As a fan of the NBA during the mid 2000s and early 2010s, my dream was to play in the NBA. I was a 12-14 year old kid at the time, unaware of how difficult it actually is to play basketball at a high level. The love for the game was there, but I was severely lacking in a few categories. With those categories being skill, athleticism, toughness, and fitness.
I tried out for my high school basketball team three years in a row. I failed to make it through the first round of tryouts three years in a row. After I failed to make the varsity team as a junior, I stopped thinking about the NBA. In hindsight, I should have stopped thinking about the NBA after my freshman year of high school.
Players who make it to the NBA pass high school tryouts with flying colors. They are easily the best players on their high school teams. Then when they get to college, they are one of the best players on a major division 1 team. After college, they enter the NBA draft and find themselves on an NBA roster.
Just being on an NBA roster is a dream millions of players all over the world have. But there are only a couple hundred spots in the league. Making it to the NBA is a major success story. Regardless of whether you lived up to the pre-draft hype/expectations or not.
Which brings me to the label of draft busts. I am not allowed to call someone a draft bust or a draft failure. For the simple fact that they accomplished way more in basketball than I did. I had the same NBA dreams that they had. But they made it to the league. I never got remotely close.
Plus the idea of me calling someone a draft bust is silly when you think about it. Someone who couldn’t make his high school basketball team is calling a player who made it to the NBA a draft bust? It’s silly and ridiculous.
Players like Kwame Brown and Adam Morrison? I can’t call them draft busts. Kwame Brown was selected #1 overall and played 12 years in the NBA. Adam Morrison was selected #3 overall, played 4 years in the NBA, and was on 2 NBA championship teams.
I don’t care if Adam Morrison rarely played during the Lakers championship runs. You have to be an incredible basketball player just to be on an NBA sideline.
I understand that labeling someone as a draft success or draft bust is part of being an NBA fan. But it is an aspect of being an NBA fan that I can’t participate in.
