The worst picks at each lottery slot since 1985

Selecting in the lottery portion of the NBA draft doesn't always ensure a quality prospect. As we've seen in years past, the pick can blow up in a team's face, delaying rebuilds and halting progress for the league's bottom-feeders.

Related: The best picks at each lottery slot since 1985

Here's a look at the worst players selected with each of the first 14 picks since the lottery was introduced in 1985:

No. 1

Kwame Brown, PF, Washington Wizards (2001)

Taken over: Pau Gasol, Joe Johnson, Zach Randolph

Brown was Exhibit A, B, and C why the NBA had to disallow high school players from entering the league. ESPN's Stephen A Smith's reaction to the 12-year-pro (seriously, his career lasted that long) being a part of a package to bring Gasol to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2008 needs to go in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

No. 2

Darko Milicic, F-C, Detroit Pistons

Taken over: Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade

The first five picks of the 2003 NBA Draft featured four future Hall of Famers and ... Milicic. The Pistons had just advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, so they weren't desperate to hit the pick out of the park. Considering the franchise's current state, it's difficult not to think about what could have been.

No. 3

Adam Morrison, SF, Charlotte Bobcats (2006)

Taken over: Rudy Gay, Rajon Rondo, Kyle Lowry

Looking like someone's horrible prom date, Stache left all his offense at Gonzaga and didn't bother returning to campus to pick it up. Morrison still has as many NBA Championships on his resume as LeBron James, though.

No. 4

Marcus Fizer, SF, Chicago Bulls (2000)

Taken over: Jamal Crawford, Mike Miller, Hedo Turkoglu

Fizer had no business playing small forward at the pro level, yet with the Bulls drafting Elton Brand the year prior, former coach Tim Floyd had no choice but to give the Iowa State alumnus minutes at the three. A 2003 ACL injury derailed whatever NBA potential he had left, forcing him overseas for the final 10 years of his career.

No. 5

Nikoloz Tskitishvili, SF, Denver Nuggets (2002)

Taken over: Amar'e Stoudemire, Caron Butler, Tayshaun Prince

Dirk Nowitzki's rise made drafting a foreigner a fun, creative thing to do, and drafting a player he'd never seen play was a bold move by former Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe - albeit a dumb one. At least now we know it's possible for a 7-footer to be a career 30-percent shooter from the field.

No. 6

Jonny Flynn, PG, Minnesota Timberwolves (2009)

Taken over: Stephen Curry, DeMar DeRozan, Jeff Teague

Sound advice for any aspiring NBA GMs: If you're lucky enough to land two of the first six draft picks, it's best to avoid taking back-to-back prospects who play the same position.

No. 7

Bobby Hurley, PG, Sacramento Kings (1993)

Taken over: Vin Baker, Allan Houston, Sam Cassell

Hurley's pro career and college run with a Duke dynasty were night and day. A serious car crash in December 1993 should have ended Hurley's life, and he was never the same after the accident - but he was nothing special prior to it either.

No. 8

Rafael Araujo, C, Toronto Raptors (2004)

Taken over: Andre Iguodala, Al Jefferson, Tony Allen

Araujo has a ridiculous cartoon shark tattoo on his bicep, and that's all anyone has any business remembering about Hoffa. Former Raptors GM Rob Babcock probably still thinks Araujo wasn't a "stiff" or "project."

No. 9

Patrick O'Bryant, C, Golden State Warriors (2006)

Taken over: Rajon Rondo, Kyle Lowry, Paul Millsap

Ending up in the wrong situation can be extremely harmful for any first-year pro. O'Bryant, a 7-footer, had his work cut out for him in Golden State's up-tempo offense. Things didn't get any better in Boston or Toronto, so perhaps it wasn't the style of play that held him back.

No. 10

Luke Jackson, SF, Cleveland Cavaliers (2004)

Taken over: Al Jefferson, Tony Allen, J.R. Smith

Leave it to the Cavaliers to follow up one of the greatest picks in league history with one of the crummiest. Cool Hand Luke was a swing-and-miss selection, never resembling an NBA player. On the bright side, Cleveland still had that LeBron James fella.

No. 11

Fran Vasquez, F-C, Orlando Magic (2005)

Taken over: Danny Granger, David Lee, Monta Ellis

Vasquez never set foot on an NBA court. The likes of Terrence Williams, Kedrick Brown, and Cole Aldrich totaled at least one minute of playing time, making them not entirely useless to the teams that drafted them. Thanks for nothing, Fran.

No. 12

Yaroslav Korolev, SF, Los Angeles Clippers (2005)

Taken over: Danny Granger, David Lee, Monta Ellis

Who? Rolling the dice with Korolev was such a Clippers thing to do back in the day. If the NBA was full of 17-year-old wunderkinds, perhaps he would have stood a chance at relevance. At the end of the day, at least he still knows how to jam while picking up ladies.

No. 13

Sean May, PF, Charlotte Bobcats (2005)

Taken over: Jarrett Jack, David Lee, Ersan Ilyasova

May the fork be with you. Being an undersized, overweight power forward limited May's ceiling right out of the gate. Microfracture surgery in his right knee in 2007 was the final nail in his coffin, as May was never able to get his conditioning up to par afterwards.

No. 14

William Avery, PG, Minnesota Timberwolves (1999)

Taken over: Metta World Peace, Andrei Kirilenko, Manu Ginobili

Years before the Timberwolves squandered their Jonny Flynn pick, the franchise was making questionable calls, drafting second-rate floor generals like Avery. Even overseas basketball leagues had trouble investing in his talent, as Avery has suited up for over 10 squads outside of the NBA.