There have been many mistakes made in past NBA Drafts. The 2005 NBA Draft showcased numerous mistakes made by several teams, including the Orlando Magic selecting Power Forward Fran Vasquez with the 11th overall pick. Vasquez never made it to the NBA, opting to continue playing overseas instead. Another wasted pick was the Los Angeles Clippers' selection of Forward Yaroslav Korolev with the 12th overall pick. Korolev did very little in his short career and cost the team a lottery pick.
If teams could re-draft knowing what they know now about players, here's how the 2005 NBA Draft might have looked.
1st pick: Milwaukee Bucks selects PG Chris Paul
Paul has emerged as one of the top point guards in the game, with career averages of 18.8 ppg, 9.7 apg and 2.4 spg. He reminds many of future Hall of Famer, Isiah Thomas. The Milwaukee Bucks haven't had a dominant point guard, like Paul since it had Sam Cassell and Gary Payton in the backcourt, when the team made a run at the Eastern Conference finals.
2nd pick: Atlanta Hawks selects PG Deron Williams
Not many could figure out why the Hawks didn't select a point guard with this pick. After all, both Deron Williams and Chris Paul were available. Instead, the forward-laden Hawks picked another forward in Marvin Williams. While Williams has had a solid and steadily improving career, Paul and Deron Williams have emerged as stars in a tough position to fill. Deron Williams has averaged 15.9 ppg, 8.4 apg over the course of his career.
3rd pick: Utah Jazz selects F Danny Granger
Though many thought Granger should have been a lottery pick at the time, he slipped all the way to pick number 17. The Indiana Pacers capitalized on several teams' mistake, as Granger has shown superstar potential in the 2008-2009 season, averaging 25.0 ppg, 5.0 rbpg and 1.5 bspg. His career averages are 15.8 ppg, 5.2 rbpg.
4th pick: New Orleans Hornets selects F David Lee
Lee dropped all the way to the final pick of the first round. However, he's made the best of his career and has proven to be a consistent rebounder, whose capable of scoring at times. In the 2008-2009 season, Lee's averaged 16.4 ppg to go along with 11.8 rbpg. His career averages are 10.5 ppg and 8.7 rbpg.
5th pick: Charlotte Bobcats selects C Andrew Bogut
This is a tough call, because some could make a strong case for Andrew Bynum being a better option over Bogut. Yet, Bogut's had a healthier career and has been better so far over the course of his short career. In the long run, however, Bynum may wind up being a better center. Still, Bogut's been quietly solid, with career averages of 11.9 ppg, 8.7 rbpg, while shooting 54% from the field.
6th pick: Portland Trail Blazers selects C Andrew Bynum
2005 was the final year teams could draft high school players (or more specifically, players under the age of 19). Most NBA experts believed Gerald Green would be the top high school player taken, but he ended up slipping to the middle of the first round. While the Blazers selected Martell Webster (another high schooler) with this pick, Andrew Bynum has proven to be the best among the high schoolers.
7th pick: Toronto Raptors selects G Monta Ellis
It's hard to believe that Ellis fell to the 40th pick of the draft after his performance in 2007-2008, when he averaged 20.2 ppg, 5.0 rbpg.
8th pick: New York Knicks selects F Marvin Williams
Williams is a versatile forward with great size at 6-9 240lbs. He still has a lot of upside, too. His career averages are 12.4 ppg and 5.5 rbpg.
9th pick: Golden State Warriors selects F Charlie Villanueva
Villanueva has shown a lot of versatility and athleticism at the power forward position. Still, he has yet to show the ability to post numbers with a winning team. Though, some might argue that he hasn't gotten a fair shot at that yet. His career averages are 13.0 ppg, 6.3 rbpg.
10th pick: Los Angeles Lakers selects PG Raymond Felton
The Lakers wound up taking Bynum here, but could have done worse with Felton. His career averages with the Charlotte Bobcats are 13.5 ppg, 6.6 apg, though he's shot less than 40% from the field in his career.
11th pick: Orlando Magic selects G Nate Robinson
The knock on Robinson before the draft was that, while he's an incredible athlete, he needed to refine his skills. Moreover, at 5-9, he wasn't much of a pure point guard. Robinson's quieted critics, and his freakish athleticism has helped mask his deficiencies. He's having a career year in 2008-2009, averaging 16.4 ppg and 4.1 apg. His career averages are 11.7 ppg.
12th pick: Los Angeles Clippers selects GF Linas Kleiza
Kleiza's toughness and scoring ability has made him a nice fit with the Denver Nuggets. His career averages are 8.3 ppg, and he's averaged double figures the past couple years.
13th pick: Charlotte Bobcats selects F Martell Webster
Webster's missed the entire 2008-2009 season to injury, but has shown flashes of brilliance in his career so far. His career averages are 8.1 ppg.
14th pick: Minnesota Timberwolves selects PG Jarrett Jack
At 6-3 200lbs, Jack has made a career out of being a capable combo guard. His career averages are 9.8 ppg and 3.9 apg.
