Mistakes happen. We sleep in a little too late or we forget to do a project. But for us, mistakes are simply, just that – mistakes. For the thirty NBA teams, mistakes cost them, potentially, tens of millions of dollars, a playoff appearance, or even a championship. They have been riddled throughout history. It can be draft picks (Blazers fans know what this is like), it can be free agency (can I get an amen from Knicks fans?), or it can be virtually anything else (in the case of the Kings, EVERYTHING ELSE). Thus, we present the worst mistakes from each NBA team over the past ten years.
The Atlanta Hawks Biggest Mistake in the Past Ten Years
On draft night in 2006, the Atlanta Hawks were picking fifth overall. With the fifth pick the Hawks drafted forward Shelden Williams out of Duke University. At the time it looked like a good pick as Williams was a college star. However, they picked him ahead of Brandon Roy, Rudy Gay, J.J. Redick, Rajon Rondo, Kyle Lowry and Paul Millsap.
Where It All Went Wrong
Williams only played two disappointing years in Atlanta. In his rookie year he played 81 games but only averaged 5.5 points. In college Williams was very successful; he was only the third player in NCAA history to score 1,500 points, grab 1,000 rebounds, block 350 shots, and pick up 150 steals. Williams also is Duke’s all-time leader in blocked shots and rebounds.
However at the NBA level, Williams just couldn’t put it together, averaging just 5.4 rebounds per game throughout his career. In his second and final season with Atlanta, he only played in 36 games. In 2008 Williams was part of a multi-player trade to the Sacramento Kings for Mike Bibby. Williams then bounced around a few teams via trades and one year contracts until he was finally part of the blockbuster trade that sent Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks. Williams is currently playing in China while all the aforementioned players – with the exception of Roy due to injury – are currently still playing in the NBA and are helping their teams dramatically.
What Could Have Been
The Hawks needed a forward and drafted Williams, but if they made the right pick and drafted Rudy Gay, who knows what would have happened. The Hawks could have went on to win a championship or be a perennial contender with Gay. Or they could have gotten an All-Star caliber point guard like Rondo or Lowry, both of whom have enjoyed much more success in the NBA than Williams has.
Stay tuned with the Last Word on Sports basketball department to see the other 29 NBA teams’ biggest mistakes in the past ten years.
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