NBA Redraft 1/21: 2003 \ stacker news ~Stacker

pull down to refresh

NBA Redraft 1/21: 2003

774 sats \ 15 comments \ @Undisciplined 4 Jul Stacker_Sports

The inaugural edition of the NBA redraft series will begin with 2003. That was one of the deepest drafts in NBA history, with the defining player of this generation, and it gives us room for 21 of these, which feels appropriate.

I'm imagining the criteria to be something like "Given what we learned about them, who should have been drafted first?" So, it's not specifically "Who had the better career?" We're basically imagining a redo of their careers, so any random occurrences like specific injuries or poor roster management may go differently. Also, potentially relevant is whether the player demonstrated a willingness to stick with the team that drafted them.

With all that in mind, who should have been the first pick in the 2003 NBA draft?

I'm including the top 9 players by career VORP from this draft, plus "other"

Chris Bosh0.0%

Kyle Korver0.0%

Kirk Hinrich0.0%

Carmelo Anthony0.0%

Matt Bonner0.0%

Lebron James83.3%

Boris Diaw0.0%

David West0.0%

Other0.0%

Dwayne Wade16.7%

6 votes \ poll ended

view all related items

135 sats \ 7 replies \ @gnilma 4 Jul

A few first ballot HOF legends in the list, but it's got to be LeBron. Dude is still playing and still Second Team All NBA after playing in the league forever.

169 sats \ 6 replies \ @Undisciplined OP 4 Jul

Especially since we aren't changing the draft order, so Cleveland still has the first pick.

Maybe I should include some information about who has the first pick for the rest of these.

42 sats \ 5 replies \ @gnilma 4 Jul

Are we picking as the team that has the first pick that year? If so, then definitely LeBron.

50 sats \ 4 replies \ @Undisciplined OP 4 Jul

Let’s say that we’re recommending who they should pick. It might be tough to actually think like some of these GMs.

42 sats \ 3 replies \ @gnilma 4 Jul

Could try to make an argument for Wade since he stayed with the same team for most of his career, but it's still LeBron for me.

50 sats \ 2 replies \ @Undisciplined OP 4 Jul

I don't think it's close. We can have good arguments about later years, I'm sure.

view all 2 replies

231 sats \ 5 replies \ @grayruby 4 Jul

I mean it is clearly the Red Rocket Matt Bonner who does a great job as an analyst on Raptors coverage but just to be controversial I chose Lebron.

40 sats \ 3 replies \ @Undisciplined OP 4 Jul

If you want a guy who'll skip town after only 9 years of horrible mismanagement, I guess Lebron's a decent option.

42 sats \ 2 replies \ @grayruby 4 Jul

I think in the coming weeks there will be much easier ones to debate than this one. "Imaging a redo of their careers" gives a bit too much leeway. In some parallel universe Matt Bonner turned into a reasonable facsimile of Jokic and Lebron and Dwayne Wade were complete busts. I can imagine that but it doesn't make it so. I think we need to anchor to how it played out with some creative license to explore what ifs.

50 sats \ 1 reply \ @Undisciplined OP 4 Jul

I can think about the wording, but I basically want us to think of their realized careers to date as though we're scouts with a time machine.

We know how hard they'll play, how their athleticism stacks up against NBA players, how durable they are, a lower bound on how well their skills can develop, how they mature mentally, etc., but we don't know specifically that Wade will miss exactly 31 games in his 4th and 5th seasons.