What Could Have Been if the Pistons hadn't drafted Darko Milicic

Let me preface this with the following statement:  Joe Dumars can do no wrong for me, not when he was a player and not as a GM. 

         When you watch a Pistons home game the camera usually ends up on Dumars, once, maybe twice a game.  The same, cold as ice expression exudes from his face, similar to the expression Doyle Brunson or Phil Ivey exhibit when they’re taking all of your chips. 

         He remains stoic and calculating in his demeanor, and there’s a quiet confidence about him, the kind that gives you the impression that he’s always five steps ahead of you. 

He tells it how it is, doesn’t make trades for the sake of making them, and best of all hasn’t used the “rebuilding” excuse to death the way many of the leagues more incompetent GM’s often do.  I live in Philadelphia, and by my estimation we’ve been “rebuilding” the 76’ers longer than it took the Egyptian’s to build The Great Pyramid of Giza.   

With everything Dumars has done as GM of the Pistons organization, he may be remembered more notably for the misfortune of drafting Darko Milicic 2^nd overall in the 2003 NBA Draft. 

I still think about it constantly, not so much about Joe Dumar’s reputation, the fans including myself have certainly forgiven him for that.  With that said, I still can’t help but wonder, just how great would the Pistons be if they hadn’t drafted Darko?  Who would they’ve taken instead, and which player would’ve ultimately been the best fit?

I went back to the 2003 draft to search for some answers. 

*(Assume the move to acquire Rasheed Wallace in 2004 was inevitable.)*

           Carmelo Anthony-No. 3 selected overall.   

           Why this could’ve worked-Anthony was arguably the most proven player in the draft.  He attended the prestigious Oak Hill Academy, and then went on to Syracuse University where he helped win their first and only National Championship.         

He also plays better when surrounded by other talented players.  That may seem like a bone-headed obvious statement, but not every player fits into that category. 

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