NBA 2004 Redraft: Picking between high school and college champions
By Corey Rausch
#7 Pick: J.R. Smith (Originally: Luol Deng)
In a move that would be destroyed in the current NBA, the Phoenix Suns sold this pick to the Chicago Bulls for $3 million in cash and the No. 31 pick. For Suns fans, this was an indication of things to come, with Robert Sarver buying the team this year and making the selling of draft picks common practice.
Since the Bulls original selection of Luol Deng was taken with their first pick earlier, it is time for a change. While Chicago had taken guards in previous seasons, they hit it out of the park originally selecting Ben Gordon and Chris Duhon, so we are adding a player in the Ben Gordon mold.
J.R. Smith has been much better than his reputation indicates as a bench scoring option for many playoff teams over the years in Denver, New York and Cleveland. He was Sixth Man of the Year for the Knicks and nearly made an All-Star team before becoming an essential part of the Cavaliers team that made four straight NBA Finals.
He shot 38.2 and 38.1 percent respectively over 10 combined seasons in Denver and Cleveland while playing with two of the best players of the era in LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony.
Ben Gordon had the higher peak and it came in Chicago, so sticking with the pick wouldn’t be the wrong play. Longevity gives Smith the edge. In the right situation, he has shown he can contribute for a long time. Just don’t let him get too close to an opponent’s shoelaces.
With the eighth pick in the 2004 NBA Redraft, the Toronto Raptors select…