What is your definition of a "draft bust"?

[Posterize246]

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?

[YouCallILose]

Uh..none of the 3

A bust is

1. A guy picked in the lottery that can't even get on the court
2. A guy picked in the top 3 that can't become a regular starter
3. A guy picked #1 overall that plays 60 games in 4 years

[Detroit]

Kwame Brown.

[Wat_Wat__]

adam morrison
kandi man

[QuebecBaller]

Kwame Brown.

Kwame Brown didn't choose to be a #1 pick. MJ is a bust to have drafted him

[NoName22]

Anyone MJ drafts ?

[ballup]

A player selected in the lottery who did not come close to the expectations of them before they were drafted. He has to drastically fail at establishing himself in the NBA and fail at developing as a player.

[DaHeezy]

A player that does not meet expectations. The higher the pick, the bigger the expectations. The placement in which you're are picked is usually(but not in all cases) because you are better than everyone else picked below you. This holds extremely high for those in the more top 10 range, esecially top 3-5.

[ihatetimthomas]

I have seen so many players not live up to expectations in the lottery and even top 10. So I say any player who doesnt become a solid player at the very least in the top 3 is a bust. Everyone else, its no lock

[asdf1990]

Greg Oden, Sam Bowie basically any center the blazers draft with a top 5 pick.

[ChiTownBalla]

I went straight to the dictionary for this one. All there was was a picture...

Draft Bust:

[Posterize246]

A player that does not meet expectations. The higher the pick, the bigger the expectations. The placement in which you're are picked is usually(but not in all cases) because you are better than everyone else picked below you. This holds extremely high for those in the more top 10 range, esecially top 3-5.

Normally that isn't the case. So many picks now are made on "potential" instead of actual talent. How many seniors do we see drafted1st round anymore? How many juniors are drafted in the lottery? The number gets smaller and smaller.

They aren't drafted higher because they're better than everyone below them, they're drafted higher because the scouts do a poor job and THINK they're better than everyone below them. But the blame gets put on the player because they don't live up to someone else's unrealistic expectations put on them.

If anyone wants to know why I'm bringing this up go watch Gunnin For That #1 Spot, there's an asian guy towards the end that talks about this very thing.

Is Sebastian Telfair a bust for not living up to the hype placed on him since he was a little kid? Why isn't it someone else's fault for giving him those false expectations and misjudging his talent?

[8BeastlyXOIAD]

ESPN FAILS AT TRYING TO HYPE UP DARKO

[DaHeezy]

Normally that isn't the case. So many picks now are made on "potential" instead of actual talent. How many seniors do we see drafted1st round anymore? How many juniors are drafted in the lottery? The number gets smaller and smaller.

They aren't drafted higher because they're better than everyone below them, they're drafted higher because the scouts do a poor job and THINK they're better than everyone below them. But the blame gets put on the player because they don't live up to someone else's unrealistic expectations put on them.

If anyone wants to know why I'm bringing this up go watch Gunnin For That #1 Spot, there's an asian guy towards the end that talks about this very thing.

Is Sebastian Telfair a bust for not living up to the hype placed on him since he was a little kid? Why isn't it someone else's fault for giving him those false expectations and misjudging his talent?

That's why I parenthisied not in all cases. But in most this falls true. That's why there are scouting reports and such, to test to see if your game can translate. It's not 100% foolproof, but it's the closest thing we got.

Bassy is a little different as he wasn't picked as high. I think media expectation and SLAM overvalued him. But reality is he wasn't top ten, so we shouldn't have given him top 10 value.

[JohnnySic]

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.