REMEMBERING PERVIS ELLISON

With a day to go before the much-awaited 2011 NBA draft, let us take a look back at those former top picks over-all, who ended up as big busts. We all know about the plights of Michael Olowokandi and Kwame Brown, both former number one picks over-all. The seven-foot Olowokand was snatched by the Los Angeles Clippers out of the University of Pacific in the 1998 draft while the 6-11 Brown, fresh from Glynn Academy High School, was tabbed by then front office man Michael Jordan and the Washington Wizards during the 2001 draft. But there is one more, a player nicknamed “Never Nervous” in 6-9 forward Pervis Ellison. Ellison was the top pick of the Sacramento Kings in the entire 1989 draft out of the University of Louisville. Like Olowokandi and Brown, Ellison had a checkered NBA career and did not made a single appearance as an all-star. Ellison played 11 years in the NBA (1989-2001) and submitted norms of 9.5 ppg, 6.7 rpg and 1.5 apg in 474 total games with the Kings, Washington Bullets, Boston Celtics and the Seattle Supersonics. He has a pitiful final season with the Sonics when he saw action for only nine games during the 2000-01 season with averages of 0.7 ppg, 1.3 rpg and just 4.4 minutes per outing. Clearly, Ellison clearly did not live up to his billing in his pro career.