Ben Wallace Feels Pistons Wouldn’t Have Won a Championship If They Drafted Carmelo Anthony Instead of Darko Miličić

In 2003, the Detroit Pistons held the second pick in the NBA draft. While many expected them to draft Carmelo Anthony as the second overall pick, they ended up choosing Darko Milicic in a move that quickly became infamous.

Their decision to not pick Anthony became one of the biggest “what-ifs” in the 2000s. The Pistons were coming off an impressive 2002-03 campaign where they finished at the top of the Eastern Conference standings and reached the Eastern Conference Finals.

Hence, many believed that picking Anthony would help them to get over the hump. But to everyone’s surprise, they went for the Serbian big man.

Four-time Defensive Player of the Year Ben Wallace surprised many by saying he believes that Anthony would have hurt the team as he would not fit the system.

If we would’ve drafted Carmelo, I honestly don’t think we would’ve ever won a championship. Melo would’ve wanted to play right away. It would’ve had the potential to disrupt the team chemistry.

Ben Wallace said on 2 Bright Guys

Ben Wallace on if the Pistons ended up drafting Carmelo Anthony instead of Darko Miličić:

“If we would've drafted Carmelo, I honestly don't think we would’ve ever won a championship. Melo would've wanted to play right away. It would've had the potential to disrupt the team… pic.twitter.com/Ir0Tezz0Ti

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) September 13, 2026

The decision to skip Anthony and pick Milicic did work out in the end as they went on to win a championship in the 2003-04 campaign. However, Milicic played little to no role during their title run. He made just eight appearances in the entire playoffs and averaged less than two minutes per game.

The Serbian star struggled to make any impact in the NBA and is largely known as one of the biggest draft busts of all time.

Meanwhile, Anthony blossomed into a perennial All-Star and became one of the greatest scorers of all time. He went on to have a stellar career during his time with the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks.

Carmelo Anthony would have benched Tayshaun Prince

The 2004 Pistons team was known for its tenacious and elite defense. They were not reliant on any individual superstars and were the perfect example of “defense wins championships”.

Drafting a player like Anthony would see them play a very different style as he was not really known for his defensive prowess.

Wallace revealed that picking Anthony would have put Tayshaun Prince’s role at risk and might have stunted his growth.

If we would have drafted Melo, Tayshaun Prince would have never blossomed and been the type of player that he became. We won a championship off the back of the best block that I have ever seen in my life.

Ben Wallace said on 2 Bright Guys

Prince was drafted by the Pistons in 2002 as the 23rd pick. While he was nowhere near Anthony in terms of scoring, he became the ideal wing defender and was a good fit for their culture.

Prince spent over 10 seasons with the Pistons and was named in the All-Defensive Second Team four times in his career. His legendary chase-down block on Reggie Miller during the Eastern Conference Finals was a turning point for the team heading into the NBA Finals.

Carmelo Anthony thinks he still would have done well in Detroit

Carmelo Anthony developed into one of the best offensive players in the league in the 2000s. Many may debate that he could have extended the Pistons’ championship window, but Milicic was ready to accept his role as a little-used rookie. Hence, it worked out for them in 2004.

Anthony asserted that he still could have done well in Detroit had they selected him second overall.

We probably would have won multiple championships because I would have gotten better. I probably would have been a big contributor to that veteran team. But as far as impact goes on that team, my impact probably would have been a different type of impact. I would have loved it because I was part of a winning situation and then coming off a winning situation.

Carmelo Anthony on 7PM in Brooklyn

The Pistons of the 2000s were one of the most tenacious and feared defensive units of all time. Prince was instrumental to that culture and style of play.

Wallace once even claimed that the ’04 Pistons team would beat the ’17 Golden State Warriors team with Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.

Unfortunately, the NBA world will never know how they would have been with Anthony as their leading superstar.

Milicic was traded to the Orlando Magic in his third season and never made a mark in the NBA. However, he did win a championship in his rookie season, while Anthony ended his career with no championships to his name.

Also Read:

• Nikola Jokic Questions Whether Athletes Should Be Role Models for Young Fans
• Kevin Durant Celebrates Texas’ Comeback Win Over No.1 Ohio State With Arch Manning