NBA 2004 Redraft: Picking between high school and college champions
By Corey Rausch
#9 Pick: Josh Smith (Originally: Andre Iguodala)
Missing out on Iguodala is a tough beat for the Sixers so we have to go a different way. In terms of recovery, locking down young Josh Smith is about as good as you could ask for.
Pistons’ fans have turned on Josh Smith over the last seven years but that should not take away from the game that earned him that max contract in the first place. Pure athleticism and shot-blocking prowess earned him the moniker of best player to never make an All-Star game while in Atlanta.
He made an All-Defensive team in 2004-2005 and posted career averages with the Hawks of 15.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.1 blocks and 1.3 steals per game. During his time in Atlanta, he only missed 47 games over 9 seasons.
That may be the only thing Smith did consistently but he was ahead of his time as a power forward who could stretch the floor (to an extent), dunk on anyone and play stellar defense.
Having him be part of the young core with Samuel Dalembert, Willie Green, John Salmons and Kyle Korver behind Chris Webber and Allen Iverson is enticing to say the least. Certainly better than how his time in Detroit turned out.
With the tenth pick in the 2004 NBA Redraft, the Cleveland Cavaliers select…