NBA: Darko Milicic Was A Better Fit For Detroit Than Carmelo Anthony, Said Pistons Legend

When Carmelo Anthony said that he could have won rings if the Detroit Pistons drafted him in 2003, it created a bit of an argument knowing that talent that the former Syracuse star can bring to the pro level.

The Pistons great, though, isn’t convinced about Melo’s inference.

Former Detroit center Ben Wallace shared his two cents on that claim by the Portland’s forward by saying that it isn’t going to go the way he thought it’d go is he found himself being selected by the Motor City. In an interview on the 120 Podcast, the four-time Defensive Player of the year explained his case on why the Pistons won’t be able to win the title in the same year that Melo’s draft class was held.

“If we would've drafted Carmelo, I honestly don't think we would have ever won a championship,” said “Big Ben per Yahoo! Sports’ transcription. “Melo would want to play right away.”

Instead of Anthony, the Pistons drafted Serbian center Darko Milicic as the second overall pick and Melo heard his name as the following selection by the Denver Nuggets. The difference of perspective from both Milicic and Anthony spelled the difference per Wallace’s view.

“That would have the potential to disrupt the team chemistry,” said Wallace, referring to arguably the league’s best isolation players in history. “By drafting Darko, he came in and said that he is not ready to play on this team.”

“Who I am going to play in front of. I'm not ready, and by him doing that and accepting his role, it allowed us to build and grow and get stronger and eventually win a championship.”

Should Darko came to the league with the mentality same as Melo, he could have taken the minutes off Wallace who is also playing the same position as the seven-foot Milicic and, worse, could have spelled the difference on their championship run that season after a 4-1 beating of the Los Angeles Lakers.

That run proved to be the final title that Detroit has won so far.

Wallace was undrafted in the 1996 NBA Draft – the same class as Allen Iverson, Ray Allen, Steve Nash, and Kobe Bryant – but still cemented his legacy as one of the league’s best defenders. His no. 3 jersey was retired by Detroit in 2016.