What Could Have Been for the Pistons If They Never Made the Darko Mistake

Today on SI.com, Steve Aschburner drops a basketball-historical bombshell: This postseason is where the Pistons finally reap the bitter, bitter fruits of drafting Darko. They could’ve had Wade or Melo, but they had to have that mysterious Serb. They’d managed to quiet this criticism when Rodney Stuckey emerged, since Stuckey was drafted with a pick obtained in the Darko deal with Orlando. But with the team struggling, and on the verge of the lottery, Aschburner’s bringing out old ghosts.↵
↵
↵But that oversimplifies the argument. Take note of this passage:↵↵⇥Why does this all matter now? Because, if not for Dumars’ gamble in 2003, the Pistons might well be a team of the present in these playoffs, rather than one split between its past and its future. Anthony could be clicking with Billups just the same -- Smooth and ‘Melo, together in Motown -- and an organization that got to six Eastern Conference finals, two NBA Finals and one championship could be chasing those things again, rather than facing first-round elimination for the first time since 2000.↵⇥
↵⇥
↵⇥In a way, it’s a tribute to Dumars’ work up and down the roster -- apart from the Milicic pick -- that we’re seeing the Pistons at less than their best. Typically, teams looking to retool slink off to the shadows of lotteryland, do what’s necessary, lick some wounds and stay largely out of sight, out of mind until they’re ready again for their close-ups. Detroit has done it on the fly, transitioning from Billups and the core of Rasheed Wallace, Richard Hamilton, Prince and Antonio McDyess to replacements such as Rodney Stuckey, Amir Johnson, Jason Maxiell, Will Bynum and Arron Afflalo.↵↵

Which is to say -- with all due respect -- this phantom pick is the Pistons’ Len Bias. Well, sort of. Bias was supposed to both provide the Celtics with an infusion of young stardom, and light the way to the future. Instead, he never set foot on the court, and after one more championship, that Boston dynasty faded. Putting aside all the contract tangles it would cause, Wade or Melo would’ve been good for several years now, possibly winning Detroit another ring as Dumars assembled the young nucleus mentioned above.↵
↵
↵You have to wonder, though, would they be this bad without Billups? Would Billups still have been traded for the future cap flexibility? Do we count Stuckey among these youngsters without the Darko pick? One thing’s for certain: This team attempted to make a seamless transition, and just ended up short the talent to move forward as elites. Glaringly, they could’ve had one of two players considered central to the next generation of stars. Maybe this critique falls apart in the details. But it sure looks like Dumars, for all his acumen and knack for uncovering hidden gems, has screwed up the obvious things -- Darko, and possibly Billups if that cap money doesn’t rejuvenate the team.↵