The Best NBA Draft Class of All Time: 1996 or 2003?

Edge: CARMELO ANTHONY.  Antoine Walker was very impressive until he dwindled later on, but even with Paul Pierce, the Celtics were never able to get much done in Walker's first five seasons.  With or without the help of Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony has the Nuggets a playoff contender every year.  He brought a completely new look to the team from a talent perspective and from a marketing perspective.

96-9: SHAREEF ABDUR-RAHIM(drafted third overall by Vancouver)- This underrated 6'8" forward was assigned the do-it-all role when he was chosen to play for the Grizzlies.  Inheriting a team with very little to work with, Abdur-Rahim proved that he was a competitor, despite finishing with a league worst 14 wins in his rookie season. Shareef could score, rebound, and defend, as his numbers always looked impressive, finishing '00-'01 with 20.5 points and 9.1 rebounds per game.  However, his team couldn't even manage a decent season, never even coming close to the playoffs.  Shareef could really play, but it was a mystery why his team couldn't, even with a lot of individual talent, going through big names such as Bryant Reeves, Greg Anthony, Byron Scott, Mike Bibby, Michael Dickerson, Stromile Swift, and Felipe Lopez.

03-9: BORIS DIAW-RIFFIOD (drafted 21st overall by Atlanta)- Diaw, a 6'8" forward, never amounted to much in Atlanta.  He was practically given to Phoenix in a trade that sent Joe Johnson to Atlanta and he joined a stacked lineup with the potential to explode and rise atop the NBA.  That they did, becoming a nearly unstoppable run and gun style team.  Diaw fit very nicely into a starting lineup with Steve Nash, Raja Bell, Shawn Marion, and Amare Stoudemire.  Diaw impressed many showing that he was able to step up and play center when Amare Stoudemire was injured.  This allowed the suns to play with a very small, fast team.

Edge: SHAREEF ABDUR-RAHIM.  Shareef had a lot more talent.  He was a leader and a franchise player who put up some nice stats.  Though he was not able to produce the results that Diaw is, there's no telling where the Grizzlies would have been without him.

96-10: PEDRAG STOJAKOVIC (drafted 16th overall by Sacramento)- Few people would have guessed that Peja Stojakovic was even drafted this year.  He did not make the cut, and played two very successful years in Greece before debuting in the NBA with the Kings in '98-'99.  The 6'10" small forward came up almost unnoticed as he took a couple years, but emerged into an outstanding shooter that played a key role in the Kings' success.  In '00-'01, averaged 20.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 40% from 3 point range.

03-10: KYLE KORVER (drafted 51st overall by New Jersey, traded to Philadelphia)- This 6'6" small forward was another underrated small conference collegiate player, who proved to a lot of the doubtful that he could succeed in the NBA.  Ranked 22nd among rookies, Korver played the sixth man role, but more impressively, was invited to participate in the 3-point shooting contest at All-Star weekend and finished third overall.  Korver is one of the best shooters in the NBA today.  Not too bad for a near last draft pick.

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