Michael Olowokandi was billed as the second coming of Hakeem Olajuwon.

The NBA is still waiting.

Born in Lagos, Nigeria and a late starter in the sport of basketball, Olowokandi was the No. 1 pick in the 1998 draft following a sensational senior season at Pacific.

Like Olajuwon 14 years earlier, Olowokandi was supposed to quickly develop into a dominating, intimidating center who would lead his team - in this case, the Los Angeles Clippers - out of the quagmire of mediocrity.

Instead, Olowokandi spent five forgettable seasons with the Clippers before signing with Minnesota and being traded to Boston.

Hall of Fame?

Try Hall of Lame - probably the most disappointing No. 1 pick since the first draft lottery in 1985.

While Olajuwon led Houston to 13 playoff appearances in 14 years and a pair of championships, Olowokandi has been to the playoffs exactly one time.

In the three seasons since the Clippers let Olowokandi walk away via free agency - a telltale admission that a player has no value to a franchise - L.A. went from 28 wins to 37 wins to 47 wins and this year reached the playoffs for the first time in 10 seasons.

Compounding the disappointment surrounding Olowokandi's career is the fact that 20 of the next 31 players in the '98 draft have enjoyed successful professional careers.

The group includes Sacramento's Mike Bibby, Washington's Antawn Jamison, New Jersey's Vince Carter, Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki and Boston's Paul Pierce.

They have been more than successful.

They have been All-Stars on playoff teams.

If the Clippers had a do-over, they certainly wouldn't be mesmerized by the possibilities every team saw in young Michael Olowokandi.

"We, as a league, probably draft too much on potential," said Denver assistant general manager David Fredman.

Asked why Olowokandi has not fulfilled the promise he showed while averaging 22.2 points and 11.2 rebounds in his final season at Pacific, Fredman said, "Maybe because the guy hadn't played that much basketball. Maybe it was work ethic. Maybe he was in a bad situation. I don't know."

According to Jazz assistant coach Scott Layden, former president of the New York Knicks, teams often fall into the often-unforgiving trap that snapped shut on the Clippers.

On draft day, overlooking a center with head-turning potential is difficult. Nobody wants to be the general manager who passes on the next Olajuwon.

"Before the draft, everybody talks small, small, small," Layden said. "But during the draft, everybody talks big. It's always been that way. . . . When you get a chance to take a big guy like that, sometimes it's difficult not to."

Bob Thomason coaches at Pacific, where Olowokandi averaged only four points and 3.4 rebounds in his first season.

"When you're away from a player for five or six years, it's really hard to say what happened," Thomason said. "You don't see a guy practice and you don't know what's exactly going on.

"Obviously there's been some frustration - by the teams and on his part - by how he's played. . . . But expectations get a little bit too high sometimes."

Thomason believes Olowokandi's career might have benefitted from fewer expectations.

"The first year Michael was a great player was his senior year here," he said. "He kind of crept up on people. At first, the expectations for him here weren't that great. Then all of a sudden he's the first player taken in the draft. . . . Maybe if he would have been the second or third or fourth player [drafted], it would be different."

Despite missing 32 games in his first season, OIowokandi was named to the All-Rookie second team. But his propensity for injuries continued.

During Olowokandi's career, he has played an 82-game schedule just once.

"He's had some injuries," Thomason said. "I don't know how that's played into everything."

Another issue has also plagued Olowokandi in the NBA.

He has played for seven head coaches - four in Los Angeles, two in Minnesota and one in Boston - in eight years.

"I've always said he had a little lawyer in him," Thomason said. "By that I mean he'll question you a little bit. But he always did what I asked. I thought his coachability was high. But I don't know how that's played out for him in the NBA."

This is the third in a series leading up to Tuesday's NBA draft lottery.

Worst Draft Picks EVER

1. Michael Olowokandi No. 1 1998 L.A. Clippers

They could have taken: Dirk Nowitzki, Vince Carter, Paul Pierce

2. Benoit Benjamin No. 3 1985 L.A. Clippers

They could have taken: Karl Malone, Joe Dumars, Chris Mullin

3. Dennis Hopson No. 3 1987 N.J.

They could have taken: Scottie Pippen, Reggie Miller, Kevin Johnson

4. Steve Francis No. 2 1999 Vancouver

They could have taken: Shawn Marion, Andrei Kirilenko, Andre Miller

5. Stephon Marbury No. 4 1996

Milwaukee (to Minnesota)

They could have taken: Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Ray Allen

6. Len Bias No. 2 1986 Boston

They could have taken: Ron Harper, Mark Price, Jeff Hornacek

7. Nikoloz Tskitishvili No. 5 2002 Denver

They could have taken: Amare Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer, Caron Butler

8. Kwame Brown No. 1 2001 Washington

They could have taken: Pau Gasol, Tony Parker, Gilbert Arenas

9. Darko Milicic No. 2 2003 Detroit

They could have taken: Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Carmelo Anthony

10. Shawn Bradley No. 2 1993 Philadelphia