2004 Draft Nba

Contents

Introduction
The 2004 NBA Draft
The Top Picks
The Sleepers
The Busts
The Aftermath
Where Are They Now?
What Could Have Been?
Lessons Learned
Conclusion
External References-

The 2004 NBA draft was the first draft in which High School players were eligible to be drafted. The 2005 NBA Draft would see the first National Player selected, with 2006 seeing the first two-time winner of the award, Kevin Garnett.

The 2005 NBA Draft 1st pick is the first pick of the 2005 NBA draft The 2004 Draft was held on June 28, 2004.

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Introduction

The 2004 NBA draft was held on June 24, 2004, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City

This was the first NBA Draft in which high schoolers were allowed to declare for the draft and subsequently be selected as lottery picks a rule that had existed since the previous year’s draft but had gone unused due to a league-wide moratorium on high school players enacted in October 2001.

A total of 88 players were selected over seven rounds by teams. This draft is notable for the prediction that it would produce no immediate All-Stars; Sports Illustrated went so far as to label it the “Zombie” draft. However, it did eventually produce three employers of depth players: David Lee J. R. Smith and Lou Williams all of whom have contributed significantly to their respective teams.

The draft is also notable for being one of only two in which the top three picks were all from the same college; in this case, it was an all-Duke top three of Luol Deng, Chris Duhon and Shelden Williams.

This draft is considered one of the worst drafts in NBA history The following seasons saw few players from this class become anything more than marginal role-players or journeymen; Dwight Howard however, became a five-time All-Star and won eight rebounding titles while setting numerous other records over his sixteen seasons in the league as its most dominant center during that time frame.

The 2004 NBA Draft

The 2004 NBA Draft was held on June 24, 2004, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City New York. It was broadcast live on ESPN at 7:00 pm (ET). In this draft, National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players. The NBA announced that 56 college and high school players and 38 International Players had filed as early-entry candidates for the 2004 draft.[1] These numbers increased to 57 and 41 respectively by the time the draft occurred. Of the 57 collegiate players who withdrew their names from consideration, 14 were automatically granted entry into the 2005 draft by virtue of being classed as “early-entry” candidates in the 2004 draft,[2] while 43 opted to return to their respective colleges for at least another year. The remaining player who withdrew from the 2004 draft was American former University of Memphis player Shawne Williams, who had already hired an agent.[3]

There was no clear-cut favorite heading into the draft. Carmelo Anthony (Syracuse), Ben Gordon (Connecticut), Emeka Okafor (Connecticut) and Dwight Howard (SWAtlanta Christian Academy) were widely considered as the best prospects available,[4][5][6] with critics calling it one of the deepest and most talented drafts in years.[7][8][9] Also, a Number of players were looking to prove themselves after partially or completely failing to live up to their collegiate potential. Other prospects such as Al Jefferson (Prentiss HS), Jameer Nelson (St. Joseph’s) and Josh Childress (Stanford) also drew considerable media attention.

Thedraftcontained many surprises such beforetheCelticsselectedAlJeffersonwiththe15thoverallpickandthentradedhimtoMinnesotaforthe21stpick(TroyBell)anda futurefirstroundpickwhichturnedouttobeRajonRondo.”,” Blazersin aormenuandDwightHowardgoingfirstoveralltoOrlandoMagic.”]

The Top Picks

The Phoenix Suns had the first pick in the 2004 NBA Draft and used it to select Dwight Howard from Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy He was the second high school player to be drafted number one overall, after Lebron James in 2003.

The Sleepers

The 2004 NBA draft class is loaded with potential All-Stars, but there are a few players who have been flying under the radar. These players may not be household names yet, but they have the potential to be big contributors to their teams. Here are a few of the 2004 Draft Class sleepers:

Dwight Howard – Phoenix Suns

Dwight Howard was the third overall pick in the 2004 NBA draft He was drafted by the Orlando Magic but he was immediately traded to the Suns for Anfernee Hardaway and Penny Marshall. Howard is a 6’11” center who played high school basketball in Atlanta, Georgia. He was named a McDonald’s All-American and he was also a member of the USA Today All-USA First Team. Howard has great size and strength, and he is an excellent rebounder. He is still raw offensively, but he has the potential to be a very good scorer in the NBA.

Josh Childress – Atlanta Hawks

Josh Childress was the sixth overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft He is a 6’8″ small forward who played his college basketball at Stanford University Childress is an excellent all-around player. He has a nice outside jumper, and he is also a very good defender. Childress is a versatile player who can play multiple positions and he should be a very good player in the NBA for many years to come.

Luther Head – Houston Rockets

Luther Head was the twenty-fourth overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft He is a 6’3″ shooting guard who played his college basketball at Illinois. Head is an excellent shooter, and he has unlimited range on his jump shot He is also a very good ball-handler, and he can penetrate to the basket effectively. Head needs to work on his defense, but he has all of the tools to be an excellent scorer in the NBA.

The Busts

The class of 2004 NBA Draft was not as successful as expected. This was due to a lack of superstar talent and the retirement of some Key Players The Phoenix Suns selected Dwight Howard with the first overall pick, and he became the only player from this class to be named an All-Star. Other notable players from this class include Luol Deng, Jameer Nelson, Josh Smith and Al Jefferson.

The Aftermath

Its been two years since the infamous 2004 NBA Draft and the question on everyones mind is, who won? Obviously, there are a few different ways to look at this. There is the class of 2004 as a whole, which includes such NBA standouts as Dwight Howard (1st pick, Orlando Magic), Emeka Okafor (2nd pick, Charlotte Bobcats), Ben Gordon (3rd pick, Chicago Bulls), Luol Deng (7th pick, Chicago Bulls), and Al Jefferson (15th pick, Boston Celtics). There is also the 2003-2004 Rookie of the Year class, which was headed by Howard and also included Gordon, Deng, and Josh Childress (6th pick, Atlanta Hawks).

Then there are the teams that drafted these players. The Phoenix Suns had two picks in the first round of the 2004 NBA Draft Luol Deng at number 7 and Josh Childress at number 6. The Suns also had two second-round picks Serge Ibaka (24th pick) and Dijon Thompson (58th pick).

So far, it looks like the Suns made out pretty well in the draft. Deng and Childress have both been starters for the majority of their career so far, while Ibaka has shown great potential as a backup power forward/center. Thompson has not fared as well, but he was a late second-round pick so that was to be expected.

All in all, it seems like the Suns made some pretty good choices in the 2004 NBA Draft Only time will tell if they can continue to build on their success in future drafts.

Where Are They Now?

The 2004 NBA draft was held on June 24, 2004, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City In this draft, National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. College Basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. This was also the first draft presided over by David Stern. A total of 78 players were selected over six rounds by the 30 teams that were participating in the 200405 NBA season

With the first pick, the Orlando Magic selected Dwight Howard from Georgia Institute of Technology Emeka Okafor from the University of Connecticut was drafted second overall by the Charlotte Bobcats becoming the first ever Bobcat to be drafted in their history. Ben Gordon from the University of Connecticut went third to the Chicago Bulls he is one of only five Bulls draftees to come from UConn (the others being Rudy Tomjanovich, Keith Lee B.J. Armstrong and Cliff Robinson). Luol Deng from Duke University was drafted seventh overall by Sun., joining countryman Chris Duhon in Chicago.

Dudley was traded on draft night to Charlotte forCash and future considerations which became David Lee Phoenix acquired Kurt Thomas from New York in exchange for two future first-Round Draft picks and a trade exception Miami acquired Shandon Anderson and Qyntel Woods from Portland in exchange for rights to Kendrick Perkins; Houston acquired Reece Gaines and cash considerations from Orlando in exchange for a future second-round draft pick Detroit acquired Carlos Delfino from Milwaukee in exchange for a future second-round Draft Pick ”

What Could Have Been?

Its hard to believe that the 2004 NBA draft was 15 years ago.

Looking back, its easy to say who the best player in that class is Dwight Howard. But what if we could go back and change the draft? Lets take a look at how things could have been different.

The Phoenix Suns had the No.1 pick in the 2004 NBA Draft and they selected Howard! The big man went on to have a great career, but he never led the Suns to an NBA title In fact, he only spent three seasons in Phoenix before being traded to the Orlando Magic

With Howard off the board, who would the Suns have taken with the No.1 overall pick? Well, its hard to say. They could have gone with Emeka Okafor, who was taken No.2 overall by the Charlotte Bobcats. Or they could have drafted Andre Iguodala who went No.9 overall to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Iguodala is an interesting case because he was actually drafted by the Sixers with the No.9 pick, but he was then traded to the Golden State Warriors for Kevin Durant in 2016! So, in a way, Iguodala could have been a member of the Suns if things had gone differently on draft night 2004.

Other notable players from the 2004 draft include: Al Jefferson (No.15), Josh Smith (No.17), Jameer Nelson (No.20) and Tony Allen (No 25).

Lessons Learned

Of the players drafted, four have been elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame (Elsanady, Marion, Stoudemire, and Wade). The class produced three All-Stars (Bynum, Deng, and Stoudemire), but none have been selected for an All-Star game MVP or Defensive Player of the Year Award Howard is the only one of the top five picks who remains with the team that drafted him; all others have moved on to other teams via Free agency or trade. fifth in voting for Rookie of the Year and was named to both the All-Rookie First Team and Second Team. Bynum is currentlythe starting center for the Los Angeles Lakers while Stoudemire is the starting Power Forward for the New York Knicks after he left Phoenix following six seasons with the Suns. Deng is now with the Chicago Bulls after being traded by Phoenix early in his career while Wade plays for his original team, Miami Heat Marion was traded by Vancouver three years later to Miami where he won an NBA Championship alongside Wade in 2006 while Richardson was traded several times before finally finding a home with Phoenix where he helped lead them to an appearance in the 2010 Western Conference Finals

Conclusion

In summary, the 2004 NBA Draft was one of the most talented and deepest in recent memory. With a class that included Dwyane Wade Carmelo Anthony Chris Bosh, Emeka Okafor, Dwight Howard and many others, it is no surprise that this draft class has produced so many All-Stars and helped to shape the NBA landscape over the past decade. While it is impossible to predict how well any given player will perform in the NBA, the 2004 draft class has clearly had a significant impact on the league and will continue to do so for years to come.

The “2002 NBA draft 1st pick” is a list of the first round picks in the 2002 NBA Draft