The 30 most painful NBA Draft pass-ups since 2000

NBA Draft Mistake #14: New York drafting Renaldo Balkman over Rajon Rondo and Kyle Lowry.

In 2006, the New York Knicks selected Renaldo Balkman, who was known for his defensive ability and versatility, with the 20th pick. In theory, that would have made him the ideal fit for a team picking in the 20s, but that wasn’t their pick, and they weren’t a playoff team at the time. In fact, they lost 59 games during the 2005-06 season, but instead of picking at the top of the draft, they traded their pick, which turned into the number two selection and LaMarcus Aldridge.

That made the decision to pick Balkman odd, since despite his defensive potential, he was limited as an offensive player, and that negatively affected his ceiling as a prospect. Needless to say, it didn’t work out. The Knicks drafted Wilson Chandler and Danilo Galanari in consecutive drafts, making Balkman obsolete and leading to his being moved to the Denver Nuggets after just two seasons.

Having the 20th pick in the draft not work out happens more often than not, so it’s not a big deal, right? That’s true, but Rajon Rondo was taken with the subsequent pick, as was Kyle Lowry with the 24th pick. Had they taken either, they would have had a star to try to lure LeBron James to the Knicks in 2010 or at least a big three after acquiring Stoudemire and Anthony. A big missed opportunity for the Knicks.