GreatLakeState
Mentor
- Joined
- Apr 22, 2005
- Messages
- 1,057
From Hoopshype.com
Question: Darko Milicic is having a very similar first few years in the
league as you did. He's not playing much, like you in Portland, and yet he
was picked from a very high place in the draft. Is it only the change of
environment that helped you show your true colors and become one of
the premiere NBA players?
Jermaine O'Neal: Opportunity and the right situation are everything in the
NBA. I'm sure that if he keeps on doing what he's doing right now and if
somebody takes a chance on him, even if it's not Detroit, as it was the
case with me and Indiana. He just needs to keep getting better, keep
working on his game, stay positive and believe in yourself more than
anything else. Because everybody's going to have an opinion about you.
You know, sometimes I wonder what makes an analyst an analyst...you
can't analyze a person's heart and a person's will. So my message to
Darko will be: just keep on doing what got you here and keep getting
better and that's it. You know, there's a reason why they took you as No.
2 in the draft.
Every situation isn't good for you. I don't think that Detroit is a good fit
for Darko. Hopefully, he will come to the situation like in Sacramento, on
a team that goes up and down. He seems to have a nice touch with his
jump shot and the ability to get up and down the floor. So, when his
contract comes up, my advice for him is to go out and find the team that
his game is well suited for and I think that he is going to really have a
great chance if he keeps working, keep trying to get better and stay
focused and believe in himself.
Question: Darko Milicic is having a very similar first few years in the
league as you did. He's not playing much, like you in Portland, and yet he
was picked from a very high place in the draft. Is it only the change of
environment that helped you show your true colors and become one of
the premiere NBA players?
Jermaine O'Neal: Opportunity and the right situation are everything in the
NBA. I'm sure that if he keeps on doing what he's doing right now and if
somebody takes a chance on him, even if it's not Detroit, as it was the
case with me and Indiana. He just needs to keep getting better, keep
working on his game, stay positive and believe in yourself more than
anything else. Because everybody's going to have an opinion about you.
You know, sometimes I wonder what makes an analyst an analyst...you
can't analyze a person's heart and a person's will. So my message to
Darko will be: just keep on doing what got you here and keep getting
better and that's it. You know, there's a reason why they took you as No.
2 in the draft.
Every situation isn't good for you. I don't think that Detroit is a good fit
for Darko. Hopefully, he will come to the situation like in Sacramento, on
a team that goes up and down. He seems to have a nice touch with his
jump shot and the ability to get up and down the floor. So, when his
contract comes up, my advice for him is to go out and find the team that
his game is well suited for and I think that he is going to really have a
great chance if he keeps working, keep trying to get better and stay
focused and believe in himself.