IMO, the Pistons taking Darko Milicic over Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, Mirk Hinrich, Josh Howard and like a hundred other better players was the biggest mistake in draft history. It wasn't even because they didn't know who was good! I mean, Carmelo Anthony was the star player of the best college basketball team that season and they still took this stiff, weak, no talent whatsoever Darko Milicic over him. I know that the draft doesn't determine who's gonna be good and who's gonna be bad, but I think that I COULD HAVE made a better decision on who should be choosen #2.
What were the Pistons thinking?
2007-01-12 05:27:07 · 13 answers · asked by LaissezFaire 6 in Sports ➔ Basketball
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_NBA_Draft
2007-01-12 05:27:22 · update #1
Okay, it wasn't the BIGGEST mistake in draft history, but it's pretty close.
2007-01-12 05:28:24 · update #2
Sigma_B, my point exactly.
This Milicic guy played in the Serbian league, a league that isn't even close to NBA level, so how can anyone assume that he'll be nearly as good in the NBA?
2007-01-12 05:43:17 · update #3
"by the way Darko won an NBA title in his first year. Other than Dwayne Wade name another player from that draft whose one an NBA championship or even come close?"
LOL, I'm sure that Darko's 1 PPG and 2 MPG was the reason why the Pistons won an NBA championship that year.
2007-01-12 11:30:22 · update #4
Personally, I think that Larry Brown went drastically downhill in the last five years or so and everyone was afraid to say so, though he is probably not to blame for that disastrous draft as much as Dumars.
The sour old nut Brown was utterly pathetic in the Olympics, burying LeBron and Melo on the bench while watching his "proven veterans" humiliate and embarass the entire nation.
Carmelo was leading scorer in the NBA before last month's incident, and to all his detractors, he did win a national championship at Syracuse, and he is still only what 23? He may have several rings before he is done.
To answer your question, the pick is still utterly incomprehensible.
2007-01-12 11:49:50 · answer #1 · answered by celticexpress 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Many teams in their position would have taken Darko at #2. In recent years, with foreign prospects and younger players, the draft is increasingly a crap shoot; every year when people say the draft is weak, that is never quite right. There are excellent players just about every year, it just becomes more and more difficult to tell which players they are.
As it turns out, sure, Darko was the wrong pick in any case. But that is with the benefit of hindsight. In my mind, the real error Detroit made was keeping that pick and drafting a rookie that they knew wasn't going to get playing time on that team for years to come. By the time Darko's rookie contract was winding down, they were going to have to decide whether to give him a large contract, and had no idea at all what he would do against NBA competition. Taking Darko in particular was a mistake, but knowing that would have required predicting the future. But taking a rookie, sitting him on the bench for a few years, then being forced to trade him without having any idea what you drafted is the sort of mistake that you could see coming and avoid.
As it stands now, I'm still not sure we have any idea how good Darko is. Safe to say he's not going to be as good as Melo, Bosh, or Wade, but I think he's already better than most people realize, and probably still has room to improve given that he is only now starting to get the regular play time that those other guys got years ago.
2007-01-12 18:13:13 · answer #2 · answered by dpawson 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Pistons messed up. They needed a Center so they drafted the Top Rated Center in the draft. They were fine with Prince and Billups and Wallace. Then the other Wallace stepped up big time, and got all the playing time. So they believed Ben would be their answer at Center and traded Darko. Then Ben left and now their ****d out of luck. Luck of the Draw I guess. They were trying to fill a vulnerability, but they dropped the ball.
2007-01-12 13:56:07 · answer #3 · answered by Chaney34 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yeah they were loaded at every position and thier bench was deep. they draft any of those other players they would have taken away playing time. by the way Darko won an NBA title in his first year. Other than Dwayne Wade name another player from that draft whose one an NBA championship or even come close?
2007-01-12 14:40:36 · answer #4 · answered by originalitybygeorge 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I know this will sound stupid, but that Pistons' team was actually somewhat fortunate to get what they got. That team was based on the basic fundamental of "Teamwork". You look at someone like Carmelo Anthony, and I don't think teamwork is in his vocabulary. The only real big acquisition they made was to get Rasheed Wallace. With Rip, Chauncey, Big Ben, "Sheed, Okur, T-Prince, etc. they had depth, talent, and most importantly, chemistry. Bosh or Wade would've been good in that lineup, but you really never know what a rookie will pan out to, and Detroit wasn't the only one high on Darko that year.
2007-01-12 14:02:17 · answer #5 · answered by tiffnjerm 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That year, the Pistons won the championship. So maybe... if they drafted Carmelo, they wouldnt have gotten Rasheed Wallace as a free agent, who was KEY in their run, and maybe the Pistons would STILL be without a title.
They drafted Darko because they thought he had Dirk-like potential, but apparently he doesnt. They took a gamble and lost.
2007-01-12 13:40:23 · answer #6 · answered by NYTrader55 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well in the minds of the detroit pistons they felt that darko milicic was a can't miss prospect although they knew that it would take him longer to develop but you're right they could have had carmelo anthony or dwayne wade or chris bosh or a number of other players that came out that year anyway that's what happens when you overestimate your ability to scout talent you ultimately end up outsmarting yourself
2007-01-12 16:41:52 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Seriously, I think the Pistons didn't want any superstar cause they already had a team.
Looking at it now, with big Ben Wallace gone to Chicago, maybe they should have made Milicic play a little more cause frankly, he's not bad at all... Ok he's not a superstar in Orlando right now but I really think not playing for all those years made him bad.
2007-01-12 13:37:48 · answer #8 · answered by m_dl05 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No clue, some teams are obsessed with these unproven foreign dudes who tore it up in italy/france/greece (against players who will never step foot on an nba court)....rather than college players who play against other players who are going to be future nba stars. That was a bad gamble b/c not every foreigner pans out....but carmelo was going to be a sure bet to be a star, we all saw that one comming!
2007-01-12 13:33:38 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, they took him cuz he was tall and the team desperately needed a future Center at the time.
He was rated top Center in that draft. He just didn't get the floor time and confidence to pan out into an All Star Center.
2007-01-12 13:31:29 · answer #10 · answered by Brad NotPitt 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋