A Few of the NBA 2011 Top 10 Draft Picks Will Disappoint Written by Ignatius Oyama

History shows us that the top 10 picks in the NBA don’t all pan out, that even number-one draft picks have turned out to be lemons – the one that comes easiest to mind being Michael Olowokandi, who despite averaging 21 points and 11 rebounds in his senior year in college, only averaged 8.3 points and 6.8 rebounds in nine years of playing in the NBA.

Then there’s Darko Milicic, who was second to 2003 number-one draft pick LeBron James. Milicic is still in the NBA, is still a “project” and only averages 6.1 points and 4.3 rebounds in his entire this far.

The NBA draft process has become so meticulously scientific that everything about players’ physique and athletic abilities is measured. But still, lemons make it through because no test is foolproof. The proof is in the pudding. Only after at least half a regular season will the worth of a player will be known barring injuries.

This year, Kyrie Irving, a point guard from Duke, was chosen as the top pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers even though Arizona’s Derrick Williams was seen by most to be the No.1 pick. While Jimmer Fredette, the NCAA national player awardee, largely on his offensive power having been the top scorer of the past NCAA tournament, who was probably the most discussed player in the draft, was only No.10.

The draft is like the lottery. Picks are chosen but there is no guarantee that they will all perform as expected or as drafted. Someone who is drafted in the second round could outshine many of those drafted in the first round. Carlos Boozer, currently playing for the Chicago Bulls, was drafted sixth in the second round, or 35^th overall but has performed better than the second to sixth picks in the first round: Jay Williams, Mike Dunleavy Jr., Drew Gooden, Nikoloz Tskitishvili, and Dajuan Wagner.

But you can’t blame NBA teams for relying on a system of choosing rookie players. There is no other way that they can think of so far. Now the fun begins as we see who really are the players worth their pick. But that has to wait four months before the NBA 2011-2012 season starts.

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