The 2003 NBA Draft is widely considered to be one of the best in the league’s history, featuring multiple all-stars, Olympic gold medalists, NBA MVPs, Finals MVP and all-stars.
Ten years has passed since this class was drafted, and it can easily be argued this group changed the course of the league’s history more than any other in the past decade.
Sportsnet.ca takes a look at the 2003 NBA Draft, and how it would be different with the hindsight we have now. Listed in brackets are the players’ current teams, followed by the team who had the opportunity to draft them.
1. LeBron James (Miami Heat) – Cleveland Cavaliers
* Original selection: LeBron James
(James drafted 1st by Cleveland)
Although Cavaliers fans will never let James live down ‘The Decision’, the four-time NBA MVP has exceeded the unprecedented expectations bestowed upon him before entering the league. James steered the Cavaliers to the 2007 NBA Finals as a 22-year-old, but was swept by the San Antonio Spurs. After leaving Cleveland in a move that made international headlines, James drew the vitriol of the North American public. After Miami lost in dramatic fashion to the Mavericks in the 2011 Finals, James re-worked his game and won the 2012 and 2013 NBA titles. The very mention of LeBron in Cleveland will draw an icy glare or worse, but Cleveland would be silly not to draft the back-to-back Finals MVP if they could do it all over again.
2. Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat) – Detroit Pistons
* Original selection: Darko Milicic
(Wade drafted 5th by Miami)
This exercise may serve the Pistons’ management well, as they badly would want a mulligan in this draft. Wade reached basketball’s pinnacle faster than any other star in the class, winning the 2006 NBA title in a dominant fashion, accruing the 2006 Finals MVP as a result. Wade won the NBA scoring championship in 2009, and after teaming up with James and Chris Bosh in 2011, has become the best second option since Scottie Pippen. Although recent knee troubles have slowed down the man nicknamed ‘Flash’, Wade has had a prolific decade in the league thus far.
3. Carmelo Anthony (New York Knicks) – Denver Nuggets
* Original selection: Carmelo Anthony
(Anthony drafted 3rd by Denver)
Anthony won the 2012-13 scoring title as a member of the New York Knicks, and although he has reached superstardom, his career has paled in comparison to the two players listed above him. A six-time NBA all-star, Anthony struggled many times with Denver in the playoffs, leading the Nuggets as far as the 2009 Western Conference finals, before faltering to the Lakers in six games. After demanding to be traded to New York, the former Syracuse star was granted his wish in the 2010-11 season. Anthony has developed into one of the most prolific scorers in the NBA since entering the league, but will need consistent success in the playoffs to have a chance at usurping James and Wade.
4. Chris Bosh (Miami Heat) – Toronto Raptors
* Original selection: Chris Bosh
(Bosh drafted 4th by Toronto)
Like James, Bosh has drawn the ire of Raptors fans for leaving Toronto to play for the Heat, although he did it in a decidedly more reserved manner than his more famous teammate. According to Hoopdata, Bosh shot the best mid-range percentage in the league this year, and has become a unique man who can stretch the floor. Although he isn’t a true centre, Bosh has adapted well within Miami’s offence, and although he gets out-rebounded at times, his excellent shooting from within 23 feet and the free throw line makes him a difficult cover. A six-time All-Star, Bosh is often derided as an unworthy superstar but has been a key cog in Miami’s run to three consecutive Finals. If Toronto were to do it all over again, they’d select the forward from Georgia Tech.
5. David West (Indiana Pacers) – Miami Heat
* Original selection: Dwyane Wade
(West drafted 18th by New Orleans)
West isn’t the flashiest player on the court, but one just needs to ask the Miami Heat about his impact on the floor. The 2003 AP National Player of the Year developed a strong rapport with Chris Paul in New Orleans and is a bruising forward who provides excellent secondary scoring. The Xavier product has shot the ball well, at a 49 per cent clip for his career, and can finish with both hands at the rim. Although Paul George and Roy Hibbert get top billing on the Pacers, West is a vital component of the team.
6. Chris Kaman (Dallas Mavericks) – Los Angeles Clippers
* Original selection: Chris Kaman
(Kaman drafted 6th by L.A. Clippers)
Kaman was selected to the 2010 All-Star Game, marking his career apex in the league. A tenacious centre who makes his opponents’ life difficult, Kaman recorded a double-double with the Clippers in 2007-08, recording 15.7 points and 12.8 rebounds. Injuries have dampened the last couple of years of Kaman’s career, but he has proven to be an excellent backup who can play starter minutes if needed. Most teams would view Kaman as a good return on value with the sixth pick, and that is why Kaman has cemented his spot here.
7. Boris Diaw (San Antonio Spurs) – Chicago Bulls
* Original selection: Kirk Hinrich
(Diaw drafted 21st by Atlanta)
The 31-year-old French forward won the 2006 NBA Most Improved Player Award, after averaging career-highs in rebounds per game (6.9) and assists (6.2). Diaw understands all facets of the game well, and is a versatile asset that can be utilized in different situations. Most recently, Diaw did an effective job defending LeBron James for stretches of the 2013 NBA Finals. San Antonio shrewdly picked up Diaw up off waivers from Charlotte (!), and his career has been rejuvenated. Since Diaw has proven to be an effective player capable of playing four positions, Diaw will be taken with the seventh selection.
8. Leandro Barbosa (Washington Wizards) – Milwaukee Bucks
* Original selection: T.J. Ford
(Barbosa drafted 28th by San Antonio)
Leandro Barbosa received an excellent education at the point guard position from two-time MVP Steve Nash, when his career started in Phoenix, and blossomed into a solid guard throughout the decade. Barbosa won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award in 2007 and was a pivotal player on a Suns team that came close to the Finals, but no proverbial cigar. Barbosa showed that he could be a scoring point guard, and could be an effective starter in stretches, spelling Nash when the Canadian native was injured.
9. Mo Williams (Utah Jazz) – New York Knicks
* Original selection: Michael Sweetney
(Williams drafted 47th by Utah)
Although some would argue that Mo Williams’ lone All-Star selection was a byproduct of playing with LeBron James, Williams has proven to be a capable scorer after being selected in the second round out of Alabama. The 30-year-old point guard’s best season was in 2009 with the Cavaliers, scoring 17.8 points per game, and shooting 91 per cent from the line. However, Williams put together a truly horrid performance in those playoffs. Williams can put together solid minutes as a scorer, and started all 46 games he played in.
10. Josh Howard (free agent) – Washington Wizards
* Original selection: Jarvis Hayes
(Howard drafted 29th by Dallas)
Howard earns this spot based on the first seven years of his career, where he proved that he was a prolific scorer. In fact, Howard’s effort led to an all-star nomination in 2007, where he averaged just under 19 points and shot 82 per cent from the free throw line. Injuries have decimated Howard’s career, and he was waived in December 2012 after suffering a torn ACL. For the seven years where he was a good scorer, Howard warrants a lottery selection.
11. Kendrick Perkins (Oklahoma City Thunder) – Golden State Warriors
* Original selection: Mickaël Piétrus
(Perkins drafted 27th by Memphis)
Kendrick Perkins was selected 27th overall, coming straight out of high school and took a couple of seasons to make an immediate impact. However, Perkins proved to be an excellent rim protector in the Boston Celtics 2008 championship run. Perkins’ toughness in the paint, and relentlessness was a quality valued on the Celtics, before being traded to the Thunder in February 2011. Although Perkins has regressed in the past two seasons, Perkins’ toughness and intangibles would have made him a solid lottery pick.
12. Kirk Hinrich (Chicago Bulls) – Seattle SuperSonics
* Original selection: Nick Collison
(Hinrich drafted 7th by Chicago)
Kirk Hinrich has proven to be a consummate professional, and a stalwart defensive point guard at times. His defensive skills have been refined in Chicago’s Tom Thibodeau’s system, and he was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. In the first five years of his career, Hinrich proved to be a very capable secondary scorer, and still can provide spurts of offence; with Derrick Rose eating up most of his minutes when healthy, Hinrich is an unenviable situation but has handled it with maturity, and has been an excellent option off the bench.
13. Kyle Korver (Atlanta Hawks) – Memphis Grizzlies
* Original selection: Marcus Banks
(Korver drafted 51st by New Jersey)
Kyle Korver may not be the flashiest player on this list, but he has one particular skill set that has been his calling card in the league thus far: his three-point shooting. Korver set the league record for the three-point percentage in a season at 53.6 per cent in 2009-10. Simply put, opposing teams see Korver as a nightmare from beyond the arc. The Creighton alum can also put the pressure on defences, as he is an excellent free-throw shooter, and can ice a game late. His particular niche has allowed him to succeed immensely and many teams would love to take a player of his caliber in the lottery.
14. T.J. Ford(retired) – Seattle SuperSonics
* Original selection: Luke Ridnour
(Ford drafted 8th by Milwaukee)
Ford would be undoubtedly higher on this list if spinal cord injuries hadn’t derailed his career. Ford was named the Player of the Year by many publications after a standout junior season with the Texas Longhorns. The Houston native was beginning to turn the corner as a suitable point guard , after sitting out the entire 2004-05 season with a spinal cord injury. Ford led the Raptors to the playoffs in 2006-07, but he began to deteriorate physically as the years went on. Assuming Ford stays healthy, he would certainly be a lottery pick again, and that’s why he rounds out the re-draft.
