The best picks in the loaded 2003 NBA draft class were widely touted to be LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. The Cleveland Cavaliers held the first pick, while the Detroit Pistons had the second. The common consensus was that Carmelo Anthony would land in Detroit after the Cavs selected James. Cleveland drafted Ohio native James as expected, but the Pistons shocked the world by picking Serbian prospect Darko Milicic over Anthony. The Nuggets counted their lucky stars that day and took Anthony with the third pick.
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During a recent appearance on the All The Smoke podcast, former Pistons star Chauncey Billups bemoaned his team passing on Carmelo Anthony and claimed that they would’ve dominated James’ Cavaliers and the Eastern Conference had the former Syracuse star been on their roster. The 47-year-old said,
“If we do get Melo, when was LeBron gonna ever take over? That was a hell of a rookie season. But now we’re in the same division, he gonna get raised right in the game. Bron is Bron and we all know he’s incredible, he’s on Mount Rushmore. But when was he ever gonna beat and be better than [us with Melo]? We all thought we were taking Melo.”
Despite passing on Anthony and picking Milicic, the Pistons won the 2004 NBA title, beating the Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal-led Los Angeles Lakers 4-1 in the NBA Finals. Billups won the MVP of the series after averaging 21 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.2 assists. Milicic rode the bench and played only 34 games in the regular season, averaging 1.4 points and 1.3 rebounds. He played for less than 14 minutes in the playoffs and scored only one point.
Here Billups makes an important distinction. Melo’s presence in the then Detroit team could have elevated his career to another level very quickly. Anthony is the prime example of a player failing to reach his potential due to the lack of a system around him. The Pistons could have created the next dynasty in the East if it weren’t for their Draft day debacle.
Milicic spent two and a half years with the Pistons before being shipped to the Orlando Magic. He spent nine seasons in the NBA and never averaged more than 8.8 points. He was one of the biggest draft busts in NBA history. On the flip side, Anthony spent 19 years in the NBA, earned 10 All-Star selections, six All-NBA nods, one scoring title, and a place on the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team.
The Pistons’ decision to pick Milicic ahead of Anthony was baffling in 2003 and has aged horrendously in the two decades since they made that decision.
LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony Rookie of the Year battle
LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony were touted as the best players of the 2003 NBA draft class. The duo proved the projections right in their debut season.
James played 79 games and averaged 20.2 points, 5.9 assists, and 5.5 rebounds. Anthony played all 82 games and put up 21 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. While the Cavaliers star swept all six Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month awards, the Nuggets rookie had a stronghold on the Western Conference Rookie of the Month award, going six for six.
The Cavaliers improved from 17-65 in 2002-03 to 35-47 in James’ rookie season. The Nuggets also improved dramatically, going from 17 wins in 2002-03 to 43 with Anthony on the roster. Denver’s 26-win improvement is the most by a team that won fewer than 20 games the previous season in NBA history. The Nuggets managed it despite losing Juwan Howard in the 2003 offseason. The forward averaged 18.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, and three assists with Denver in 2002-03 and was inarguably the team’s best player.
James and Anthony put up incredible numbers and massively improved their rosters. However, the Cavaliers star edged out the Nuggets forward and won the Rookie of the Year award by 78 points. Over the years, many have argued that Anthony should have won the award. The former Nuggets star is also among those. In an interview with Sports Illustrated, he said,
“I should have won that; everybody knows. I thought we’d at least share it, since we both lived up to the expectations that first year. He had an incredible year, and in my case, we made the playoffs.”
Anthony doesn’t hold any grudges about losing out to James, as the duo have built a brotherly bond. However, the debate continues to rage on whether he should have that Rookie of the Year award sitting in James’ trophy cabinet.
