Redrafting the 2003 NBA Draft

Let's face it, this was the greatest draft in the modern era on the NBA. It provided countless All-Stars and award winners already and will produce at least three Hall of Famers.

There isn't much you can say about this draft. It was a four man draft thought to be a five man draft. There was LeBron, Carmelo, Wade and Bosh....and then there was Darko. Poor, poor Darko.

Pick 1: Cleveland Cavaliers

Who they took: LeBron James

Who they should have took: LeBron James

Why: This is a no brainer. For as much as I have never been a fan of LeBron, there is no denying his talents and how it has translated to the pro game. There a lot of reasons to hate on LeBron, some justified and others not. He is as polarizing as any player in professional sports today. However, his talent is on another level (and some, not me, believe that to be a level of its own). Any other pick here would have been ALMOST as bad as Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan.

Pick 2: Detroit Pistons

Who they took: Darko Milicic

Who they should have took: Carmelo Anthony (3^rd pick)

Why: You will read more about my feelings on Dwayne Wade shortly, but Carmelo is the pick here because of what he did different than anyone Detroit had. With Chauncey Billups, Tayshaun Prince and Rip Hamilton as a steady guard core, someone would have gotten lost in the shuffle had D-Wade gone with this pick. I think that is partially why Detroit gambled with “can’t miss” European prospect Darko. The pick itself was one of the biggest busts, as going with Darko made more sense to the franchise than risk losing Carmelo or someone else in their bountiful collection of wing players. However, Carmelo ended up being more dynamic than expected, so they missed out. Imagine adding a prolific scorer like Melo to the group that Detroit had at this point. I doubt they would have only won a single title.

Pick 3: Denver Nuggets

Who they took: Carmelo Anthony

Who they should have took: Dwayne Wade (5^th pick)

Why: I will say, without reservation, that I believe a healthy and at the top of his game Dwayne Wade is the best player in the NBA. Period. To me, and likely not many other people I am aware of. And I am ok with that. Add that and his demeanor (and how it differs from Melo’s) and I think Dwayne Wade could have taken Denver to new heights. With Allen Iverson, with Kenyon Martin, with Chauncey Billups…I think that they could have put together a legacy in Denver, much the same as they have in Miami, but with less gap in between titles. Wade would likely still have been enough to draw Shaq, this time to Denver. And what if LeBron and Chris Bosh took their talents to the Rocky Mountains instead of South Beach. But even if nobody else came in blockbuster moves, Wade would still have blossomed and would still be every bit as likely to take the Nuggets to a crown or two.

Pick 4: Toronto Raptors

Who they took: Chris Bosh

Who they should have took Chris Bosh:

Why: Bosh wasn’t the best player available and Toronto missed out huge by not taking Wade. But here, he is the best. He is not smooth in my opinion, but he does work hard and do good things. He’s a strong interior defender and has found range in his shot in recent years. Toronto took a gamble with a big man and it wasn’t a bad one, Bosh has just never been a stand alone talent, hence why his greatest success and best play has come as part of Miami’s trio. Even if you know he still leaves if you are Toronto, you still take the gamble for him to elevate your organization for a few years.

Pick 5: Miami Heat

Who they took: Dwayne Wade

Who they should have took: David West (18^th pick)

Why: West has proven himself, especially in recent years, to be among the elite of today’s posts. He can score both inside and with a little range and he is an excellent, strong, defender. Is this the golden era of post players? No. But what West does is exceptional. It is hard to say what Miami would have done with him in the fold, as they still needed a go-to guard like Wade was, but he surely would have helped position the Heat to be a free agent destination, even if it wasn’t THE free agent destination.

Pick 6: Los Angeles Clippers

Who they took: Chris Kaman

Who they should have took: Kendrick Perkins (27^th pick)

Why: Perkins is tough because has always been what I would classify as helpful. With Boston’s NBA title, with runs in OKC the last few years. Perkins helps and that is something that until very recently, that the Clippers needed more than anything. If the people in LA could have figured out how to get the Boston versions’ work ethic and effort combined with the sleeker, more athletic build of the OKC version, Perkins would have been a huge steal right here at six.

Pick 7: Chicago Bulls

Who they took: Kirk Hinrich

Who they should have took: Chris Kaman (6^th pick)

Why: It’s hard to call Chris Kaman “not a success story.” After all, he didn’t come from a big time college program and he has been an All-Star. If anything, he would have been a bruiser in a Bulls area without any. No big man they drafted in the Bulls post player years was a physical guy at that point in their career. Tyson Chandler was still thin and while he didn’t fight inside, Kaman would have been a big help on the court and in practice toughening Chandler up a little earlier when it still would have helped Chicago.

Pick 8: Milwaukee Bucks

Who they took: TJ Ford

Who they should have took: Kyle Korver (51^st pick)

Why: Korver has the unfortunate honor of being one of the first (let’s face it) Caucasian stars coming from a mid-major program. Where we now have Doug McDermott, there was once Kyle Korver. Did he have the athleticism to perform in the NBA? Was he more than a shooter? More than a one trick pony? Most people said no, hence why he almost went undrafted. The reality is that yes, Korver can do a lot for teams. He’ll still shoot the lights out but he has endeared himself to fans, to other players and has learned to better create off the dribble. And now, his career serves as a blueprint for those McDermott type of players looking to adapt to a higher level.

Pick 9: New York Knicks

Who they took: Michael Sweetney

Who they should have took: Jose Calderon (undrafted)

Why: Not much was known about Calderon at this point coming from overseas. He has made a silent, but solid career mostly in Toronto, where he averaged 12.8 points and 8.9 assists per game in 2008-2009, while also leading the league and setting a NBA record shooting .981 from the free throw line. Setting league records isn’t bad for a guy who didn’t even get picked up. For comparison, actual pick Michael Sweetney shot a career high .749 from the line his second season but was only a career .689 guy. Oh yeah, he was out of the league two full seasons before Calderon set that record.

Pick 10: Washington Wizards

Who they took: Jarvis Hayes

Who they should have took: Kirk Hinrich (7^th pick)

Why: Hinrich got that nod at #7 originally because he was significantly taller than the other option (TJ Ford). Hinrich’s understanding of fundamentals would have been perfect in Washington where they were already trying to clean up the mess of the Kwame Brown debacle. While Hinrich never has developed into a “prolific” player on either side of the ball, he has great court vision and is one of the few above average natural passers in the league still today.

Pick 11: Golden State Warriors

Who they took: Michael Pietrus

Who they should have took: Nick Collison (12^th pick)

Why: No knock on Pietrus (even though you won’t see him mentioned again in this blog), but Collison was a rare NBA-ready back to the basket post. A prototypical power forward guy, he was never going to give you flare, but sure could work and was highly coordinated for a college center. That alone made him worth a pick. But his ability to work well on either end of the post was superb in 2003 and while he still has never given much flare, he has stayed a steady contributor in most aspects of the game. Bonus: he’s loyal. He has only played for two teams in his career and that only happened because the Sonics moved and took him to OKC with them.

Pick 12: Seattle Supersonics

Who they took: Nick Collison

Who they should have took: Boris Diaw (21^st pick)

Why: Letting Diaw slip out of the lottery was a bad move by NBA teams. He was an athletic freak when he came out in 2003 after twice making the educated decision to withdraw his name in 2001 and 2002 because he didn’t feel his game was ready. Like several mentioned in previous blogs, he was a key piece in the Mike D’Antoni run and gun Suns teams, who had they stayed together, could have logged a Spurs like push because of late foreign pick ups like Diaw. And in all fairness, that is probably why he is having a mini-revival in San Antonio now, scoring the best he has since 2011.

Pick 13: Memphis Grizzlies

Who they took: Marcus Banks (traded to Celtics)

Who they should have took: Steve Blake (38^th pick)

Why: And kept him. Blake was a question mark going into the league. He was clearly a strong shooter at Maryland, but his question marks following him are still ones that haunt smaller shooters, even at big schools: could he diversify his game on the next level. Blake did so in droves and took some of the pressure off for future guys and some succeed (JJ Redick) and some fail (Adam Morrison). Blake has turned out to be one of the most consistent second rounds on the new millennium, no matter where he traveled. While it’s unlikely he’d still be in Memphis, he would be a tough back up for Mike Conley.

Pick 14: Seattle Supersonics

Who they took: Luke Ridenour

Who they should have took: Leandro Barbosa (28^th pick)

Why: Speaking of Suns key to their mid-2000s runs, here is where you have to take Barbosa, giving Seattle and redraft duo of those former Suns. Barbosa was so much the same players as Diaw out of the draft, but the way the two worked together was always fun and explosive. Taking Diaw, it was a no brainer to want to take his athletic equal and mirror. Barbosa also adds a little better three-point game and was a less talented template of what Kevin Durant would eventually bring to the table for the organization.

Pick 15: Orlando Magic

Who they took: Reece Gaines

Who they should have took: Dahntay Jones (20^th pick)

Why: Jones is a guy who has quietly been helpful even though he was never really a good fit with the teams he was with, possibly outside of Denver. He’s done well to try to change that in Atlanta. His upside is his freaky athletic ability once out on the break. The downside: he’s so inconsistent (hence the often trades and releases). A highlight of that inconsistency: he shot 17% from three point range in 07-08 in Sacramento, only to head to Denver the following year and hit 65% of his long range shots.

Redrafting the 1998 NBA Draft

Give me your Sam Bowie and your Greg Oden and I will laugh at your definition of bust. Meet Michael Olowokandi. He had a mediocre horror film inspired nickname (The Kandi Man), but that was about the only thing inspired about him or his career. The Clippers, the perennial draft choke artists, took a gamble. And they bust. As usual. This time, just bigger. Look at a draft with five All-Stars and with two or three Hall of Famers and they took a guy who scored a career with 12.3 points per game while shooting a near career low from the field.

The thought of that draft pick, with Vince Carter and Dirk Nowitski (both TRADED on draft night) and Paul Pierce just sitting there, it makes me cringe. It is another vibrant note of what the Clippers might have been had they drafted well. A franchise could have been stabilized with Nowitski or Pierce at the helm.

It was also a weird year for trades, with the 4^th, 5^th, 6^th and 9^th picks swapped. It was like teams knew what they wanted, but really didn’t.

And then there was Orlando. While the draft helped turn around the Mavericks, Kings and Raptors and set into motion a return plan for Boston, it was Orlando who could have potentially struck gold. Instead, they turned their three top-15 picks into Michael Doleac, Keon Clark and Matt Harpring. Tragic. Just tragic. They managed to be a 3-seed in the playoffs after a lockout shortened 1998-99 season, but when Penny Hardaway’s support system as these three, there is not question why Allen Iverson took them to the wood shed in the playoff’s opening round.

Pick 1: Los Angeles Clippers

Who they took: Michael Olowokandi

Who they should have took: Dirk Nowitski (9^th pick)

Why: This was a class it was hard to choose who should be the first pick, but Nowitski gets the nod. He was looked at as raw, but long enough to play either forward spots, or even center, once his body reached his potential. He did so quickly in Dallas (good job Milwaukee, trading him is almost like Charlotte trading Kobe). By far the best German born NBA player ever, maybe the best German basketball player ever and easily one of the best jump shooting 7-footers ever. He would have been a homerun for the Clippers instead of the debilitating strike out they went with instead.

Pick 2: Vancouver Grizzlies

Who they took: Mike Bibby

Who they should have took: Paul Pierce (10^th pick)

Why: After his ex-Kansas teammate bombed in the draft the year before, there was probably some concern about Pierce. After all, Kansas was producing quality college players who were mediocre at best pros (see ‘Blue Devils, Duke’ for more reference on that). Pierce broke that mold. At a time where one player, one identity was what Memphis yearned for, Pierce could have been that like he became for the Celtics. Especially after a move to Memphis, Pierce could have been a Grizzlies lifer, forever altering their franchise and sadly the Celtics too, just not in a good way. And while Bibby was a good pick for Vancouver, they didn’t get his best years while Pierce would have proved to be the most valuable piece in franchise history and their first Hall of Famer.

Pick 3: Denver Nuggets

Who they took: Raef LaFrentz

Who they should have took: Vince Carter (5^th pick)

Why: Even though he has fattened with age, Carter still is a terrific player as seen by his highlight reel buzzer beater in this year’s playoffs. But take that away and in 1998 you still have an explosive get-to-the-basket scorer who could glide through the air with ease. The next ‘Next Jordan’ was probably the closest thing to the original because of how he soared and the awe in which people were in when the man shortly dubbed ‘Air Canada’ took flight. NBA dunk contest win with some of the best dunks ever? Check. Leaping OVER a defender for Team USA to dunk? Check. And turning around the Raptors franchise? Check. They could have used any one of those rubs in Denver, where the Nuggets were continuing a pace of downright pathetic.

Pick 4: Toronto Raptors

Who they took: Antwan Jamison (traded to Warriors)

Who they should have took: Mike Bibby (2^nd pick)

Why: Bibby put up a hectic pace on the court, really picking up where he left off at Arizona and was a catalyst in the early years for the other Canadian club. Unlike most guys, especially of this era, I think that Bibby was right coming out after his sophomore year as the NBA was better development for his game than college would have been. While Carter, the eventual Raptor from this draft, was the perfect pick up, he realistically possibly wouldn’t be available here so Bibby would have been a pretty great pickup to team with Tracy McGrady in a drive and dish team.

Pick 5: Golden State Warriors

Who they took: Vince Carter (traded to Raptors)

Who they should have took: Antwan Jamison (4^th pick)

Why: They got him anyway. So it was the right pick all along. He was supposed to be Carter’s equal in the ever expanding line of freak UNC athletes (see ‘Stackhouse, Jerry’) and he never panned out in that manner but was still helpful every single place he landed from 1998 through this past season. He mustered together All-Star seasons in Dallas and Washington after he built up a reputation as a dangerous scorer in Golden State where he twice scored 51 points in a game. The Warriors made the right choice here, though I would like to re-free agency for them so they could try to hold onto the career 18.5 ppg scorer into his All-Star years.

Pick 6: Dallas Mavericks

Who they took: Robert Traylor (traded to Milwaukee)

Who they should have took: Brad Miller (undrafted)

Why: Dallas clearly needed to go big and they made the wrong choice to do that with before trading the same night for the way right choice. But with Nowitski off the board and Robert Traylor being a laughable choice today, Miller would have a perfect fit. The reality is, he wasn’t going to turn around the franchise like Nowitski did, but he was a guy who steadily improved each and every year, culminating with back-to-back All-Star appearances (yes, as an undrafted player) for two different teams. He only averaged 6.3 ppg and 3.1 rpg as a rookie (though still an undrafted one) in Charlotte, but never put up lower numbers except for in his final season once his body was pretty well done over his career low 15 games in 2011-2012.

Pick 7: Sacramento Kings

Who they took: Jason Williams

Who they should have took: Rashard Lewis (32^nd pick)

Why: In a draft with a lot of talent, it’s hard to drop down the draft for back-to-back picks but Lewis earned his spot higher in the draft with how quickly he exploded. He wasn’t ready to come straight out of high school in 1998, but unlike most that are not ready early, he quickly figured it out, going from scoring 2.4 ppg and putting down 1.3 rpg as a rookie to 14.8 and 6.9 numbers in his third year. All-Star appearances and 22.4 ppg in his final year in Seattle netted him a big paycheck from Orlando and while he was never as valuable again, he still is a critical role player in the league. Considering is longevity wanting to stay in Seattle, he probably would have long hauled it in Sacramento to and became a great additional inside threat with Vlade Divac and Chris Webber as they were starting their big run.

Pick 8: Philadelphia 76ers

Who they took: Larry Hughes

Who they should have took: Ricky Davis (21^st pick)

Why: Ricky Davis and Allen Iverson would have either been the biggest clash of teammates in NBA history or been nasty together. Like late-80’s Detroit kind of nasty. The pick of the best player right here would be Jason Williams, but with a flashy, tough as nails point guard (Iverson) already in the fold, it wouldn’t make much sense. Davis ultimately proved too selfish for the league, but showed signs of actual brilliance before LeBron James stole his thunder in Cleveland. The year before James entered the league, Davis scored 20.6 ppg to lead the Cavaliers. And while all he led them to was the first pick in the draft, he showed he could play. Sadly, he now knew he could score in bunches, so giving up his touches to LeBron was not in his personal game plan. He never played the same again. However, if he could have found that rhythm without being “the guy,” like in Philly, he may have never lost his scoring swagger.

Pick 9: Milwaukee Bucks

Who they took: Dirk Nowitski (traded to Dallas)

Who they should have took: Jason Williams (7^th pick)

Why: The Milwaukee Bucks don’t even want to think about this draft. Not even a little bit, not even at all. This was Charlotte Hornets bad. They actually drafted Nowitski (who admittedly, isn’t Kobe) and traded him for ROBERT “TRACTOR” TRAYLOR (who still isn’t Vlade Divac good). Never pick a guy named after a semi. Always pick a guy who is nicknamed White Chocolate. Williams helped turn around the Kings, though he had more help. Milwaukee needed some flare and he had that by the buckets full.

Pick 10: Boston Celtics

Who they took: Paul Pierce

Who they should have took: Al Harrington (25^th pick)

Why: The Celtics are like the Mavericks. Thank god there really is no such thing as going back in time and re-drafting. With the exception of Larry Bird, no pick in the history of their franchise has been as important as this one was for Boston (could that change this year?). And Al Harrington would have been downright disappointing in comparison, but not all together disappointing. Like a lot of the later drafted high school kids, his adjustment time was too long (in comparison to Pierce), but he still developed into a dynamic player for a while. He was long and physical and the Celtics were just throwing up draft picks at this point. Harrington wouldn’t stick like Pierce did, but he still would have provided a solid option for an ailing team. The downside? Without Pierce, no matter who this pick was, they may still be ailing (as opposed to ailing again).

Pick 11: Detroit Pistons

Who they took: Bonzi Wells

Who they should have took: Cuttino Mobley (41^st pick)

Why: Mobley is one of those guys that you know his name, but you don’t give him much second thought unless you are a Cuttino Mobley or Rhode Island fan. Detroit was seeing an end to the somewhat disappointing (and injury filled) Grant Hill era and was trying to make things click with a bevy of veterans to add some spice to whatever Grant could provide that particular year. Adding Mobley may have not paid initial dividends, but had he stayed in Detroit as long as he did in Houston (where he was drafted and still averaged almost 10 ppg as a rookie), then he would have been highly valuable in the thick of the Pistons’ championship run. He put up a career best 21.7 ppg and 1.5 spg in 2002 and then still put up 15.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.2 apg and 1.3 spg in the Pistons championship season, which would have made them even more unbeatable as another option.

Pick 12: Orlando Magic

Who they took: Michael Doleac

Who they should have took: Larry Hughes (8^th pick)

Why: Orlando needed a lot and although the pickings are slimmer at this point, they sure aren’t Doleac-Clark-Harpring slim. Hughes was a hot shot freshman coming from Saint Louis, with a game very reminiscent of Penny Hardaway himself. It would have been like a younger, still a little raw version of Penny working side by side with him in Orlando, which could have been pretty fun to watch.

Pick 13: Orlando Magic

Who they took: Keon Clark

Who they should have took: Bonzi Wells (11^th pick)

Why: Not a lot of career Muncie, Indiana guys finding success in the NBA, but Wells surely did. He would have played a lot as a rookie in Orlando (not sure why he didn’t in Portland, where he was traded to before he ever played a game) and therefore jumped up his scoring average quicker than he was allowed to do in 7 games as a rookie. In between his first and last years in Portland, he never played less than 66 games, never shot worse than 44 percent from the field and like Mobley was consistent in chipping in scoring, defense and rebounding.

Pick 14: Houston Rockets

Who they took: Michael Dickerson

Who they should have took: Raef Lafrentz (3^rd pick)

Why: He wasn’t really a bust per say, but Lafrentz also wasn’t third pick material (Denver may have passed on Pierce, Nowitski, Carter, Jamison, Williams, etc.). Houston would have been a place for him to develop inside without pressure where Denver expected him to just take over after his success with Pierce at Kansas. And while he finished his college career only behind Kansas legend Danny Manning in scoring and rebounding, he sure wasn’t Danny Manning in the pros. With Clyde Drexler’s retirement and before the Yao Ming era began, Lafrentz could have helped make the Houston interior solid as he never averaged under 12 points or 7 rebounds in his first four seasons, all in Denver.

Pick 15: Orlando Magic

Who they took: Matt Harpring

Who they should have took: Sarunas Jasikevicius (undrafted)

Why: First of all, Orlando needed everything. Second of all, Jasikevicius was before his time. Before the basketball world required gun slinger point guards, Jasikevicius was doing it. His style never really fit at Maryland as a Lithuanian import and thus pro teams didn’t latch on to him. By the time an NBA team did (the Indiana Pacers in 2005), it was too late. And although he was still efficient, he had lost a step and couldn’t keep up with the new age, young gun slinger guards in the league. But had someone taken a chance on him at all in 1998, he himself could have been someone that revolutionized the league from a flashy point guard perspective, much how Jason Williams, of the same draft class, helped do. His leadership and ability have made him one of the best Lithuanian born players ever and a shot in Orlando would have been a perfect setting for him to get the chance before it was too late.