The Detroit Pistons were the biggest winner in the 2003-2004 season when they won the title as underdogs against the Los Angeles Lakers powerhouse led by Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. They might be the biggest loser to if the 2003 draft is going to be considered.
The 2003 draft is considered as among, if not the deepest pool in the history of the NBA. Notable players who went on to have a great career and are locked for Hall of Fame are Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, and Chris Bosh. It also had All-Stars like Chris Kaman, Kyle Korver, David West, and Josh Howard.
Pistons picked second overall in that batch and they chose international player Darko Miličić who became a journeyman after three years with the team that drafted him.
Detroit won the title during Miličić’s first year but Billups believes they could have won more if they got another player instead in that stacked draft batch.
He specifically points to Carmelo Anthony who was the third overall in that year and was selected by the Denver Nuggets.
“Of course I’ve thought about it,” former Pistons point guard and current Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups told ESPN.
“I mean, I’ve done that for so long. For so long. And I really do believe that had we drafted Melo that year, we would’ve went on to win at least three championships.”
Billups’ teammate Tayshaun Prince expressed the same thought back in 2024.
Detroit Pistons’, Carmelo Anthony’s seasons after 2004
Pistons remained among the contenders after the 2004 season. They even finished first in the 2005-2006 season but lost to eventual champions Miami Heat in the conference finals. Wade, the fourth overall in 2003 went on to win the Finals MVP.
They were the best team again in the East in the 2006-2007 season but they fell to James-led Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals again.
Pistons did not win another title since then.
Anthony, set to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, turned the Nuggets franchise around. Denver won just 17 games in the season before but with him on the line-up, they reached the playoffs as eighth seed in his debut season.
Nuggets never missed the playoffs in all the eight seasons Melo was with them. He was traded to the New York Knicks in the middle of the 2010-11 season.
Melo might have never won a title but he will go down as among the best players in the history of NBA.
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