Carlos Boozer (Photo. Jeffrey Salter)

It’s impossible to project how a college/high school player will perform in the League without comparing him to someone who’s already there (or has already been there). When LeBron first became famous, people couldn’t decide if he was more Magic or Michael. With Greg Oden, there was a rush to anoint him as either the next Bill Russell, ‘Zo or Sam Bowie. I went back to the ‘02 Draft and looked at how the people at NBADraft.net compared those rookies-to-be back then with current and former pros. How do they stack up today?

Yao Ming > Rik Smits: Even the legions of Yao haters have to admit Yao has surpassed The Dunkin’ Dutchman. Yes, the center position is weaker now than it was when Smits played, but he also played with a star perimeter player and didn’t match Yao’s numbers. Nor was Smits ever an MVP candidate, which Yao has been for a half-season here and there.

Jay Williams < Stephon Marbury: Unfair because we’ll never know how good Jay could have been. But as dominant as he was in college, I never saw Steph’s skill set in Jay. He could have been an All-Star, but he was more Mike Bibby to me than Starbury.

Mike Dunleavy < Larry Bird: It’s actually a federal law that every right-handed White guy between 6-6 and 7-0 who can shoot the ball has to be compared to Larry Bird.

Drew Gooden < Jermaine O'Neal: Don’t let the last couple of seasons make you forget how good J.O. can be. Gooden isn’t touching Jermaine’s numbers unless LeBron decides to pass to him 30 times a game.

Nickoloz Tskitishvili < Pau Gasol: Skita didn’t even play enough for us to really know why he didn’t pan out. One of the biggest draft busts of all-time.

Dajuan Wagner < Allen Iverson: Even if Wagner hadn’t undergone health problems, it’d be a very tall order to compete with Iverson.

Nene < Hakeem Olajuwon: Please.

Chris Wilcox < Antonio McDyess: Both explosive athletes coming out of college, but can Wilcox develop into the heady ballplayer that McDyess is once he’s no longer an overpowering physical force? He’s so inconsistent that I doubt it.

Amare Stoudemire > Ben Wallace: If anything, Amare’s the complete opposite of Ben; his defense is severely lacking but he can drop 40 on you on any given night.

Caron Butler < Paul Pierce: As a two-way player, Caron gets the nod. But few people in the League can get buckets like Pierce and are as clutch. It’s close, and Caron might even be better than Pierce right now, but Caron isn’t quite there yet as far as Pierce in his prime.

Jared Jeffries < Danny Manning (pre-injury): No one knows quite how Jeffries went from dominating at Indiana to being a target at MSG.

Melvin Ely < Nazr Mohammed: While Nazr has made his marks on good (San Antonio, Detroit) and bad (New York, Charlotte) teams, I can’t remember Melvin making a mark anywhere.

Marcus Haislip < Marcus Camby: Unfair. Camby’s so unique, who could you compare to him?

Fred Jones > Jeff Trepagnier: The only thing I know about Trepagnier is he was (and still might be) a mainstay in the “Free Agent” pool on the NBA 2K video games.

Boki Nachbar < Peja Stojakovic: Obviously not the same caliber shooter as Peja, but Boki is way more athletic. This is actually not a very good comparison, but no one knew a whole lot about most of the European players coming into the League back then.

Jiri Welsch < Brent Barry: Not better than Skywalker Brent (Clippers), Point Guard Brent (Sonics) or Three-Point Specialist Brent (Spurs).

Juan Dixon = Eddie House: Take your pick. Personally, I like Dixon more, but he’s always been one of my favorite players since the Maryland days.

Curtis Borchardt < Zydrunas Ilgauskas: I remember when my high school (Franklin H.S., Seattle) played Curtis Borchardt’s team, I ran into Borchardt as he was coming out of the locker room to warm up. He was the biggest human being I’d ever seen at that point in my life, and I was certain he’d go to the NBA just because of his size. Turns out that was pretty much the only reason he made it.

Kareem Rush < Allan Houston: At least in my opinion, Houston was always a little overrated because he played in New York. Still, he was a viable weapon on some very good NYK teams. As current-day Indiana fans are learning, you’re in trouble when Kareem Rush is one of your primary options.

Qyntel Woods < Tracy McGrady: Jermaine O’Neal and Travis Outlaw grew roots on Portland’s bench before all of a sudden becoming legit players. Would the same have happened for Qyntel had he not run himself out of the League?

Casey Jacobsen > Trajan Langdon: Neither one of them has made much of a mark in the League, but Casey did stick around longer as a one-note shooter.

Tayshaun Prince > Donyell Marshall: Tayshaun’s an all-pro defender who can give you 25-30 points every now and then. Donyell couldn’t guard his lunch at this point and is good for a three-pointer every now and then.

Frank Williams < Terry Porter: Former Wisconsin and Washington State coach Dick Bennett, probably the sharpest basketball mind I’ve ever been around, once told me that Terry Porter was the best all-around basketball player he’d ever coached. I don’t think any coach beyond the AAU level would say that about Frank Williams.

John Salmons > Jeryl Sasser: Whatever happened to Jeryl? If only the D-League was back then what it is now.

Dan Dickau < Jason Terry (better shooting version): I wouldn’t even say they were right about the shooting part.

Steve Logan < Tim Hardaway: Well, they’re both short, stocky and have no hair. That’s about it.

Roger Mason < Eric Snow: So what if E-Snow can’t shoot? He’s a lock-down defender and ran the point on two teams that went to the NBA Finals. Mason is a fringe NBA player who occasionally gets buckets.

Dan Gadzuric > Michael Olowkandi: As long as Gadzuric doesn’t negatively effect his team with the massive baggage of unrealized potential and a sourpuss attitude, he’s good.

Carlos Boozer > Mo Taylor: Not even on Mo’s best day, if Booz had his right hand (his strong hand, BTW) tied behind his back.

Rod Grizzard < Jalen Rose: Even if Grizzard had stuck in the League, he’s nothing like Jalen. Way better athlete, way worse basketball player.

Juan Carlos Navarro < Jason Terry: Just like we all felt about Jet when he was in Atlanta, I have to wait and see what Navarro can do on a good team.

Marcus Taylor < Andre Miller: Taylor should have stayed in school a couple more years, but he still probably would never become the passer that ‘Dre has become.

Luis Scola > Kenny Thomas: At his peak, Thomas averaged around 13 points and 10 boards a night. Scola could match those numbers someday. And if he doesn’t cause locker-room drama - a la Thomas’ reaction to sharing the 4-spot with Shareef Abdur-Rahim - he’ll be an even bigger upgrade.