The most memorable draft busts in NBA history

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Wednesday, May 20, 2015
The Grizzlies selected Hasheem Thabeet second overall in the 2009 draft. Thabeet received little playing time, only starting 20 games throughout his five seasons in the NBA.
Joe Alexander is beloved by West Virginia basketball fans. In the NBA, it's a different story as Alexander played in only 67 games after being drafted in 2008.
Portland selected Greg Oden with the top pick in 2007. But after missing his first season because of a knee injury, Oden has only racked up 8 points per game in his career.
At Gonzaga, Adam Morrison was a superstar. But when drafted to the NBA by the Bobcats in 2006, Morrison only managed 7.5 points per game.
The Magic selected Spanish basketball player Fran Vazquez in the 2005 NBA draft. But Vazquez opted to play in Europe, never playing an NBA game and enraging Orlando fans.
Darko Milicic was drafted 2nd overall in 2003 by the Pistons, but only managed 6 points per game throughout his NBA career.
Kwame Brown was selected first overall in the 2001 NBA draft by the Wizards. But injuries and arguments with teammates proved Brown to be a bust.
Jonathan Bender averaged only 5.5 points per game after being drafted in 1999. But Bender did become a sucessful inventor and businessman after leaving the league.
Michael Olowokandi was selected with the top pick by the Clippers in the 1998 NBA draft. But injuries and inconsistent play proved him to be a bust.
Injuries caused 1989 top draft pick Pervis Ellison to miss half of his first season with the Kings. Ellison would be plagued by injuries throughout his career.
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The most memorable draft busts in NBA historyThe Grizzlies selected Hasheem Thabeet second overall in the 2009 draft. Thabeet received little playing time, only starting 20 games throughout his five seasons in the NBA.
Photo/AP

The NBA Draft Lottery is on Tuesday night, where teams across the league will find out what chance they have to claim basketball's hottest young talent as their own. But even with all the expert analysis and scouting reports that teams have at their fingertips, it's hard to determine which players will be superstars, and which will be busts.

From players who could never translate their college skills into NBA fame, to those who constantly bickered with coaches and staff, and the players who never actually intended to play for the league in the first place, these draft pricks proved that being selected high only means there is so much more room to fall.