Cramer: Rookie Busts

Yesterday I told you three rookies taken in the first round I thought would end up being solid contributors, or, in the case of Tyreke Evans, a superstar. However, especially in a weak draft, there will always be a number of players taken in the first round that end up being absolute busts. I'm here to let you know which three rookies will fit that description.

Busts

#1- Hasheem Thabeet- I really almost feel like I'm cheating by choosing Thabeet as a bust here. It's such an obvious choice, especially with the 2nd pick. A tall, lanky Center with absolutely no offensive talent... I can think of plenty players before Thabeet that fit that exact mold who ended up having insignificant NBA careers. I'm not even really sure that Thabeet will block that many shots in the NBA. Sure, he was a great shot blocker in college, but I think that any of the players drafted above 6'6" could potentially average more blocks per game than Thabeet (I don't stand by this comment, but it's not out of the question). It made me cringe watching Memphis take Thabeet over Tyreke, regardless of their defensive needs. In the second spot in the draft you draft the best player available... and in terms of pro-potential, there were many better players to be had at this position (remember when Thabeet was owned by DeJuan Blair... come on). Not to mention, the guy had a 1:4 assist to turnover ratio... that's not even a good joke, that's just embarrassing. My prediction: he takes a few years to develop like Andrew Bynum... and then becomes irrelevant, like Bynum, due to injuries.

by the way, click here to see how Thabeet did against Pittsburgh : http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/boxscore?gameId=290470041

#2- B.J. Mullens- The third big man that Ohio State has had in as many years (Oden, Koufos, and now Mullens) is another bust waiting to happen. With his size and athleticism, Mullens would have been taken in the top 15 atleast unless GMs everywhere agreed with my choice here. I think that if Mullens had stayed for 2 more years, he could have become a dominant force to be reckoned with... but he didn't, and he won't. It doesn't help an argument for Mullens knowing that he was a year older than everyone in his freshmen class. Reading all the "positives" about Mullens, you would think he had a shot... but having watched him play, it's clear that he doesn't.

#3- Gerald Henderson- When a UNC guy chooses a Dukie you know something is going to go wrong... and I expect it to do just that in Charlotte. I've seen comparisons to Raja Bell... how do you justify that? He isn't a good shooter. He will never be able to do what he did in college in the NBA (slash, and dominate offensively). He played for DUKE! DUKE! The great college program with basically no professional success. Don't expect that to change with Henderson.

Finally, I told you all yesterday I would give you a second rounder to watch out for:

Second Round Boom (potentially)- Jermaine Taylor- I didn't want to go down the path of a DeJuan Blair or Sam Young with this pick, because I think everyone can agree that these two dropped way too far. Jermaine Taylor, a 6'5" shooting guard out of UCF, on the other hand, didn't have too much hype, and he dropped to #32 where Washington took him and traded him to Houston. Houston may have themselves a stud. The guy can really score the ball. His scoring averages bounced from 4.3 to 12.7 to 20.8 to 26.2!!! He scored 26.2 pts/game while only playing 31.9 minutes. Not to mention, the guy has an NBA body, and can rebound well for a guy his size (5.2 reb/game). I think that the thing that makes a player like Taylor drop in the draft is not only the fact that he played for UCF, but that he's "undersized for his position." Players that match this saying always have a chip on their shoulder and come out and try to prove the critics wrong... expect Taylor to do the same.