Poll: 2003 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 9)
Drafting players is far from an exact science, and many a GM has been second-guessed for his draft night decisions. I’m willing to bet that every team executive has at least one pick that he would like a mulligan for. While life, and the NBA, doesn’t allow for such opportunities, we at Hoops Rumors decided it would be fun to give our readers a second take at picking players, complete with the benefit of hindsight.
We are in the process of taking you on a journey back to June of 2003, and revisiting a draft that saw the likes of LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh available to potentially change the fortunes of a few struggling franchises. Wade was the first of that group to win an NBA championship, though James and Bosh would later join him in Miami and go on to win multiple titles together years later, while Melo is still seeking his first trip to the NBA Finals. Detroit, which owned the No. 2 overall pick that season, chose to go with Darko Milicic, who didn’t work out so well for the Pistons. Not all picks pan out, but that one is especially painful given the talent that the Pistons passed over to select the big man, who owns career averages of 6.0 points and 4.2 rebounds, and has been out of the NBA since making a single appearance for the Celtics back in 2012/13.
We continue our revisionist history with the Knicks, who used the No. 9 overall pick to select Michael Sweetney, whose tenure in the Big Apple lasted two unremarkable seasons. Readers, you are now on the clock! Cast your vote for New York’s pick and check back Wednesday night for the results, as well as to cast your vote for who the Wizards will select with the No. 10 overall pick. But don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts on the No. 9 overall pick and why you voted the way that you did.
Previous Picks
- Cavaliers: LeBron James
- Pistons: Dwyane Wade
- Nuggets: Carmelo Anthony
- Raptors: Chris Bosh
- Heat: David West
- Clippers: Kyle Korver
- Bulls: Mo Williams
- Bucks: Chris Kaman
With the No. 9 Overall Pick the Knicks Select...
-
Boris Diaw 24% (245)
-
Kirk Hinrich 18% (190)
-
Jose Calderon 14% (148)
-
Josh Howard 11% (116)
-
Leandro Barbosa 9% (88)
-
Kendrick Perkins 7% (74)
-
Zaza Pachulia 3% (30)
-
T.J. Ford 2% (21)
-
Darko Milicic 2% (18)
-
Nick Collison 2% (18)
-
Steve Blake 1% (11)
-
Luke Ridnour 1% (10)
-
Michael Sweetney 1% (8)
-
Mickael Pietrus 1% (8)
-
Travis Outlaw 1% (8)
-
Matt Bonner 1% (7)
-
Sasha Pavlovic 0% (5)
-
Carlos Delfino 0% (5)
-
Dahntay Jones 0% (4)
-
Jason Kapono 0% (4)
-
James Jones 0% (4)
-
Jarvis Hayes 0% (3)
-
Luke Walton 0% (3)
-
Keith Bogans 0% (2)
-
Marcus Banks 0% (1)
-
Reece Gaines 0% (1)
-
Brian Cook 0% (1)
-
Willie Green 0% (1)
-
Troy Bell 0% (0)
Total votes: 1,034
If you’re a Trade Rumors app user, click here.
Poll: 2003 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 8)
Drafting players is far from an exact science, and many a GM has been second-guessed for his draft night decisions. I’m willing to bet that every team executive has at least one pick that he would like a mulligan for. While life, and the NBA, doesn’t allow for such opportunities, we at Hoops Rumors decided it would be fun to give our readers a second take at picking players, complete with the benefit of hindsight.
We are in the process of taking you on a journey back to June of 2003, and revisiting a draft that saw the likes of LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh available to potentially change the fortunes of a few struggling franchises. Wade was the first of that group to win an NBA championship, though James and Bosh would later join him in Miami and go on to win multiple titles together years later, while Melo is still seeking his first trip to the NBA Finals. Detroit, which owned the No. 2 overall pick that season, chose to go with Darko Milicic, who didn’t work out so well for the Pistons. Not all picks pan out, but that one is especially painful given the talent that the Pistons passed over to select the big man, who owns career averages of 6.0 points and 4.2 rebounds, and has been out of the NBA since making a single appearance for the Celtics back in 2012/13.
We continue our revisionist history with the Bucks, who used the No. 8 overall pick it had acquired from the Hawks to select T.J. Ford. Readers, you are now on the clock! Cast your vote for Milwaukee’s pick and check back Tuesday night for the results, as well as to cast your vote for who the Knicks will select with the No. 9 overall pick. But don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts on the No. 8 overall pick and why you voted the way that you did.
Previous Picks
- Cavaliers: LeBron James
- Pistons: Dwyane Wade
- Nuggets: Carmelo Anthony
- Raptors: Chris Bosh
- Heat: David West
- Clippers: Kyle Korver
- Bulls: Mo Williams
With the No. 8 Overall Pick the Bucks Select...
-
Chris Kaman 20% (173)
-
Boris Diaw 18% (156)
-
Kirk Hinrich 15% (129)
-
Jose Calderon 12% (104)
-
Josh Howard 9% (73)
-
Leandro Barbosa 5% (40)
-
Kendrick Perkins 4% (34)
-
Darko Milicic 4% (30)
-
T.J. Ford 3% (22)
-
Steve Blake 2% (18)
-
Nick Collison 2% (16)
-
Zaza Pachulia 2% (14)
-
James Jones 1% (7)
-
Luke Ridnour 1% (5)
-
Matt Bonner 1% (5)
-
Carlos Delfino 0% (4)
-
Reece Gaines 0% (3)
-
Sasha Pavlovic 0% (3)
-
Keith Bogans 0% (3)
-
Willie Green 0% (3)
-
Jason Kapono 0% (2)
-
Mickael Pietrus 0% (1)
-
Marcus Banks 0% (1)
-
Troy Bell 0% (1)
-
Dahntay Jones 0% (1)
-
Travis Outlaw 0% (1)
-
Brian Cook 0% (1)
-
Luke Walton 0% (1)
-
Michael Sweetney 0% (0)
-
Jarvis Hayes 0% (0)
Total votes: 851
If you’re a Trade Rumors app user, click here.
Poll: 2003 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 7)
Drafting players is far from an exact science, and many a GM has been second-guessed for his draft night decisions. I’m willing to bet that every team executive has at least one pick that he would like a mulligan for. While life, and the NBA, doesn’t allow for such opportunities, we at Hoops Rumors decided it would be fun to give our readers a second take at picking players, complete with the benefit of hindsight.
We are in the process of taking you on a journey back to June of 2003, and revisiting a draft that saw the likes of LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh available to potentially change the fortunes of a few struggling franchises. Wade was the first of that group to win an NBA championship, though James and Bosh would later join him in Miami and go on to win multiple titles together years later, while Melo is still seeking his first trip to the NBA Finals. Detroit, which owned the No. 2 overall pick that season, chose to go with Darko Milicic, who didn’t work out so well for the Pistons. Not all picks pan out, but that one is especially painful given the talent that the Pistons passed over to select the big man, who owns career averages of 6.0 points and 4.2 rebounds, and has been out of the NBA since making a single appearance for the Celtics back in 2012/13.
We continue our revisionist history with the Bulls, who used the No. 7 overall pick in 2003 to select Kirk Hinrich, who is still a member of the team. Readers, you are now on the clock! Cast your vote for Chicago’s pick and check back Monday for the results, as well as to cast your vote for who the Bucks will select with the No. 8 pick that the team had acquired from Atlanta. But don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts on the No. 7 overall pick and why you voted the way that you did.
Previous Picks
- Cavaliers: LeBron James
- Pistons: Dwyane Wade
- Nuggets: Carmelo Anthony
- Raptors: Chris Bosh
- Heat: David West
- Clippers: Kyle Korver
With the No. 7 Overall Pick the Bulls Select...
-
Mo Williams 24% (220)
-
Chris Kaman 16% (148)
-
Kirk Hinrich 16% (143)
-
Boris Diaw 14% (131)
-
Jose Calderon 10% (89)
-
Josh Howard 7% (66)
-
Leandro Barbosa 3% (26)
-
Darko Milicic 2% (17)
-
Nick Collison 1% (11)
-
Matt Bonner 1% (11)
-
T.J. Ford 1% (10)
-
Zaza Pachulia 1% (10)
-
Mickael Pietrus 1% (8)
-
Steve Blake 1% (8)
-
Luke Ridnour 0% (3)
-
Brian Cook 0% (3)
-
Luke Walton 0% (3)
-
Travis Outlaw 0% (2)
-
Carlos Delfino 0% (2)
-
Jason Kapono 0% (2)
-
James Jones 0% (2)
-
Marcus Banks 0% (1)
-
Dahntay Jones 0% (1)
-
Keith Bogans 0% (1)
-
Michael Sweetney 0% (0)
-
Jarvis Hayes 0% (0)
-
Reece Gaines 0% (0)
-
Troy Bell 0% (0)
-
Sasha Pavlovic 0% (0)
Total votes: 918
If you’re a Trade Rumors app user, click here.
Poll: 2003 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 6)
Drafting players is far from an exact science, and many a GM has been second-guessed for his draft night decisions. I’m willing to bet that every team executive has at least one pick that he would like a mulligan for. While life, and the NBA, doesn’t allow for such opportunities, we at Hoops Rumors decided it would be fun to give our readers a second take at picking players, complete with the benefit of hindsight.
We are in the process of taking you on a journey back to June of 2003, and revisiting a draft that saw the likes of LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh available to potentially change the fortunes of a few struggling franchises. Wade was the first of that group to win an NBA championship, though James and Bosh would later join him in Miami and go on to win multiple titles together years later, while Melo is still seeking his first trip to the NBA Finals. Detroit, which owned the No. 2 overall pick that season, chose to go with Darko Milicic, who didn’t work out so well for the Pistons. Not all picks pan out, but that one is especially painful given the talent that the Pistons passed over to select the big man, who owns career averages of 6.0 points and 4.2 rebounds, and has been out of the NBA since making a single appearance for the Celtics back in 2012/13.
We continue our revisionist history with the Clippers, who used the No. 6 overall pick in 2003 to select Chris Kaman, whose tenure in Los Angeles would last eight glorious seasons. Readers, you are now on the clock! Cast your vote for L.A.’s pick and check back Saturday for the results, as well as to cast your vote for who the Bulls will select with the No. 7 overall pick. But don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts on the No. 6 overall pick and why you voted the way that you did.
Previous Picks
- Cavaliers: LeBron James
- Pistons: Dwyane Wade
- Nuggets: Carmelo Anthony
- Raptors: Chris Bosh
- Heat: David West
With the No. 6 Overall Pick the Clippers Select...
-
Kyle Korver 41% (412)
-
Chris Kaman 12% (124)
-
Mo Williams 12% (123)
-
Boris Diaw 8% (83)
-
Josh Howard 6% (56)
-
Kirk Hinrich 5% (54)
-
Jose Calderon 3% (31)
-
Darko Milicic 3% (29)
-
Leandro Barbosa 2% (17)
-
T.J. Ford 1% (14)
-
Nick Collison 1% (9)
-
Steve Blake 1% (9)
-
Zaza Pachulia 1% (8)
-
Carlos Delfino 1% (5)
-
Matt Bonner 0% (4)
-
Michael Sweetney 0% (3)
-
Marcus Banks 0% (3)
-
Jarvis Hayes 0% (2)
-
Sasha Pavlovic 0% (2)
-
Travis Outlaw 0% (2)
-
Jason Kapono 0% (2)
-
Luke Walton 0% (2)
-
Mickael Pietrus 0% (1)
-
Brian Cook 0% (1)
-
James Jones 0% (1)
-
Luke Ridnour 0% (0)
-
Reece Gaines 0% (0)
-
Troy Bell 0% (0)
-
Dahntay Jones 0% (0)
-
Keith Bogans 0% (0)
Total votes: 997
If you’re a Trade Rumors app user, click here.
Poll: 2003 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 5)
Drafting players is far from an exact science, and many a GM has been second-guessed for his draft night decisions. I’m willing to bet that every team executive has at least one pick that he would like a mulligan for. While life, and the NBA, doesn’t allow for such opportunities, we at Hoops Rumors decided it would be fun to give our readers a second take at picking players, complete with the benefit of hindsight.
We are in the process of taking you on a journey back to June of 2003, and revisiting a draft that saw the likes of LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh available to potentially change the fortunes of a few struggling franchises. Wade was the first of that group to win an NBA championship, though James and Bosh would later join him in Miami and go on to win multiple titles together years later, while Melo is still seeking his first trip to the NBA Finals. Detroit, which owned the No. 2 overall pick that season, chose to go with Darko Milicic, who didn’t work out so well for the Pistons. Not all picks pan out, but that one is especially painful given the talent that the Pistons passed over to select the big man, who owns career averages of 6.0 points and 4.2 rebounds, and has been out of the NBA since making a single appearance for the Celtics back in 2012/13.
We continue our revisionist history with the Heat, who used the No. 5 overall pick in 2003 to select Wade, but was nabbed by the Pistons at No. 2 overall in our draft. Readers, you are now on the clock! Cast your vote for Miami’s pick and check back Friday night for the results, as well as to cast your vote for who the Clippers will select with the No. 6 overall pick. But don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts on the No. 5 overall pick and why you voted the way that you did.
Previous Picks
- Cavaliers: LeBron James
- Pistons: Dwyane Wade
- Nuggets: Carmelo Anthony
- Raptors: Chris Bosh
With the No. 5 Overall Pick the Heat Select...
-
David West 58% (843)
-
Kyle Korver 18% (267)
-
Mo Williams 5% (66)
-
Josh Howard 3% (44)
-
Darko Milicic 3% (39)
-
Chris Kaman 3% (39)
-
Boris Diaw 3% (38)
-
Kirk Hinrich 2% (32)
-
Jose Calderon 1% (19)
-
Leandro Barbosa 1% (15)
-
T.J. Ford 1% (13)
-
Nick Collison 1% (8)
-
Mickael Pietrus 0% (6)
-
Steve Blake 0% (6)
-
Zaza Pachulia 0% (5)
-
Carlos Delfino 0% (4)
-
Michael Sweetney 0% (3)
-
Luke Ridnour 0% (3)
Total votes: 1,450
If you’re a Trade Rumors app user, click here.
Poll: 2003 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 4)
Drafting players is far from an exact science, and many a GM has been second-guessed for his draft night decisions. I’m willing to bet that every team executive has at least one pick that he would like a mulligan for. While life, and the NBA, doesn’t allow for such opportunities, we at Hoops Rumors decided it would be fun to give our readers a second take at picking players, complete with the benefit of hindsight.
We are in the process of taking you on a journey back to June of 2003, and revisiting a draft that saw the likes of LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh available to potentially change the fortunes of a few struggling franchises. Wade was the first of that group to win an NBA championship, though James and Bosh would later join him in Miami and go on to win multiple titles together years later, while Melo is still seeking his first trip to the NBA Finals. Detroit, which owned the No. 2 overall pick that season, chose to go with Darko Milicic, who didn’t work out so well for the Pistons. Not all picks pan out, but that one is especially painful given the talent that the Pistons passed over to select the big man, who owns career averages of 6.0 points and 4.2 rebounds, and has been out of the NBA since making a single appearance for the Celtics back in 2012/13.
We continue our revisionist history with the Raptors, who used the No. 4 overall pick to select Bosh, who still happens to be available in our draft. Readers, you are now on the clock! Cast your vote for Toronto’s pick and check back Thursday night for the results, as well as to cast your vote for who the Heat will select with the No. 5 overall pick with Wade already off the board. But don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts on the No. 4 overall pick and why you voted the way that you did.
Previous Picks
- Cavaliers: LeBron James
- Pistons: Dwyane Wade
- Nuggets: Carmelo Anthony
With the No. 4 Overall Pick the Raptors Select...
-
Chris Bosh 89% (1,030)
-
Darko Milicic 3% (35)
-
Kyle Korver 2% (27)
-
David West 2% (26)
-
Jose Calderon 1% (6)
-
Steve Blake 1% (6)
-
Josh Howard 0% (5)
-
Zaza Pachulia 0% (5)
-
Kirk Hinrich 0% (4)
-
Chris Kaman 0% (3)
-
Nick Collison 0% (3)
-
Boris Diaw 0% (3)
-
Leandro Barbosa 0% (3)
-
Luke Ridnour 0% (2)
-
Mo Williams 0% (2)
Total votes: 1,160
If you’re a Trade Rumors app user, click here.
Poll: 2003 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 3)
Drafting players is far from an exact science, and many a GM has been second-guessed for his draft night decisions. I’m willing to bet that every team executive has at least one pick that he would like a mulligan for. While life, and the NBA, doesn’t allow for such opportunities, we at Hoops Rumors decided it would be fun to give our readers a second take at picking players, complete with the benefit of hindsight.
We are in the process of taking you on a journey back to June of 2003, and revisiting a draft that saw the likes of LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh available to potentially change the fortunes of a few struggling franchises. Wade was the first of that group to win an NBA championship, though James and Bosh would later join him in Miami and go on to win multiple titles together years later, while Melo is still seeking his first trip to the NBA Finals. Detroit, which owned the No. 2 overall pick that season, chose to go with Darko Milicic, who didn’t work out so well for the Pistons. Not all picks pan out, but that one is especially painful given the talent that the Pistons passed over to select the big man, who owns career averages of 6.0 points and 4.2 rebounds, and has been out of the NBA since making a single appearance for the Celtics back in 2012/13.
We continue our revisionist history with the Nuggets, who used the No. 3 overall pick to select Anthony, who still happens to be on the board in our draft. Readers, you are now on the clock! Cast your vote for Denver’s pick and check back Wednesday night for the results, as well as to cast your vote for who the Raptors will select with the No. 4 overall pick. But don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts on the No. 3 overall pick and why you voted the way that you did.
Previous Picks
- Cavaliers: LeBron James
- Pistons: Dwyane Wade
With the No. 3 Overall Pick the Nuggets Select...
-
Carmelo Anthony 74% (1,020)
-
Chris Bosh 20% (278)
-
Darko Milicic 2% (34)
-
Kyle Korver 1% (19)
-
David West 0% (6)
-
Jose Calderon 0% (4)
-
Zaza Pachulia 0% (4)
-
Chris Kaman 0% (3)
-
Kirk Hinrich 0% (2)
-
Josh Howard 0% (2)
-
Mo Williams 0% (1)
Total votes: 1,373
If you’re a Trade Rumors app user, click here.
Poll: Who Should Be The Mavs Starting Center?
The Mavericks had dreams of running a pick-and-roll offense centered around one of the league’s most efficient behemoths in DeAndre Jordan. Jordan’s decision to spurn Dallas in favor of returning to Los Angeles dampened those plans. The team made several moves this offseason to bring aboard players who could man the starting spot alongside Dirk Nowitzki and it hopes one of the players establishes himself as the clear-cut choice for the job.
Dallas acquired Zaza Pachulia from Milwaukee this summer. The big man started 45 games for last season’s playoff-bound Bucks team and has proven he can be a serviceable starting center, as Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors notes in his weekly live chat. The Mavs’ acquisition of Pachulia is flying under the radar and perhaps it shouldn’t be. The big man had an impressive 2014/15 season, finishing second among centers in ESPN’s Real Plus-Minus. While his underrated defense will help the Mavs cope this season, his presence on the roster isn’t going to make fans forget about DeAndreGate due to the 31-year-old’s lack of upside.
The team added another proven player that lacks upside in Samuel Dalembert. The center previously played with the Mavs during the 2013/14 season. The team made the playoffs and nearly knocked off the eventual champion Spurs with Dalembert in the lineup. The 34-year-old wasn’t a top option on that team, but coach Rick Carlisle knows what he has in the center and could look to give a known commodity the nod. Still, as Eddie Scarito of Hoops Rumors explains in his weekly mailbag, Dalembert is better suited for a reserve role at this point in his career.
The most intriguing addition came earlier this month when the team finally signed JaVale McGee. McGee hasn’t developed into the player that many expected him to be when he was selected with the No. 18 pick in the 2008 draft. He has shown flashes of potential and if Carlisle can aid him in reaching his ceiling, Dallas might have found a player that can reach All-Star level heights. The team will need that type of player to emerge if it’s going to compete in the ultra-competitive Western Conference. However, let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet. McGee may not even make the team, as we explained in last week’s Shootaround. Dallas has 15 fully guaranteed contracts on the books and McGee is not one of them.
Salah Mejri, who signed with the team this offseason, is one of those players whose salary is fully guaranteed. Mejri is a long-armed, agile center, who helped Real Madrid win the Spanish League title last season. Dallas likes the 29-year-old and he should get an opportunity to compete for team’s starting five spot.
Dallas also has Jarrid Famous and Dwight Powell on the roster, but neither player possesses a fully guaranteed contract. Both players are more likely to be cut prior to opening night and spend time with the Texas Legends, the team’s D-League affiliate.
The Mavs have a bevy of options to choose from when considering their starting center. Who should start at the five? In addition to making your selection, let us know what your pitch to Mark Cuban and Rick Carlisle would be in the comment section below.
If you’re a Trade Rumors app user, click here.
Who Should Be The Mavs Starting Center?
-
JaVale McGee 47% (602)
-
Zaza Pachulia 38% (484)
-
Salah Mejri 8% (98)
-
Samuel Dalembert 6% (72)
-
Other Player (Please explain below) 1% (14)
Total votes: 1,270
Poll: 2003 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 2)
Drafting players is far from an exact science, and many a GM has been second-guessed for his draft night decisions. I’m willing to bet that every team executive has at least one pick that he would like a mulligan for. While life, and the NBA, doesn’t allow for such opportunities, we at Hoops Rumors decided it would be fun to give our readers a second take at picking players, complete with the benefit of hindsight.
We are in the process of taking you on a journey back to June of 2003, and revisiting a draft that saw the likes of LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh available to potentially change the fortunes of a few struggling franchises. Wade was the first of that group to win an NBA championship, though James and Bosh would later join him in Miami and go on to win multiple titles together years later, while Melo is still seeking his first trip to the NBA Finals. Detroit, which owned the No. 2 overall pick that season, chose to go with Darko Milicic, who didn’t work out so well for the Pistons. Not all picks pan out, but that one is especially painful given the talent that the Pistons passed over to select the big man, who owns career averages of 6.0 points and 4.2 rebounds, and has been out of the NBA since making a single appearance for the Celtics back in 2012/13.
We continue our revisionist history with those same Pistons, who had acquired the second overall pick from the Grizzlies as part of the 1997 trade that sent Otis Thorpe to Memphis. Readers, you are now on the clock! Cast your vote for Detroit’s pick and check back Tuesday night for the results, as well as to cast your vote for who the Nuggets will select with the No. 3 overall pick. But don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts on the No. 2 overall pick and why you voted the way that you did.
Previous Picks
- Cavaliers: LeBron James
With the No. 2 Overall Pick the Pistons Select...
-
Dwyane Wade 54% (837)
-
Carmelo Anthony 34% (530)
-
Chris Bosh 5% (80)
-
Darko Milicic 4% (66)
-
David West 0% (7)
-
Zaza Pachulia 0% (6)
-
Luke Ridnour 0% (6)
-
Nick Collison 0% (6)
-
Kyle Korver 0% (4)
-
T.J. Ford 0% (4)
-
Kirk Hinrich 0% (3)
-
Jose Calderon 0% (3)
-
Josh Howard 0% (3)
-
Mo Williams 0% (3)
-
Mickael Pietrus 0% (3)
-
Chris Kaman 0% (2)
Total votes: 1,563
If you’re a Trade Rumors app user, click here.
Poll: 2003 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 1)
Drafting players is far from an exact science, and many a GM has been second-guessed for his draft night decisions. I’m willing to bet that every team executive has at least one pick that he would like a mulligan for. While life, and the NBA, doesn’t allow for such opportunities, we at Hoops Rumors decided it would be fun to give our readers a second take at picking players, complete with the benefit of hindsight.
Over the last two weeks our readers went back and revised history with their take on the 2013 NBA Draft lottery. The final results of those 14 picks were:
- Cavaliers: Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Magic: Victor Oladipo
- Wizards: Nerlens Noel
- Hornets: Rudy Gobert
- Suns: Michael Carter-Williams
- 76ers: Ben McLemore
- Kings: Mason Plumlee
- Pistons: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
- Jazz: Dennis Schröder
- Trail Blazers: Allen Crabbe
- 76ers: Shabazz Muhammad
- Thunder: Gorgui Dieng
- Celtics: Kelly Olynyk
- Wolves: Tim Hardaway Jr.
We now take a journey back to June of 2003, and revisit a draft that saw the likes of LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh available to potentially change the fortunes of a few struggling franchises. Wade was the first of that group to win an NBA championship, though James and Bosh would later join him in Miami and go on to win multiple titles together years later, while Melo is still seeking his first trip to the NBA Finals. Detroit, which owned the No. 2 overall pick that season, chose to go with Darko Milicic, which didn’t work out so well for the Pistons. Not all picks pan out, but that one is especially painful given the talent that the Pistons passed over to select the big man, who owns career averages of 6.0 points and 4.2 rebounds, and has been out of the NBA since making a single appearance for the Celtics back in 2012/13.
We begin our revisionist history with the Cavaliers, who owned the first overall pick courtesy of their 2002/03 record of 17-65. While it was tempting to begin this draft with pick No. 2, and simply assume that LeBron would be the first overall choice, I decided to leave the fate of the Cavs’ franchise in your hands. Readers, you are now on the clock! Cast your vote for Cleveland’s pick and check back Saturday afternoon for the results, as well as to cast your vote for who the Pistons will select with the No. 2 overall pick that they had acquired from Memphis. Will it be Milicic once again, or will you decide to right that wrong?
But don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts on the No. 1 overall pick and why you voted the way that you did. Also, if you DIDN’T vote for LeBron with this selection, I’d especially like to hear your thoughts as to why.
With the No. 1 Overall Pick the Cavaliers Select...
-
LeBron James 85% (1,065)
-
Darko Milicic 9% (117)
-
Dwyane Wade 3% (32)
-
Carmelo Anthony 2% (29)
-
David West 1% (11)
-
Chris Bosh 0% (5)
Total votes: 1,259
If you’re a Trade Rumors app user, click here.
