In the loaded 2003 NBA Draft, the Detroit Pistons were one of the few teams to make a misstep. After LeBron James went first to the Cavs, they drafted Darko Milicic over future Olympic gold medalists Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade.
Already regarded as a contender — the Pistons were drafting second overall via the Memphis Grizzlies’ pick — they were actually able to win it all that same season, in 2003-04. It begs the question, could they have been a proper dynasty if they had drafted Melo, who went third overall to the Denver Nuggets, over Darko?
In a recent Instagram Live with his buddy D-Wade, Melo says that he would’ve had two or three championships had he joined those Pistons instead of the Nuggets.
Not so fast! Ben Wallace, who was the defensive centerpiece of that gritty Pistons championship team, says that the Pistons wouldn’t have won any rings at all if they had drafted Melo.
Unlike Milicic, who was regarded as more of a project and in fact never really wound up playing much of a role for the Pistons at all, Melo came in ready to play from the get-go, which Wallace thinks could actually have had a negative impact on the team’s chemistry.
Being ready to play as a rookie is certainly different from being ready to contribute to a contender and Melo wasn’t all that efficient in his first few seasons, although you do wonder what the long-term projection of that Pistons team would be with Melo instead of Darko.
That 2004 championship would be the only one for that iteration of the Pistons, although made the NBA Finals once again in 2005 during a stretch of six consecutive Eastern Conference Finals apperances. As for Melo, well, it’s safe to say he turned out much better than Darko, although he still is seeking that first title of his own.
h/t Twitter/Stadium
