By Jordan Long
The 2003 NBA draft was one of the best classes in recent memory. It included LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, David West, Kendrick Perkins, and Kirk Hinrich among others. The Cleveland Cavaliers owned the first pick and selected LeBron James. When it came to the 2nd pick of this class, the Detroit Pistons completely whiffed on the #2 pick selecting Darko Milicic. Carmelo Anthony was the #3 pick but he says Detroit was going to select him at #2.
Anthony is one of the best players in the NBA. The only thing missing for him is a championship ring. He joined the Lakers this offseason to hopefully make that dream come true. Even so, Anthony was promised the Pistons were going to take him at #2 in the 2003 NBA Draft. If they did he thinks they would have won back-to-back championships. Detroit won the title in 2004. According to CBSsports.com, Anthony said, “To this day, I still think about that. I’m like, they promised me. You know what I’m saying? ‘We taking you.’ I’m talking about all the way up to draft day, you understand? ‘We taking you.’ So, in my mind, I’m like, ‘I’m going to Detroit.’ …They won it and I’m like, ‘Ah, my luck.’ If I’m there, I think they win another one. I think we go back-to-back if I’m there.”
Looking back, Detroit probably should have taken Anthony with the #2 selection. The Pistons played team basketball when they defeated the L.A. Lakers. Anthony would have given them another shooter to add to Chauncey Billups, Richard “RIP” Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace, and Tayshaun Prince. Anthony most likely wouldn’t have been a starter though. He would have come off the bench for Tayshaun Prince. Prince was the better player and Anthony was a rookie at the time who could have played minutes when Prince needed a rest. They would have still won the NBA title in 2004 and who knows if they go back-to-back with Anthony. In 2005, Detroit went all the way to the Finals. They lost to the San Antonio Spurs 4-3. Could Anthony have made a difference in the series? Maybe, but we will never know.
If the Pistons take Anthony, then the Denver Nuggets may have picked Dwyane Wade. Wade would have been the best player left on the board. He was a shooting guard and the Nuggets needed a franchise player. Wade would have been successful in Denver and been the face of the franchise like Anthony was until he was traded. The Nuggets may have built a championship team around Wade. It could have been possible that the Nuggets win a title with him. Who knows if LeBron James and Chris Bosh head to Denver like they did in the offseason of 2010 to create a superstar team in Miami.
Of course, that didn’t happen. Anthony ended up with the Nuggets and came very close to advancing to the NBA Finals in 2009 when they fell to the L.A. Lakers in 6 games. Anthony forced his way out of Denver when the Nuggets traded him to the New York Knicks on February 22nd, 2011, and he is still playing in the NBA. He is now with the Lakers who have created a superstar team. They should be the favorites to win the NBA Championship this year.
Milicic played 11 years in the NBA. He never did much playing for the Pistons, Orlando Magic, Memphis Grizzlies, New York Knicks, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Boston Celtics. He won one NBA ring in 2004. In his career Milicic averaged 6 points per game, mostly as a bench player. He was out of the league after 2013.
Wade of course probably had the best career out of Milicic and Anthony. Wade played 17 years with the Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, and Cleveland Cavaliers. Wade won 3 NBA Championships, all with the Miami Heat. In his career, he averaged 22 points per game.
The 2003 NBA Draft could be looked at as one of the top in NBA history. Who knows what would have happened if the Pistons selected Anthony instead of Milicic. It would have been a change of picks for Denver at #3. Of course, we can look back and say, “what if,” but it will not alter the past.
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