Post by noves on Jul 3, 2008 16:39:36 GMT -5
It's been 5 full seasons since the 2003 Draft, and by now, the players from the 2003 draft have just about determined their positions in the league. Let's take a look back and see how the draft went, and how it would go if the draft were held today.
#1 Then - LeBron James
#1 Now - LeBron James
Nothing changes here, as LeBron is without a doubt the best player from the 2003 draft. He's become an absolute phenom and he's producing like he's Magic Johnson. With career averages of 25.8ppg, 7.6rpg, and 6.3apg, LeBron is certainly one of the best players in the league. He's already led the Mavericks to two titles, and there appear to be more in his future.
#2 Then - Carmelo Anthony
#2 Now - Carmelo Anthony
After LeBron, it becomes more difficult. You can make a case for someone like Kirk Hinrich or Mike Dunleavy as the 2nd best player, but I'd still take Bron's Mavericks teammate at #2.
Anthony's been an offensive force ever since he entered the league, and the rest of his game has developed quite nicely. He's now a very solid defender and a quality rebounder and ball handler. His career averages of 23.4ppg, 7.0rpg, and 4.0apg are pheneomenal, and he's definitely one of the best young swingmen in the league.
#3 Then - Chris Bosh
#3 Now - Kirk Hinrich
While Mike Dunleavy might appear to be the better player, I prefer Hinrich. Hinrich has developed into one of the best and most efficient PG's in the league. His career AST : TO ratio of 5.1 : 1 is outstanding, and he's also an offensive threat as he's averaged 17.3ppg in his career. As for Bosh, he's been a bit of a late bloomer, as his two most impressive seasons have come in the last two years. He's not close to being the star some scouts and GM's thought he would be, but he's still a solid player, just not worthy of being taken #3.
#4 Then - Josh Howard
#4 Now - Mike Dunleavy
"White Magic" is no doubt the biggest surprise from the 2003 draft. Originally selected 15th overall, Dunleavy has developed into one of the more all-around PG's in the league. Last season, Dunleavy averaged 23.2ppg, 6.0rpg, 6.6apg, and 2.5spg on very good %'s. He's not the purest PG, but he can do it all, and he's a big-time playmaker. As for Howard, he's had a great career in his own right, but Dunleavy tops him.
#5 Then - Kirk Hinrich
#5 Now - Josh Howard
Howard is one of the few players from this draft who is still with the team that drafted him. Howard has played all 5 of his BBS seasons in Chicago, and over those 5 years he's averaged 18.1ppg, 6.8rpg, and 3.0 apg. He's one of the more underrated players in the league, but he's very consistent, and has a solid all-around game, and that's why he's #5 on this list.
#6 Then - Chris Kaman
#6 Now - Maurice Williams
This was a toss-up between Williams & David West, and the reason I chose Williams was because he plays the more important position. Williams has quietly developed into one of the better PG's in the league. While his stats don't really stand out, keep in mind, he was the 4th or 5th option on a ridiculously good Knicks team for a few seasons, so offensively speaking, his development was slowed down by that. Last season with Houston, Williams showed what he can do offensively, scoring 19.8ppg in addition to 8.8apg. Kaman drops because while he's solid offensively and on the boards, he's a poor defender and has spent each season with a different team - that should say something.
#7 Then - TJ Ford
#7 Now - David West
Originally taken 8th overall, West climbs a spot here, and realistically speaking, he could be as high as #4 or #5 depending on how you view things and what you take into account. He's become a consistent 20/7 player for Minnesota, and is extremely efficient, with a 47.7 career FG% and a 78.5 carer FT% in addition to only turning it over 1.5 times a game. He's not a star, but he's a very good second or third option. Ford has been a disappointment. His career looked promising as a rookie, but he's slowly fizzled out and become just another borderline starter.
#8 Then - David West
#8 Now - Chris Bosh
Bosh drops 5 spots, from 3 to 8. He was supposed to be a great big man, but he's not. Bosh is a quality starter however, who has really stepped his game up the last two seasons. He made his first all-star game appearance last season en route to averaging 15.0ppg, 10.3rpg, 3.2apg, 1.3spg, and 1.5bpg. He's not great at anything, but he can basically do it all, and he's versatile as he can basically play SF, PF, or C. You could make a case for him to be higher, but this was a deep class, and Bosh's inconsistency drops him to 8.
#9 Then - Leandro Barbosa
#9 Now - Darko Milicic
Darko gets the nod over Kaman because he's far superior defensively and a better rebounder, while only being a slightly worse offensive player. Originally taken 11th, Milicic had a string of impressive TC's and has become one of the better young bigs in the league. He's a solid offensive player as he's averaged 15.3ppg for his career, but what's most impressive is how much his reboundng has improved in the last five seasons. He's become one of the league's best rebounders, as evidenced by his 11.6rpg last year with the Jazz. Darko's won 2 rings as well, and could get a 3rd next year. As for Barbosa, who knows what the Pacers were thinking.
#10 Then - Boris Diaw
#10 Now - Chris Kaman
Kaman drops 4 spots from 6 to 10, and it's because of his lack of improvement in addition to his poor defense. Kaman's been a very consistent scorer and rebounder, but his defense leaves a lot to be desired. He's also an awful passer and shot-blocker, which hurts his standing as well. He's become a solid player, but his lack of significant improvement from his rookie year to this year is why he drops to 10. Diaw, much like Barbosa, is a bust.
#11 Then - Darko Milicic
#11 Now - Marcus Banks
This is where it gets hazy. The last 3 guys are PG's, and you can really put them in any order. The reason Banks gets the nod over Ford & Calderon is because he's an excellent defender while the other two aren't. While he's hardly an offensive whiz or a great passer, Banks is a solid pass-first PG who plays lock-down defense. Originally taken with the 6th pick in the 2nd round, Banks has surprised a lot of people and made a name for himself in the BBS.
#12 Then - Jose Calderon
#12 Now - Jose Calderon
Another solid, but unspectacular PG. Calderon's the epitomy of the word "solid." He's sound offensively, and an average defender. He's an above average passer, but hardly anything special. His best season came in 2005 with Indiana when he averaged 11.4ppg, 5.3rpg, and 8.0apg. He won a ring last year with Utah, and ideally, he's best-suited as a backup PG who can start if needed.
#13 Then - Luke Ridnour
#13 Now - TJ Ford
Closing out the lottery is TJ Ford. Originally taken 7th overall, Ford has failed to live up to expectations and is just a solid starter now. Ford's had some solid seasons when he's started, but nothing special. His best season came in 2005 when he averaged 13.3ppg, 3.7rpg, 8.2apg, and 2.3spg. Much like Calderon, Ford's nothing more then a solid PG. A case could be made for Brandon Hunter here since he's become a solid big, but his defensive mediocrity is what keeps him out of the top 13. As for Ridnour, he's had a decent career, but nothing that would make him lottoworthy.
#1 Then - LeBron James
#1 Now - LeBron James
Nothing changes here, as LeBron is without a doubt the best player from the 2003 draft. He's become an absolute phenom and he's producing like he's Magic Johnson. With career averages of 25.8ppg, 7.6rpg, and 6.3apg, LeBron is certainly one of the best players in the league. He's already led the Mavericks to two titles, and there appear to be more in his future.
#2 Then - Carmelo Anthony
#2 Now - Carmelo Anthony
After LeBron, it becomes more difficult. You can make a case for someone like Kirk Hinrich or Mike Dunleavy as the 2nd best player, but I'd still take Bron's Mavericks teammate at #2.
Anthony's been an offensive force ever since he entered the league, and the rest of his game has developed quite nicely. He's now a very solid defender and a quality rebounder and ball handler. His career averages of 23.4ppg, 7.0rpg, and 4.0apg are pheneomenal, and he's definitely one of the best young swingmen in the league.
#3 Then - Chris Bosh
#3 Now - Kirk Hinrich
While Mike Dunleavy might appear to be the better player, I prefer Hinrich. Hinrich has developed into one of the best and most efficient PG's in the league. His career AST : TO ratio of 5.1 : 1 is outstanding, and he's also an offensive threat as he's averaged 17.3ppg in his career. As for Bosh, he's been a bit of a late bloomer, as his two most impressive seasons have come in the last two years. He's not close to being the star some scouts and GM's thought he would be, but he's still a solid player, just not worthy of being taken #3.
#4 Then - Josh Howard
#4 Now - Mike Dunleavy
"White Magic" is no doubt the biggest surprise from the 2003 draft. Originally selected 15th overall, Dunleavy has developed into one of the more all-around PG's in the league. Last season, Dunleavy averaged 23.2ppg, 6.0rpg, 6.6apg, and 2.5spg on very good %'s. He's not the purest PG, but he can do it all, and he's a big-time playmaker. As for Howard, he's had a great career in his own right, but Dunleavy tops him.
#5 Then - Kirk Hinrich
#5 Now - Josh Howard
Howard is one of the few players from this draft who is still with the team that drafted him. Howard has played all 5 of his BBS seasons in Chicago, and over those 5 years he's averaged 18.1ppg, 6.8rpg, and 3.0 apg. He's one of the more underrated players in the league, but he's very consistent, and has a solid all-around game, and that's why he's #5 on this list.
#6 Then - Chris Kaman
#6 Now - Maurice Williams
This was a toss-up between Williams & David West, and the reason I chose Williams was because he plays the more important position. Williams has quietly developed into one of the better PG's in the league. While his stats don't really stand out, keep in mind, he was the 4th or 5th option on a ridiculously good Knicks team for a few seasons, so offensively speaking, his development was slowed down by that. Last season with Houston, Williams showed what he can do offensively, scoring 19.8ppg in addition to 8.8apg. Kaman drops because while he's solid offensively and on the boards, he's a poor defender and has spent each season with a different team - that should say something.
#7 Then - TJ Ford
#7 Now - David West
Originally taken 8th overall, West climbs a spot here, and realistically speaking, he could be as high as #4 or #5 depending on how you view things and what you take into account. He's become a consistent 20/7 player for Minnesota, and is extremely efficient, with a 47.7 career FG% and a 78.5 carer FT% in addition to only turning it over 1.5 times a game. He's not a star, but he's a very good second or third option. Ford has been a disappointment. His career looked promising as a rookie, but he's slowly fizzled out and become just another borderline starter.
#8 Then - David West
#8 Now - Chris Bosh
Bosh drops 5 spots, from 3 to 8. He was supposed to be a great big man, but he's not. Bosh is a quality starter however, who has really stepped his game up the last two seasons. He made his first all-star game appearance last season en route to averaging 15.0ppg, 10.3rpg, 3.2apg, 1.3spg, and 1.5bpg. He's not great at anything, but he can basically do it all, and he's versatile as he can basically play SF, PF, or C. You could make a case for him to be higher, but this was a deep class, and Bosh's inconsistency drops him to 8.
#9 Then - Leandro Barbosa
#9 Now - Darko Milicic
Darko gets the nod over Kaman because he's far superior defensively and a better rebounder, while only being a slightly worse offensive player. Originally taken 11th, Milicic had a string of impressive TC's and has become one of the better young bigs in the league. He's a solid offensive player as he's averaged 15.3ppg for his career, but what's most impressive is how much his reboundng has improved in the last five seasons. He's become one of the league's best rebounders, as evidenced by his 11.6rpg last year with the Jazz. Darko's won 2 rings as well, and could get a 3rd next year. As for Barbosa, who knows what the Pacers were thinking.
#10 Then - Boris Diaw
#10 Now - Chris Kaman
Kaman drops 4 spots from 6 to 10, and it's because of his lack of improvement in addition to his poor defense. Kaman's been a very consistent scorer and rebounder, but his defense leaves a lot to be desired. He's also an awful passer and shot-blocker, which hurts his standing as well. He's become a solid player, but his lack of significant improvement from his rookie year to this year is why he drops to 10. Diaw, much like Barbosa, is a bust.
#11 Then - Darko Milicic
#11 Now - Marcus Banks
This is where it gets hazy. The last 3 guys are PG's, and you can really put them in any order. The reason Banks gets the nod over Ford & Calderon is because he's an excellent defender while the other two aren't. While he's hardly an offensive whiz or a great passer, Banks is a solid pass-first PG who plays lock-down defense. Originally taken with the 6th pick in the 2nd round, Banks has surprised a lot of people and made a name for himself in the BBS.
#12 Then - Jose Calderon
#12 Now - Jose Calderon
Another solid, but unspectacular PG. Calderon's the epitomy of the word "solid." He's sound offensively, and an average defender. He's an above average passer, but hardly anything special. His best season came in 2005 with Indiana when he averaged 11.4ppg, 5.3rpg, and 8.0apg. He won a ring last year with Utah, and ideally, he's best-suited as a backup PG who can start if needed.
#13 Then - Luke Ridnour
#13 Now - TJ Ford
Closing out the lottery is TJ Ford. Originally taken 7th overall, Ford has failed to live up to expectations and is just a solid starter now. Ford's had some solid seasons when he's started, but nothing special. His best season came in 2005 when he averaged 13.3ppg, 3.7rpg, 8.2apg, and 2.3spg. Much like Calderon, Ford's nothing more then a solid PG. A case could be made for Brandon Hunter here since he's become a solid big, but his defensive mediocrity is what keeps him out of the top 13. As for Ridnour, he's had a decent career, but nothing that would make him lottoworthy.
