If the following drafts were redone

[baseline bum]

1999
1. Manu Ginobili (picked 57)
2. Elton Brand
3. Baron Davis
4. Lamar Odom
5. Ron Artest
6. Steve Francis

2001
1. Pau Gasol
2. Tony Parker (picked 28)
3. Gilbert Arenas
4. Tyson Chandler
5. Zach Randolph
6. Joe Johnson

2007:
1. Kevin Durant
2. Al Horford
3. Joakim Noah
4. Marc Gasol
5. Michael Conley
6. Aaron Afflalo
7. Tiago Splitter (picked 28)

2011:
1. Kyrie Irving
2. Kawhi Leonard (picked 15)
3. Jonas Valaciunas
4. Klay Thompson
5. Nikola Vucevic
6. Kemba Walker

EDIT: Forgot Marc Gasol in 2007

[Ocotillo]

Nice observation.

[Cry Havoc]

I'd take Splitter over Afflalo simply because even serviceable big men are impossible to find in the modern NBA. The game has evolved and it's so fast paced now, and defenses are so quick to swarm. You could also make an argument for Noah over Horford.

[Cry Havoc]

Also of note, McGrady went #9th in the draft behind Duncan. He easily would have been a 2nd pick and would have gone 1st in most years if his potential was known. Dude was a monster in the early 2000s.

[TheGreatYacht]

Give me Thad Young, Jeff Green, Marc Gasol, Spencer Hawes, & Wilson Chandler over Splitter

[baseline bum]

Give me Thad Young, Jeff Green, Marc Gasol, Spencer Hawes, & Wilson Chandler over Splitter

, forgot about Gasol. Thad Young flopped bigtime when he had his chance and Green is horrible.

[TheGreatYacht]

, forgot about Gasol. Thad Young flopped bigtime when he had his chance and Green is horrible.

Yeah lol nobody knew he would be this good when Memphis got him

[Mugen]

I'd rather have Splitter over Afflalo as well tbh.

[Cry Havoc]

The 2009 draft (Blair's draft) is pretty interesting:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_NBA_draft

Would probably go:

1. Griffin
2. Harden
3. Curry (due to injury risk)
4. Rubio
5. DeMar DeRozan
6. Jrue Holiday
7. Taj Gibson
8. Danny Green
9. Ty Lawson
10. Chase Budinger

Notables not in top 10: Tyreke Evans, Patty Mills, DeJuan Blair, Gerald Henderson, Patrick Beverly

Man, that's a draft loaded with deep potential. Blair starts for the Mavs and wouldn't crack the top 10. Still a great pick/risk by the Spurs that late in the draft.

[SpursBills]

Decent chance that in a few years you can move kawhi up to #1 over irving; advanced stats hate the guy and he doesn't play a lick of d at the moment while kawhi keeps improving on both sides of the ball

either way, it's basically like turning the 26th overall pick of the 2008 draft into one of the top 2 players of the 2011 draft

[Richie]

The 2009 draft (Blair's draft) is pretty interesting:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_NBA_draft

Would probably go:

1. Griffin
2. Harden
3. Curry (due to injury risk)
4. Rubio
5. DeMar DeRozan
6. Jrue Holiday
7. Taj Gibson
8. Danny Green
9. Ty Lawson
10. Chase Budinger

Notables not in top 10: Tyreke Evans, Patty Mills, DeJuan Blair, Gerald Henderson, Patrick Beverly

Man, that's a draft loaded with deep potential. Blair starts for the Mavs and wouldn't crack the top 10. Still a great pick/risk by the Spurs that late in the draft.

Rubio way too high and Ty Lawson way too low. I'm putting Ty 4th and Rubio 8th just ahead of Danny Green, although as one of the worst shooters in the league he might not even deserve to be that high.

[Richie]

Decent chance that in a few years you can move kawhi up to #1 over irving; advanced stats hate the guy and he doesn't play a lick of d at the moment while kawhi keeps improving on both sides of the ball

either way, it's basically like turning the 26th overall pick of the 2008 draft into one of the top 2 players of the 2011 draft

I think it's hard to compare Kawhi and Irving, the former is in perhaps the best organisation in the league and the latter perhaps the worst which makes a big difference. I don't think there's any doubt Irving is the more talented player, but Kawhi may end up with the better career if Kyrie gets stuck in Cleveland.

[Mugen]

WTF is Budinger doing on that list?

[Cry Havoc]

Rubio way too high and Ty Lawson way too low. I'm putting Ty 4th and Rubio 8th just ahead of Danny Green, although as one of the worst shooters in the league he might not even deserve to be that high.

Depends on if we're going by where *I* think players should go, or where I think they'd actually be drafted. I went with the latter in this instance. NBA execs love guys who can pull a Rubio. I think he'd be a top 5 even if that draft were redone today. It's the same reason guys like Thabeet go #2 in a draft -- NBA teams are at evaluating talent. I'd have Rubio 9th-ish personally.

WTF is Budinger doing on that list?

, that's my bad. Mixed him up with Chandler Parsons. Probably Evans should be 10th. Too many names being thrown around.

[Harry Callahan]

Decent chance that in a few years you can move kawhi up to #1 over irving; advanced stats hate the guy and he doesn't play a lick of d at the moment while kawhi keeps improving on both sides of the ball

either way, it's basically like turning the 26th overall pick of the 2008 draft into one of the top 2 players of the 2011 draft

Yeah, I've heard Kyrie likes going to the club more than the gym......