96-4: BEN WALLACE (undrafted, signed by Washington)- no one thought much of this small 6'8" center-forward at first as he had little to nothing to show for in his first couple years, getting cut from the NBA. Eventually making a comeback to the league when the Boston Celtics took a flier on him at the Shaws Summer League. Was traded around the NBA, going to Toronto, Denver, Chicago, and Orlando where he proved that he was a hard worker and would become something. In a trade for Grant Hill, the Magic sent Big Ben to Detroit where he took off. Based on reputation, who would have thought that Wallace would be the big time shot blocker and rebounder, and Hill would be an overpaid, injury prone let down.
03-4: CHRIS BOSH (drafted fourth overall to Toronto)- Right from the get go, the 6'10" Bosh had expectations to meet. Though he didn't necessarily start off as with fourth overall pick quality numbers, worked his way to the top becoming a franchise player dropping 22.3 points per game in '07-'08, leading the Raptors to the playoffs which is huge considering where the Raptors were when he started.
Edge: BEN WALLACE. Yes, it is true that Wallace did not hit his prime until after '00-'01 and was never the scorer that Bosh is, but he was a very clutch defender which impressively made up for the offense lost from trading Grant Hill. Bosh has not necessarily fit the meaning of clutch, getting manhandled by Dwight Howard and the Magic in the '07-'08 playoffs.
96-5: STEPHON MARBURY (drafted fourth overall by Minnesota)- This quick, strong 6'2" point guard had a lot of weapons. He was a playmaker, he could shoot, he could get to the basket, andhe could defend. Teamed up with Kevin Garnett to form a powerful dynamic duo and was then traded to New Jersey. Marbury never had MVP caliber talent, but could really perform, putting put 23.6 points, 7.6 assists and 1.18 steals per game in '00-'01.
03-5: LUKE RIDNOUR (drafted 14th overall to Seattle)- Ridnour came into the NBA as a very talented prospect with a finesse backcourt style game. Coming out of Univ of Oregon, Ridnour had heads turning at the rookie camps. He has become a steady performer in Seattle with a lot to offer, but not enough to carry a team.
Edge: STEPHON MARBURY. It is a pretty simple choice. Marbury provided that much more. A much more dominant player than Ridnour.
96-6: RAY ALLEN (drafted fifth overall to Milwaukee)- Ray Allen, a 6'5" shooting guard, was never a flashy player that you would see all over highlight reels, but he got the job done. He was a very consistent performer. He played for a very lowly team that never made it far, so he was very often overlooked despite his 22.0 points per game, 5.2 rebounds per game, 4.1 assists per game, and 1.03 steals per game effort in '00-'01.
03-6: JOSH HOWARD (drafted 29th overall by Dallas)- Drafted as an underclassman at Wake Forest, this explosive 6'5" shooting guard has so much to offer despite taking a few years to develop. Not quite a big time scoring threat yet, Howard has high hopes and has become a part of the nucleus of the Mavericks. Howard is an uptempo player that dropped 20 points and grab 7 rebounds a game.
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