Chad Ford says Cleveland Cavaliers No. 1 pick Anthony Bennett may be worst pick in 20 years
By Josh Hill
This year’s NBA draft class is doing a very solid job of making an impact on the NBA but not everyone is having a great rookie season. No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett has hardly played like a top pick and hasn’t even really played like you’d expect an undrafted walk-on to play. Bennett hasn’t only underwhelmed Cav’s fans with his play — or non-play — but he’s starting to look like perhaps the worst draft pick in NBA history.
ESPN’s Chad Ford doesn’t totally subscribe to this notion but he’s starting to invest in it as he recently said that Bennett might end up being the worst No. 1 draft pick of the last twenty years and that includes former Portland Trail Blazers bust Greg Oden.
“It’s very early,” Ford said, via The Cleveland Plain Dealer, “but right now, he’s looking like the worst in the past 20 years. That includes Greg Oden. Oden was injured all the time, but when he played, he at least looked like a No. 1 pick.”
That’s pretty harsh criticism considering it’s widely recognized that Oden is one of the worst drag tricks ever. Ford has a point though that Bennett hasn’t looked like a No. 1 pick but it’s still early in his career. Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer insists that Bennett was the Cav’s best option at No. 1 overall this past summer, but trading down now looks better than it ever did.
Bennett isn’t officially a bust yet but he’s well on his way to being one and Ford might not be far off in his ranking of Bennet among past No. 1 picks.