NBA: Playing The ‘Just Imagine Game’ With 10 Alternative Scenarios – Part 1

Dec 27, 2014; Sacramento, CA, USA; New York Knicks forward

(7) dribbles the ball against the Sacramento Kings in the second quarter at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

10. Just imagine…if the Detroit Pistons drafted Carmelo Anthony in 2003 instead of Darko Milicic

A. The Pistons were fresh off an Eastern Conference Finals loss and entered the NBA Draft with the No. 3 pick. Their roster was stacked with good players, but not one great player. They were a great defensive team with offensive highlights provided by Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton, but there was still something missing – Carmelo Anthony.

But Joe Dumars went against the grain because he felt he had a top- tier small forward in Tayshaun Prince. He drafted Darko Milicic as the future big man in the middle, ignoring the fact that every team around him was getting offensive while he wanted to stay defensive. They won the Championship that year, but look at them now. Anthony is not much of a defensive player and maybe that’s the reason he was passed over, but looking back he was the perfect fit for keeping that organization relevant.

With Billups, Hamilton and the Wallace guys up front, Melo didn’t have to be a defensive force. His job would have been to score. At that time Rip was the master coming off the screen, and Billups was brilliant at breaking down a defense in order to find an open teammate or a jumper for himself.

With Anthony onboard, their offensive average of 90 points per game would have increased drastically. As years went on the Pistons hit a snag. No big name players came to the Motown City and they were forced to overpay bench players. With a name and brand like Anthony playing in Detroit every night, they would have stayed relevant for years to come.

Next: The Lost Dynasty