How good would the Detroit Pistons have been if they drafted Carmelo Anthony second overall in the 2003 NBA Draft over Darko Milicic? Well, Anthony himself thinks they would’ve been pretty good.
The 35-year-old 10-time All-Star told Dwyane Wade that if the Pistons had drafted him, he would have had two or three NBA titles with the organization.
The Pistons won the NBA title during the 2003-04 season and lost in the Finals the following season. They haven’t had much success since then, and of course Anthony has had his ups and downs in his long career.
In 17 seasons, Anthony has averaged 23.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game while shooting 44.8 percent from the field and 34.8 percent from beyond the arc.
Milicic didn’t find nearly the success Anthony did in the NBA. The big man averaged 6.0 points, 4.2 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game while shooting 46 percent from the field.
Milicic actually responded to Wade and Anthony.
“About these stories, well wasn’t my story already told, they thank God made it – I didn’t. We’re not kids, we’re grown men, I hope you’re mature enough to understand that life is full of rises and falls,” Milicic said, according to Clutch Points. “Advice to them, because I think of them as more or less the good guys, is to not judge and mock. When thank God you didn’t go through the path that I went through. To them I wish all the best as always and I salute their careers. All the best in further life and lots of success and less judgments.”
Erin Walsh is a Boston sports fan through and through. Although many think Boston sports fans are insufferable, Erin tries to see things from a neutral perspective. Her passion is hockey, and she believes defense wins championships.
In addition to covering sports for Yardbarker, she covers Boston sports for NBC Sports Boston. Follow her on Twitter @ewalsh90
