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Rank (best ever) 195
Score (all time) 872.00
Created 12/14/07
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1
Danny Vranes
1981
Vranes isn't a guy NBA fans remember these days, and believe me, Danny ain't complaining. A steady college scorer, Seattle opted for a little Vranes love instead of future stars like Vranes' Utah teammate Tom Chambers, Orlando Woolridge, Rolando Blackman, Kelly Tripuka and Larry Nance. Vranes love? That's 5.1 points and 3.9 rebounds in 510 games, as well as a lingering burning sensation in the temples. Both Danny and Slavko Vranes deny any familial connections -- we're not convinced.
2
J.R. Reid
1989
The first in a long line of guys more known for their hair than any on-court accomplishments. One of these days, Reid's flat-top will hang in the Basketball Hall of Fame, but his game will have to buy a ticket. The mere mention of Reid's name sends shivers up the spines of NBA GMs - an undersized power forward with a big rep whose college numbers are almost too hard to pass up. It's amazing Charlotte had the courage to roll the dice on Sean May, a Reid doppleganger with less hair and more heart.
3
Nikoloz Tskitishvili
2002
Skita will jostle with Darko Milicic in an epic battle for years to come. The prize? The honor of being the poster boy for the NBA's blinding infatuation with European talent gone haywire. In contrast to Milicic, teams can't wait to play hot potato with Skita, currently on his fourth team in four seasons. Averaged 3.9 points on 29.3% shooting as a rookie, and that was his career year! Perhaps the future will be kinder to Skita in his new stat-friendly surroundings of Phoenix.
4
Kenny Walker
1986
The 1986 NBA Draft is notorious for tragic endings, but Walker's NBA career was in ruins from the start. For five seasons, Walker labored to make the transition from 6-foot-7 college center to a small forward with the shooting touch of a guy with two left hands. For one shining day -- the 1989 NBA Slam Dunk Contest -- Walker lit up an NBA arena with his thundering jams. But in the 448 actual games Walker played in, he had little, if any, effect.
5
Jon Koncak
1985
The guy who checks in at No. 5 on a list of awful No. 5 picks has to be the worst, and so it's with great pleasure that we honor Koncak. The lug is best known for the outrageous contract (six years, $13 million) Atlanta awarded him after a legendary 4.7-point, 6.1-rebound season. Talk about compounding mistakes. On a personal note, Koncak landed me in detention after a teacher caught me calling Koncak an expletive in a schoolyard hoops discussion. That ranks No. 7 on Koncak's career highlights.
6
Jonathan Bender
1999
When the guy who inspires a whole "Worst Of" list only lands at No. 6, well, you know you've got a winner. Bender is an injury victim on par with Ellis, but his resume is far weaker, having never averaged double-figures in seven seasons and counting a meager 22 points as his single-game high. The 7-footer never developed an identity to his game - too frail to play inside, not skilled enough to play outside. Adding insult, Indiana dealt Antonio Davis in order to move up for Bender.
7
Sidney Green
1983
A medical marvel. Green played 679 NBA games despite being heavily sedated prior to every single one. No, we have no evidence of this, but how else could Sidney's narcoleptic demeanor and movements be explained? While Tracy McGrady looks disinterested, Green perfected the double whammy of looking and actually playing like visions of the postgame spread were dancing in his head. Hard to imagine he averaged 22 points and 12 boards for UNLV - perhaps they were only jogging Rebels back then?
8
Tony Battie
1997
Battie never shook the "El Busto" title he was given as a rookie, a year in which he actually produced his highest scoring average (8.4) in nine unremarkable seasons to date. Ironically, the man who coined the name, Dan Issel, would later take over as Denver's GM and rid the team of Battie after one season. Score one for impulsive decision-making! Battie has served dutifully as an occasional starting center -- and there are worse ways to make a living -- but more is expected from No. 5 picks.
9
LaPhonso Ellis
1992
Ellis looked like the second coming of James Worthy, but the knee injuries that plagued Ellis' at Notre Dame followed him into the pros. Ellis was a key cog in the Nuggets' stunning upset of the Sonics in the 1994 Playoffs, averaged a gaudy 22 points and 7 boards one season and enjoyed a nice Renaissance with the T-Wolves in 2001. But the sum of his accomplishments don't add up to a career anyone will remember 10 years from now.
10
Isaiah "J.R." Rider
1993
Let's be clear: for seven seasons, Rider plied his trade well as an explosive scorer. But what lands Rider on the list here is the missed promise and perpetual headaches he caused teammates, fans and front offices in five cities. Few guys had more talent and even fewer had lower aspirations -- as long as Rider got his 20 points a night, he was happy. Not since Michael Ray Richardson has a player more erroneously chosen to pass up fame and fortune down the road for a good time tonight.
[source: https://probasketball.about.com/od/nbadrafthistory/tp/10worst5thpicks.htm ]
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