FanHouse Summer Of Answers

This offseason, NBA FanHouse will address important questions about the league. It will be a Summer of Answers. First up: the biggest draft busts of the decade.

Joe Dumars is widely recognized as one of the top executives in the NBA, and while the Pistons have been unable to get over the hump since 2004, he's done an enviable job setting up his team to remain in contention through the draft, snatching up guys like Tayshaun Prince (2003), Jason Maxiell and Amir Johnson (2005) and Rodney Stuckey and Arron Afflalo (2007) after lottery teams had passed them over.

Of course, Dumars didn't always have such a deft hand at the draft -- and I'm not just talking about a certain Serbian center who went second overall in 2004. In 2000, Dumars selected hometown hero Mateen Cleaves 14th overall out of Michigan State, passing on the likes of Hedo Turkoglu, Desmond Mason, Quentin Richardson, Morris Peterson, DeShawn Stevenson, Marko Jaric, Eduardo Najera, Eddie House and (this one hurts the most) Michael Redd.

It didn't take long for Dumars to realize his mistake (Cleaves was dealt to Sacramento after one season), and as a consolation prize he was rewarded with another lottery pick. Unfortunately, he committed an even bigger blunder by taking Rodney White ninth overall. Rodney who? Exactly.

With any list, there are tough choices to be made. In compiling our NBA Cornerstones countdown, we were forced to cut many worthy players. To make the Summer of Answers go down easier, we will now explain how and why some of these omissions occurred.

Kevin Garnett: For starters, KG is one of my favorite players in the league, no question. Why did we leave him off the list? Quite simply, I don't think anyone--and that includes you, feisty readers--knows how to make Garnett the center of a system or functional roster. Granted, Kevin McHale is incompetent, but Danny Ainge piling superstars atop him isn't a solution. That's called a lucky shortcut, and it's kind of the opposite of "building a team."

Garnett is a fantastic talent, but he's getting on in years, has taken one big shot in his career, and just doesn't lend himself to easy answers. While it's become a Simmons-fueled cliche to call KG "the league's greatest second banana," Garnett seems to make the most sense as an upgraded Shawn Marion, or the rightful heir to Scottie Pippen. If you don't believe me, look no further than the patchwork Wolves team that made the Western Finals. It worked only because there were two ballsy vets around to step in and take charge.

Dirk Nowitzki: This one is a lot easier. This past spring had a major effect on the way I view Dirk. His MVP was great and all, but the Warriors series exposed a lot of Nowitzki's weaknesses. My selection of Melo galled a lot of readers; I know that Anthony has his problems, but he's younger, and when it comes to offense, has an iron will where Dirk is fickle. It's also worth noting that Nowitzki has now been the centerpiece of two very different teams--neither of which suffered for a lack of depth--and both have lacked that final step of determination. In fact, he was at his best when Dallas was a more balanced Big Three team. Alongside Steve Nash and Michael Finley, Dirk could put in work without being asked to do it all.

The Summer of Answers takes on every NBA question you've ever wanted to ask ... such as, "Which player would you build a franchise around?"

It's a no-brainer that LeBron James would end up on this list. Hell, it's probably a no-brainer that he'd be in the top two or three. The question is, though, how much can we still see the King as tantalizing potential? Will he get better, or are we closing in on the final product? LeBron is the stem cell research of franchise-building; his value depends on how much real basketball matter can be wrung out of him.

The Summer of Answers takes on every NBA question you've ever wanted to ask ... such as, "Which player would you build a franchise around?"

We've seen countless young players wilt under the pressure of being labeled "the next Michael Jordan." Grant Hill couldn't live up to it, Vince Carter has left fans wanting and Harold Miner (remember "Baby Jordan?") never deserved it in the first place. Some people think LeBron is worthy, though that doesn't quite fit as he's in the middle of creating his own legacy. To me, the one player who most resembles a modern-day MJ is Dwyane Wade.

It sounds trite and cliche, but he's simply a winner. He took an unheralded Marquette team to the Final Four in college and led the Heat to the second-round of the playoffs as a rookie. Once Shaq was on board, it took just two more tries to win a title, becoming the first of the celebrated class of 2003 to win a title (in the non-Darko division, at least).

The Summer of Answers takes on every NBA question you've ever wanted to ask ... such as, "Which player would you build a franchise around?"

Carmelo Anthony's young career has already seen him left for dead and born again. After a sparkling first campaign, Anthony devolved into a dyspeptic gunner. But since that lost season, he's done nothing but improve, growing into arguably the most complete scorer in the league. Someone's got to put the ball in the basket, and Melo does so as sublimely as anyone this sport's seen in a while.

The Summer of Answers takes on every NBA question you've ever wanted to ask ... such as, "Which player would you build a franchise around?"

Steve Nash has won two of the last three MVP's, and in a saner world would (gasp) have all three. He turned the Phoenix Suns into a powerhouse, and launched the whole "build round the point guard" movement. If you want someone to throw the ball to other ball such that they have a high likelihood of scoring, Nash is your man. The question is, could he do it anywhere but Phoenix? And if so, for how long?

The Summer of Answers takes on every NBA question you've ever wanted to ask ... such as, "Which player would you build a franchise around?"

There are more well-rounded players out there, but as long as games are still won by putting up more points than the other team, dynamic scorers like Gilbert Arenas will always have a place among the NBA's elite. Plus, he's one of the rare athletes that loves performing not only in the spotlight but also under pressure -- and you just can't teach balls of steel. Already a favorite among the NBA underground for his infectious personality, he's on the verge of breaking out on the national level. And besides, Agent Zero is best nickname in sports, so that has to count for something.

The Summer of Answers takes on every NBA question you've ever wanted to ask ... such as, "Which player would you build a franchise around?"

If we were making a list of players who could literally carry a franchise -- as in, physically put all of his teammates on his back and move them from baseline to baseline -- Dwight Howard would be at the top. Seriously, the guy's biceps are bigger than my thigh, and his shoulders are so broad I'm guessing he brushes both sides of a door frame every time he walks into a room. As luck would have it, his game isn't all that bad, either, and at 21-years-old he's only going to get better.

The Summer of Answers takes on every NBA question you've ever wanted to ask ... such as, "Which player would you build a franchise around?"

The league may be trending toward small ball, but it's been a dominant big man that's hoisted the Larry O'Brien at the end of every postseason since 1999 -- Shaq and Tim Duncan have combined for eight of those titles, while Ben Wallace, who gave Detroit their defensive identity in 2004, took the other. Knowing this, more than a few NBA general managers would gladly throw their lot with Greg Oden, even if he is still a teenager without a minute of pro experience. At the very least, he'll be a defensive menace who averages double-digit boards as a rookie. As a grizzled vet? The sky is the limit. On the low-end, he could easily become the second-coming of Patrick Ewing or Dikembe Mutombo. The high end? Try Tim Duncan or Bill Russell.