One of the biggest NBA “what-ifs” from the early 2000s is what would have happened if the Detroit Pistons drafted Carmelo Anthony. Already a contending team, Detroit held the No. 2 pick in the iconic 2003 draft. Instead of selecting future Hall of Famer Anthony, the Pistons chose Darko Milicic in a move that quickly became infamous.
Milicic never made a noteworthy individual impact in the NBA, while Anthony blossomed into a perennial All-Star for the Denver Nuggets. Pistons legend Ben Wallace was recently asked whether Detroit could have reached the same heights if Anthony was selected instead of Milicic.
The four-time Defensive Player of the Year surprised many by saying he believes that Anthony would have hurt the team, not helped it, because the fit could have disrupted Detroit’s chemistry. “Melo would have wanted to play right away. It would have had the potential to disrupt the team chemistry,” Wallace said on the 2 Bright Guys podcast.
LeBron James and Anthony both looked like instant superstars as they battled for Rookie of the Year, while Milicic barely saw the floor on a contending Pistons team stacked with experienced veterans having their eyes set on a title.
Carmelo Would Have Benched Tayshaun Prince
Another point Ben Wallace raised was the potential conflict at small forward. If Detroit had drafted Carmelo Anthony, it could have put Tayshaun Prince’s role at risk. The Pistons leaned heavily on their elite defense, and Prince became the ideal wing defender, capable of guarding everyone from shooting guards to power forwards.
Wallace explained why Anthony’s arrival might have stunted Prince’s growth and limited his role: “If we would have drafted Melo, Tayshaun Prince would have never blossomed and been the type of player that he became. We won a championship off the back of the best block that I have ever seen in my life.”
Prince’s legendary chase-down block on Reggie Miller during the Eastern Conference finals was a turning point. Beyond that moment, Detroit relied on his versatile defense against Miller, Kobe Bryant, Jason Kidd and many other greats during the championship run.
Darko Accepted Smaller Role Than Carmelo
Darko Milicic’s lack of success has fueled years of debate over whether Carmelo Anthony could have extended the Pistons’ run as contenders. Detroit won the 2004 NBA championship and stayed in the mix for about three more seasons but never got another.
Anthony may have helped the team retool for the long-term future, but Wallace insists the Pistons would not have won that first title with him having a strong rookie presence. Milicic fully accepted his role as a little-used rookie, knowing he wasn’t ready to contribute to a contender.
Wallace believes that Detroit standing pat with their core players and adding Rasheed Wallace is the only way they have that dream run bringing home the Larry O’Brien trophy. Carmelo getting added to the equation would have made the team serve two purposes of contending for a title and developing a young superstar. Wallace maintains that everything unfolded the way it had to for the Pistons to reach their dream.
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