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8p9s Roundtable: Best and Worst Draft Picks in Pacers History

By 8 Points, 9 Seconds Staff, 8 Points, 9 Seconds Staff

January 20, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Indiana Pacers small forward Paul George (24) during the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. The Pacers defeated the Warriors 102-94. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
January 20, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Indiana Pacers small forward Paul George (24) during the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. The Pacers defeated the Warriors 102-94. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 1, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors power forward Tyler Hansbrough (50) grabs a rebound during the first quarter of a game against the Indiana Pacers at the Air Canada Centre. Toronto won the game 95-82. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Who is the worst pick in Indiana Pacers draft history?

Donahue: The Pacers took Fred Jones 14th in 2002. Reportedly, everyone in the Pacer draft room wanted Tayshaun Prince. Donnie Walsh, for reasons beyond understanding, let then-coach Isiah Thomas make the call, and Zeke took Jones. The University of Oregon product had been an undersized shooting guard without a reliable shot, and most of the buzz around him on draft day was that the was going to fall out of the first round. He did not. Nor did he have the career that Prince had — and I find it incredibly unlikely that he could get a chase down block on Reggie Miller.

The Pacers took Fred Jones 14th in 2002. Reportedly, everyone in the Pacer draft room wanted Tayshaun Prince. Donnie Walsh, for reasons beyond understanding, let then-coach Isiah Thomas make the call, and Zeke took Jones.

Ochoa: David Harrison is the worst Indiana Pacers draft pick of all time. He went from McDonald’s All-American to McDonald’s employee real quick. Seriously. I hate that he fell on tough times, and I hope he finds a way to bounce back. But he’s by far the worst draft pick I can think of.

Washburn: Am I allowed to go with the Kawhi Leonard vote here? No? All right, I’ll vote instead for Eric Piatkowski. Other guys were bigger busts because of injuries and such, but this dude was just flat not a good basketball player. I also feel compelled to mention Tyler Hansbrough here, just because he made me grind my teeth for every second he was on the floor during his entire Pacers career.

Wade: Tyler Hansbrough. The 2008-09 Pacers were coming off a season in which they had a T.J. Ford/Jarrett Jack timeshare at the point. Neither seemed like a long-term solution in the post-Jamaal Tinsley era, and the guy who emerged as the starter in midseason, Jack, was a free agent that a cheap Indiana front office knew it might lose to a bigger offer. They NEEDED a point guard. Desperately. And the 2009 Draft was chock full of blue chippers. Yet, instead of taking Jeff Teague, Ty Lawson, Jrue Holiday, Darren Collison or March Madness breakout start Eric Maynor, they took Tyler Hansbrough, a collegiate star who everyone with a TV set knew would not be an NBA standout. I believe that even the Pacers knew this, so they went with the known commodity. And this was in the post-Brawl/Jail Pacers era when fan attendance and interest was plummeting. The team needed someone they could sell to fans, and Hansbrough was a great white hope to believe in. Unfortunately, he wasn’t very good and the decision-making process that led to the pick was horrible from a basketball standpoint.

Next: Biggest Regret?

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