Author Topic: How much different would the NBA be to this day, had the Pistons taken Carmelo?  (Read 799 times)

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Online JSD

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I think about this sometimes, Pistons selecting Darko over Melo in the 2003 NBA Draft, was a monumental blunder by Dumars. Not only would have it extended the Pistons window dramatically, we would think of Melo in a totally different light today.

I understand the 2003 Draft was one of the most stacked drafts of all time and the Pistons could have went literally in any other direction in the Top 5 and had a different situation today, but at the time, the cry was about Detroit going Melo at 2.
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Offline mr. dee

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Darko was like Bender at that time and people here wanted Bender at #3. I can't say I blame Dumars for it as Darko have shown skills and potential for a big man. He just couldn't live the hype due to his weak mindset.

At best, Carmelo could be a James Harden-type sixth man on that Pistons squad. He could have overtake Rip Hamilton and Chauncey as their primary scorer at some point, but Prince was also essential for their success as the Piston were vaunted as a defensive juggernaut. At worse, he can end up like Harrison Barnes that couldn't tap potential due to low usage rate from the team.