In Retrospect...the 2005 NBA Draft

I will be doing a random installment looking back on past NBA drafts. There is no rhyme or reason to it, other than it is fun.

See what teams wish they would have scouted more, and see the teams that came away with steals. Looking back, many of these drafts could have re-shaped the league.

2005 NBA Draft

How It Went

1. Milwaukee Bucks- Andrew Bogut: Drafted for need. Big mistake.

2. Atlanta Hawks- Marvin Williams: Bet they wish they would have taken a point guard.

3. Utah Jazz- Deron Williams

4. New Orleans Hornets- Chris Paul

5. Charlotte Bobcats-  Raymond Felton

6. Portland Trail Blazers-Martell Webster

7. Toronto Raptors- Charlie Villanueva

8. New York Knicks- Channing Frye

9. Golden State Warriors-Ike Diogu

10. LA Lakers- Andrew Bynum: Ridiculed at the time, now beloved.

11. Orlando Magic- Fran Vazquez: Never played a second in the NBA.

12. LA Clippers-Yaroslav Korolev: Piece of evidence #1,225,654 why the Clippers will forever suck.

13. Charlotte Bobcats- Sean May

14. Minnesota Timberwolves-Rashad McCants

15. New Jersey Nets- Antoine Wright

16. Toronto Raptors- Joey Graham

17. Indiana Pacers- Danny Granger

18. Boston Celtics-  Gerald Green: We wondered why he fell at the time. Now we know.

19. Memphis Grizzlies- Hakim Warrick

20. Denver Nuggets- Julius Hodge: Never recovered from that Chris Paul ball tap.

21. Phoenix Suns- Nate Robinson

22. Denver Nuggets- Jarret Jack

23. Sacremento Kings- Francisco Garcia

24. Houston Rockets- Luther Head

25. Seattle SuperSonics- (Sorry, Seattle.) Johan Petro (Sorry, Oklahoma City.)

26. Detroit Pistons-Jason Maxiell

27. Portland Trail Blazers-Linas Kleiza

28. San Antonio Spurs-Ian Mahinmi

29. Miami Heat-Wayne Simien

30. New York Knicks- David Lee

Notable Second Rounders

31. Atlanta Hawks- Salim Stoudemire

33. New Orleans Hornets- Brandon Bass

34. Utah Jazz- C.J. Miles

37. LA Lakers- Ronny Turiaf

40. Golden State Warriors- Monta Ellis

45. Philadelphia 76ers- Louis Williams

49. Washington Wizards- Andray Blatche

50. Boston Celtics- Ryan Gomes

56. Detroit Pistons- Amir Johnson

In retrospect...

1. Chris Paul: Hall of Famer, revolutionary to the point guard position.

2. Deron Williams: Very solid player. Not at the level of Paul though.

3. Andrew Bynum: Could develop into a dominant big man, if he hasn't already.

4. Danny Granger: Versatile and possibly the biggest steal of the draft.

5. Monta Ellis: Despite the contract controversy, Ellis should light it up when he returns. Great pick considering he was a high school kid.

6. Andrew Bogut: Not No. 1 talent, but a decent player.

7. Raymond Felton: A serviceable starter.

8. Marvin Williams: No. #2 was too high, this fits.

9. David Lee: Energizer bunny. Great rebounder. Bright spot on Knicks for the past couple years.

10. Lou Williams: Has struggled this season, but has shown glimpses of being a great scorer. 

11. Charlie Villanueva: Not a starter, but not bad.

12. Jason Maxiell: Game goes way beyond box score. I'm sure the Pistons would not have had it any other way.

13. Rashad McCants: Just giving some love to my UNC boys.

14. Martell Webster: Has bright future with Blazers.

15. Hakim Warrick: For size, not a great rebounder, but can score the ball.

16. Nate Robinson: Rollercoaster player. Can be electrifying, then he can suck.

17. CJ Miles: Has started this year, shown some promise.

18. Ryan Gomes: A nice extra piece for Minnesota in the KG deal.

19. Jarret Jack: Serviceable backup.

20. Luther Head: Nice shooter, doesn't find much playing time.

21. Francisco Garcia: Nothing extraordinary. Fits in some rotations.

22. Ronny Turiaf: Doesn't show up on the stat sheet, but is a pest on the court. 

23. Linas Kleiza: Last season could have been a mirage. Kleiza is just a nice role player.

24. Andray Blatche: He is the guy I still think can jump ahead.

25. Amir Johnson: Still raw talent, but nothing much shown yet.

26. Brandon Bass: Eh.

27. Ike Diogu: Good early in career, now barely plays.

28. Sean May: Injury problems have caused a tough career for May. It is a shame.

29. Gerald Green: Won a dunk contest.

30. Salim Stoudemire: Out of league after three years.

It got a little tough in the middle to the end to distinguish where certain players should be assigned. I combined the past, present, and future to estimate where they should have fallen.

A couple things are clear. Milwaukee and Atlanta surely regret not selecting Deron Williams or Chris Paul. The Pacers got a complete steal with Danny Granger.

The Warriors found a diamond in Monta Ellis. As always in the draft, there are some regrets and some happy people. (Cough, New Orleans.)