Is there anything that destroys the fortunes of a franchise more than a premium draft pick going bust? Even worse, when the next player…or two…or three…go on to have Hall of Fame careers. That’s exactly the scenario for the 2003 Detroit Pistons. Eighteen-year-old LeBron James went to the Cavs with the first pick and Detroit was on the clock at no. 2. The reigning king of college basketball, Carmelo Anthony, was there for the taking (so were Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade). But instead, Detroit’s braintrust chose a different 18-year old, 7-foot Serbian Darko Milicic who, despite lasting 10 seasons in the league, became the epitome of an NBA draft bust. But what if the Pistons, who won the 2003-04 NBA title despite the pick, chose Carmelo instead? Would playing with veterans like Chauncey Billups, Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace have silenced Melo’s critics and led to multiple Motor City rings? How would LeBron’s career have been altered with a young rival in the division? Would Darko have benefitted from being in a different locale? And what does all of this have to do with MTV and Eminem? Find out on Alternate Routes.

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