The past decade has included some of the best drafts in NBA history. The 2003 NBA draft was historic, producing LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh. The 2005 draft produced two of the best young point guards in the game: Chris Paul and Deron Williams. Worst Draft Picks Of The Decade Also, check out our top-10 list of the worst picks of the decade. Ford • NBA Draft Blog | Draft Index Who were the best draft picks of the decade? What follows is not a list of the best players drafted this decade. Instead, it looks at the significance of certain picks based on the impact of the player drafted or the value a team got later in the draft. Best No. 1 Picks Getting the No. 1 pick is a cause for celebration for most fans. But this decade, only four No. 1 picks have made the All-Star team, and only three of them ended up being the best player in their class. 1. LeBron James (No. 1 pick, 2003 draft) LeBron James was, simply, the best player drafted this decade -- by a long shot. Yes, LeBron was a no-brainer as the No. 1 pick for the Cavs. I scouted him for two years and couldn't find one scout who felt that LeBron wasn't going to be a superstar. But few totally understood the impact he would have -- and continue to have -- on the game. There just isn't another player in the league with his size-to-skill ratio. He can be a point guard or a power forward and kill you either way. No player this decade has changed the fortunes of a franchise more profoundly than James has. And, with his impending free agency looming, no player has done more to cause GMs across the league to cut payroll than LeBron. Howard 2. Dwight Howard (No. 1 pick, 2004 draft) There was only one other truly great No. 1 pick this decade, and it came from an unlikely source -- an unrefined high school big man who once said he wanted Jesus on the NBA logo. You might not remember, but at the time there was a serious argument that UConn big man Emeka Okafor should go No. 1 ahead of Howard. Although everyone agreed that Howard had more upside, he was very raw offensively and was thought to be years from being a significant contributor. Okafor was considered a safer pick. When I saw Howard work out just weeks before the draft, I began to question him, too. He seemed too nice, too young and too naive to bang down low with the giants of the NBA. Looking back now, he was one of only two dominant big men to come into the league this decade. The other, Yao Ming, has been riddled with injuries. Meanwhile, Howard is coming off his first NBA Finals appearance and is a serious contender for this season's MVP award. Honorable mentions: Yao Ming, 2002; Derrick Rose, 2008. Best Lottery Picks These players have made a strong case that they, not the players drafted at No. 1, were the best players in their respective drafts. Wade 1. Dwyane Wade (No. 5 pick, 2003 draft) In any draft but LeBron's, Wade would've been considered the best player in his draft class. What's so interesting was that when the Heat drafted Wade with the No. 5 pick … it was considered a stretch. For months, Wade was seen as a late lottery pick because he was an undersized 2. However, Pat Riley was won over by Wade the night before the draft and, despite needing a true point guard, decided to roll the dice on the ultra-athletic combo guard from Marquette. Wade has since delivered an NBA championship to Miami and remains one of the most exciting players in the game. Paul 2. Chris Paul (No. 4 pick, 2005 draft) Paul has a chance to be the best point guard to ever play the game. Within months of his first season, it was readily apparent that he was going to redefine the position. His speed, scoring prowess, court vision and leadership on the court, combined with his humble demeanor off it, have epitomized what the position should be all about. Here's the amazing thing. Four teams passed on CP3 despite the fact that every scout I spoke with knew he'd be special. The Bucks passed on him at No. 1 for Andrew Bogut, feeling that they were set at the point with then-rookie guard T.J. Ford. The Blazers passed on him at No. 3 (and eventually traded the pick to Utah) because they had a young point guard named Sebastian Telfair that GM John Nash was in love with. The Jazz felt that Paul wouldn't be a great fit in Jerry Sloan's system and took Deron Williams instead. Those were all pretty egregious mistakes. But nothing tops the Hawks, who were in desperate need of a point guard -- but passed on Paul at No. 2 because they believed that he was too small and that Marvin Williams had more upside. Durant 3. Kevin Durant (No. 2 pick, 2007 draft) Kevin Durant became the first freshman to win NCAA Player of the Year honors -- but still couldn't get taken No. 1 thanks to Ohio State big man Greg Oden. Thunder GM Sam Presti is forever grateful that Durant fell. He is one of the best scorers the game has ever seen. He can kill you from anywhere on the floor. Although he still needs to work on his defense and continue to get stronger, Durant is already one of the best small forwards in the game. I think all of us can imagine him averaging 30 points per game in his prime and leading the Thunder to an NBA title down the road. Stoudemire 4. Amare Stoudemire (No. 9 pick, 2002 draft) Credit former Suns president Jerry Colangelo for recognizing a diamond in the rough. Early in the draft workout process, Stoudemire made a visit to Phoenix. After watching an amazing workout, Colangelo moved quickly to lock up Stoudemire before other GMs could get a good look at him. Colangelo's ploy worked. Most of the GMs were worried about a checkered background and felt Stoudemire would struggle to stay focused. When he refused to come in to work out, teams decided to take a safer route. Although Stoudemire has struggled with injuries at times, he's been as good as any other 4 in the league when he's been healthy. Gasol 5. Pau Gasol (No. 3 pick, 2001 draft) People snickered when the Memphis Grizzlies traded away franchise forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim to the Hawks for the rights to Pau Gasol on draft night. It was considered a huge gamble at the time. The skinny Spaniard was considered a basketball prodigy, but most scouts felt he was too soft to play serious minutes in the paint in the NBA. Gasol came in and immediately wowed the league with his skills in the paint. However, he never got the respect he really deserved until he was traded to the Lakers in 2008. Now, many people believe that although there are better athletes than Gasol and bigs with better numbers, no one in the league has quite the skill set that Gasol possesses. Honorable mentions: Brandon Roy, 2006; Carmelo Anthony, 2003; Chris Bosh, 2003; Deron Williams, 2005; Andrew Bynum, 2005; Brook Lopez, 2008; Joe Johnson, 2001; Tyreke Evans, 2009; Brandon Jennings, 2009. Best Mid-To-Late First-Round Picks These players slipped all the way out of the lottery but turned out to be better than nearly all their peers in the draft. Parker 1. Tony Parker (28th pick, 2001 draft) Although Gasol was able to overcome some prejudice against Euros because of his size and skill set in the paint -- Parker had to overcome a more serious roadblock. NBA scouts were interested in Europe because of the 7-footers the continent produced, but they had almost no interest in the European guards. Parker was a hot name in France, wowed scouts at the Nike Hoop Summit and outplayed nearly everyone in draft workouts -- but he still couldn't find a team with serious interest. There was just no template for young European point guards excelling in the league. Parker slipped all the way to the last pick of the first round, which belonged to San Antonio. But he quickly found his way into the starting rotation and, one year later, was the starting point guard on the champion Spurs. In 2007, he won the Finals MVP honor and, at just 27, he continues to be one of the elite point guards in the game. Rondo 2. Rajon Rondo (21st pick, 2006 draft) You have to give Danny Ainge credit: He saw something in Rondo that virtually every other scout in the league didn't. Rondo was coming off a shaky sophomore season at Kentucky. His coach, Tubby Smith, wasn't a fan. He couldn't shoot. And many scouts wondered whether he could run the point. But Ainge had a spy down at Tim Grover's Attack Athletics, and the word out of the gym was that Rondo was killing everyone, including current NBA players, in full-court play. I saw it with my own eyes about a month before the NBA draft and moved Rondo up to No. 6 on our Big Board and kept him there. The Celtics seriously considered taking him at No. 7, then traded for the pick at 21. Within weeks of training camp, it was clear Boston had landed someone special, and you could argue that, in the Celtics' past two playoff runs, Rondo has been the equal, or better, of Boston's vaunted Big Three. Granger 3. Danny Granger (17th pick, 2005 draft) Granger was an odd sort of draft prospect. He came from a program not known for producing stars. He was a cerebral player who avoided any sort of flash. Scouts weren't sure what his position was or what kind of player he'd be in the league. Concerns about his knee arose just days before the draft and, despite being ranked No. 5 on our Big Board, Granger slid all the way to the Pacers at 17. Since the 2005 draft, Granger has improved every year, and he cracked the All-Star team for the first time last season. He has proved to be one of the most versatile scorers in the game -- unfortunately, he's been mired on a Pacers team that has yet to recover from the Ron Artest brawl and remains one of the more underrated talents in the league. Howard 4. Josh Howard (29th pick, 2003 draft) Howard was the ACC Player of the Year but struggled to win fans in the workouts leading up to the draft. Teams worried about what position he played, and growing concerns about Howard's marijuana use plagued him. The Mavs took a gamble on him with the last pick in the first round, and he has paid off big-time for Dallas as one of the league's most versatile defenders and an excellent offensive player to boot. Smith 5. Josh Smith, (17th pick, 2004 draft) Smith had one of the strangest free falls in NBA draft history. He was widely considered a top-five prospect all year. However, a number of teams drafting between Nos. 5 and 15 either chose another forward or had no need for a forward and ended up drafting position over talent. Smith fell right into Atlanta's lap at 17 and has proved to be one of the most versatile and athletic players in the league. Honorable mentions: Al Jefferson, 2004; Kevin Martin, 2004; David Lee, 2005; David West, 2003; Tayshaun Prince, 2002. Best Second-Round Steals These five players slipped all the way out of the first round but, in many cases, were better than almost all the players selected ahead of them. Redd 1. Michael Redd (44th pick, 2000 draft) Redd was considered just an average college wing player coming out of school. He was a good scorer and a solid shooter, but nothing special. Redd knew he needed to create a niche for himself to stay in the league and began shooting hundreds of jumpers a day. Within two years, he was one of the league's deadliest long-range shooters and one of its most lethal scorers. Redd remains the only second-round pick of the decade to end up being the best prospect in his entire draft class. Boozer 2. Carlos Boozer (34th pick, 2001 draft) Boozer was projected by many to be a mid-first-round pick after a productive college career at Duke. However, in NBA draft workouts, Boozer's lack of both size and explosive athleticism hurt him, and his stock began to plummet. His quick start in Cleveland caused everyone to re-evaluate Boozer as a low-post presence. His ability to gauge angles and his touch around the basket allowed him to dominate bigger, more athletic players in the paint. Had the Cavs been able to keep him in Cleveland, LeBron and Boozer might both have championship rings by now. Arenas 3. Gilbert Arenas (31st pick, 2001 draft) Arenas had a lot of talent, but he was considered an undersized 2-guard with a big mouth before the draft and no one felt comfortable using a first-round pick on him. But by his second year in the league, Arenas had established himself as an elite scoring point guard, and he eventually earned a huge contract from the Washington Wizards. He remains one of the quirkiest, most entertaining players in the game, although a series of injuries has dramatically muted his impact the past few seasons. Ellis 4. Monta Ellis (40th pick, 2005 draft) Ellis was considered one of the top high school players in the country, but, as with a number of other sleepers on this list, scouts didn't know quite how to define his game. He was undersized as a 2-guard, lacked explosive leaping ability and couldn't shoot. And he was too offensive-minded to be a point guard. However, Ellis has turned himself into one of the league's most lethal scorers. His ability to get to the rim and finish is remarkable. Millsap 5. Paul Millsap (47th pick, 2006 draft) Millsap was the best rebounder in college basketball for three years. That should have been a foreshadowing of things to come. However, when he showed up at the Orlando pre-draft camp out of shape and tested and measured poorly in the combine, teams flocked away. Millsap quickly proved all of them wrong, becoming a critical sixth man for the Jazz. When Carlos Boozer went down last season, Millsap produced 19 straight double-doubles and had a case for making the All-Star team. Honorable mentions: Mo Williams, 2003; Mehmet Okur, 2001; Anderson Varejao, 2004; Trevor Ariza, 2004; Carl Landry, 2007; Marc Gasol, 2007; Luis Scola, 2002.
I am surprised that Roy didn't make this list. He was drafted at #6 and traded with cash for Foye. He was taken behind Shelden Williams and Ammo. I think you would have a tough time arguing he isn't the best player in that draft class. I guess, though, 2006 is seen as a down year so maybe that is why.
If we bought PHX pick in 2006 we could have ended up coming out of that draft with PG: Rondo SG: Roy PF: Aldridge C: Freeland Epic. Now that's how you rebuild though the draft.
Rondo turned out to be too egotistical imo. If they would have taken Paul... Mmmm. BUT we wouldn't have been able to pick the players we have now.
Sorry, this was not an 'egregious' mistake. Williams is not chopped liver, and probably does fit better in Jerry Sloan's system. Besides, isn't an 'egregious' mistake the same as a 'stupid' one, in that the Jazz should have known better? That wasn't the case, either. As in every draft, it's a bit of a crap shoot. Ugh. Don't remind me. No shit. Because he would have taken Oden like every other GM in the league. Luck makes him brilliant? Their careers aren't over, so I'd say it's still premature to annoint this one of the 'decade's best picks' and Oden one of the worst. I don't think chosing the obviously best available player makes it a 'great' pick anyway. Is the subject the best player, or the best pick? Why doesn't he title it the decade's most 'obvious' pick. Or 'safest' pick. Or 'luckiest' pick. To be a great pick, shouldn't it reflect some superior evaluation and decision making on the part of the picker? Bah! Humbug!
I enjoy reading compilations of late draft picks who turned out to be great players. Parker. Redd. Arenas. Rather than proving those were 'great' picks however, doesn't it really mean most of the previous 27 or 43 or 29 picks were bad picks? Now that we are a perennial playoff team again, I hope a Parker or a Granger falls to us one of these years, and our GM is smart enough to get him when he does. Was Batum one of those guys? It does look promising.
