2014 NBA Draft: Biggest draft mistakes of the lottery era

1986 — We couldn’t have known

Can’t fault the Boston Celtics for drafting Len Bias with the No. 2 overall pick. He was explosive, athletic and physical and looked to be a surefire scorer for years to come. Nobody could have known his life would end before playing in a single game, after doing some cocaine, having a seizure and ultimately dying on June 19, just two days after he was drafted. It wasn’t so much a mistake — but it cost the Celtics dearly.

1987 — Big university, small production

You can understand why a team would want to go after a player from a bigger university — especially back in these days, when information wasn’t so readily available. The New Jersey Nets thought the same thing, when they looked to fill a hole on the wing with Dennis Hopson, a combo guard/forward out of Ohio State University. He was fresh off of a season in which he scored 29.0 points per game with 8.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists, so he seemed to be a better choice over the No. 5 pick in that draft, Scottie Pippen. In an amusing twist, Hopson would join the Bulls for the 1990-91 season and would win a championship as a bench warmer.

1988 — Not much to complain about

Can’t get too upset about the 1988 NBA Draft, in hindsight. The top 12 picks all played more than 481 games, with only Tim Perry at No. 7 to the Phoenix Suns being considered much of a disappointment. The Suns could have drafted Rex Chapman, who was drafted just after Perry, but instead they chose to wait eight years before acquiring him in the 1996 offseason.

1989 — A different kind of bird

Randy “Bird” White was a power forward out of Louisiana Tech University and at 6-foot-8, 240 pounds, he was an intimidating figure. He averaged 21.2 points and 10.5 rebounds in his senior season, so when the Dallas Mavericks chose him at No. 8 overall, it didn’t look like a terrible decision. White was a foul machine in the pros, averaging 5.8 fouls per-36 minutes for his career. As it turns out, there was a star lurking at No. 17 out of Trinity Valley Community College by the name of Shawn Kemp. Oops.