players work ethics,could the player learn the system,off court issues and attitude.

That's really the point I wanted to make, glad you got it. If a guy doesn't live up to his potential because of those reasons then sure...give him the bust label. If he doesn't live up to his potential because you misjudged him and he really wasn't as good as you thought he was to begin with...then why is that a bust?

Bust makes it sound like the player never reached his ceiling when maybe in fact he did and people just misjudged what that ceiling was. In that case it's others' fault, not the player.

[InspiredLebowski]

I rarely, rarely define a guy as a bust. A bust is a guy that contributes nothing or very very little to the team that drafted him. Disappointment or mistake is a better word.

[kentatm]

one of the bigger busts

[gts]

I dont count guys like Oden and Bowie as busts; its not their fault they got hurt.

As others have said, its a player that falls well short of expectations. Someone like Darko, who was predicted to revolutionize the game and ended up a serviceable starter at best.

yeah i'm with you on the injury front..
when it comes to busts i have a hard time pinning it on any player.. is it the players fault he gets hyped? is it the players fault he got drafted where he did? i think in a lot of cases the term "bust" is over used.. in some of these cases the front office that picks these players is every bit to blame as the player

as an example if kwame goes at the 15 spot closer where he should have gone based on his experience then he's not a bust per se but no he gets chosen as the top player in the draft and gets labeled a bust...

he was a shot blocker and rebounder in high school who drafts that at number one? you stick him on the floor with experienced players that are the same size as him or bigger and of course he's going to flounder...

there are players that certainly don't meet expectations and i guess we can call them busts but like i said, i wonder sometimes where these expectations come from

[Jasper]

OP has some legit ideas of why it all happens and how it's blown out of purportion.

We really need to start were the athlete came from to be in the draft to understand the issue.
The average NBA draft pick has had probably 2 years of college experience which puts him at the 21-22 year old level.

I have always catagorized the draft by professionals scouts and coaching staff knowledge ... after all they are the ones getting paid to scout , watch , analysis players skills and watch tons of tape.

So I immediately do watch most media outlets do and go with averages ... meaning that not all lottery picks are franchise players , but top 12 picks should get playing time , and make contributions to a team.
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But most of the recruits like my Larry Sanders for the Bucks was picked in due respect HIGH , and even though he was basically a college player with some commendable numbers in college , he is slowly playing into the Bucks lineup and learning his trade.

My point is many draft picks come out of the gates like gangbusters while the average draft pick literally needs to learn his trade 3-5 years.

Years ago we would of seen a whole different approach to draft picks , because of the picks were basically 4 year college letterman.

Within a couple years they would be not have learned their trade , but would be contributing to their assigned teams.
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The equation is far larger now , and the potential of a player not being an asset to a team is even greater IMO.

I think like the media a player should be a contributor if he picked at 12 or higher , simply because the stacks are that much higher.

Unfortunately those same media outlets as well as team fan bases label a player all most immediately the first year or two (bust) when in reality a player may need 3-4 legit years to know how to play the NBA game.

Looking at Bogut , many fans looked at him as a bust , but once again hhere was a player drafted early , and as a big man needed to learn the game for at least 4 years before his real coming out party evolved.

[Jasper]

I also wanted to use as an example Glen Robinson another Bucks first round draft pick.
After 4 years of college at Purdue , his impact was in less than 2 years putting up reliable numbers for the Bucks. He wasn't pure say a legit all time go to guy , but he was always solid in his SF spot as a shooter.

Obviously he had ball handle skill issues as well as defense , but I know even though he was not really titled a franchise player in all regards he filled the Bucks needs for his spot for many years.

I think after 5-6 years , we as a fan base should evaluate a player at that point and if we tag him a draft bust we can...

Some players may leave the league for a year or two and come back and be great contributors ,, or just Never come back.

[clipps]

A great example is Darius Miles. Drafted 3rd overall by the Clippers in 00. He showed a lot of promise and became a fan favorite. 6'9 210, was athletic, had great handles, had a lot of potential(I hate that word now). Got traded to the Cavs, couldn't play with Bron. Got traded again to the Blazers. Was an okay starter for a few seasons until knee problems kept him out of the game. He's definitely a bust.

[Jasper]

http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/sho...d.php?t=205073

[Kiddlovesnets]

Well i think it also depends on the overall quality of the draft class. A good reason why Sam Bowie was considered a bust is that there was MJ, the GOAT. on the contrary, people seldom refer to Stromile Swift as a bust 'cause the draft class of 2000 sucks as a whole.

[JerrySteakhouse]

1. A guy picked in the lottery that never becomes a starter

2. A guy picked in the top 3 that doesn't reach all-star status

3. A guy picked anywhere in the draft that can't stick in the league

4. Something else


I always thought this was a term that was overused. Too much blame is stuck on the player for not living up to everyone's expectations when in reality it is the scouts'/media's/fanbase's fault for placing those expectations on a player. We'll take Hasheem Thabeet as an example. Picked #2 overall and has spent the majority of his career in the D-league or riding the bench. Why does Thabeet get all of the blame for being a "bust" when it should have been known he was only as good as this, and less blame goes to everyone else who misjudged his talent?

My own definition is a guy who has already showed he has the talent to be a great player in the league yet throws it away. An example is Isaiah Rider who showed All-Star potential but was gone at age 30.

So what's yours?

2.

[tomtucker]

Greg Oden is not a draft bust..............he was busted before he got drafted.

[M.Bustly15A5RU8]

Second draft pick as a PF and then end up playing SF on a scrubby team

[8BeastlyXOIAD]

Second draft pick as a PF and then end up playing SF on a scrubby team

dude GTFO