How many rings would Carmelo Anthony have if he were drafted by the Pistons?

[Mawly-G]

Kind of touched on this in another thread, but I wanted to create a topic on it. The championship Pistons team back in 2004 was very talented, but would have been even more lethal if they didn't waste their draft pick on Darko.

If the Pistons actually drafted Carmelo at #2, how many rings do you think he'd have by now? Would the Pistons have went on to become a dynasty?

Chauncey Billups
Rip Hamilton
Carmelo Anthony
Rasheed Wallace
Ben Wallace

That lineup could have been amazing.

[Detroit]

Me and a friend of mine had this discussion a few times before (what Pistons fan hasn't?:oldlol: )

If we drafted, Bosh / Wade / Anthony then we would've had atleast 2 more championships during our run. We would've definitely gotten past the conference finals more than twice (2/6).

[Tarik One]

Only if he were to accept a role. His style is not conducive to winning long-term. He's in the same ilk of Dantley, Alex English, Bernard King and Dominique Wilkins. Ball movement stops when the ball is in their hands

[Detroit]

Only if he were to accept a role. His style is not conducive to winning long-term. He's in the same ilk of Dantley, Alex English, Bernard King and Dominique Wilkins. Ball movement stops when the ball is in their hands


I was thinking of that too, but being drafted at that young age and being surrounded by a championship caliber team, I believe he could've turned out to be a completely different player. We had a good coaching staff and a team who could've disciplined him and taught him how to play their style of basketball.

See the Pistons didn't need any players to come and start for them immediately, they had a good starting lineup and they had the luxury of developing whoever they drafted with the 2nd pick for a season or two before asking them to make big time contributions.

[DCL]

detroit, you know you love these pics :lol
http://images.hngn.com/data/images/full/82435/darko-milicic.jpg
http://www.rantsports.com/videos/files/2015/04/Darko-Milicic.png

[ClipperRevival]

Only if he were to accept a role. His style is not conducive to winning long-term. He's in the same ilk of Dantley, Alex English, Bernard King and Dominique Wilkins. Ball movement stops when the ball is in their hands

This. Some guy's games are just not made to win. The guys mentioned above are good examples. In order to get theirs, they sacrifice team flow. I don't think you can win a title with Melo as your best or 2nd best player.

[HylianNightmare]

2.

[Mawly-G]

I was thinking of that too, but being drafted at that young age and being surrounded by a championship caliber team, I believe he could've turned out to be a completely different player. We had a good coaching staff and a team who could've disciplined him and taught him how to play their style of basketball.

See the Pistons didn't need any players to come and start for them immediately, they had a good starting lineup and they had the luxury of developing whoever they drafted with the 2nd pick for a season or two before asking them to make big time contributions.
On another note, I wonder if Larry Brown would've kept him on the bench for much of his rookie season, hindering his development. Larry Brown barely played Darko at all (mostly due to the fact that he was just utter trash, but he never really gave him a shot). Melo definitely could have turned out to become a different player under Larry Brown though.

[Detroit]

detroit, you know you love these pics :lol
http://images.hngn.com/data/images/full/82435/darko-milicic.jpg
http://www.rantsports.com/videos/files/2015/04/Darko-Milicic.png


I have them framed and hung in the bathroom to help induce bowel movements.

[JtotheIzzo]

Only if he were to accept a role. His style is not conducive to winning long-term. He's in the same ilk of Dantley, Alex English, Bernard King and Dominique Wilkins. Ball movement stops when the ball is in their hands

Maybe, but that team had a weak offense and their games were often knock down, drag out wars.

He fits nicely with that group, a very basic motion offense would suit them fine with Rip, Chauncy and Melo all having great midrange game and Ben and Rasheed posting up (well Ben waiting weak side for the rebounds).

Melo is at heart a winner, he put Cuse on his back, he had the best winning pedigree coming into the NBA but something about being marooned in Denver and then to a dysfunctional NYK is enough to sour moods.

Melo has always played great with best on best in FIBA and before Durant he was probably the best FIBA player in the world.

He is now underrated.

[BlakFrankWhite]

Lmao

So this will be Melo's legacy...."what if he had been drafted by X or Y team"

Prolly the most overrated,overpaid ,piss poor choker beta..

KD >>>>> fat ass Melo

[Mawly-G]

Maybe, but that team had a weak offense and their games were often knock down, drag out wars.

He fits nicely with that group, a very basic motion offense would suit them fine with Rip, Chauncy and Melo all having great midrange game and Ben and Rasheed posting up (well Ben waiting weak side for the rebounds).

Melo is at heart a winner, he put Cuse on his back, he had the best winning pedigree coming into the NBA but something about being marooned in Denver and then to a dysfunctional NYK is enough to sour moods.

Melo has always played great with best on best in FIBA and before Durant he was probably the best FIBA player in the world.

He is now underrated.

This.

A lot of people forget that he carried that Syracuse team to the NCAA title. You can't really say that his game isn't conductive to winning.

[midatlantic09]

None.

You tend not to win championships with ball stoppers who are seemingly overly concerned with "getting mine."

[Rake2204]

Huge Pistons fan here, but I actually think they had happened to have everything work out exactly as needed to win the ring they did in '04 (and nearly in '05). By that I mean, this almost feels like one of those time traveling parodox situations where if you went back and changed any single thing, you may have thrown the entire balance off.

In the case of drafting Carmelo Anthony, numerous questions instantly abound. For starters, what would have happened to Tayshaun Prince in 2004? At best, he'd be splitting a lot of time with Anthony, no? Prince was a playoff hero as a rookie in 2003 - wonderful defense on a near unstoppable Tracy McGrady (only once Prince was inserted midway through the series). Then against Philly he was the Pistons' go-to in the clutch. I'd have to believe splitting Prince's time with Anthony in '04 would have resulted in a disjointed defensive letdown.

Secondly, how would have Anthony fit into the system? In particular, Larry Brown's system? He's long operated as someone who often needed the ball in his hands a lot. The Pistons' system wasn't one that thrived by focusing on one attacker over all the others. As a result, his offensive impact may have been a touch more limited early on in Detroit than it would have been in Denver.

Moreover, I don't think it's a foregone conclusion that he instantly adopts Detroit's defensive mindset. I think he'd remain a liability to a large degree in that regard, particularly in comparison to Prince. When one thinks of Prince's job on McGrady, the Reggie Miller block (and all the other D that came with it) and the Kobe Bryant situation... a lot of those conflicts may have not been resolved with Anthony out there defensively.

And to play the ultimate what-if game, if Prince and Anthony were both in town, one would have likely been expendable early on. I don't think co-existence would have been strong. And it could have happened as early as that February. Perhaps Portland and/or Atlanta would not have been as willing to give up Rasheed Wallace without getting Tayshaun or Carmelo in return, since they'd know Detroit could spare one. And again, a defensive-minded team ridding of one of their primary All-Defensive Team players would have done more longterm harm than Anthony's offense could have made up for.

[jayfan]

Only if he were to accept a role. His style is not conducive to winning long-term. He's in the same ilk of Dantley, Alex English, Bernard King and Dominique Wilkins. Ball movement stops when the ball is in their hands

He would have accepted his role. He would have been drafted onto a championship caliber team as a blank slate.

[ZMonkey11]

On another note, I wonder if Larry Brown would've kept him on the bench for much of his rookie season, hindering his development. Larry Brown barely played Darko at all (mostly due to the fact that he was just utter trash, but he never really gave him a shot). Melo definitely could have turned out to become a different player under Larry Brown though.

This was my first thought, especially with how Prince played his rookie season.

I feel Melo probably would have came off the bench as a rookie and provided a nice punch. Pistons still get the chip. Melo would probably roll into the starting SF role and Prince would have moved to the sixth man spot. I feel Prince was humble enough that he would take this role. Probably win a sixth man of the year award.

At this point, Carmelo has picked up more nuances working with such great players around him and probably becomes the leading scorer on the team. Things still work out well and the Pistons take out the Spurs for back to back championships.

This is where it begins to fall apart. Is Larry Brown still the coach or did Flip come to town? If Larry Brown is still there, this is when Carmelo starts to butt heads with his hard head coach. Something similar to the Iverson/Brown relationship. He wants the rock more. He knows how good he is. He wants buckets. He wants his own team. Pistons are still rolling as an incredible team. But you can see more plays where it goes iso to Carmelo. Pistons get to the Finals, but don't win.

Final year on his rookie contract. The mumors are loud. Carmelo is leaving Detroit. The core of the team is getting older and depend on him more for that scoring punch. But he doesn't want to play into Larry's system anymore. Relationships tension thoughout the year, Pistons land as the third seed in the East. Lose in the ECF. Melo averaged 25.2 pts through the playoffs, with no other Piston averaging more than 15.0 pts. Carmelo wants out.

And we are at about the same place we are right now.

The Flip story would have ended up with it being Carmelo's team for 7-8 years, then he jumps ship to a new team to chase a ring.

2 rings, either way. Back-to-back.

[Springsteen]

hez gonna win 5 ringz like kobe with tha knickz and phil jacksun wtf u all on :coleman:

[JohnMax]

Chauncy Billups and Melo reunited

[ArbitraryWater]

Melo? Not sure.. maybe win in '05 and '06, not sure...

Wade? I honestly believe they 4-peat, 2004-2007. Easy 3-peat.

How tf did they have that high pick anyway.

[smoovegittar]

Lmao

So this will be Melo's legacy...."what if he had been drafted by X or Y team"

Prolly the most overrated,overpaid ,piss poor choker beta..

KD >>>>> fat ass Melo


Your posts have been pretty piss-poor thus far.

Prob an alt. Loser. :facepalm

[dick tracy]

o he cant play defense and never passes:coleman:

[dick tracy]

Melo? Not sure.. maybe win in '05 and '06, not sure...

Wade? I honestly believe they 4-peat, 2004-2007. Easy 3-peat.

How tf did they have that high pick anyway.


YOU KNOW WHAT THEY CALL A quarter poun der with cheese?????????in england:coleman:

[bizil]

If Melo goes to the Pistons, no question he wins rings. The defensive structure and attitudes of the guys would make it easy for Melo to fit in. Billups, Sheed, and Rip were very good scorers. BUT NONE of them were really alpha dog kind of guys. A guy like Melo would have put them on a higher playing field in my opinion. People forget that Melo made the Western Conference Finals with Billups as the PG.

And I DISAGREE with the notion that Melo can't be the best player on a title team. HE CAN!! The team just has to be built a certain way. A team like the 2000s Pistons already had great defense. And a great floor general in Chauncey. Melo would provide the alpha dog scoring punch that they never had. Instead of the 2000s Pistons winning one title, I say they get 2 or 3.

But with guys like MJ, Bird, Magic, Lebron, and Kobe, u don't need as much around them to win a ring. The reason why is because they are great all around players AND alpha dogs in one. They all employed it differently, but those guys were great at both. However, I think u can still win rings with guys like a Melo or Dominique. Team just has to be constructed the right way.

[bizil]

Melo? Not sure.. maybe win in '05 and '06, not sure...

Wade? I honestly believe they 4-peat, 2004-2007. Easy 3-peat.

How tf did they have that high pick anyway.

I agree! With Wade, they have a flat out dynasty on their hands. Wade would have given them the alpha dog scoring punch they never had. And peak Wade was a great defender as well. With Melo, I still see rings. But with D Wade, they would have had the potential to be a dynastic kind of team.

[Rake2204]

If Melo goes to the Pistons, no question he wins rings. The defensive structure and attitudes of the guys would make it easy for Melo to fit in. Billups, Sheed, and Rip were very good scorers. BUT NONE of them were really alpha dog kind of guys. A guy like Melo would have put them on a higher playing field in my opinion. People forget that Melo made the Western Conference Finals with Billups as the PG.

And I DISAGREE with the notion that Melo can't be the best player on a title team. HE CAN!! The team just has to be built a certain way. A team like the 2000s Pistons already had great defense. And a great floor general in Chauncey. Melo would provide the alpha dog scoring punch that they never had. Instead of the 2000s Pistons winning one title, I say they get 2 or 3.I'd wonder about the disrupted balance within the team. The Pistons were built to stop their opponents then score via best possible option on the other end.

I don't think Anthony would have ever approached Prince's stopping power; and attempting to be a dominant scorer on the other end may have minimized the team-wide offensive impact (would Anthony have needed to be a ball-stopper to put up big numbers?). On the other hand, if Anthony merely fits into the system, absorbing a reduction in the shot attempts he'd end up seeing in Denver and elsewhere, would his offensive impact overshadow his defensive mediocrity?

On 2K, subbing in a 90 overall rated player (Anthony) for a 79 rated guy (Prince) would probably make great sense. In the real world, on a team that won in such a specific fashion (defense and grinding, non=stop), I'd worry about a disruption to that balance.

[oarabbus]

Lmao

So this will be Melo's legacy...."what if he had been drafted by X or Y team"

Prolly the most overrated,overpaid ,piss poor choker beta..

KD >>>>> fat ass Melo


Oh yeah? How many more rings does KD have than Melo?

[imdaman99]

Lmao

So this will be Melo's legacy...."what if he had been drafted by X or Y team"

Prolly the most overrated,overpaid ,piss poor choker beta..

KD >>>>> fat ass Melo
Man, what has gotten into you lately :coleman:

Melo's never played with someone as good Durant has. Billups was pretty good but he was not a top 5 player and they went to the Conference Finals in a tough West and gave the Lakers all they could handle.

[DeuceWallaces]

He'd have one for riding the pine his rookie year or coming off the bench 10 mpg.

LB would have likely ruined him, or maybe made him great, but I don't think he had it in him to respond to LB or any other great coach.

[bizil]

Man, what has gotten into you lately :coleman:

Melo's never played with someone as good Durant has. Billups was pretty good but he was not a top 5 player and they went to the Conference Finals in a tough West and gave the Lakers all they could handle.

Exactly! Its funny to me that people ALWAYS forget that Melo made the Western Conference Finals. That was the kind of team u build around Melo. U have a top 6-7 PG in the world at the time in Billups. From there, u had a slew of long athletic bigs who liked to defend.

The Pistons in Detroit had some similarities to this. In an EASIER Eastern Conference, I think Melo with the Pistons would have meant at least two rings. Having Rasheed Wallace as your fourth scoring option MEANS u have tremendous scoring depth. Couple that with great defense, Melo would already be in the top 10 GOAT SF's if Detroit drafted him.

[SouBeachTalents]

If Melo goes to the Pistons, no question he wins rings. The defensive structure and attitudes of the guys would make it easy for Melo to fit in. Billups, Sheed, and Rip were very good scorers. BUT NONE of them were really alpha dog kind of guys. A guy like Melo would have put them on a higher playing field in my opinion. People forget that Melo made the Western Conference Finals with Billups as the PG.

And I DISAGREE with the notion that Melo can't be the best player on a title team. HE CAN!! The team just has to be built a certain way. A team like the 2000s Pistons already had great defense. And a great floor general in Chauncey. Melo would provide the alpha dog scoring punch that they never had. Instead of the 2000s Pistons winning one title, I say they get 2 or 3.

But with guys like MJ, Bird, Magic, Lebron, and Kobe, u don't need as much around them to win a ring. The reason why is because they are great all around players AND alpha dogs in one. They all employed it differently, but those guys were great at both. However, I think u can still win rings with guys like a Melo or Dominique. Team just has to be constructed the right way.

How do you think Bosh would have done on the Pistons? How many rings?

[HOoopCityJones]

I think he'd be a better defender.

[Droid101]

7000