Cleveland gave Hughes the money that summer, signing him to a max-deal. Expected to be a Pippen-like player to Lebron’s nightly Michael Jordan performances, Hughes struggled. He was shipped to Chicago this past season in the Ben Wallace deal, where he’s currently leading the NBA in tattoos.
Who it Should have been: Jason Williams (seventh overall to Sacramento)
Little known fact here - Jason Williams is the only player in league history to lead the NBA in jersey sales AND be suspended for smoking weed within the same calendar year. The man was a trendsetter.
The Jason Williams chapter appears to be over however. J-Will signed with the Clippers this off-season before declaring his retirement a few weeks later. Pass the rolling papers.
9. Dallas Mavericks
Actual Pick:Dirk Nowitzki, F. DJK Wurzburg.
Dirk’s already nabbed the number one spot on our 1998 list, so needless to say this was a pretty good pick by the Mavericks.
Who it Should have been: Larry Hughes (eighth overall to Sacramento)
Hughes still finds himself in the top 10 despite the inconsistency that has hindered his career. He’s not worth the huge amounts of money he’s being paid, but he’s still put up decent numbers over his 10 seasons.
10. Boston Celtics
Actual Pick: Paul Pierce, F. Kansas.
When Pierce landed in the Celtics lap at the 10 spot, the team was ecstatic– and for good reason. Routinely discussed as a top three pick leading into the draft, Pierce fell and fell with no real reason as to why. Pierce vowed to prove a point to all the teams who had skipped over him, and I think he’s done a pretty good job since then.
There’s been some dark seasons in Beantown since Pierce’s arrival, but he’s played hard despite having some miserable teams surrounding him. I guess that whole “good things come to those wait” thing isn’t such a pile of BS after all. Unless your team just signed Darko or something. Then you’re basically screwed.
Who it Should have been:Cuttino Mobley (No. 41 overall to Houston)
Mobley shoots up all the way from No. 41 overall to finish out our top 10, beating out Bonzi Wells (No. 11 pick), Ricky Davis (No. 21 pick) and Rafer Alston (No. 39 pick) for the honor. Mobley is a career 15.6 scorer, and was once part of one of the better offensive backcourtsin the league when he partnered with Steve Francis in Houston.
Currently playing for the Clippers, Mobley’s stats have begun to slide a bit but he’s still one of the league’s better outside shooters and a threat to score on any given night.
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