SI.com '03 Draft Predictions
Hello, my name is J. Felders, and I am NOT the Suns' GM. We just share the same name, that's all. Today marks the start of the most hyped NBA draft since the 2000 inaugural draft , and this analyst is here to bring you his thoughts on how this draft should go.
(NOTE: To all GMs who may read this, my word is not gospel. I'm just a rookie guy here at SI.com, the last thing I need is an inbox full of hate mail from bitter fans.)
Now that that's out of the way, let's begin, shall we?
#1 - LeBron James, Bulls
Duh.
#2 - Dwayne Wade, Clippers
With the loss of Larry Hughes to FA and T-Mac holding down the fort at the 3, Wade is the perfect combo guard to double up at the SG & PG slots. I like Jay Williams, but you never know what he'll do. Special prayers to PrepP.
#3 - Carmelo Anthony, Rockets
Rasheed who? Major props to the Rockets for securing a bright future. Wally Z is not a viable starter, so in comes Carmelo. Word is, he can play the 4 as well. Hornets78 loves playing with strategies, he'll have a lot to work with. Houston, your problems are fading.
#4 - Kirk Hinrich, Nuggets
Oh, I can hear the fanboys screaming now. Look, Bosh can only play the 4 at this point. Oh, wait, you've got Nene. Well, maybe Bosh can play the 5? Oh, hi there Sam Dalembert. You know what you don't have? A PG. Enter Captain Kirk. Beam him up, Busta.
#5 Chris Bosh, Mavericks
Bosh is back in Texas. Dallas had back-to-back finals appearances under the leadership of all-time great Karl Malone. They hope Bosh will follow in his footsteps.
Next up, picks 6-10!