What Could Have Been: 2002 NBA Draft

By Michael Tiedemann
for HOOPSADDICT.com

Published: June 5, 2009

Ever wish you could go back in time and change the past? Ever think about how things would have turned out if your team didn’t make that terrible pick with their first rounder? Well, here at Hoops Addict, that is exactly what we’ve done.

We’re going back in time and going through the first round of each NBA Draft starting with 1998. Contributing writer Michael Tiedemann has gone through the picks and taken the following into consideration:

* Who the team already has on their roster. If they needed a center, Tiedemann gave them a center.
* What the player did in their rookie year weighed more heavily than what they did over the span of their career.
* If a player didn’t even play the year he was drafted then they slid down the board.
* The current draft being done will not take into consideration the previous Hoops Addict re-draft. They will be done on the basis that the previous NBA Draft actually took place.
* Some picks will not feature a comment. Something about the 27th pick doesn’t bring a lot to mind in certain cases.

You may not agree with the picks, but that is why we have the comment section. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts and maybe even your version of the draft below.

Today, we tackle the average 2002 NBA Draft.

1st - Houston Rockets

Original Pick: Yao Ming, C, China
New Pick: Same

It’s hard to argue against what Yao has done in Houston. Sure, he’s been injury prone, but he’s been the face of the franchise for the past seven years and has made that franchise an abundance of money.

2nd - Chicago Bulls

Original Pick: Jay Williams, G, Duke
New Pick: Amar’e Stoudemire, C, High School

They had Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler on the roster, but how do you pass on what Stoudemire who could have been for your franchise? They’re attempting to trade for him now, too bad they could have had him in the first place.

3rd - Golden State Warriors

Original Pick: Mike Dunleavy, Jr. , F, Duke
New Pick: Caron Butler, F, UConn

Anyone else get a kick out of the fact that Butler, Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison could have been playing together seven years ago?

4th - Memphis Grizzlies

Original Pick: Drew Gooden, F, Kansas
New Pick: Carlos Boozer, F, Duke

The frontcourt of Pau Gasol and Boozer would make any general manager salivate. Add in Shane Battier and Jason Williams, and suddenly this is a Memphis team on the fast track to the playoffs. I think.

5th - Denver Nuggets

Original Pick: Nikolz Tskitishvili, F, Georgia
New Pick: Anyone not named Nikoloz – Tayshaun Prince, F, Kentucky

Prince and James Posey out on the perimeter is something to build around. Kind of.

6th - Cleveland Cavaliers

Original Pick: Dajuan Wagner, G, Memphis
New Pick: Mike Dunleavy, Jr., F, Duke

This team was a mess until LeBron arrived a year later. Dunleavy doesn’t fix anything, except possibly giving James a running mate.

7th - New York Knicks

Original Pick: Nene, F, Brazil
New Pick: Same

Same pick, but they don’t trade it away, along with Marcus Camby and Mark Jackson, for Antonio McDyess, the 25th pick [Frank Williams!] and a ‘03 second-round pick. This is what was wrong with the Knicks.

8th - Los Angeles Clippers

Original Pick: Chris Wilcox, F, Maryland
New Pick: Udonis Haslem, F, Florida

Undrafted to the lottery. Haslem has been nothing but in his time in the league. The Clippers and stability…it’s like oil and water.

9th - Phoenix Suns

Original Pick: Amar’e Stoudemire, C, High School
New Pick: Drew Gooden, F, Kansas

Ouch. This one hurts.

10th - Miami Heat

Original Pick: Caron Butler, F, UConn
New Pick: John Salmons, G, Miami

This one hurts, too.

11th - Washington Wizards

Original Pick: Jared Jeffries, F, Indiana
New Pick: Luis Scola, F, Argentina

They’d have to wait, but there isn’t much else left in this draft.

12th - Los Angeles Clippers

Original Pick: Melvin Ely, F, Fresno St.
New Pick: Chris Wilcox, F, Maryland

He’s better than Ely, that’s for sure.

13th - Milwaukee Bucks

Original Pick: Marcus Haislip, F, Tennesse
New Pick: Matt Barnes, F, UCLA

14th - Indiana Pacers

Original Pick: Fred Jones, G, Oregon St.
New Pick: Roger Mason, Jr., G, Virginia

It took him awhile, but he’s finally making an impact.

15th - Houston Rockets

Original Pick: Bostjan Nachbar, F, Slovenia
New Pick: Jared Jeffries, F, Indiana

I don’t think Jeffries would get as much ridicule if the Knicks never overpaid for his services. Instead, he’d be a nice role player making decent NBA money.

16th - Philadelphia 76ers

Original Pick: Jiri Welsch, G, Czech Republic
New Pick: Nenad Krstic, C, Yugoslavia

Didn’t come over for two years, but he could have helped them for the few years he was there.

17th - Washington Wizards

Original Pick: Juan Dixon, G, Maryland
New Pick: Flip Murray, G, Shaw

18th - Orlando Magic

Original Pick: Curtis Borchardt, C, Stanford
New Pick: Fred Jones, G, Oregon St.

19th - Utah Jazz

Original Pick: Ryan Humphrey, F, Notre Dame
New Pick: Rasual Butler, F, La Salle

20th - Toronto Raptors

Original Pick: Kareem Rush, G, Missouri
New Pick: Juan Dixon, G, Maryland

21st - Portland Trailblazers

Original Pick: Qyntel Woods, F, NE Mississippi
New Pick: Bostjan Nachbar, F, Slovenia

22nd - Phoenix Suns

Original Pick: Casey Jacobsen, G, Stanford
New Pick: Reggie Evans, F, Iowa

23rd - Detroit Pistons

Original Pick: Tayshaun Prince, F, Kentucky
New Pick: Darius Songaila, F, Wake Forest

24th - New Jersey Nets

Original Pick: Nenad Krstic, C, Yugoslavia
New Pick: Dan Gadzuric, C, UCLA

25th - Denver Nuggets

Original Pick: Frank Williams, G, Illinois
New Pick: Melvin Ely, F, Fresno St.

26th - San Antonio Spurs

Original Pick: John Salmons, G, Miami
New Pick: Juan Carlos Navarro, G, Spain

The Spurs take a foreign player and it turns out to be a great pick. Shocking.

27th - Los Angeles Lakers

Original Pick: Chris Jefferies, F, Fresno St.
New Pick: Jannero Pargo, G, Arkansas

28th - Sacramento Kings

Original Pick: Dan Dickau, G, Gonzaga
New Pick: Same

4 Comments on "What Could Have Been: 2002 NBA Draft"

Linkage for Jun 4 7am to Jun 5 3pm - Raptors Republic on Fri, 5th Jun 2009 4:00 pm

[...] Hoops Addict » What Could Have Been: 2002 NBA Draft 20th - Toronto Raptors [...]

khandor on Mon, 8th Jun 2009 6:50 am

As far as the Toronto Raptors’ “New Pick” is concerned, IMO, each of …

Bostjan Nachbar, F, Slovenia
Reggie Evans, F, Iowa
Darius Songaila, F, Wake Forest, and
Dan Gadzuric, C, UCLA

are more effective NBA players than Juan Dixon.

Ryan McNeill on Mon, 8th Jun 2009 8:29 am

Hi Khandor - As always, thanks for your feedback. It’s great having you as a loyal reader who leaves comments after you read articles.

I agree with you that Evans would be a great fit because ever since Oakley left we’ve been looking for someone who plays with that same kind of grit and intensity. I think Jorge Garbajosa filled that role for a season but his time in Toront was cut short due to injuries and, um, lets call it politics.

Songalia and Gadzuric are solid options as well.

The AltRaps Blog » Blog Archive » Toronto Raptors Linkage for June 5th through June 9th on Wed, 10th Jun 2009 1:06 am

[...] Hoops Addict » What Could Have Been: 2002 NBA Draft - 20th - Toronto Raptors [...]

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What Could Have Been: 2002 NBA Draft

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