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
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Given Bosh’s brand of small ball 5 was roughly a decade ahead I it’s time, maybe Melo’s the pick, but knowing what we know now…
I wish we could have seen Anthony in Bosh’s role with the Heat. Carmelo might have a couple of rings now and a whole different reputation.
There were some rumors connecting the Heat and Carmelo last summer. That would have been quite jarring initially, but it really would have been interesting to see him in that context. He’s always been his team’s best player. I’d love to see what he could do if he weren’t.
At the time of the draft, the Nuggets needed scoring, scoring, and more scoring, so Anthony was the best pick. But over the years, Bosh would have fit much better with the Nuggets’ rosters and coaching staff, and played a style more suitable to the Allen Iverson acquisition, and then the Chauncey Billups trade a couple of years later.