NBA 2004 Redraft: Picking between high school and college champions

#4 Pick: Jameer Nelson (Originally: Shaun Livingston)

With the other half of the aforementioned Clippers/Bobcats swap, the Clippers nailed this pick. We will talk more about Shaun Livingston and how unfortunate his injury was when we get to his selection, but a point guard with star potential made so much sense for this team.

Coming off a draft where they, unfortunately, fell to number five with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh in the top four is a tough beat for a franchise most used to consider cursed. Chris Kaman may not have their reputations but he was a solid option for the Clippers when they had a solid point guard on the roster.

Since Livingston was derailed by an injury, we are going in a different direction. Jameer Nelson was coming off a fantastic college career and saw his most success pairing with Dwight Howard in Orlando. He was more NBA ready than Livingston after having played four seasons at St. Joseph’s.

Nelson peaked in the 2008-2009 season. He made his only All-Star appearance and the team made the NBA Finals. Posting averages of 16.7 points, 5.4 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals a game for one of the top teams of the league exemplifies the potential of Nelson with a star center. Pairing him with Kaman could have brought the best out of their young center, which was the top priority.

With the fifth pick in the 2004 NBA Redraft, the Dallas Mavericks select…