It’s not spectacular, I guess, but it is very, very pretty:

And just for good measure, his vicious dunk on Cleveland’s Anderson Varejao the night before:

Flashback to June 26, 2003, the night of the 2003 NBA Draft. This is how the night went down:

1. Cleveland – Lebron James.
   Rookie year: 79 g, 39.5 mpg, 20.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 5.9 apg
   Rookie of the Year, All-Rookie First Team
   Career: 481 g, 40.5 mpg, 27.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 6.7 apg
   2009 MVP, 2008 Scoring Champion, 3 time All-NBA First Team, 2 time All-NBA Second Team, 1 time All-Defensive First Team, 5 time All-Star, 2 time All-Star Game MVP
2. Detroit – Darko Milicic.
   This is what a scout said: “With Milicic, they can’t go wrong.”
   Rookie: 34 g, 4.7 mpg, 1.4 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 0.2 apg
   Career: 345 g, 17.0 mpg, 5.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 0.7 apg
   2004 NBA Championship
3. Denver – Carmelo Anthony.
   Scout: “”They need scoring. I think Carmelo can get 12-13 points a game. I don’t see anyone other than Carmelo, the next five best guys aren’t capable of scoring like that.”
   Rookie: 82 g, 36.5 mpg, 21 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.8 apg
   All-Rookie First Team, Rookie Game MVP
   Career: 455 g, 36.2 mpg, 24.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 3.1 apg
   3 time All-NBA Third Team, 2 time All-Star
4. Toronto – Chris Bosh.
   Scout: “They could go either way, depending on the coach they hire. Some coaches like Alvin Williams and his defense, while other coaches may want a guard to push the ball on offense. Then again, the coach may not have a say. They also need post players.”
   Rookie: 75 g, 33.5 mpg, 11.5 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 1.0 apg
   All-Rookie First Team
   Career: 448 g, 37.1 mpg, 19.8 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 2.2 apg
   1 time All-NBA Second Team, 4 time All-Star
5. Miami – Dwayne Wade.
   Scout: “Likely pick: Maciej Lampe, SF. Like Denver, they need scoring. They may look at a point guard like T.J. Ford. He’s not that great defensively, so they may pass on that and go big.”
   Rookie: 61 g, 34.9 mpg, 16.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 4.5 apg
   All-Rookie First Team
   Career: 402 g, 37.9 mpg, 25.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 6.6 rpg
   2006 NBA Championship, 2006 Finals MVP, 2009 Scoring Champion, 1 time All-NBA First Team, 2 time All-NBA Second Team, 1 time All-NBA Third Team, 2 time All-Defensive Second Team, 5 time All-Star

You know what’s interesting? Not the fact that Darko was the first to win a championship from among this group. And not the fact that Detroit and Toronto both could have had Wade instead of Miami. But the fact that all the experts thought Lampe was a lock for the 5th pick.

This is from a post-draft-day story on NBA.com:

Then things got interesting.

“And with the fifth pick in the 2003 NBA Draft,” Commissioner Stern said, “the Miami Heat select … Dwyane Wade.”

What the? Whoa, some intrigue in NBA Draft 2003. Wade? Wasn’t he supposed to fall to Chicago at No. 7? He did in our scouts’ mock draft.

Weren’t the Heat supposed to take a point guard (T.J. Ford and Kirk Hinrich were available) or a big man, like Maciej Lampe?

Yeah, Lampe. What happened to Lampe? His was the biggest story of the night not featuring Jordan or “the next Jordan” (a.k.a. “LeBron”).

And unlike many of the draft picks’ moms who wept for joy, Lampe’s tears came from frustration. There he sat in the green room (usually a sure sign you will be a first-round selection), watching pick after pick climb the stairs to the stage, shake hands with Stern and sit down to do a TV interview.

Moments before the Hawks selected Boris Diaw-Riffiod with the 21st pick (one of a record 21 international players selected), Lampe took the souvenir basketball that served as the centerpiece to his green room table and gently spun it in his hands as if he was about to shoot a free throw. He bounced it once, twice, like a bored teenager would, spun it again, bounced it and then gently placed it back in the center of the table. (Detroit Free Press)

And then he waited. And waited. And while others drafted ahead of him bounded out of the audience like they were on “The Price Is Right,” Lampe was planted front and center.

“And with the 29th and final pick of the first round, the Dallas Mavericks select …”

Not Lampe, but Wake Forest’s Josh Howard.

In what had to be an excruciating evening, this must have been the most painful moment. Thanks to some questions as to whether his European contract had been bought out, Lampe lost out on a guaranteed three-year deal. He went, much to the delight of the crowd, to the Knicks with the first pick of the second round. (ESPN.com)

“Obviously, I thought I was going to go higher,” Lampe said. “I was kind of surprised, but I’m just thankful for the opportunity the Knicks have given me. I’ll try to prove people wrong.”

Word to Mr. Lampe: you should have tried harder.

For those curious, this is how the entire draft played out:

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