In before Darko Milicic

Darko was only really made a bust thanks to Detroit drafting him and then him not being used at all. Had he gone to a struggling team with an actual need for a big man I'm sure he would be a much better player, and probably not talking about peoples mothers

Big guys tend to be so make or break. Some big busts with highly drafted big guys include:

joe barry carrol,
benoit benjamin,
chris washburn,
joe smith,
michael olowokandi,
Nikoloz Tskitishvili,

possibly greggy oden

So much success for a player and a team depends on the coaching and the team design. Look how many teams Billups had to play for before scoring big time with the pistons...

The two biggest gut wrenchers in recent memory;

1/ The fact that Atlanta could of grabbed either D-Will or CP3 instead of Starvin Marvin Williams.

2/ The fact the T'Wolves (easier to spell than minniniminisotta) actuall swapped Roy (who won ROY) for Foye who is "coming along nicely" lol.

This years draft has some real good potential busts;

1/ Brook Lopez.
2/ Kevin Love. (i like him, but he got bust written all over his face)
3/ D-Rose- now before you all kill me dead, i am just putting him here coz he will be either pick 1 or 2 and will never be the player D-Will or CP3 are. Reason? Shooting. If there is a chink in your armour the NBA will smash it until you either fix it or it shatters completely. Rose has the potential to become a number 1 pick that has a solid pro career well short of expectations. See- Joe Smith.

To the OP - it's possible that Portland wanted a centre, and since Hakeem got taken at #1, they went for the next option. Big men do tend to be fairly sought after in the draft.

I wouldn't be calling Joe Smith a bust - when healthy he has been very solid throughout his career His stats say enough really...

Cavolo- the dude was a top pick. You don't want role players with decent numbers for a top pick...

The Blazers picked Bowie ahead of Jordan because they already had Jim Paxson and Clyde Drexler (who they'd drafted the year before) battling over the starting SG spot, they didn't need a third SG. They wanted a centre, so took Bowie, who was rated highly but whose career succumbed to series of leg injuries.

Quagmire, wouldn't you say Bogut fits in that category then? He is more of a role player on the team who gets just decent numbers.

And I left out that Paxson was an All-Star.

You know i would have to say Bogut (patriotism aside) is not what a first pick should turn out to be.

I think he is a fantastic player, way better then joe smith ever was. He has a skill set similar to Divac in that he can do all things very well.

He cannot get his team to the post season though.

I think he would be a great 3rd best player on a championship team. Again, not what you want with your first pick of the crop.

"He cannot get his team to the post season though."

That may have something to do with the rest of his team being deadbeats and also-rans. People rave on about Michael Redd but really, look at his stats...all he does is score points. Look at his stats since he started playing > 35 MPG, his PPG has gone up steadily over his career, but his APG and RPG have hovered consistently at fairly mediocre levels. It's one thing to be a scorer, but you need to help your team too.

I tend to agree about Bogut - he isn't a franchise player that is going to be able to put a team on his back and carry them to the promise land.

He is at best a 2nd option but more suited to a third option with offences that run through him at the high post.

I think the Bucks see him differently. He has had four years in the L now and has been improving his numbers to very respectable averages, albeit with limited opportunities.

I think the Bucks will shift focus to Bogut as their main offensive guy and his numbers will increase. Remember David West was average until last year. Wouldn't surprise me if Bogut averaged 20 and 11 next season which IMO justifies a #1 pick.

Bogut is only 23 remember, Most big guys in the NBA don't develop until late 20s so, the best could still be yet to come. Needs to hit the gym and gain some more weight.

I think Bogut will make a team very happy one day.
He could have the sort of impact Gasol is having for the lakers. He will never be the star, but he will make a strong team a champion.

Have never heard them mentioned together, but I reckon that's a good comparison Quagmire. I reckon with time he could become a star to the point that he's mentioned as part of a "big three", just not the type that will take over a game (really only a handful of those types of players).