When the Milwaukee Bucks sent Desmond Mason and a first-round pick to the Hornets for big man Jamaal Magloire, it was supposed to be a blockbuster deal that would have major implications for both teams. Well, it’s had implications alright – the two protagonists have been terrible.

Magloire was the apple of Milwaukee’s eye, but he has done little to justify the deal thus far. Acquired in part to provide a low post presence, he’s averaged a meager 8.3 points per game on 39.8% shooting, and is nearly leading the team in turnovers despite a paucity of touches. Making matters worse, his arrival also pushed two players who have been more productive, Andrew Bogut and Dan Gadzuric, into reduced roles.

For all his troubles, Magloire looks like Wilt Chamberlain compared to Mason. The former Oklahoma State star was expected to thrive in familiar surroundings with the Hornets, especially since the small forward job looked to be his for the taking. He’s failed to take it, however, shooting 33.3%while averaging more than two turnovers a game.

Using my Player Efficiency Rating (PER), which rates player’s statistical production on a per-minute basis, both Magloire and Mason have been colossal disappointments. The league average in PER is 15.0, with anything under 10 being brutally bad. Through Monday’s games, Magloire rated a 9.8 – good in gymnastics, not so good in basketball – while Mason was a ludicrous 5.1.

As a result, those two are at the head of the class in the list of this season’s biggest disappointments. But, as they’ll be the first to tell you, they have plenty of company. Let’s take a look at some of the other players who are letting down their employers, with their PER included afterward (all stats through Monday’s games):

ANTONIO DANIELS, WIZARDS (8.8)

Washington hoped the addition of Daniels, which cost their full midlevel exception, would help offset the freeagent loss of Larry Hughes. It hasn’t worked out that way. Daniels has already lost his starting job to perennial mediocrity Jarvis Hayes after a series of rough shooting nights, including an 0-for-10 stinker in a loss to Denver. He’s at 34.9% on the season and he’s failed to help this shooting-starved team stretch defenses by going 2-for-17 from downtown thus far.

MARVIN WILLIAMS, HAWKS (8.8)

Atlanta took the North Carolina product with the second overall pick, but have to be regretting not taking Chris Paul (PER 20.8) instead. While Atlanta struggles to get solid point guard play (and victories), Paul has helped New Orleans become surprisingly competitive out west. Meanwhile, Williams is stuck in a glut of forwards on the Hawks roster and has offered little than the occasional long jumper – few of which (37.1% to be exact) have found the net.

TYSON CHANDLER, BULLS (10.4)

Already burned by Chandler once – they traded Elton Brand for his rights on draft night and watched Brand become a star in L.A. – the Bulls are feeling singed again after signing Chandler to a $60 million deal in the off-season. While his defensive energy hasn’t waned, Chandler’s inability to avoid foul trouble and continued offensive cluelessness (he’s averaging two more points than fouls every night, 5.9 to 3.9) have made him much less valuable than advertised.

DOUG CHRISTIE, MAVERICKS (7.2)

The Mavs thought Christie would make them a better defensive team,but apparently they hadn’t seen him play in a few years. Dogged by ankle problems, Christie was virtually worthless (it took him seven games as a starter to amass all of 25 points) and the Mavs waived him earlier this week.On a positive note,Dallas no longer has an excuse to keep exciting youngsters Marquis Daniels and Devin Harris off the floor.

ANTONIO MCDYESS, PISTONS (10.3)

McDyess’s comeback season in 2004 was one of the year’s best stories, albeit one that was completely obscured by Grant Hill’s similar story. This season, neither has kept the fairy tale going. Hill has yet to play a game, while the Dice man is rolling mostly sixes and eights. He’s shooting only 37.1% thus far, primarily because he’s settling for too many jumpers.

MIKE DUNLEAVY, WARRIORS (8.9)

Before the season, Golden State bestowed a five-year,$47 million extension on Dunleavy, following the fine tradition general manager Chris Mullin established by giving similarly ludicrous deals to Derek Fisher, Adonal Foyle, and Troy Murphy. An alleged perimeter shooter who is making only 18.6% from downtown, Dunleavy was a marginal starter even when the shots were going in. When they’re not, as has been the case this year, he’s dead wood.

KWAME BROWN, LAKERS (4.1)

I already savaged Brown in a previous column so I won’t waste any more ink on him here, except to point out the continued lopsidedness of the trade of Caron Butler (PER 19.1) to Washington to acquire Brown.

RAFER ALSTON, ROCKETS (9.3)

While I could have selected almost any non-Chinese Rocket for this list, Alston takes the cake because of the risk taken in acquiring him. Houston sent bench sparkplug Mike James because it thought it needed a “true” point guard. Instead, Alston has struggled with injuries and made less than a third of his shots when on the floor. James, meanwhile, has been one of the few bright spots for Toronto. Thanks to that trade, the Rockets are mired at 3-11 and have been the league’s biggest disappointment by far.

FRED JONES, PACERS (4.3)

Come back, Reggie, please. With Miller Time over, Jones is getting more minutes but failing miserably, and his impossibly bad PER is a major reason why the Pacers aren’t contending for the lead in the Central division. He can’t buy a shot, making only 31.3%, and also has been hugely turnover-prone, committing nearly two a game despite limited playing time. By the looks of things, that time will be even more limited in coming weeks.

BOBBY SIMMONS, BUCKS (10.8)

Since we started out talking about a big off-season acquisition by Milwaukee, let’s close on that topic as well. Simmons got a sweet $48 million deal from the Bucks over the summer but left his shooting stroke on Rodeo Drive. He’s limping along at 39% after making 47% a year ago, which is especially problematic because he’s second on the team in shot attempts.

Mr. Hollinger is the author of the 2005-06 Pro Basketball Forecast.