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Andre Miller has been named to the BlockU.com Runnin' Utes men's basketball Mount Rushmore, an enormous honor to say the least.
At this point, Miller has been in the NBA for 15-years, and will stay with the Washington Wizards for another year (for a cool $4.6 million) and has had a distinguished career. Looking back, where would Andre be drafted if the teams could go back in time and do it over again? Let's take a look back and see where 'Dre could/should have gone, regardless of team need.
Here is how the draft went down back in 1999:
| Pick | Team | Player | School/Country |
| 1 | CHI | Elton Brand | Duke |
| 2 | VAN | Steve Francis | Maryland |
| 3 | CHH | Baron Davis | UCLA |
| 4 | LAC | Lamar Odom | Rhode Island |
| 5 | TOR | Jonathan Bender | Picayune Memorial HS (MS) |
| 6 | MIN | Wally Szczerbiak | Miami University |
| 7 | WAS | Richard Hamilton | Connecticut |
| 8 | CLE | Andre Miller | Utah |
| 9 | PHO | Shawn Marion | UNLV |
| 10 | ATL | Jason Terry | Arizona |
| 11 | CLE | Trajan Langdon | Duke |
| 12 | TOR | Aleksandar Radojevic | Barton County Community College |
| 13 | SEA | Corey Maggette | Duke |
| 14 | MIN | William Avery | Duke |
| 15 | NYK | Frederic Weis | France |
| 16 | CHI | Ron Artest | St. John's |
| 17 | ATL | Cal Bowdler | Old Dominion |
| 18 | DEN | James Posey | Xavier |
| 19 | UTA | Quincy Lewis | Minnesota |
| 20 | ATL | Dion Glover | Georgia Tech |
| 21 | GSW | Jeff Foster | Texas State |
| 22 | HOU | Kenny Thomas | New Mexico |
| 23 | LAL | Devean George | Augsburg College |
| 24 | UTA | Andrei Kirilenko | Russia |
| 25 | MIA | Tim James | Miami |
| 26 | IND | Vonteego Cummings | Pittsburgh |
| 27 | ATL | Jumaine Jones | Georgia |
| 28 | UTA | Scott Padgett | Kentucky |
| 29 | DAL | Leon Smith | King HS (Chicago) |
Let's look at the players that went ahead of Andre, who was taken 8th overall to, yes, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
1. Elton Brand: still in the NBA, last with Atlanta.
Career: 16.6 points per game - 8.8 rebounds - 2.1 assists
Career high averages for a season: 24.7 points per game - 11.6 rebounds - 3.3 assists
NBA Rookie of the Year
2005-06 All-NBA 2nd Team
2 time All-Star (2001-02, 2005-06)
2. Steve Francis: 9 years in the NBA
Career: 18.1 points per game - 5.6 rebounds - assists 6
Career high averages for a season: 21.6 points per game - 7 rebounds - 7 assists
NBA Rookie of the Year
3 time NBA All-Star (2001-02, 2002-03, 2003-04)
3. Baron Davis: 13 years in the NBA
Career: 16.1 points per game - 3.8 rebounds - 7.2 assists
Career high averages for a season: 22.9 points per game - 5 rebounds - 8.9 assists
All-NBA 3rd team (2003-04)
2 time All-Star (2001-02, 2003-04)
4. Lamar Odom: 14 years in the NBA
Career: 13.3 points per game - 8.4 rebounds - 3.7 assists
Career high averages for a season: 17.2 points per game - 10.6 rebounds - 5.9 rebounds
All-Rookie 1st team
NBA Sixth Man of the Year (2010-11)
5. Jonathon Bender: 8 years in the NBA
Career: 5.5 points per game - 2.2 rebounds - .6 assists
Career high for a season: 7.4 points per game - 3.1 rebounds - 1 assist
6. Wally Szczerbiak: 10 years in the NBA
Career: 14.1 points per game - 4 rebounds - 2.4 assists
Career high for a season: 19 points per game - 5.5 rebounds - 3.2 assists
All-Rookie 1st team
NBA All-Star (2001-02)
7. Richard Hamilton: 14 years in the NBA
Career: 17.1 points per game - 3.1 rebounds - 3.4 assists
Career high for a season: 20.1 points per game - 3.9 rebounds - 4.9 assists
3 time All-Star (2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08)
8. Andre Miller: still in the NBA, last with Washington
Career: 13.3 points per game - 3.9 rebounds - 6.9 assists
Career high for a season: 17 points per game - 4.7 rebounds - 10.9 assists
All-Rookie 1st team
One of only eight players in NBA history to record at least 15,000 points and 7,500 assists
Ranks second among active players in total assists (7,956) and 10th in NBA history
Has missed just four games in his career and appeared in 632 consecutive games from 1/6/03 to 12/5/10
Other notable players drafted: Shawn Marion - Jason Terry - Corey Maggette - Ron Artest - Andrei Kirilenko - Manu Ginobili.
Looking back at this draft, it was really, really good. Many of these names are either still playing or just wrapped up their careers within the past couple of years. Given the talent up and down this draft, where should Andre be drafted now? There are all-stars ahead of him, NBA champions, rookies of the year, and All-NBA performers.
With all that said, in my very humble opinion... "With the 5th pick in the NBA Draft, Shane Roberts selects.... Andre Miller, Utah."
Yup, I think Andre should go 5th, ahead of Lamar Odom and Jonathon Bender (who?). Elton Brand, Steve Francis, and Baron Davis were all multiple time all-stars, and faces of their franchises. Steve Frances was down right dangerous and explosive early in his career. Brand was a scoring and rebounding big man, and carried the Clippers when they were beginning their resurgence. Davis was explosive as well, albeit a head case, but also carried Charlotte and Golden State. Rip Hamilton, while never flashy, was consistent, multiple time all-star, and a crucial member of the 2004 NBA champion Detroit Pistons. I think Andre slides nicely behind those four players.
The reason I don't put 'Dre higher is because, while he hasn't been able to prove it, he was never really a face of a franchise, or had to put a team on his shoulders. Could he have done it? Possibly.
While Andre has had a great, long, consistent career, so did those guys in front of him - they had just a little more fire power and arguably were bigger pieces within their franchises.
With all that said, being top-10 all-time in NBA history in assists, and having some very nice stats, this quite unassuming kid from Los Angles has made Utes fans proud for 15 years and will continue to do so.