It was an interesting read but I did not agree with the number one choice which was Sam Bowie. The question becomes: how is a draft bust measured?
Is a draft bust measured by the amount of games played?
The overall number where the player was selected?
Do injuries play a role in the career? If so, when they were able to play, and did they put up numbers?
Did they become a role player instead of a number one option?
How did they perform compared to players that were drafted ahead of him or behind him?
Were they considered a project coming into the draft?
Was there a certain amount of hype surrounding the player?
How do they compare to players drafted at the same position in years before and after?
In 1950, the first NBA draft was held. The first pick in the draft was Chuck Share out of Bowling Green. During that time, there were only 11 selections per round and it went for 12 rounds.
Share played in 596 career games averaged 8.3 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, on 40 percent shooting, 69.3 percent from the free throw line, and averaged 21.9 minutes per game.
The second pick in the draft was Don Rehfelt out of the University of Wisconsin averaged 7.1 points, 5 rebounds, 1.2 assists, on 37 percent shooting, 75.8 percent form the free throw line, and played 20.2 minutes per game.
Rehfelt only played 98 games in his career. Would he be considered a bust along with Share as the first two picks in the draft in 1950? What about the sixth pick of the draft? Irwin Dambrot out of the City University of New York never played a game in the NBA.
But, looking at the rest of the picks in the draft, the realization is that the numbers put up by Share and Rehfelt were similar to the remaining ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers