New Orleans Pelicans: Ranking the Last Ten 1st Round Draft Picks
#8 and 7: More 2000’s Mishaps
If you only looked at the New Orleans’ draft picks from 2006-2010, you’d think Jeff Bower might have been intentionally trying to sabotage the franchise.
These two continued the franchise-worst draft run that kept them from capitalizing on their brief success with Paul at point guard.
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Few teams have wasted a player as good as Paul so spectacularly and it mostly came down to these picks.
#8: Hilton Armstrong, 12th pick, 2006
These picks are a strong argument for tanking, as the New Orleans Pelicans were never quite bad enough to crack the top of the lottery, but not good enough to be in the playoffs.
Hilton Armstrong is another pick you’ve probably never heard of, though he at least had a career 292 games of mediocrity.
Armstong’s “best” season came in 2008-9 when he played in 70 games for the Hornets, averaging 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.
Believe it or not, it was all downhill from there. You are starting to see why the Hornets never made an extended playoff run, as they just kept missing with these picks.
#7: Darrell Arthur, 27th Pick, 2008
Darrell Arthur never actually played for the New Orleans Pelicans or Hornets, as he was traded for straight cash on draft day.
Arthur was so uninspiring as a pick that the Pelicans actually gave him away for the price of a couple of Hondas. Sadly, he still ranks above several of the guys they kept, so I can’t bag on Arthur too much.
He actually had a career in the NBA, playing in 503 games in nine seasons. He had one decent season before blowing out his Achilles, but never really came back, averaging 6.5 points and 3.5 boards for his career.