2001 NBA Re-Draft

Overall, the 2001 NBA Draft was not spectacular. There were plenty of busts, most notably the infamous Kwame Brown, and no superstars. However, this draft did consist of two likely Hall of Famers, many solid starters that had some very good years in the NBA, and a fan favorite in Brian (The White Mamba) Scalabrine, rounded out by a bunch of role players and longtime bench warmers. Here is how the first round should have gone.

2001 NBA Re-Draft

*Number in brackets denotes the player’s original draft position

1. Washington Wizards: Pau Gasol-PF (3): After Pau Gasol was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks, he was quickly traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. Gasol went on to have a nice career playing for the Grizzlies, setting many franchise records, the Lakers, where he won two rings as the sidekick to Kobe Bryant, and now currently the Bulls. His potential was definitely seen, which is why he was drafted number three, but the Wizards and Clippers felt that Kwame Brown and Tyson Chandler were better options. Pau Gasol is one of the best power forwards of all time, arguably top ten, and demonstrated fluid post moves, a point guard’s vision, and a reliable mid-range jump shot throughout his career. The Wizards would not have made the mistake they did if they knew what Gasol would become. 
2. Los Angeles Clippers: Tony Parker-PG (28): The San Antonio Spurs stole the second best player in this draft with the 28th pick. A lot of people make the point that the Spurs’ coaching and continued success has helped players such as Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard reach stardom. But Tony Parker didn’t learn how to play basketball from the Spurs; he was already good, just overlooked. Coming from France, he wasn’t looked at much and fell to the Spurs. Parker’s quickness has always been his best attribute, along with his deadly mid-range jumper. The Clippers should have taken him at the second pick to keep their point guard position locked up for years to come.
3. Atlanta Hawks: Joe Johnson-SG (10): Instead of waiting until the 2005 season to add him to the team, the Atlanta Hawks should’ve drafted shooting guard Joe Johnson when he entered the league. It took a few years for Iso Joe to become the great scorer that he is today, but with the Hawks, he would’ve been able to take a backseat to Jason Terry for a while. Joe Johnson has never been a lockdown defender, but he is more than capable of holding his own. His offensive skills are already known, possessing quick handles that not many players his size have, as well as a beautiful shooting stroke and a knack for hitting big shots in the clutch. He’s the third best player from this draft.
4. Chicago Bulls: Zach Randolph-PF (19): The Bulls had an abundance of good wing players with Ron Mercer, Ron Artest (now Metta World-Peace) and Jalen Rose at the time of this draft, but that’s not the real reason they should’ve drafted Zach Randolph. They needed a big that can score and that’s what Randolph is best at. He’s not a good defender, but give the ball to him down low and it’s pretty difficult to stop him. He would’ve been a better pick than Eddy Curry, and would’ve lasted longer as well. He’s only started to regress in these past couple years. Randolph would’ve proved to be a better selection than Curry.
5. Golden State Warriors: Jason Richardson-SG (5): What is there to change? In both the real draft and re-draft, the Warriors went with the right pick in Jason Richardson. A scoring machine swingman who has sustained his career by staying valuable as a three point shooter, Jason Richardson was the fifth best player in this draft.
6. Memphis Grizzlies: Tyson Chandler-C (2): Tyson Chandler drops a few spots in the re-draft. He may be an elite defender in the post, and he rebounds the ball well, but that’s all you’re going to get from him. It’s not like that is a bad thing at all. Plus, with this pick, the Grizzlies wouldn’t have needed to trade Shareef Abdur-Rahim, a good, scoring power forward. A duo of Abdur-Rahim and Chandler would have been interesting.
7. New Jersey Nets: Gilbert Arenas-PG (30): Many people will frown on Arenas being this low. But the fact is that Arenas was injury prone, and only brought three good years to the table. Also, in those three years, he played a ridiculous amount of minutes, averaging almost 40 minutes per game in each year. Agent Zero definitely should have been drafted much higher than the 30th pick, but he’s not better than anyone else above him in this re-draft. The Nets had Jason Kidd dominating the ball, but Arenas could have slid to SG or been used as trade bait. From what we know about Arenas’s career now, this would be where he’d get drafted.
8. Cleveland Cavaliers: Richard Jefferson-SF (13): Richard Jefferson only recently became a Cleveland Cavalier, but he should’ve been one a while ago. The Cavaliers had the opportunity to take him with the eighth pick in the draft but went with future bust DeSagna Diop. Diop was a decent big man who defended the paint well, but wasn’t worth a draft pick that high. Jefferson brought athletic scoring from the wing as well as a three point shot that got better and better throughout his career, except when he was with the Spurs. Who knows, if the Cavaliers had taken Jefferson here, would they have ever ended up needing Lebron James? (That’s probably a yes).
9. Detroit Pistons: Gerald Wallace-SF (25):Gerald Wallace is a defensive minded small forward that has had a decent career with many different teams. He was drafted by the Sacramento Kings 25th overall and played with them for three years before being selected by the Charlotte Bobcats during the 2004 NBA Expansion Draft. He was given playing time there and stayed with them until 2011. He’s never been an offensive force but has always been athletic and a great defender, and he has improved his jump shot throughout the years. The Pistons’ defense would have improved even more from drafting Wallace, whether he started at the small forward position or came off the bench as a sixth man.
10. Boston Celtics: Mehmet Okur-C (37): Okur played for the Pistons for a couple years after being drafted by them with the 37th pick and waiting a year to get on their roster. They clearly got him at a pretty good spot, because he was the tenth best player in this draft. His three point shooting ability, especially for a big man, reliability, and great rebounding worked great for the Jazz when he was in his prime.
11. Boston Celtics: Samuel Dalembert-C (26): Dalembert would’ve been a great addition to any team. He was a great defender and rebounder and should have been taken earlier. He and Okur would’ve been a nice duo.
12. Seattle Supersonics: Brendan Haywood-C (12): Very similar to Dalembert — a great defender and rebounder with limited offensive skills.
13. Houston Rockets: Troy Murphy-PF (14): Underrated player overall. Was never a great defender, but the left handed power forward shot the ball extremely well and was one of the best rebounders in this draft.
14. Golden State Warriors: Shane Battier-SF (6): Should not have been picked so high but did enjoy a long career as a good defender and great shooter at the wing positions.
15. Orlando Magic: Earl Watson-PG (39): Watson played the point guard position well and was a decent option as role player. He was a very smart player who has turned that basketball IQ into a coaching career.
16. Charlotte Hornets: Vladmir Radmanovic-PF (12)
17. Toronto Raptors: Jamaal Tinsley-PG (27)
18. Houston Rockets: Eddy Curry-C (4)
19. Portland Trailblazers: Kwame Brown-C (1)
20. Cleveland Cavaliers: Jason Collins-C (18)
21. Boston Celtics: Bobby Simmons-SF (41)
22. Orlando Magic: Brian Scalabrine-PF (34)
23. Houston Rockets: Disagna Diop-C (8)
24. Utah Jazz: Trenton Hassell-SG (29)
25. Sacramento Kings: Steven Hunter-C (15)
26. Philadelphia 76ers: Jarron Collins-C (52)
27. Memphis Grizzlies: Eddie Griffin-PF (7)
28. San Antonio Spurs: Raul Lopez-PG (24)