If the Cleveland Cavaliers Can't Win This Year, Blame Luke Jackson
Ever since LeBron James landed in Cleveland after the 2003 NBA Draft, the quest for the Cavaliers' front office has been to find him a decent supporting cast. Many have tried, from Larry Hughes to Wally Szczerbiak to Boobie Gibson. Now the onus is on Mo Williams and Antawn Jamison to play the Scottie role.
However, in my quest to piss off all 30 NBA teams' fanbases (so far I've succeeded with the Knicks, Raptors, and my own Warriors) I'm going to force Cleveland fans to re-live a memory they probably don't want to re-live.
The 2004 NBA Draft.
One of the more underrated drafts of the decade, possibly due to coming after one of the greatest ever (2003). It only produced one outright superstar in Dwight Howard, however the number of star role players and solid NBA-caliber guys to come out possibly even exceeds 2003, which did, after all, give us Darko Milicic and Michael Sweetney among others.
2004 was also the last year Cleveland had a lottery pick. The Cavs used the 10th overall pick in the draft to select Luke Jackson.
Who?
Yeah, my reaction exactly.
The point is, the Cavs had a golden opportunity to provide the King with a right-hand man to suit his talents. And they blew it.
Let's take a look at what could have been.
Andris Biedrins
Selected : 11th overall by the Golden State Warriors.
What Could Have Been : Given his limited offensive game, Biedrins probably wouldn't have developed into the sidekick that LeBron would have needed. However, he could easily have filled the role that Dennis Rodman did with the second "three-peat" Bulls—grabbing rebounds, blocking shots, scoring off tip-ins and other garbage buckets. He may not have been ideal, but he'd definitely have been an upgrade on Luke Jackson.
Al Jefferson
Selected: 15th overall by the Boston Celtics.
What Could Have Been : Oh boy. Jefferson has spent his entire career on crap teams (the pre-Big Three Celtics and the post-Garnett Timberwolves) but he's made a niche for himself as a regular 20-10 guy when fully fit who is a consistent threat in the low post.
You think LeBron couldn't use a consistent block threat on the Cavs? Especially a guy who still has upside? LeBron and Jefferson could easily have been the Magic and Kareem of the 00s.
Josh Smith
Selected: 17th overall by the Atlanta Hawks.
What Could Have Been: Imagine a lineup with the two greatest natural athletes in the NBA right now. Damn, that would have been a team to watch. You'd have to raise the rim. Smith was a head case in his first few years (especially his tendency to jack up threes despite not being a very good three-point shooter) but he finally shaped up this year and became the offensive threat we knew he could be while not conceding a thing on D—he's one of the best shot-blockers in the league right now who isn't named Dwight Howard.
Playing with LeBron could have gotten him to this stage quicker—who knows? Smith's also a decent passer and good rebounder on both ends of the court. He could have filled the Scottie role like the man himself.
Jameer Nelson
Selected: 20th overall by the Denver Nuggets, then traded to Orlando.
What Could Have Been: Jameer would have been Mo Williams before Mo was Mo. In fact, he plays a similar role on this Magic team with more playmaking responsibility.
On the Cavs, where LeBron is the primary ballhandler, he could have easily settled into the role as a shoot-first PG—in fact, that is his role and he does it better and more consistently than Mo. Cavs fans, you may start burning effigies now.
Kevin Martin
Selected: 26th overall by the Sacramento Kings.
What Could Have Been: Martin has to be one of the more underrated players in the league. While he may be soft and not do much other than work the perimeter (despite his ability to slash when he feels like it), it's hard to argue with a guy who averages 20 ppg ever since he became a regular starter.
He could easily have filled a similar role to the one Steve Kerr played on the 90s Bulls teams (only he can do more than Kerr ever could) or the role that Larry Hughes was meant to on the 2007 Cavs team that made the finals, providing LeBron with the second scoring threat he's lacked for most of his career.
So to Cavs fans who have been panicking for the past few years about management's inability to provide LeBron with the supporting cast he deserves while cautiously hoping that Antawn Jamison can be the guy and Mo Williams steps up these playoffs.
The King could have had his right-hand man in 2004. He could even have had a jester, scribe or knight who would have been an upgrade on the peasant he got.
