This June marks the six-year anniversary of the 2001 NBA Draft. Hindsight offers a better picture of which teams were most successful in that draft.

The 2001 NBA Draft really strengthened the issue about players entering the Draft too early. Three of the top four picks were players who had bypassed college to make the jump to the NBA directly from high school. The first college player wasn't taken until the fifth pick.

There was a lot of movement in this draft, as four lottery picks were traded on draft day (2nd pick, Tyson Chandler, was traded to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Elton Brand; 3rd pick, Pau Gasol, was traded to the Vancouver Grizzlies for Shareef Abdur-Rahim; 7th pick, Eddie Griffin, was traded in a package to the New Jersey Nets in exchange for 13th pick, Richard Jefferson, and other players).

Though there were prominent players at the front of this draft, such as Pau Gasol, Eddy Curry, Tyson Chandler, Jason Richardson and Shane Battier, many other players, like 1st pick, Kwame Brown, as well as Eddie Griffin, DeSagana Diop, Rodney White and Kedrick Brown are widely regarded as busts.

Yet, there are many late-round gems in this draft. Two who come to mind are 28th pick, Tony Parker, and 31st pick, Gilbert Arenas. Parker is a two-time All Star with the San Antonio Spurs and has helped the Spurs win two championships. Arenas was the league's Most Improved Player in 2003 and is a three-time All Star.

Let's take a trip back in time, seven years ago, to the 2000 NBA Draft, where the top ten picks were:

1. Kwame Brown - Washington Wizards

• Career stats: 7.7 ppg, 5.8 rbpg, 0.7 bspg
• Rookie season stats: 4.5 ppg, 3.5 rbpg
• Best season: (2003-2004) 10.9 ppg, 7.4 rbpg, 0.9 spg, 0.7 bspg
• Brown edged out Tyson Chandler in workouts, which made Michael Jordan opt for him. When Jordan came out of retirement (again) to play with Brown, he constantly criticized Brown's lack of effort. Brown has never really lived up to the hype and is considered a bust. He currently plays for his second team, the LA Lakers.

2. Tyson Chandler - LA Clippers (traded immediately to the Chicago Bulls)

• Career stats: 7.4 ppg, 8.5 rbpg, 1.5 bspg
• Rookie season stats: 6.1 ppg, 4.8 rbpg, 1.3 bspg
• Best season: (2006-2007) 9.1 ppg, 12.4 rbpg, 1.8 bspg
• The LA Clippers made a great move by traded the rights to Tyson Chandler to the Chicago Bulls for their young star, Elton Brand. Chandler teamed with Eddy Curry with the idea of helping the Bulls get back on track to contender. Curry, who is gifted offensively, but lacking on the defensive end, paired nicely with Chandler, who is limited offensively, but an effective defender.

3. Pau Gasol - Atlanta Hawks (traded immediately to the Vancouver Grizzlies)

• Career stats: 18.8 ppg, 8.5 rbpg, 1.9 bspg
• Rookie season stats: 17.6 ppg, 8.9 rbpg, 2.1 bspg
• Best season: (2005-2006) 20.4 ppg, 8.9 rbpg, 4.6 apg, 1.9 bspg
• Gasol was the Rookie of the Year and helped the Grizzlies become a playoff team. His low post offensive prowess has made him one of the better power forwards in the league. He is a one-time NBA All Star and helped his home country, Spain, win a Gold medal at the 2006 FIBA World Games.

4. Eddy Curry - Chicago Bulls

• Career stats: 13.2 ppg, 5.4 rbpg
• Rookie season stats: 6.7 ppg, 3.8 rbpg, 0.7 bspg, 54.4% FG
• Best season: (2006-2007) 19.1 ppg, 7.0 rbpg, 57.4% FG
• Curry signed a letter of intent to play at DePaul University, but ended up skipping college altogether to declare himself eligible for the draft. Despite showing capable offensive prowess, he has not been regarded as much of a defender or rebounder for a player his size. However, he is still improving and is having his best season with the New York Knicks.

5. Jason Richardson - Golden State Warriors

• Career stats: 18.2 ppg, 5.4 rbpg, 3.2 apg, 1.2 spg
• Rookie season stats: 14.4 ppg, 4.3 rbpg, 3.0 apg, 1.3 spg
• Best season: (2005-2006) 23.2 ppg, 5.8 rbpg, 1.3 spg
• Richardson (along with Michael Jordan) is one of just two players to win back-to-back Slam Dunk Contests (2002 and 2003). Over the years, he has added an outside shot to his game and is no longer considered just an athletic dunker. However, penetration and finishing are still his strongest attributes.

6. Shane Battier - Memphis Grizzlies

• Career stats: 10.5 ppg, 4.7 rbpg, 1.3 spg, 1.0 bspg
• Rookie season stats: 14.4 ppg, 5.4 rbpg, 1.6 spg
• Best season: (2001-2002) 14.4 ppg, 5.4 rbpg, 1.6 spg
• Battier is known for his defensive toughness and high basketball IQ. He is the Grizzlies' first draft pick after moving from Vancouver to Memphis and quickly became a fan favorite. He currently plays for his second team, the Houston Rockets.

7. Eddie Griffin - Houston Rockets

• Career stats: 7.2 ppg, 5.8 rbpg, 1.7 bspg
• Rookie season stats: 8.8 ppg, 5.7 rbpg, 1.8 bspg
• Best season: (2001-2002) 8.8 ppg, 5.7 rbpg, 1.8 bspg
• There was a lot of hype surrounding Griffin when he was in high school. Some said he was the best player to come out of Philadelphia since Wilt Chamberlain. Despite being a phenom at Seton Hall University, Griffin never lived up to that hype partly because of an alcohol problem. He currently plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

8. DeSagana Diop - Cleveland Cavaliers

• Career stats: 1.9 ppg, 3.6 rbpg, 1.2 bspg
• Rookie season stats: 1.4 ppg, 0.9 rbpg, 18 games
• Best season: (2005-2006) 2.4 ppg, 4.6 rbpg, 1.8 bspg
• Diop entered the NBA Draft right after high school and watched his draft stock skyrocket after some excellent work outs. Still, he was regarded as being very raw, despite his amazing size and potential. Diop hasn't really developed past that rawness, but has been a capable interior defender and exceptional shot blocker. He currently plays for the Dallas Mavericks.

9. Rodney White - Detroit Pistons

• Career stats: 7.1 ppg, 2.2 rbpg (4 seasons)
• Rookie season stats: 3.5 ppg
• Best season: (2002-2003) 9.0 ppg, 3.0 rbpg
• Rodney White never amounted to much. In four seasons, he played with the Pistons, Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors, before getting waived in 2005. He currently plays in Italy.

10. Joe Johnson - Boston Celtics

• Career stats: 15.7 ppg, 4.1 rbpg, 4.0 apg
• Rookie season stats: 6.3 ppg, 2.9 rbpg
• Best season: (2006-2007) 25.0 ppg, 4.2 rbpg, 4.4 apg, 2.1 threes per game
• Johnson only played 33 games with the Celtics his rookie season before being traded to the Phoenix Suns. He thrived in Phoenix and has since been traded to the Atlanta Hawks after he and Amare Stoudemire didn't get along. Johnson made his first All Star appearance in 2007 as a replacement for Jason Kidd.

Other significant picks:

12. Vladimir Radmanovic - Seattle Supersonics

13. Richard Jefferson - Houston Rockets (immediately traded to New Jersey)

• Career stats: 16.3 ppg, 5.7 rbpg, 3.0 apg
• Rookie season stats: 9.4 ppg, 3.7 rbpg
• Best season: (2005-2006) 19.5 ppg, 6.9 rbpg, 3.8 apg

14. Troy Murphy - Golden State Warriors

19. Zach Randolph - Portland Trail Blazers

• Career stats: 16.0 ppg, 7.7 rbpg
• Rookie season stats: 2.8 ppg, 1.7 rbpg, 41 games
• Best season: (2006-2007) 23.5 ppg, 10.1 rbpg, 82% FT

25. Gerald Wallace - Sacramento Kings

• Career stats: 9.7 ppg, 4.7 rbpg, 1.3 spg, 0.9 bspg
• Rookie season stats: 3.2 ppg, 1.7 rbpg
• Best season: (2005-2006) 15.2 ppg, 7.5 rbpg, 2.5 spg, 2.1 bspg (only 55 games)

26. Samuel Dalembert - Philadelphia 76ers

27. Jamaal Tinsley - Indiana Pacers

28. Tony Parker - San Antonio Spurs

• Career stats: 15.5 ppg, 5.4 apg, 1.0 spg, 49% FG
• Rookie season stats: 9.2 ppg, 4.3 apg, 1.2 spg
• Best season: (2005-2006) 18.9 ppg, 5.8 apg, 55% FG

31. Gilbert Arenas - Golden State Warriors

• Career stats: 22.8 ppg, 4.3 rbpg, 5.5 apg, 1.8 spg
• Rookie season stats: 10.9 ppg, 3.7 apg, 1.5 spg
• Best season: (2005-2006) 29.3 ppg, 3.5 rbpg, 6.1 apg, 2.0 spg

38. Mehmet Okur - Detroit Pistons

• Career stats: 13.1 ppg, 7.0 rbpg
• Rookie season stats: 6.9 ppg, 4.7 rbpg
• Best season: (2005-2006) 18.0 ppg, 9.1 rbpg, 0.9 bspg

40. Earl Watson - Seattle Supersonics

42. Bobby Simmons - Seattle Supersonics

Also, check out:

"Looking Back to the 2006 NBA Draft"

"Looking Back to the 2005 NBA Draft"

"Looking Back to the 2004 NBA Draft"

"Looking Back to the 2003 NBA Draft"

"Looking Back to the 2002 NBA Draft"

"Looking Back to the 2000 NBA Draft"

"Looking Back to the 1999 NBA Draft"

"Looking Back to the 1998 NBA Draft"

"Looking Back to the 1997 NBA Draft"