All Stars: 6 (Garnett, McDyess, Stackhouse, Wallace, Finley, Ratliff)
Perennial All Stars: 2 (Garnett, Wallace)
MVPs: 1 (Garnett)
Future Hall of Famers: 1 (Garnett)
Probably one of the 20 best players in the history of the NBA. Garnett has been one of the fiercest competitors in the league since the day he stepped onto the court. Surrounded by next to nothing for most of his career in Minnesota, Garnett picked up a title in Boston in 2008 and has won both the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year. (Original Pick: Joe Smith)
2. LA Clippers (traded to Denver Nuggets) - Rasheed Wallace (4)
I would suggest that Wallace is one of the 10 most talented players of the last 15 years. His talent, however, rarely translated to on court excellence. He won a title with Detroit but in a way that only makes his lack of work ethic and dedication throughout his career all the more frustrating. Wallace had an incredible skill set that never reached its full potential. (Antonio McDyess)
3. Philadelphia 76ers - Michael Finley (21)
Had Finley come out of school after his junior year, he would have been a top 10 pick. A sub par senior season dropped him but even still, Phoenix got an absolute steal at 21. Finley in his prime wasn't quite the scorer that Stackhouse was at his prime, but he was a better all around player, a better defender, and a much better (and more successful) teammate. He was a major contributor on good Dallas teams for years and won a title as a started with San Antonio. He also made the tough transition from slasher to shooter as his career wore on. (Jerry Stackhouse)
4. Washington Bullets - Jerry Stackhouse (3)
An outrageous scorer whose immaturity cost him points towards his legacy. He didn't settle down until he got to Dallas in 2004 when he suddenly morphed from malcontent to locker room leader. At his prime, no one in the NBA drove harder and got to the free throw line more consistently than Stackhouse. He was 6th Man of the Year in 2007 and still contributed nicely this year with the Bucks. (Wallace)
McDyess deserved better than what his body gave him. He was one of the better athletes in the league for a few years and could leap out of the building. He rebounded well, blocked shots, and had a refined game around the basket. Constant injuries, however, cut him down in his prime and reduced him to a role player before his time. He's carved out a niche for himself as a quality banger with a consistent 15 foot jump shot. (Garnett)
6. Vancouver Grizzlies - Joe Smith (1)
Never at any time was Joe Smith good enough to be picked number one. He didn't excel at anything though he was more than serviceable in most categories. More importantly, he never had the mentality to be a franchise player. You always got the feeling that he'd just assume take on the role of quiet support rather than star. Had the expectations been lower it is possible he could have been a Horace Grant-like player. Still, he's kicking around the league to this day and he contributes everywhere he goes. (Bryant Reeves)
7. Toronto Raptors - Damon Stoudamire (7)
Stoudamire was an enigma. He was a dynamic scorer on his way to winning Rookie of the Year for Toronto, then became a quality floor leader for some good Portland teams, and then became a solid contributor later in his career. Yet he was never looked at as indispensable. He was just kind of there. If he could have developed a jump shot, he would have been a much more respected player. (Stoudamire)
8. Portland Trail Blazers - Theo Ratliff (18)
If you would have asked me in 1995 which top 20 pick would be the least likely to still be in the league in 2010, Ratliff would have been my guess hands down. He just didn't seem like an NBA player. He did, however, have some very strong years as a double-double guy who could block some shots. After it seemed like his career would end for about 8 years running, he's still kicking around and has actually had a mini resurgence last year. Not great, but not bad. (Shawn Respert)
9. New Jersey Nets - Kurt Thomas (10)
Similar to McDyess and Ratliff, Thomas had an injury plagued career that almost bounced him out of the league. He's regained some of his form, however, in the last decade and become one of those guys that you blow off as an effective NBA player until he kills you for a 15 point, 10 rebound, 2 block type of game and you remember this guy was a freak coming out of college. He's still playing and it looks like he could be around for another year or two. (Ed O'bannon)
10. Miami Heat - Corliss Williamson (13)
For the majority of his NBA career, Williamson was not a great rebounder, a great passer, a great defender, or a great shooter. He had one trick and one trick only: low post scoring. From 12 feet (or maybe 15 on a good day) in, Williamson had a litany of tricky moves that allowed him to score 10 or 15 points every night and frustrate the fire out of opposing teams. He won a title with Detroit in 2004 and Sixth Man of the Year in 2002. (Thomas)
11. Milwaukee Bucks - Brent Barry (15)
Barry's real claim to fame is winning the Slam Dunk Contest but he was also a very solid player on some good teams for a long time. A selfish player early in his career, he transitioned from a would-be scorer to one of the NBA's better long distance shooters and became a very effective player for the Sonics and Spurs, winning two titles with the Spurs. (Gary Trent)
12. Dallas Mavericks - Eric Snow (43)
If you combined Rasheed Wallace's talent with Eric Snow's work ethic, you'd have one of the 10 best players in the history of the NBA, period. Very, very, VERY few players in NBA history have had both the career longevity and lack of talent that Snow had. Snow could not jump, shoot, or drive and he wasn't a particularly special passer, either. He had two NBA skills: he could defend and he could lead. Snow was a born leader and that, combined with hard work, kept him in the league for 13 years. (Cherokee Parks)
Ostertag is one of the weirder players the play in the NBA in the last few years. He didn't seem to really care about basketball as much as he did proving people wrong. It's like someone told him at age 5, "The one thing you will never do is play basketball in the NBA" and he made it his life goal to do that very thing. The only times he really played well were when he was matched up against more talented players and/or when his coach called him out in the media. Maybe he just liked pissing people off. He was, however, always good for a poorly thought-out soundbite and one of the goofiest players ever. Seriously, just look at that picture. That dude made $48 million dollars. (Williamson)
Biggest Bust: Just take your pick. Ed O'bannon, Shawn Respert, and Cherokee Parks all stunk themselves out of the league way before their respective times. Respert gets a pass for me, though, because he contracted cancer at the beginning of his career and tried hard to silently fight through it. Joe Smith has had a long, solid NBA career but he would still have to be in the discussion for worst number 1 pick ever. Bryant Reeves proved he could be a decent NBA player early on but his body betrayed him quickly and he only played for 6 seasons. My pick would be Wallace, just based on the sheer lack of maturity that still plagues the man and kept him from reaching even half of his potential.
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