Ranking The Best No. 1 Draft Picks

By Paulie Knep
Love of Sports Correspondent

On Tuesday, the NBA will hold its annual draft lottery to determine which team will have the first selection in the 2008 Draft.

Every team that didn’t make the playoffs has a chance to win the No. 1 pick. The worse a team’s record, the greater their odds of getting lucky.

No. 1 picks have had varying degrees of success in the NBA. Some have fulfilled expectations and gone on to legendary careers and some have been solid to spectacular contributors - while others have been complete busts.

This is a ranking of the careers of the 22 first overall picks in the NBA Draft since the lottery system was implemented in 1985.*

TOP 22 NO. 1 DRAFT PICKS

22. Michael Olowokandi, Los Angeles Clippers (1998) - The “Kandi Man” never developed a low-post game and often looked lost on the court. Over nine seasons, he averaged a mere 8.3 points per game and is now looked upon as one of the biggest busts in league history.

21. Kwame Brown, Washington Wizards (2001) - Brown’s shown minimal improvement in his game over eight seasons in the league. His lack of commitment and a combative attitude have gotten him booed out of two cities already. No telling how Memphis will treat him just yet, since he was only able to play 15 games for them last season after being traded by the Lakers for Pau Gasol.

20. Pervis Ellison, Sacramento Kings (1989) - “Never Nervous Pervis” had a couple of very good seasons early in his career with Washington, but bad knees rendered him ineffective for the majority of his 12-year career. Averaging just 9.5 points and 6.7 rebounds in a career is not what one would expect from a No. 1 selection.

19. Andrea Bargnani, Toronto Raptors (2006) - At 22 years of age, Bargnani has the potential to move up this list soon. However, he digressed in his second season, shooting just 38% from the field, which doesn’t bode well for a player known for his shooting.

18. Joe Smith, Golden State Warriors (1995) - Smith is a high energy guy with a reliable mid-range jumpshot and has been a solid role player throughout his career. But Golden State was expecting more than 11.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game from this average Joe.

17. Kenyon Martin, New Jersey Nets (2000) - Early in his career, Martin was a key component of a Nets team that made back-to-back trips to the NBA Finals, but he never became the force that many people projected. After a series of knee injuries, he’s on the downside of his career already. Damn shame.

16. Andrew Bogut, Milwaukee Bucks (2005) - Bogut’s a fundamentally sound big-man who’s improved each year in the league. He’ll never be a superstar, though he’ll contribute 15 points and 10 rebounds a game for the next five to 10 seasons or so. Unfortunately, it’ll likely continue to come in the relative obscurity of Wisconsin.

15. Derrick Coleman, New Jersey Nets (1990) - Coleman was a tremendous talent, but laziness and a uncontrollable ego derailed his career. He averaged over 20 points and 10 boards per game for three consecutive seasons, with minimal effort. Since then, he’s been nothing short of a disaster, eating himself out of the league after just five games with the Pistons in 2004.

14. Glenn Robinson, Milwaukee Bucks (1994) - The “Big Dog” was one of the best scorers in the game during his 10 years in the league. The former Purdue star never developed the other aspects of his game, however, and earned a reputation as a selfish player.

13. Larry Johnson, Charlotte Hornets (1991) - “Grandmama” was a ferocious interior presence during his first few years seasons before a back injury curtailed his explosiveness. The 1992 NBA Rookie of the Year was a two-time All-Star with the Charlotte Hornets and utilized an array of post moves to help the Knicks advance to the NBA Finals in 1999.

12. Danny Manning, Los Angeles Clippers (1988) - Manning was a great athlete with long arms who could beat you in many ways. The MVP of the 1988 Final Four for Kansas made the All-Star team twice, but was hampered by bad knees throughout his career and was forced to retire after scoring just 34 points in the 2004 season.

11. Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic (2004) - Superman will end up near the top of this list one day if he stays healthy. The mammoth center led the league in rebounds this season with over 14 a game, and at 22 years of age, he’ll get better. The Magic was incredibly smart for taking him ahead of Emeka Okafor, who fell to Charlotte at No. 2.

10. Elton Brand, Chicago Bulls (1999) - You can mark him down for 20 points and 10 rebounds a night, and you’ve been able to do so since the first day he stepped in the league. In addition to being one of the best power forwards in the NBA, Brand has a great work ethic that’s unmatched and is the unquestioned team leader of the Clippers these days.

9. Brad Daugherty, Cleveland Cavaliers (1986) - Daugherty was a consistent 20-10 performer for a very good Cavs team in the early 1990s. He was selected to five All-Star teams before recurring back problems forced him to retire at the age of 28.

8. Yao Ming, Houston Rockets (2002) - The “Asian Sensation” is arguably the best center in the NBA right now. His defense has improved and he’s unguardable in the low-post. Injuries have been a factor the last two seasons, and he’s yet to advance past the first round of the playoffs. Those are two things he has to fix before moving up any higher on this top heavy list.

7. Chris Webber, Orlando Magic (1993) - (Traded to Golden State Warriors on Draft Day) - C-Webb never won that elusive ring, but he was the centerpiece of some great Sacramento teams in his prime. He’s one of only six players in NBA history to average 20 points, nine rebounds and four assists a game for his career, which are stats that many may not even realize he was putting up at the time.

6. Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers (1996) - Only Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain averaged more points per game for their careers than Iverson’s 27.7. “The Answer” led the league in scoring four times and carried the 76ers to the NBA Finals in 2001.

5. Patrick Ewing, New York Knicks (1985) - Ewing was the best shooting center the league’s ever seen and was named one of its all-time 50 greatest players. Though he never won a championship, he led the Knicks to 13 consecutive playoff appearances and made 11 All-Star teams.

4. David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs (1987) - The Admiral teamed up with Tim Duncan to win two championships near the end of his career. A force on both ends of the floor, Robinson was named Defensive Player of the Year in 1992 and won the league MVP in 1995. All this after being forced to sit out his first two seasons in order to honor his commitment to the U.S. Navy.

3. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers (2003) - LeBron will likely go down as one of the greatest players to ever dribble a basketball. The question is not if he will win a championship, but how many. Unfortunately, it won’t happen this year, as his Cavs came up just short again, losing in seven games to the Celtics, despite his 45 points, six rebounds and five assists in the finale.

2. Shaquille O’Neal, Orlando Magic (1992) - With the exception of Chamberlain, the Diesel is the most dominant big man to ever step on a basketball court. He was an unstoppable force for a decade and a half, winning four championships along the way. He ain’t a bad dancer, either. Watch this video, as he takes two other guys on this list to task - on HIS court.

1. Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs (1997) - This unheralded superstar has been the best player of the post-Jordan era and is considered by many to be the best power forward to ever play. The Big Fundamental has won four rings and two MVP awards and could very well have more where that came from in the coming years.

(*The first pick of the 2007 Draft, Greg Oden, did not play this season due to injury.)