X's Hypothetical Draft Do-overs *1984 Posted*

Before the draft, the Piston starters were Billups - Hamilton - Prince - Okur - Wallace... Before his breakout 2005 season. Prince was worse than Okur, making SF a bigger need. If I made a 2004 mock, I would have had them taking Melo at 3.

If the trade still happened after that, then a Billups - Hamilton - Anthony - Sheed - Big Ben lineup would have probably won more than one title.

I would have still drafted Darko. I mean, look what happened.

wow. that would've been crazy if wade went to Toronto.
he could've instantly eliminated the stress and the need of an overhaul of the team

Before the draft, the Piston starters were Billups - Hamilton - Prince - Okur - Wallace... Before his breakout 2005 season. Prince was worse than Okur, making SF a bigger need. If I made a 2004 mock, I would have had them taking Melo at 3.

If the trade still happened after that, then a Billups - Hamilton - Anthony - Sheed - Big Ben lineup would have probably won more than one title.

They had 2nd overall, not 3rd. Anthony doesn't play defense as Prince does, so they wouldn't have a good defender, but if they did pick him, I would love for Bosh to play for Denver, then we didn't have to get Martin what so ever.

3. Chicago: SF/SG- Andre Iguodala (picked #9)

Andrew might not like this pick, passing on Gordon & Deng, both of whom I strongly considered. However I kept asking if I was a team GM, who would I want for the next 5-10 years, & the answer was a resounding Iguodala. I'm sure you wouldn't be complaining if this had happened Andrew, you would now own an Iggy jersey instead of Gordon jersey

I wouldn't have had many complaints about that pick but having said that, I'm still fine with the way things went down.

I would love for Bosh to play for Denver, then we didn't have to get Martin what so ever.

Yeah i totally agree, although i love Anthony Bosh and Nene could of been a damaging front court.

I'll give 2005 a shot:

1.) Milwaukee- Chris Paul (PG, Wake Forest)
I see your reasoning for the Bucks taking Bogut still making sense, and they can't be faulted for that pick. However, since we are able to use hindsight, right now they have a frontcourt that features Magloire, Bogut, Yi, Vilanueva, Skinner etc. TJ Ford is gone, and Mo Williams is a free agent. They have a glaring need for backcourt help and depth. Chris Paul and Michael Redd would make one of the best backcourts in the NBA.

I disagree. If you think of the Bucks squad that year who was at the 5 and the 4. Starting centre was going to be Gadzuric with Ervin Johnston as his back-up. Joe Smith was going to start at PF with Kukoc behind him.

Bogut was a gimme. Magloire was an option only after Simmons was signed and Mason could be shipped out.

If we drafted Paul the depth would be:

Paul - Ford - Williams
Redd - Bell - Welsch
Simmons - Mason - Ilyasova
Smith - Kukoc
Gadz - Johnston

but with Bogut:

Ford - Williams - Bell
Redd - Bell - Welsch
Simmons - Mason - Ilyasova - Welsch
Smith - Kukoc - Ilyasova
Bogut - Gadz - Johnston

Makes more sense in my honest opinion. Plus while Bogut hasn't produced to everybodies expectations, next year is the year. Third year is normally where big men start showing what they are made of and what they can produce.

Bogut's pretty inconsistent so far. He had a couple of great games (something like 20 points and 15-20 rebounds) and produced double-doubles constantly for stretches. If he works on being a constant 15-10 man next season, he should keep developing well.

I think David West should go before Darko and TJ Ford/Chris Kaman should switch places. IMO West is a hell of alot better than Darko. Remember, West dropped almost 20/10 this season (18/8) and had a 17/8 season the year before. Darko's best season was 8/5. I know David West is something like 4 years older, but at least he has proven he is a good player. Not many 20/10 guys in this league, David West should be one soon enough - Darko on the other hand, well he has potential. 4 years of "potential" and done nothing.

I think the Clippers take TJ Ford, he's quite alot better than Kaman who doesn't seem to be improving and also fills a need.

yeah, I know where you are coming from with David West....he's been better so far, & might be better in long run as well....at the moment he is a lot better than Darko, but we'll just have to see....as for why I had Darko going ahead of West, it was simply who was picking at 11 & 12....Golden State would have gone with Darko, he's more of their type of player....if Seattle was picking at 11, I would've said David West without hesitation over Darko....it's not just whose the better player....anyone can list the players in the draft from 1 to 15, I think it's more about trying to work out where the team was at, what they were trying to achieve, were they willing to wait a couple of years, is it a good fit for the team & the player....for example, David Lee to Knicks turned out superbly....if he had of dropped to early 2nd Round, he might've been stucked on bench last 2 years & have career averages of 3ppg....that's why I laugh if anyone says Redick is a bust....

Bogut's pretty inconsistent so far. He had a couple of great games (something like 20 points and 15-20 rebounds) and produced double-doubles constantly for stretches. If he works on being a constant 15-10 man next season, he should keep developing well.

I think with a new coach, he'll get more consistent touches....Stotts was an idiot....I felt sorry for Bogut having to play under such a dipshit....

I had finished the whole 2002 one then I lost it, so I'll just re-do it very quickly.

2002 NBA DRAFT RE-DONE (per The X)

1. Houston: C- Yao Ming (picked #1)

Can't fault this pick.

2. Chicago: PF/C- Amare Stoudemire (picked #9)

Would've filled the team's low post needs for years to come. A gimme at this pick if available.

3. Golden State: SF- Caron Butler (picked #10)

Needed a swingman, this would've made a much better pick than Dunleavy Jr.

4. Memphis: PF- Carlos Boozer (picked #35)

A steal at this pick.

5. Denver: SF- Tayshaun Prince (picked #23)

The Nuggets needed everything, but Prince would've helped either way. Best available talent.

6. Cleveland: PF/C- Nenad Krstic (picked #24)

Best available big guy, fills need at PF & provides insurance for Z.

7. Denver/New York: PF/C- Nene Hilario (picked #7)

Can't fault the pick now or then. Regardless of Camby/McDyess trade, I say Nene goes here.

8. LA Clippers: PF- Drew Gooden (picked #4)

The Clips get Brand some help inside.

9. Phoenix: PF- Udonis Haslem (undrafted)

Once the Suns get him in shape, he becomes a good pickup at this spot. The Suns needed inside help in the worst kind of way at this time.

10. Miami: PF- Chris Wilcox (picked #8)

The Heat needed help inside, Wilcox is the best available talent. This works.

11. Washington: PF- Reggie Evans (undrafted)

You might be wondering why I have Evans this high, it's because Jordan's Wizards had very good talent on the wings (MJ, Stackhouse, Hughes, etc) & needed a player that would do the dirty work & grab boards. Evans fits this bill.

12. LA Clippers: SF/SG- Mike Dunleavy Jr (picked #3)

Best available talent would've made a good backup behind Odom, Maggette & Q Richardson.

13. Milwaukee: C- Dan Gadzuric (picked #34)

A player they got at #34 originally & who started 30 or so games for them his rookie season. Maybe not best guy available, but has some talent for a big man & fills a big need.


Five toughest omissions: Fred Jones (#14), Juan Dixon (#17), Juan Navarro (#40), Ronald Murray (#42) & Rasual Butler (#53).

Five biggest flops: Nikoloz Tskitishvili (picked #5), Dajuan Wagner (picked #6), Curtis Borchardt (#18), Ryan Humphrey (#19) & Qyntel Woods (#21).


A good draft if you're picking in the first half of the lottery, otherwise it's pretty piss weak & tapers off pretty fast. 2001 re-draft will probably be posted in the next 2 to 3 days.

2. Chicago: PF/C- Amare Stoudemire (picked #9)

Would've filled the team's low post needs for years to come. A gimme at this pick if available.

If only...

I'd put Jay Williams amongst the biggest flops, though admittedly he's not a conventional flop given that he probably would have been a decent player had it not been for his accident. Still, considering how it ended his career (pending another comeback attempt) and the players that the Bulls could have taken I think he qualifies as a flop, albeit with an asterisk.

2003 NBA DRAFT RE-DONE (per The X)
7. Chicago: SF- Josh Howard (picked #29)

The Bulls needed a lot of help, even at SF, so this pick would've been a great coup for the Bulls in turning the franchise around.

considering that Jay Williams had the motorcycle accident, the Bulls were going PG all the way

yeh crawford was there but Paxson wasn't a believer in his PG skills. he probably would have gone with TJ Ford

2004 NBA DRAFT RE-DONE (per The X)
6. Atlanta: PG- Jameer Nelson (picked #20)

The Hawks were running with Tyronn Lue & Kenny Anderson so either Harris or Nelson would've helped. I tip my hat to Nelson, not because he is better than Deng for that matter, but due to the fact he was ready to come in & play straight away at the PG spot.

the hawks weren't going anywhere anyway so IMO they would have chosen Harris potential over Nelson's midgetness/readiness

3. Chicago: SF/SG- Andre Iguodala (picked #9)

my guess is that the Bulls would have gone with Deng @3. looking at your mock- perhaps AI2 would still be available @7... so they still would end up with both heh

Damn...looking back, the Suns got away with such a steal with Amare at #9. We got NBA All-First Team talent instead of Udonis Freakin' Haslem. Wow...

Everyone was worried about him because he had played at 78 different high schools* and plus they were coming off a bundle of disappointing high schoolers in the recent drafts.

I think Jay Williams would've never been anything great, his rookie year was lousy. The injury and career-endingness simply saved everyone from having to eat crow over all the pundits blasting Houston for taking Yao over him. ("Yao's just a big Chinese guy who never played anyone important...Jay Williams is a proven winner!!" etc.)

You should do an addendum to the 2001 draft where Jordan actually trades the number one pick for Elton Brand...or drafts a "filthy Euro" like Pau Gasol...

*Slight exaggeration

2003 NBA DRAFT RE-DONE (per The X)
7. Chicago: SF- Josh Howard (picked #29)

The Bulls needed a lot of help, even at SF, so this pick would've been a great coup for the Bulls in turning the franchise around.

considering that Jay Williams had the motorcycle accident, the Bulls were going PG all the way

yeh crawford was there but Paxson wasn't a believer in his PG skills. he probably would have gone with TJ Ford

2004 NBA DRAFT RE-DONE (per The X)
6. Atlanta: PG- Jameer Nelson (picked #20)

The Hawks were running with Tyronn Lue & Kenny Anderson so either Harris or Nelson would've helped. I tip my hat to Nelson, not because he is better than Deng for that matter, but due to the fact he was ready to come in & play straight away at the PG spot.

the hawks weren't going anywhere anyway so IMO they would have chosen Harris potential over Nelson's midgetness/readiness

3. Chicago: SF/SG- Andre Iguodala (picked #9)

my guess is that the Bulls would have gone with Deng @3. looking at your mock- perhaps AI2 would still be available @7... so they still would end up with both heh

Re 2003 draft, I just figured Josh Howard was better than Eddie Robinson at SF, but yeah, TJ Ford was a very viable option....

Re 2004 draft, yeah, I'd flip Harris into Nelson's spot at 6 as well....I had a bad re-drafting night that night I'd say & the next day, when I looked back, it didn't look right....

as for Iguodala, it was really a toss up between Deng & him at 3, no one else was in the picture....I just like Iggy that little bit better I guess, but I wouldn't fault anyone for taking Deng over him....it's like apples & oranges I guess....

Everyone was worried about him because he had played at 78 different high schools* and plus they were coming off a bundle of disappointing high schoolers in the recent drafts.

I think Jay Williams would've never been anything great, his rookie year was lousy. The injury and career-endingness simply saved everyone from having to eat crow over all the pundits blasting Houston for taking Yao over him. ("Yao's just a big Chinese guy who never played anyone important...Jay Williams is a proven winner!!" etc.)

You should do an addendum to the 2001 draft where Jordan actually trades the number one pick for Elton Brand...or drafts a "filthy Euro" like Pau Gasol...

*Slight exaggeration

I won't be doing addendum where Jordan trades No. 1 for Brand, but the Bulls definitely won't be trading him for the No. 2 pick....

The warriors didnt pick #8 in the 07 draft

dsigns: Yeah, but they ended up trading on draft night for Brandan Wright, who was the 8th pick.

Anyway, I can't wait for your 2001 draft. Who will be first? Pau? Arenas? Kwame?

2006 NBA DRAFT RE-DONE (per The X)

7. Portland: SF/SG- Adam Morrison (picked #3)

Portland needs a starting SF, Adam Morrison is a local product, the fans would've loved this pick. Please disregard his terrible rookie season, he'll be better than that, trust me.

Something i ponder over is that what could have happened if Morrison stayed for his senior season. he probably would have unanimously won just about every award but still came up short of a National Title. I think a Draft with Durant, Morrison, AND ODEN would be crazy. Such talent to pick from. I'd be as giddy as a schoolgirl if these 3 were in a draft together and I'm the Portland Trailblazer's GM.

The warriors didnt pick #8 in the 07 draft

the Bobcats traded the Warriors the #8 pick for Richardson prior to the draft....it just wasn't official until the draft....

dsigns: Yeah, but they ended up trading on draft night for Brandan Wright, who was the 8th pick.

Anyway, I can't wait for your 2001 draft. Who will be first? Pau? Arenas? Kwame?

should be up tonight or tomorrow at latest

2006 NBA DRAFT RE-DONE (per The X)

7. Portland: SF/SG- Adam Morrison (picked #3)

Portland needs a starting SF, Adam Morrison is a local product, the fans would've loved this pick. Please disregard his terrible rookie season, he'll be better than that, trust me.

Something i ponder over is that what could have happened if Morrison stayed for his senior season. he probably would have unanimously won just about every award but still came up short of a National Title. I think a Draft with Durant, Morrison, AND ODEN would be crazy. Such talent to pick from. I'd be as giddy as a schoolgirl if these 3 were in a draft together and I'm the Portland Trailblazer's GM.

Even if Morrison had of repeated his junior season as a senior, he definitely wasn't a chance to go in top 2....the Hawks already have a plethora of SF's & SG's, so he wouldn't go at 3 either....Memphis didn't need him either....the earliest he would have went would be #5 to Seattle (via Boston)....if not there, then maybe at 7 or 8 or outside the top 10....based on team needs in this draft, he could've slid but I'd say he would've been snapped up at #5 as a local product for the Sonics....

2001 NBA DRAFT RE-DONE (per The X)

1. Washington: PG/SG- Gilbert Arenas (picked #31)

I thought about not having Arenas at number 1 as he needed the chip on his shoulder to become the great player he is today. Then I came to the conclusion that great players can motivate themselves regardless of the situation. Gilbert is one of them & is a good pick at number 1 overall as he replaces Chris Whitney as the team's starting PG.

2. LA Clippers: PF/C- Pau Gasol (picked #3)

The team was strong on the wings (Odom, Maggette, Q Richardson, Miles etc), but needed help at PG (Jeff McInnis was the starter) & at PF. So it's a toss up between Tony Parker & Pau Gasol at this spot. But the Clippers can't pass on a 20-10 seven footer regardless of how good Tony Parker is becoming.

3. Atlanta: SG- Joe Johnson (picked #10)

The Hawks already had Jason Terry at PG, so Parker can't go here. I don't like Randolph or Curry at this spot either, so I'm thinking the open SG spot is there for the taking, & that the Hawks were willing to wait on Joe Johnson to flourish. Btw, the Hawks don't trade this pick for Shareef Abdur-Rahim.

4. Chicago: PG- Tony Parker (picked #28)

The Bulls needed a PG in the worst kind of way considering the names like Bryce Drew, Khalid El-Amin, Greg Anthony & Fred "The Mayor" Hoiberg all shared starting duties during this period. Parker was a very steady rookie & would've helped this team right away, & eventually continued to develop with the Baby Bulls.

5. Golden State: SG- Jason Richardson (picked #5)

Can't fault this pick either now or then as JRich beats out Zach Randolph at this spot.

6. Memphis: PF/C- Zach Randolph (picked #19)

The Grizzlies needed a starting PF to put in between Bryant "Big Country" Reeves & Shareef Abdur-Rahim. Randolph clearly fills that void as the best available big guy & is a marked improvement over Grant Long & Othella Harrington.

7. New Jersey: C- Eddy Curry (picked #4)

I almost flinched & put Richard Jefferson at this spot figuring that the team could add another piece on their title runs, but the previous season they had only 26 wins, they had not yet traded for Jason Kidd & had a starting lineup of Marbury, Kittles, Van Horn, Kenyon Martin & Evan Eschmeyer. The Nets needed a centre in the worst kind of way, & Curry would've at least been better than Eschmeyer, as much as we love the Northwestern alum.

8. Cleveland: PF/C- Mehmet Okur (picked #38)

The Cavs needed help at PF badly & Okur could've provided that straight away. He might not be the best talent on the board at this point, but his size & versatility puts him in this spot.

9. Detroit: SF- Gerald Wallace (picked #25)

The Pistons needed a SF, Michael Curry was their starter at the time. Although Wallace wouldn't have displaced Curry as a starter that season, he could've been a nice potential pick for the future which would've reaped great dividends for the Pistons. A better potential pick than Rodney White, that's for sure.

10. Boston: PG- Jamaal Tinsley (picked #27)

With a Celtics team near the top of the East with Paul Pierce & Antoine Walker leading the way, the Celtics needed a PG badly, & this pick would've been very sensible at this spot. They would've reap immediate rewards & he was a pass first PG.

11. Boston: PF/C- Troy Murphy (picked #14)

I know I'm controversially picking Murphy ahead of Richard Jefferson, but I'm putting the Celtics in a win-now mode, & think that a big guy who can rebound & hit open shots (& start at centre ahead of Battie) would be more important to them in getting to the NBA Finals than an athletic SF in Richard Jefferson who would've been stuck behind Antoine Walker, Paul Pierce, Eric Williams & possibly Walter McCarty as a rookie. Jefferson didn't have a jumpshot at that time, so chances are he wouldn't have played a lot. I seem to be writing a lot, which seems to be trying to validate the point to myself, but ahh well, this is my pick.

12. Seattle: C/PF- Tyson Chandler (picked #2)

As always, Seattle is picking at number 12 again. The Sonics had a pretty potent offensive lineup (Payton, Lewis, Brent Barry & Vin Baker), they just needed some help inside to rebound & block shots. Chandler could provide this & if given a few years, develop into a pretty nifty big guy.

13. Houston: SF- Richard Jefferson (picked #13)

The Rockets needed a SF back then, they should've sit tight & picked up Jefferson rather than trading him for #6 pick, Eddie Griffin. Then they could've used their other two 1st Round picks (#18 & #23) on say Brendan Haywood & Trenton Hassell.


Four toughest omissions: Shane Battier (#6), Vladimir Radmanovic (#12), Samuel Dalembert (#26), & Bobby Simmons (#42).

Four biggest flops: Kwame Brown (picked #1), Eddie Griffin (picked #6), Rodney White (#9) & Kedrick Brown (#11).


A good draft if you're picking in the lottery, even to the late teens. Better than I expected the re-draft to be, although there were a fair share of busts in the 1st Round (including Kirk Haston, Michael Bradley, Joseph Forte & Jeryl Sasser on top of the lottery flops listed above). I'll probably post the 2000 draft in the next couple of days.

2000 will be easy...I believe.

Some picks were solid, but no real superstars in the class apart from maybe Redd.

Still think Gasol should've been first, but yeah, Arenas is way more sensible pick than Brown.

Funny how Washington and Atlanta still ended up getting the players they should have.

Whoa... RJ at 13; no Battier.

Can't wait for the 2000 draft. Makes 2006 seem deep. K-Mart may have rightfully been a top-3 pick!

2000 will be easy...I believe.

Some picks were solid, but no real superstars in the class apart from maybe Redd.

it might make it easier at the top, but with less clear cut stars, it could potentially be harder....some drafts that I've redone were harder than I thought they'd be & some easier....I won't know until I re-draft it I guess....

Still think Gasol should've been first, but yeah, Arenas is way more sensible pick than Brown.

it was between those two, but the way Arenas is now playing & if he can continue that level, then it's hard not to take him number 1....

Funny how Washington and Atlanta still ended up getting the players they should have.

yeah, it's quite funny how in quite a few of the re-drafts, I have players going to their respective teams in the 1st Round instead of 2nd Round or to the team they signed as a free agent when the team had the chance to draft them originally but passed....

Whoa... RJ at 13; no Battier.

Can't wait for the 2000 draft. Makes 2006 seem deep. K-Mart may have rightfully been a top-3 pick!

yeah, I almost had Jefferson going to Nets at 6, but once he passed them & started to free fall....Battier was perhaps the toughest omission....it's just how it ended I guess....