When discussing who should be the No. 1 pick of the 2008 NBA Draft, there was a Derrick Rose camp and a (way smaller) Michael Beasley camp. That became especially true after the NCAA Tournament, where Rose shone spectacularly, taking his Memphis squad to the title game while Beasley’s Kansas State team lost in the Round of 32.
As it turns out, though, both sides of that debate were wrong… although not to the same extent.
Rose went on to become an NBA MVP and three-time All-Star before injuries derailed his prime. Beasley, meanwhile, turned out to be a pretty big bust, averaging more than 14.8 points in a season just once and failing to win anything of note besides a spot in the 2009 All-Rookie 1st Team.
That draft actually turned out to be rather loaded, with Russell Westbrook leading the way, and top-notch bigs Kevin Love, De’Andre Jordan and Brook Lopez turning out to be studs.
Below, we re-draft the 2008 class the way it should have gone.
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Actual position: No. 4
Career earnings: $291,756,333
Career stats: 22.8 ppg, 8.4 apg, 7.4 rpg, 1.7 spg, 43.8 FG%, 30.5 3P%
Actual position: No. 5
Career earnings: $237,969,812
Career stats: 17.6 ppg, 10.7 rpg, 2.4 apg, 44.1 FG%, 37.3 3P%
Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Actual position: No. 1
Career earnings: $150,016,396
Career stats: 18.2 ppg, 5.4 apg, 3.3 rpg, 45.7 FG%, 31.6 3P%
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Actual position: No. 35
Career earnings: $162,940,691
Career stats: 9.1 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 1.5 bpg, 67.3 FG%
Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Actual position: No. 24
Career earnings: $138,844,561
Career stats: 12.1 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 1.9 bpg, 51.3 FG%, 36.0 3P%
Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Actual position: No. 45
Career earnings: $152,467,157
Career stats: 13.7 ppg, 4.8 apg, 3.1 rpg, 46.0 FG%, 36.2 3P%
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Actual position: No. 10
Career earnings: $158,867,792
Career stats: 16.4 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.8 bpg, 49.4 FG%, 34.1 3P%
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Actual position: No. 11
Career earnings: $158,631,382
Career stats: 16.4 ppg, 2.8 apg, 2.4 rpg, 42.8 FG%, 37.1 3P%
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Actual position: No. 6
Career earnings: $177,685,814
Career stats: 15.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.9 apg, 42.8 FG%, 38.2 3P%
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Actual position: No. 25
Career earnings: $168,137,820
Career stats: 11.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 3.5 apg, 43.7 FG%, 36.3 3P%
Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Actual position: No. 26
Career earnings: $109,331,400
Career stats: 10.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.1 apg, 45.6 FG%, 38.0 3P%
Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
Actual position: No. 15
Career earnings: $$94,540,945
Career stats: 8.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.1 bpg, 53.6 FG%, 29.4 3P%
Actual position: No. 21
Career earnings: $109,360,492
Career stats: 12.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 0.9 apg, 42.2 FG%, 38.0 3P%
Actual position: No. 17
Career earnings: $70,680,193
Career stats: 10.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.3 apg, 46.5 FG%
Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
Actual position: No. 18
Career earnings: $70,692,164
Career stats: 8.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.5 bpg, 57.6 FG%
Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Actual position: No. 9
Career earnings: $63,752,723
Career stats: 9.5 ppg, 3.9 apg, 1.8 rpg, 41.2 FG%, 38.1 3P%
Actual position: No. 22
Career earnings: $75,428,153
Career stats: 9.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.7 apg, 45.1 FG%, 38.8 3P%
Actual position: No. 2
Career earnings: $40,612,888
Career stats: 12.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.3 apg, 46.5 FG%, 34.9 3P%
Actual position: No. 34
Career earnings: $24,734,296
Career stats: 8.9 ppg, 3.7 apg, 2.5 rpg, 41.7 FG%, 35.1 3P%
Actual position: No. 37
Career earnings: $31,024,380
Career stats: 6.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 0.9 apg, 45.4 FG%, 33.5 3P%
Actual position: No. 3
Career earnings: $46,149,437
Career stats: 13.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.9 apg, 42.9 FG%, 37.3 3P%
Actual position: No. 16
Career earnings: $26,389,661
Career stats: 7.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 0.7 apg, 45.9 FG%
Actual position: No. 11
Career earnings: $48,706,520
Career stats: 8.4 ppg, 2.9 apg, 2.1 rpg, 41.1 FG%, 36.1 3P%
Actual position: No. 36
Career earnings: $69,702,436
Career stats: 5.3 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 0.6 apg, 52.8 FG%
Actual position: No. 23
Career earnings: $47,778,792
Career stats: 5.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 0.7 bpg, 53.4 FG%
Actual position: Undrafted
Career earnings: $24,237,958
Career stats: 9.4 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 0.9 apg, 44.7 FG%, 41.7 3P%
Actual position: Undrafted
Career earnings: $76,558,946
Career stats: 6.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 0.8 bpg, 53.5 FG%
Actual position: No. 27
Career earnings: $40,687,487
Career stats: 6.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 0.8 apg, 44.4 FG%
Actual position: No. 14
Career earnings: $13,673,791
Career stats: 7.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 0.9 bpg, 45.3 FG%
Actual position: No. 12
Career earnings: $35,473,022
Career stats: 8.9 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.1 apg, 49.6 FG%
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