Image via Complex Original
The 2012 NBA Draft is tomorrow night, and the whole world knows who's going No. 1. What the world doesn't know is what obscure foreign player will be taken ridiculously high. Throughout the years there have been more than a few players to come to the states to do nothing more than to stink it up. For every Dirk Nowitzki, there are five Nikoloz Tskitishvilis. Who? Exactly. Remember when the Mavs took Bill Wennington and Uwe Blab in back-to-back picks? We don't either, until we started compiling this list and realized who Dallas passed on. What about the time Joe Dumars drafted Darko Milicic instead of three perennial All-Stars the year after Detroit was four wins from the 2003 NBA Finals? There's more where that came from. Check out The 25 Biggest Foreign Busts in NBA Draft History.
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25. Luc Longley
Country: Australia
Drafted: 7th Overall, 1991
Team: Timberwolves
Stats: 7.2 PPG 4.9 RPG 1.5 APG 1.0 BPG
Seasons Played: 10
Yes, he's got some rings, but Longley never performed at the level of a No. 7 pick. Teammate Michael Jordan once not so lovingly described the center trio of Bill Wennington, Joe Kleine, and Longley as “21 feet of shit.” MJ said that even though Longley was having his best season scoring at 11.4 a night. The most memorable parts of Longley’s career had nothing to do with basketball: while in Phoenix, he was bitten by a scorpion and he missed time in Chicago in 1996 after separating his left shoulder while body surfing. On the other hand, he managed to get the Knicks to pay him more than $13 million after he retired. Any room on the Money Team?
24. Jiri Welsch
Country: Czech Republic
Drafted: 16th Overall, 2002
Team: 76ers
Stats: 6.1 PPG 2.4 RPG 1.5 APG
Seasons Played: 4
Jiri was basking in the glory of an MVP campaign in the Mattoni League (Czechoslovakia) in 2002 when the Warriors made a draft day trade with the 76ers to get him. They passed on Tayshaun Prince, Nenad Krstic, and Carlos Boozer to snatch up the 6'7" guard. Jiri was a talented shooter with good ball handling skills and even started a few games when he was with the Celtics in '05, but his game ultimately didn't translate in the States. After bouncing around one too many times, he went back overseas in hopes of getting better and making a comeback. That was in 2006.
23. Vladimir Radmanovic
Country: Serbia
Drafted: 12th Overall, 2001
Team: SuperSonics
Stats: 8.2 PPG 3.9 RPG 1.4 APG; 41.6 FT%
Seasons Played: 11
Radmonovic was a sharp-shooting big man. Unfortunately for the SuperSonics, that’s about all he was. Despite being nearly seven feet tall, he never averaged more than 5.3 rebounds for a full season. He also forced his way out of Seattle when he wasn’t starting anymore. Celtics fans thank him for being the biggest weak link on the Lakers in 2008. Let’s just say Kobe probably isn’t sending him Christmas cards.
22. Vitaly Potapenko
Country: Ukraine
Drafted: 12th Overall, 1996
Team: Cavaliers
Stats: 6.5 PPG 4.5 RPG 0.7 APG 0.3 BPG
Seasons Played: 11
In 1996, the Cavs had a gaping hole in the middle and chose to fill it with Ukrainian big man Potapenko. He was a solid player in the league over his career, but what must kill Cavs fans to this day are the three players taken immediately after him: Kobe Bryant, Peja Stojakovic, and Steve Nash. They also passed on Jermaine O’Neal and Derek Fisher. Luckily for them they got Big Z at 20. When you’re a city that struggles as regularly as Cleveland, one for two on draft picks is cause for a parade.
21. Bill Wennington
Country: Canada
Drafted: 16th Overall, 1985
Team: Mavericks
Stats: 4.6 PPG 3.0 RPG 0.6 APG 0.3 BPG
Seasons Played: 13
With back-to-back picks in the 1985 draft, the Mavericks went with two slow, white, foreign centers in Bill Wennington (16) and Uwe Blab (17). Wennington never averaged more than 4.6 rebounds per game despite being seven feet tall. He would eventually wind up with the Bulls and win three championships riding the coattails of MJ, Scottie, and Phil. Who should have been drafted there? There was a guy from McNeese State that went 18th who was pretty good. Have you ever heard of Joe Dumars? How about Terry Porter, who went at 24? We could also make a case for A.C. Green, "Hot Rod" William,s and even Manute Bol. If the Dallas Mavericks can come back from moves like this to win a championship, there's hope for us all.
20. Andris Biedrins
Country: Latvia
Drafted: 11th Overall, 2004
Team: Warriors
Stats: 7.0 PPG 7.6 RPG 1.0 APG 1.2 BPG; 50.6 FT%
Seasons Played: 8
Biedrins is a bit of a headcase. He had two solid seasons in 2008 and 2009 where he averaged a double-double, but ever since it’s like he forgot how to play the sport. The biggest problem with his game is free-throws. In the past three seasons, he is a pathetic 15 for his last 65 from the charity stripe. That is 23 percent. Homie would be better off blindfolded shooting underhanded Rick Barry granny-style. The Warriors also passed on two athletic bigs that would have thrived under Don Nelson: Josh Smith and Al Jefferson. Take a minute and think about Smith catching alley-oops from Baron Davis. *French Montana voice* Damn.
19. Zarko Cabarkapa
Country: Serbia
Drafted: 17th Overall, 2003
Team: Suns
Stats: 4.3 PPG 2.1 RPG 0.6 APG
Seasons Played: 3
After the success of Dirk Nowitzki, teams were salivating over Euro big men with range. Cabarkapa was just that, but he never turned into Dirk. He won a gold medal during the 2002 FIBA World Championship Games with Yugoslavia and was looking like he'd be a good fit in the NBA in the right system. The Suns took him over David West, Boris Diaw, Josh Howard and a couple other cats who've had productive careers. They loved his style of play and had no problem with the fact the he was essentially a 6'11" small forward. Zarko refused to play defense and had back problems, which led to him only playing for three seasons in the L. D'Antoni is an offensive genius!
18. Oleksiy Pecherov
Country: Ukraine
Drafted: 18th Overall, 2006
Team: Wizards
Stats: 3.9 PPG 2.4 RPG 0.2 APG
Seasons Played: 3
With the 18th pick in the 2006 NBA Draft the Washington Wizards select…Stewie Griffin? Pecherov’s looks garnered national attention when an announcer compared him to the maniacal Family Guy character. Despite being a seven-footer, he couldn’t rebound or defend. And despite being a Euro big man, he couldn’t shoot. He’s best known for getting jammed on by Andres Nocioni. It doesn’t help his case that Rajon Rondo went three picks later at 21.
17. Alexis Ajinca
Country: France
Drafted: 20th Overall, 2008
Team: Bobcats
Stats: 3.1 PPG 1.6 RPG 0.2 APG
Seasons Played: 3
Michael Jordan drafted a project seven-footer. Haven’t we heard this story before? His Airness blew another first round pick to continue his perfect career of terrible decision making in the front office. The Frenchman Ajinca did nothing to help the ‘Cats rebuild and was included in the equally terrible Tyson Chandler trade where Charlotte got Erick Dampier’s expiring contract. The Ajinca pick really stings when you consider that Ryan Anderson, Courtney Lee, Serge Ibaka, Nicolas Batum, and George Hill were taken in the next six picks. We love MJ, but as Pusha T might say the swag don’t match the draft picks.
16. Aleksandar Radojevic
Country: Montenegro
Drafted: 12th Overall, 1999
Team: Raptors
Stats: 1.7 PPG 2.4 RPG 0.5 APG
Seasons Played: 2
The 7'3" big man first made news when (then) Ohio St. coach Jim O'Brien "loaned" Aleksandar's mother $6,700 for his ailing father and was eventually fired. Radojevic never became a Buckeye and after two years of "domination" at Barton County Community College the Raptors (don't look so surprised) took him with the 12th pick. After a series of injuries, he only lasted a season and made a brief return in 2005 with the Jazz. Aleksandar went back overseas to a mediocre career. NBA coaches are always trying to make a project out of 7-footers and understandably so, but they miss way more than they make.
15. Fran Vasquez
Country: Spain
Drafted: 11th Overall, 2005
Team: Magic
Stats: None
Seasons Played: 0
What better way to build a team around the best center in the league than wasting a draft pick on someone that never said he actually wants to play in the NBA? Ladies and gentleman, How to Piss Off a Superstar 101 by the Orlando Magic. There are rumors that Vasquez might come over to the States for the 2012-2013 season, but nothing is confirmed. How much happier would Dwight Howard be if the Magic had picked among the trio of Danny Granger, David Lee, or Monta Ellis instead of Vasquez in 2005? It ain’t no fairy tale in Disney World and the Magic have no one to blame but themselves for stupid drafting and bad contracts. No wonder Otis Smith got canned.
14. Uwe Blab
Country: Germany
Drafted: 17th Overall, 1985
Team: Mavericks
Stats: 2.1 PPG 1.8 RPG 0.4 APG 0.4 BPG
Seasons Played: 5
Blab? As in B.L.A.B. the Ace Hood song? Well, kind of. Uwe was balling like a bitch, just not in the way Ace raps about or the Mavericks were hoping for. Dude was 7’1” and only blocked 0.4 shots per game. *Kanye voice* Hah? With career averages that look like a University of Connecticut men’s basketball player’s GPA, Blab was a definite flop with the 17th overall pick. Actually now that we think about it, Blab’s career was about as good as the song bearing his name #shotsfired.
13. Mouhamed Sene
Country: Senegal
Drafted: 10th Overall, 2006
Team: SuperSonics
Stats: 2.2 PPG 1.6 RPG 0.0 APG; 1 assist in 260 career minutes
Seasons Played: 3
From 2004-2006 the SuperSonics used three first-round picks on centers. 2004 brought high schooler Robert Swift. 0-1. 2005 was Johan Petro whom we named the Worst Player in the NBA right now. 0-2. Somehow they topped themselves in 2006 when they drafted Sene. His career numbers speak for themselves as he only lasted a few years in the league. Sene was so bad that he’s best known for getting dunked on by J.R. Smith. #koldgame
12. Jerome Moiso
Country: France
Drafted: 11th Overall, 2000
Team: Celtics
Stats: 2.7 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 0.3 APG
Seasons Played: 5
The 2000 Draft was historically bad. K-Mart was the top pick for crying out loud. Despite having the 10th pick Rick Pitino rose to the challenge to find a truly terrible addition to the Celtics. Moiso lasted only one season in Beantown before being traded to Philadelphia. The leading scorer from that draft, Michael Redd, lasted until pick 43. Again, it was a terrible draft. Maybe Y2K wiped out all scouting reports.
11. Yaroslav Korolev
Country: Russia
Drafted: 12th Overall, 2005
Team: Clippers
Stats: 1.1 PPG 0.5 RPG 0.4 APG
Seasons Played: 2
The Clippers passed on David Lee and Danny Granger for Yaroslav Korolev based on the 18-year-old's potential. He looked like a superstar in Belgrade as a 17-year-old phenom tearing up the 2005 European Junior (U-18) Championships. Yaroslav had the ideal 6'9" frame to play small forward and superior ball-handling skills for his age. Mike Dunleavy Sr. and his staff figured they could develop him in hopes he would turn into another—wait for it—Dirk and/or Gasol. But they're the Clippers and it never happened. He's now in Euro leagues winning dunk contests and shit.
10. Yinka Dare
Country: Nigeria
Drafted: 14th Overall, 1994
Team: Nets
Stats: 2.1 PPG 2.6 RPG 0.0 APG; 4 assists in 1002 career minutes
Seasons Played: 4
Yinka Dare was a beast when he played under Mike Jarvis at George Washington, but for some reason never reached his potential in the NBA. He averaged 13 and 10 in college and finished his two-year career as GW's all-time leader in blocks, leading them to the Sweet 16 in 1993. Three minutes into his NBA career, Yinka tore his ACL and had to sit out the season. He was turnover prone and holds the NBA record for most games played without an assist (58). All in all, Yinka Dare was a good teammate and a great guy. He died of a heart attack in 2004 at the age of 32. #rip
9. Yi Jianlian
Country: China
Drafted: 6th Overall, 2007
Team: Bucks
Stats: 7.9 PPG 4.9 RPG 0.7 APG
Seasons Played: 5
After a heralded career in China, winning three Chinese Basketball Association titles and putting up 24 and 11 in the CBA the season prior, Yi took his talents to the NBA in 2007. He was highly-coveted because of his frame, skill level, and the Yao Ming factor. Teams were hoping to catch lightning in a bottle twice with Yi in terms of cultural impact, but it never happened. Jianlian is a talented player and is still relatively young, but is undeniably soft as fuck. He's had nagging injuries that have hampered him a bit and he shows flashes of how good he can be. Unlike most of the busts on this list, he still has a shot.
8. Rafael Araújo
Country: Brazil
Drafted: 8th Overall, 2004
Team: Raptors
Stats: 2.8 PPG 2.8 RPG, 0.3 APG 0.1 BPG
Seasons Played: 3
Araujo had a promising college career averaging 19 and 9 in two seasons at BYU, sharing Co-Mountain West Player of the Year honors with Air Force's Nick Welsh. He was huge, standing at 6'11", 295 and looked like he'll be able to do damage on the low block for years to come. The Raptors (duh) took him with the 8th pick in the lottery over Andre Iguodala, Al Jefferson, Josh Smith, and a bunch of other guys with successful NBA careers. Hindsight's 20/20 because at the time it seemed like the right move. Rafael only lasted three seasons in the NBA and eventually returned to the international circuit, where he found success on the court in his native Brazil. He has since retired and is planning on writing a book about his journey.
7. DeSagana Diop
Country: Senegal
Drafted: 8th Overall, 2001
Team: Cavaliers
Stats: 2.0 PPG 3.7 RPG 0.4 APG 1.1 BPG; 46.8 FT%
Seasons Played: 11
If you can’t tell already, NBA teams are always desperate for height. So much that they would use a top-ten pick on an unproven, undeveloped Senegalese seven-footer in Diop. The worst thing about Diop isn’t even his scoring average, it's his free-throws. With his 46.8 percent shooting from the line, he makes Shaq look like Ray Allen. Of course, it’s not DeSagana’s fault. His whole country sucks at basketball. Eight players from Senegal have played a combined 839 games in the league and averaged 2.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. Tell the GMs: height doesn’t mean talent.
6. Adonal Foyle
Country: St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Drafted: 8th Overall, 1997
Team: Warriors
Stats: 4.1 PPG 4.7 RPG 0.5 APG 1.6 BPG
Seasons Played: 12
Adonal Foyle and Amar’e Stoudemire are about as opposite as two 6’10” basketball players can be. Stoudemire claims to be a Renaissance Man in his Twitter bio, but Foyle actually is as evidenced by his acting and intelligence. Stoudemire was a steal with the ninth pick in the 2002 Draft and is a perennial All-Star. Foyle was a bust with the eighth pick in the 1997 Draft, one spot ahead of Tracy McGrady. Foyle never averaged more than 5.9 points, but still made more than $63 million. He must have negotiated his contracts himself to get that much dough for doing so little on the court. Stoudemire might grind harder, but Foyle grinded smarter.
5. Hasheem Thabeet
Country: Tanzania
Drafted: 2nd Overall, 2009
Team: Grizzlies
Stats: 2.2 PPG 2.7 RPG 0.1 APG 0.9 BPG
Seasons Played: 3
Thabeet had a strong career at UConn, but he was raw offensively with no legitimate post game. That didn’t stop the Grizzlies from picking him second in 2009. With a nucleus of Rudy Gay, O.J. Mayo, and Marc Gasol, the team thought Thabeet would be a shot-blocking enforcer in the middle. Well, he wasn’t. He couldn’t find playing time and has spent time in the D-League. Not only did they draft a terrible player, but the Grizz also passed on several players that would have fit well in Ricky Rubio and James Harden. Would they be better than the Thunder now if they hadn’t blown the second pick just three years ago?
4. Nikoloz Tskitishvili
Country: Georgia
Drafted: 5th Overall, 2002
Team: Nuggets
Stats: 2.9 PPG 1.8 RPG 0.7 APG
Seasons Played: 4
The Denver Nuggets passed on Amar'e Stoudemire and Caron Butler to draft a hybrid big man that was really a shooting guard in a power forward's body. Nikoloz Tskitishvili had a decent international career prior to making himself eligible for the 2002 NBA Draft, but not good enough to be a number five pick. During that same summer, Nikoloz was fresh off contributing to an Italian league championship with Bennetton Trevasio under Mike D'Antoni. Coincidentally (or maybe not) D'Antoni was in the Nuggets organization from 1997-1999 as Director of Player Personnel and as the head coach during the '99 lockout season. He has his fingerprints all over this move.
3. Michael Olowokandi
Country: Nigeria
Drafted: 1st Overall, 1998
Team: Clippers
Stats: 8.3 PPG 6.8 RPG 0.7 APG
Seasons Played: 9
Michael Olowokandi was supposed to be one of those "one of a kind" centers that only comes around every thousand years or so. Clearly that wasn't the case. The Kandi Man took the basketball world by storm as an unknown 7-footer who played for a barely-known college called University of the Pacific. He averaged 22, 11, and 3 blocks during his senior year making him the consensus No. 1 pick of the 1994 NBA Draft. Sadly, the Clippers had the first pick and the rest is history. He was good defensively for many years and contributed to the Timberwolves run to the Western Conference Finals in 2004, but never made the impact everyone was projecting. Kareem even went so far as to call Olowokandi "uncoachable" and said, "He took his place on the list of athletically gifted washouts who have been in and out of the league in the past 10 years." Ouch.
2. Frederic Weis
Country: France
Drafted: 15th Overall, 1999
Team: Knicks
Stats: None
Seasons Played: 0
With Patrick Ewing falling apart the New York Knicks passed on Queensbridge native Ron Artest for a 22-year old 7-footer with no guarantee that he'd ever play for them. Naturally, the Bulls took Metta with the next pick causing Knicks fans to lose their fucking minds. Weis eventually had knee issues and never played a minute in the L. Vince Carter immortalized him in the greatest poster in the history of the universe. The Knicks make these types of moves seem effortless.
1. Darko Milicic
Country: Serbia
Drafted: 2nd Overall, 2003
Team: Pistons
Stats: 6.0 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 0.9 APG, 1.3 BPG
Seasons Played: 9
Joe Dumars passed on Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade in the 2003 Draft for what appeared to be a promising 19-year-old big man out of Serbia. Mind you, the Pistons were fresh off of an Eastern Conference Finals appearance and had just signed Larry Brown to coach. Notoriously hard on rookies, Brown never gave Milicic a real shot, and three years later he was dealt to the Orlando Magic for Kelvin Cato and a first round pick that turned into Rodney Stuckey. He bounced around for a couple years and somehow got a huge contract from David Kahn and the Timberwolves because of his shot blocking ability. Unfortunately, Darko is still trying to live up to the billing and his only claim to fame is an awesome (now defunct) blog named in his honor. The Pistons shoulda, woulda, coulda had a dynasty.