Our re-drafts have been pretty fun so far. We’ve seen Shaq move to a new team and stole Tony Parker away from the Spurs, ruining them for a decade. Listen, I want you all to have as much fun reading these things as I’ve had making them and writing them out, but this may not be the best year.
The 2002 Draft was, by most standards, pretty damn boring. You’ve got a best player of Amar’e Stoudemire, who was dominant before his knees betrayed him. It doesn’t get much more interesting after that, with guys like Carlos Boozer, Nene, Tayshaun Prince and Luis Scola on our list.
Perhaps the most interesting name here is Yao Ming, but of course he’ll be gone after only a handful of (dominant) years. Make no mistake: he will come in handy for someone, probably not Houston.
As always, let’s set the stage. In our world, the Sacramento Kings’ Webber-Peja-Miller-Bibby-Christie team just dispatched a blossoming Pistons squad to win the title, thanks in part to newbies Jarron Collins and Stromile Swift.
The real-life 2002 draft vaulted the fifth-worst team (then the Rockets) to the top, where they grabbed Yao. In our re-do, that pick belongs to the Nuggets. The Warriors will pick second, and Grizzlies end up third.
As has become our custom, Denver must first decide if they’d rather add a member of the incoming rookie class or snatch a player from the defending champs. Each of those big five for Sacramento would be somewhat valuable, but with Webber blocked, the most valuable remaining player (Peja) isn’t worth taking over Amar’e.
Also worth making a custom, here’s a roundup of first-round picks who ended up traded in the real-life draft:
- The Knicks picked Nene seventh and sent him to Denver in a deal that included the 25th pick, Frank Williams.
- The Sixers took Jiri Welsch at No. 16 but traded him to Golden State.
- The Magic took Curtis Borchardt and flipped him to the Jazz for their first-round pick, Ryan Humphrey.
- The Raptors drafted Kareem Rush but traded him to the Lakers for a package including first-round pick Chris Jefferies.
- The Spurs sent their first-round pick, John Salmons, to Philadelphia.
- Last but not least, the Kings drafted Dan Dickau and traded him to the Hawks for a future pick.
- The Wolves are still paying for their Joe Smith blunder, so no pick in the first round.
Here’s how the re-draft played out:
TEAM: New Pick (Original Pick)
Round 1
- Denver Nuggets: PF Amar’e Stoudemire, high school (PF Nik Tskitishvili, Georgia)
- Golden State Warriors: PF Carlos Boozer, Duke (SF Mike Dunleavy, Duke)
- Memphis Grizzlies: PF Nene, Brazil (PF Drew Gooden, Kansas)
- Phoenix Suns: C Yao Ming, China (Amar’e Stoudemire)
- Houston Rockets: SF Tayshaun Prince, Kentucky (Yao Ming)
- Chicago Bulls: Mike Dunleavy (PG Jay Williams, Duke)
- New York Knicks: SF Caron Butler, Connecticut (Nene)
- Cleveland Cavaliers: PF Luis Scola, Argentina (PG Dajuan Wagner, Memphis)
- Miami Heat: Drew Gooden (Caron Butler)
- Washington Wizards: SF Matt Barnes, UCLA (SF Jared Jeffries, Indiana)
- Milwaukee Bucks: SF John Salmons, Miami (PF Marcus Haislip, Tennessee)
- Los Angeles Lakers: PF Chris Wilcox, Maryland (SF Chris Jefferies, Fresno State)
- Houston Rockets: PF Nenad Krstic, Yugoslavia (SF Bostjan Nachbar, Slovenia)
- Utah Jazz: SF Rasual Butler, La Salle (PF Ryan Humphrey, Notre Dame)
- Toronto Raptors: SG Fred Jones, Oregon (SG Kareem Rush, Missouri)
- Washington Wizards: PF Darius Songaila, Wake Forest (PG Juan Dixon, Maryland)
- Los Angeles Clippers: C Dan Gadzuric, UCLA (Chris Wilcox)
- Minnesota Timberwolves: FORFEITED
- New Jersey Nets: Jared Jeffries (Nenad Krstic)
- Philadelphia 76ers: SG Roger Mason Jr., Virginia (G/F Jiri Welsch, Czech Republic)
- Los Angeles Clippers: Bostjan Nachbar (PF Melvin Ely, Fresno State)
- Orlando Magic: SG Ronald “Flip” Murray, Shaw (C Curtis Borchardt, Stanford)
- Indiana Pacers: SF Casey Jacobsen, Stanford (Fred Jones)
- Denver Nuggets: Juan Dixon (PG Frank Williams, Maryland)
- Phoenix Suns: PF Reggie Evans, Iowa (Casey Jacobsen)
- Portland Trail Blazers: PF Udonis Haslem (SF Qyntel Woods, community college)
- Detroit Pistons: PG Jannero Pargo, Arkansas (Tayshaun Prince)
- San Antonio Spurs: SF Devin Brown, UT-San Antonio (John Salmons)
- Sacramento Kings: PG Smush Parker, Fordham (PG Dan Dickau, Gonzaga)
Round 2
- GSW: Dan Dickau (PG Steve Logan, Cincinnati)
- MEM: Jiri Welsch (PF Robert Archibald, Illinois)
- WAS: Melvin Ely (PG Rod Grizzard, Alabama)
- DEN: PF Lonny Baxter, Maryland (SF Vincent Yarbrough, Tennessee)
- MIL: Kareem Rush (Dan Gadzuric)
- CHI: PF/C David Andersen, Australia (Roger Mason Jr.)
- NYK: Qyntel Woods (PG Milos Vujanic, Yugoslavia)
- CLE: PG Juan Carlos Navarro, Spain (Carlos Boozer)
- HOU: C Jamal Sampson, California (PG Tito Maddox, Fresno State)
- MIL: Curtis Borchardt (Ronald “Flip” Murray)
- MIL: Vincent Yarbrough (PF Chris Owens, Texas)
- SAS: Jay Williams (Randy Holcomb)
- POR: C Mario Kasun, Croatia (C Jason Jennings, Arkansas State)
- UTA: Marcus Haislip (Jamal Sampson)
- SEA: Frank Williams (PF Peter Fehse, Germany)
- ATL: PF Corsley Edwards, Central Connecticut State (David Andersen)
- NJN: Dajuan Wagner (SG Tamar Slay, Marshall)
- MIN: Robert Archibald (PG Marcus Taylor, Michigan State)
- PHI: Tito Maddox (PF Sam Clancy, USC)
- LAC: Chris Owens (Mario Kasun)
- WAS: PF Randy Holcomb, San Diego State (Juan Carlos Navarro)
- MEM: Tamar Slay (Matt Barnes)
- CHI: Ryan Humphrey (Lonny Baxter)
- DAL: Chris Jefferies (SG Mladen Sekularac, Yugoslavia)
- BOS: Nik Tskitishvili (Darius Songaila)
- POR: No pick (SF Federico Kammerichs, Argentina)
- MIA: No pick (Rasual Butler)
- SAS: No pick (Luis Scola)
- SAC: No pick (Corsley Edwards)
Biggest winner: Denver Nuggets
It’s hard to fully grasp what a bust Nik Tskitishvili really was. Denver took him fifth in real life, ahead of Nene, Amar’e Stoudemire, Caron Butler, Tayshaun Prince and other helpful players. What they got was the worst player in the draft (among those who ever appeared in the NBA). No, literally. The worst. Amar’e Stoudemire is better than that, if not a megastar. They also will end up with Caron Butler, who took Nene’s spot. The Knicks traded Nene (now Butler) to Denver for a package that included the Nuggets’ pick from later in the first round, Frank Williams. In this version of events, Denver trades Juan Dixon instead, which isn’t a terribly damaging move.
Honorable mention to two other bust-busters: The Cavs likewise ditched an almost unfathomable bust in Dajuan Wagner, upgrading to Luis Scola. But they lost Carlos Boozer, instead drafting Juan Carlos Navarro in round 2. And the Bulls were able to drop Jay Williams (whose career ended early because of a very sad motorcycle crash) and add Mike Dunleavy, who isn’t sexy, but was still sixth in this class in win shares. But like Cleveland, the Bulls lose a valuable second rounder in Roger Mason Jr., instead drafting Aussie big man David Andersen, who won’t appear in the NBA for more than five years.
Biggest loser: San Antonio Spurs
I really wanted to pick someone else. The Cavs, like I said above, lost Carlos Boozer from round 2 but also moved away from massive bust Dajuan Wagner. The next-biggest second round steal for anyone else was probably Grizzlies‘ pick of Matt Barnes, who became Tamar Slay. Given that their other picks turned from Drew Gooden and Robert Archibald into Nene and Jiri Welsch, two improvements, I’m not ready to call them the biggest loser.
Losing Luis Scola, and getting literally no one in return, is just a bad thing for San Antonio. On the plus side, they trade Devin Brown to Philly for Speedy Claxton instead of John Salmons. That’s not as bad a loss! And adding Jay Williams’ one year of contributions certainly helps more than Randy Holcomb.
Random thoughts from Adam Rae Voge 