The 2003 draft was one of the best drafts in NBA history. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Cameron Anthony, Chris Bosh, the top few selected rookies of this year, are all well-known names. However, the eye of the list, Dako Milisic, has become a typical example of failure in the legendary session, a historical joke.
If the Pistons picked Anthony in the second pick, what would the NBA look like? This is perhaps one of the most evocative "ifs" in NBA history. Because, the Detroit Pistons are really serious about preparing to select Cameron Anthony with the second pick in the 2003 draft.
Recently, Cameron Anthony appeared on a talk show to talk to former NBA players Matt Barnes and Steven Jackson about his regrets during the 2003 draft. Anthony is still bitter that the Pistons didn't pick him in the second overall pick. Anthony said the Pistons had promised to pick themselves, but ultimately chose Milisic.
"I think if I were there, they would win another title. I'm not going to say we can achieve three consecutive championships. I feel like if I'm there, we'll be two in a row. They are all veterans and I will learn from them. By the second year, I'm going to be back at a completely different level of player. That changed the course of my career, and I'll tell you what, I still think about it to this day. Because I thought, they gave me the promise, 'We're going to choose you, we're going to choose you.' I'm saying that's true all the way up to the day of the draft. So in my heart, I thought I was going to go to the pistons. This still haunts me to this day. Anthony said.
In the 2003 draft, 18-year-old James stayed in Ohio, and 19-year-old Melon went to Colorado, where they first met.
This year's best rookie competition became the first head-on confrontation between two talented teenagers in the professional arena. The selection of the best rookie is always simple, and the person with the largest number after the addition of the three major statistics of points, rebounds and assists can basically win this award. Unlike the MVP, the best team, the all-star and other selections, the best rookie selection does not like to look at the record, after all, the team that can get the super potential new star often does not have too good results.
James and Anthony turned the stage into a two-man turn, averaging 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game, james received 78 first-pick votes for a total of 508 points, while Anthony, who averaged 21 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game, received the remaining 40 first-pick votes for a total of 430 points.
After the story, NBA fans are familiar with it. Anthony became an all-around scorer, winning the scoring throne, and James became a historic emperor superstar.
Milisic is the only player in the top five of this year who has not succeeded in the NBA. The Serbian big man spent 10 years of his career in 6 different teams, but he never averaged more than 8.0 points per game in a single season.
In the 2003–04 season, Milisic became the first player in his rookie to win the championship, but he had almost no playing time, dubbed the "Cigar of Human Victory", and Only when the victory was locked, Milisic would get the opportunity to play. In the Pistons' three seasons, Milisic averaged 6 minutes per game, scoring only 1.6 points and 1.2 rebounds.
In 2003-08, the Pistons had incredible success, reaching the Eastern Conference Finals six times in a row. The Pistons reached the NBA Finals twice in a row in 2004 and 2005 and have been called one of the toughest defensive teams in history. In 2005, the Pistons lost to the Spurs in the Seventh Race, failing to achieve the streak of the once "Bad Boy Army".
Anthony said: "I suppose, but if I'm in the Pistons, we can defend the title. They have a bunch of veterans and I'll learn a lot from them. When I come back from the second season, I'll go further. ”
Anthony has already developed a fairly mature offensive technique in college, and if the Pistons really had melons in 2005, the result of the Spurs- and Pistons' showdown could really be rewritten. In 2009, he had a successful partnership with 2004 FMVP and Pistons core point guard Chansi Billups, reaching the Western Conference Finals.
The past is hurried, eighteen years have passed, and now the melon should focus on the present, and the Lakers and their brothers - LeBron James together for the championship again.