Goyer was also behind a lot of terrible movies like Blade 3. That was a personal bias. Sticky Fingaz as an option is an indicator of terrible mishandling.
Yes, the series was right after Blade Tragedy. I was looking for the article, but I remember when Goyer said in an Interview why he chose Sticky over MJW, stating that MJW channeled Snipes Blade too much. So, it seems to me Sticky was picked as the safe route due to his least experience being a standout iconic character at the time.