NBA: Top 10 Forgotten Draft Busts Of All-Time
By Mark Wilson
1. Danny Ferry, Los Angeles Clippers
Drafted: 2nd Overall Pick, 1989
College: Duke, 2-Time All-American
I really wanted to keep him off this list, but the more I tried to stay away the more his stats kept slapping me in the face. Ferry was a stretch-4 before the stretch-4 became a popular phrase and trend in the NBA.
He could do so much on the court that it would often have his teammates looking on in awe of his talent. Ferry shot 54 percent and 43 percent from 2-point and 3-point range respectively, unheard of numbers from a player who takes as many shots as Ferry did.
| Season | Tm | G | MP | FG% | 3P% | eFG% | TRB | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-91 | CLE | 81 | 20.5 | .428 | .299 | .446 | 3.5 | 8.6 |
| 1991-92 | CLE | 68 | 13.8 | .409 | .354 | .434 | 3.1 | 5.1 |
| 1992-93 | CLE | 76 | 19.2 | .479 | .415 | .516 | 3.7 | 7.5 |
| 1993-94 | CLE | 70 | 13.8 | .446 | .275 | .467 | 2.0 | 5.0 |
| 1994-95 | CLE | 82 | 15.7 | .446 | .403 | .540 | 1.7 | 7.5 |
| 1995-96 | CLE | 82 | 32.7 | .459 | .394 | .537 | 3.8 | 13.3 |
| 1996-97 | CLE | 82 | 32.1 | .429 | .401 | .501 | 4.1 | 10.6 |
| 1997-98 | CLE | 69 | 15.0 | .395 | .333 | .453 | 1.7 | 4.2 |
| 1998-99 | CLE | 50 | 21.2 | .476 | .392 | .541 | 2.0 | 7.0 |
| 1999-00 | CLE | 63 | 21.0 | .497 | .440 | .541 | 3.8 | 7.3 |
| 2000-01 | SAS | 80 | 21.1 | .475 | .449 | .568 | 2.8 | 5.6 |
| 2001-02 | SAS | 50 | 16.0 | .429 | .434 | .551 | 1.8 | 4.6 |
| 2002-03 | SAS | 64 | 9.4 | .355 | .350 | .440 | 1.2 | 1.9 |
| Career | 917 | 19.8 | .446 | .393 | .506 | 2.8 | 7.0 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 9/17/2015.
Ask anyone, and they all will tell you that Ferry was a lock to be a great scorer in the NBA. At his size and ability to create his own shot, come off screens and bang down low, it was an easy bet that he could average at least 15 a game, but what’s on paper, or what we think should happen, never entirely works out.
Ferry managed to stay in the league for 13 seasons as it was clear that he could be used as a specialist off the bench, but nothing else.
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