Valley of the Suns
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Re-Drafting Every Suns 1st Round Pick Part 4: 2002-09

By Tim Holstad

Mar 10, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks center Amare' Stoudemire (1) stretches on the baseline during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 10, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks center Amare' Stoudemire (1) stretches on the baseline during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports /
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2003, 17th Pick

Who The Suns Took:

Zarko Cabarkapa, Power Forward, Montenegro

Career Stats:

150 GP, 4.3 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 0.6 APG, 42.7% FG

Who The Suns Should Have Taken:

Boris Diaw, Forward, France – Originally taken by the Atlanta Hawks with the 21st overall pick

Career Stats:

1064 GP, 8.6 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 3.5 APG, 49.3% FG

Ah Zarko. Quite possibly one of the best names in sports history. His career, on the other hand…not great. Of all the drafts to not have a top pick, this was the most recent one where missing out hurts, a lot. LeBron, Melo, Bosh, and Wade were all available in this draft, but the Suns didn’t struggle as much as many thought they would.

Boris Diaw eventually joined the Suns via trade, but having him without having to give up other assets would have been a huge help to the Suns in their playoff runs. There were multiple candidates for the re-pick here, including David West, Leandro Barbosa, Josh Howard, and Kyle Korver. However, Diaw was a unique player with a unique skill set, and having him off the bench for Phoenix earlier in their run could make any Suns fan salivate a little.

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