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 famous 2003 NBA Draft.

1st – Cleveland Cavaliers

Original Pick: LeBron James, F, High School
New Pick: Same

Duh.

2nd – Detroit Pistons

Original Pick: Darko Milicic, F, Serbia
New Pick: Dwyane Wade, G, Marquette

A lot of people feel like Carmelo Anthony would have been the better pick, but I think that Tayshaun Prince was really the glue guy for this team. I realize that the Pistons already had Billups and Hamilton, but I’m pretty sure you could find some room for Wade on the court. And the pick seems to make sense considering the current state of their backcourt.

3rd – Denver Nuggets

Original Pick: Carmelo Anthony, F, Syracuse
New Pick: Same

He’s starting to really come together as a player over the past season or two.

4th – Toronto Raptors

Original Pick: Chris Bosh, F, Georgia Tech
New Pick: Same

Still makes the most sense.

5th – Miami Heat

Original Pick: Dwyane Wade, G, Marquette
New Pick: Chris Kaman, C, Central Michigan

Kaman isn’t the best available, but the Heat already had Caron Butler, Eddie Jones and Lamar Odom on the wings. Kaman would at least have given this team balance after losing out on their franchise guy [Wade]. The trade for Shaq would never have happened, but Odom, Butler and Kaman isn’t all that bad.

6th – Los Angeles Clippers

Original Pick: Chris Kaman, C, Central Michigan
New Pick: Josh Howard, F, Wake Forest

The Clippers really needed Kaman with the roster that they had this season. They’re full of perimeter players minus Elton Brand. But that was only for one season. Quentin Richardson is gone in a season and Bobby Simmons was playing way too well for Bobby Simmons. Howard would at least give this franchise some stability and a nice running partner for Corey Maggette and Brand.

7th – Chicago Bulls

Original Pick: Kirk Hinrich, G, Kansas
New Pick: Same

The Bulls had 21 different players play at least three games for them this season. Hinrich gave them stability in the backcourt that they so desperately needed. The franchise still thought Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler were the solution up front, and so a guy like David West is out.

8th – Milwaukee Bucks

Original Pick: T.J. Ford, G, Texas
New Pick: Maurice Williams, G, Alabama

West continues to slide just due to what the team needs are in the first few picks. The Bucks had a frontcourt that included Keith Van Horn, Joe Smith, Tim Thomas, Toni Kukoc and Brian Skinner. Where in the world is David West playing? Not to mention the fact that the only reason West has ever made an All-Star game is because of Chris Paul.

9th – New York Knicks

Original Pick: Michael Sweetney, F, Georgetown
New Pick: David West, F, Xavier

The Knicks had 22 players play for them this season. That trumps the Bulls 21 from the same season. Sweetney was just awful and it really boggles my mind that he went ninth overall. If they wanted an undersized power forward, then West is there guy. I don’t think he’s an 20 and 8 guy like he has been the past few seasons, but a 15 and 7 guy [his career numbers] is a lot better than Sweetney’s 4 and 4.

10th – Washington Wizards

Original Pick: Jarvis Hayes, F, Georgia
New Pick: Boris Diaw, F, France

A guy that can do a little bit of everything would probably help this team. Diaw rarely looks for his shot and within the right system he can be the most versatile guy on the court. There were already enough shots to go around between Larry Hughes, Gilbert Arenas and, briefly, Jerry Stackhouse.

11th – Golden State Warriors

Original Pick: Mickael Pietrus, F, France
New Pick: T.J. Ford, G, Texas

Their starting point guard happened to be a combination of Nick Van Exel and Speedy Claxton. Ford would have been a much better option for the team. He’s battled injury problems, but that all stems from the hard fall he took a few seasons ago. A change of scenery means that Ford was never even in that scenario and then who knows what could have been.

12th – Seattle Supersonics

Original Pick: Nick Collison, F, Kansas
New Pick: Leandro Barbosa, G, Brazil

If they don’t take him, then Memphis probably would. Barbosa is a pure scorer and the Sonics already had a few guards off the bench [Flip Murray and Antonio Daniels], but he’s too good to pass up.

13th – Memphis Grizzlies

Original Pick: Marcus Banks, G, UNLV
New Pick: Kendrick Perkins, C, High School

The pick allows Pau Gasol to move to power forward and gives the team a solid core of Perkins, Gasol, Shane Battier, Mike Miller, James Posey and Jason Williams. I think Memphis would love to take this pick back even though, in reality, they traded away Perkins after selecting him 27th overall. [The deal was Troy Bell and Dahntay Jones being sent from Boston to Kendrick Perkins and Marcus Banks.]

14th – Seattle Supersonics

Original Pick: Luke Ridnour, G, Oregon
New Pick: Mickael Pietrus, F, France

Pietrus would have given this team a decent option off the bench, and had they re-signed him, would give the Thunder a great perimeter player to compliment a guy like Durant

15th – Orlando Magic

Original Pick: Reece Gaines, G, Louisville
New Pick: Luke Ridnour, G, Oregon

Tracy McGrady led the team in assists and Tyronn Lue was second. You think a point guard might have helped?

16th – Boston Celtics

Original Pick: Troy Bell, G, Boston College
New Pick: Nick Collison, F, Kansas

Collison falls a few spots just because he was rendered useless his rookie season due to surgery. But the Celtics would be getting a great pick in this spot. I’m sure he could have helped this year in the playoffs. [Side note: If the Celtics were able to use our 2002 Draft and now this, they would have a core of Pierce, Dalembert, Collison and Wallace. Interesting.]

17th – Phoenix Suns

Original Pick: Zarko Cabarkapa, F, Serbia
New Pick: Steve Blake, G, Maryland

A backup point guard has plagued this franchise for a few seasons. There aren’t many as good as Blake.

18th – New Orleans Hornets

Original Pick: David West, F, Xavier
New Pick: Travis Outlaw, F, High School

They shot 31% as a team from beyond the arc. Outlaw’s a little bit better than that.

19th – Utah Jazz

Original Pick: Sasha Pavlovic, G, Serbia
New Pick: Darko Milicic, F, Serbia

1) How the 2003-2004 Utah Jazz won 42 games is beyond me. 2) They won 42 games because Jerry Sloan is a genius. 3) I would have liked to see what a coach like Sloan could have done for Milicic’s career.

20th – Boston Celtics

Original Pick: Dahntay Jones, G, Duke
New Pick: Marquis Daniels, G, Auburn

Has always been a decent option off the bench and recently broke out this year. Another decent pick for the Celtics.

21st – Atlanta Hawks

Original Pick: Boris Diaw, F, France
New Pick: Jason Kapono, F, UCLA

They were kinds of thin on small forwards.

22nd – New Jersey Nets

Original Pick: Zoran Planinic, G, Croatia
New Pick: Zaza Pachulia, F, Georgia [Country]

This is a guy you hate until he’s on your team.

23rd – Portland Trailblazers

Original Pick: Travis Outlaw, F, High School
New Pick: Luke Walton, F, Arizona

A little bit of everything for Walton. About the same as what Outlaw brings to the table, but with a little less athleticism.

24th – Los Angeles Lakers

Original Pick: Brian Cook, F, Illinois
New Pick: Matt Bonner, F, Florida

Brian Cook, but with the better NBA career.

25th – Detroit Pistons

Original Pick: Carlos Delfino, G, Argentina
New Pick: James Jones, F, Miami

Has proven he can hit the three.

26th – Minnesota Timberwolves

Original Pick: Ndubi Ebi, F, High School
New Pick: Kyle Korver, F, Creighton

I’d say a lot better of a pick than Ebi.

27th – Memphis Grizzlies

Original Pick: Kendrick Perkins, C, High School
New Pick: Jarvis Hayes, F, Georgia

28th – San Antonio Spurs

Original Pick: Leandro Barbosa, G, Brazil
New Pick: Dahntay Jones, F, Duke

Their kind of player.

29th – Dallas Mavericks

Original Pick: Josh Howard, F, Wake Forest
New Pick: Sasha Pavlovic, G, Serbia

Sure.

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