Darko

[JD074]

Darko expresses displeasure over lack of playing time:

http://www.mlive.com/pistons/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports- 1/1
106133006125290.xml

Larry Brown is very clear in his feeling that he hasn't earned
the right to play. He has to compete with both Wallaces and
Antonio McDyess for minutes. Interestingly, Dumars said that
several teams have contacted him to inquire about a trade for
Darko. It's good that teams are interested. But Dumars
seemed very adamant that he is no interest in trading him.

I'm not against "tough love" towards players, especially young
ones. The coach should have authority over a player. What
matters is the team winning, not what a particular player wants
for himself. Maybe Darko is immature like many athletes and
doesn't really know what's best for now. We'll have to see what
happens over the next couple of seasons. As long as Darko
keeps working hard to improve, along with being assertive in
his need to play, he should be fine.

 

[JD074]

I was just watching NBA Shootaround on ESPN, and they
briefly mentioned Darko, saying that he wants to be traded.
The graphic on the screen stated something like, "Darko wants
out, no takers." This is interesting, given that Dumars has
been quoted (in the above mentioned article) that Darko's
agent said that they do not want a trade. And Dumars also
said that several teams contacted him about a trade involving
Darko. So either Dumars is wrong/ lying or ESPN is wrong/
stupid.

 

[JD074]

And what about Utah basically giving away Carlos Arroyo, the
Puerto Rican point guard who mangled Team USA in the
Olympics last summer? This could potentially benefit two white
players, Jazz point guard Raul Lopez, and I don't think
Campbell has been playing much anyway, but it is one less
Detroit big man that Darko has to compete with for minutes.

 

[Kaptain]

I think its great that Darko is finally complaining about playing time. White athletes don't do this enough as they just accept their role as benchwarmers. More white players should do this. If black players are benched in favor of a white player they almost always cry racism. I would like to see brave white players point out the racism that exists against them. It needs to be known.

 

[JD074]

I didn't want to hijack the Dan Dickau thread. Speedster wrote:

The one that is paricularly vexing is Darko Milicic.I know,I
know Detroit has depth and it's tough for him to get playing
time,but he doesn't even see the floor.

I've experienced quite a bit of frustration over the Darko
situation as well. Somehow Joe Dumars and the Pistons
organization saw enough talent in him to pick him ahead of
Dwyane Wade, Kirk Hinrich, Luke Ridnour, Chris Bosh,
Carmelo Anthony, and Chris Kaman. What a rash decision that
was if they were wrong. Apparently Larry Brown would agree
with that assessment. I'm not sure if one should judge a player
based on what he does during a couple of minutes at a time-
and even then only occasionally. From what I've seen, except
for one game against Miami where he made a couple of good
plays, he looks pretty awkward and lost out there. But so would
a lot of players if they played as seldomly as he does.

Tskitishvilli is another example. I believe he was the fifth
overall pick for Denver a few years back, and nothing has
happened for him yet. We also see long-term players at their
positions. Rasheed and Ben Wallace, Martin, Nene, and
Camby all play F/C for Detroit and Denver. What would
happen if these guys all of a sudden blossomed over the next
couple of years? They wouldn't even start anyway unless they
traded or risked upsetting their precious black "stars" by
benching them in favor of Darko or Skita.

To put it in perspective, it took Jermaine O'Neal, who entered
the NBA straight out of high school, five years to become a star
player. He averaged a whopping 3.8 ppg during his first four
years at Portland. He averaged about 11.5 mpg. Then he had
a period of adjustment during his first season with Indiana,
where he averaged about 12 ppg. Then he averaged about 20
ppg over the next three years. Of course he's black, so he
could have gotten an opportunity that he might not have gotten
if he were white. And I'm not saying that Darko will be as good
as him. But it does show that a player can develop if put in the
right situation- and given plenty of time.

 

[caste_System87]

I think we all know why Darko's being screwed over. I was watching a game about 3 or 4 weeks back and he jumped from about 4 feet in front of the free throw stripe and slamed the ball. The entire place went wild and fans were chanting Darko, Darko over and over again. Then came halftime and then the 3rd but wheres Darko???? Oh yeah at the very end of the bench. He didnt play another second in the entire game. Its all because Darko will be another white star and the NBA doesnt need that right now. I was reading where it says that the coach told Darko that he can not attempt a shot thats 8 feet from the basket. Well i wounder why? Oh yeah i know now its because he has a great mid and long range game and just an ok post game. They dont wont him to draw any fan base that will call for more playing time. Darko should get out as soon as he can. Some say its becasue he is so young but how old is (King James)? If its because of age then there is gonna be a real problem. I heard that an NBA team is actually thinking of trying to draft a kid thats in the 8th grade. What in the hell is wrong with there guys? The NBA is gonna go way downhill if it starts making dumbass moves like this. But anyway i think Darko would fit in great with teams like the Kings, Dallas, Magic, Jazz, Hornets or anywere else besides Pistons. So all we can hope for is for Darko to scream as loud as he can and let it be made known that he wonts out and the Pistons are screwing him over.

 

[surfsider]

Man, Milicic must have said something about Larry Brown's aged mother. Tonight against the Knicks, after a hard foul, Brown puts Milicic in to shoot the free throws for the injured player. The Pistons are up 16 with 45 seconds left in the third quarter. Milicic makes both and is yanked for the remainder of the quarter. Ouch!

 

[marko]

Darko is overrated. I hate to say it but he is. Biedrins scored 18ppg in europe and he's being burried too. He at least deserves a shot. I don't think darko ever scored more than 4 ppg in europe.Edited by: marko

 

[jaxvid]

Darko is raw. If the NBA had a minor league system instead of having the taxpayers finance one through the use of the college game, then Darko could be developing by playing every night. He was only drafted because the Pistons thought he would one day be a dominant big man. How he could become that on a team that is competing for a championship and has no opportunity to do OJT for a rookie is beyound me.

It was a dumb move for that reason but a good move nonetheless because the Pistons did not want to add a superstar rookie (like Carmelo) that would have upset team chemistry and distracted them from the goal of winning a ring. They did that and now they can trade Darko for a player that can fit in and fill a gap and help win another title. If the wheels fall off and the Pistons start to lose they can always switch and sacrifice a few wins to get him some playing time. As long as Darko has some value he is an asset. Probably why they don't play him. If he plays poorly his value decreases, if he doesn't play then he is still a possible star.

 

[kevin]

larry brown is an idiot. he is by far the most overrated coach besides doc rivers. he took an already talented team to the championship. and that somehow amkes him great. a real coach would try to give thebest players playing time. why is the tawshawn prince playing so much he is only 6'5 120 he need to hit the gym. darko looks alot more developed then him why not let him play.

 

[marko]

I agree about larry brown. Very overratd coach. Popovich is far better and don nelson is leagues above brown(imo) even ifhe's struggled lately. Brown definitly walked into an already goodteam. Rick carlysle totally built them up, yet he's let go to indiana. Weak. Although we saw rick build them up too, until the injuries and fights happend.

 

[JD074]

I think we all know why Darko's being screwed over.

But we're not completely sure of that. Maybe he really isn't
ready yet.

I was watching a game about 3 or 4 weeks back and he
jumped from about 4 feet in front of the free throw stripe and
slamed the ball.

That was the game against Miami that I was referring to. It's
the best that he's been so far.

Its all because Darko will be another white star and the NBA
doesnt need that right now.

But what does Detroit want? Probably a return on their 9.6
million dollar investment. Maybe Brown's being a jerk, but I
don't think it's a conspiracy against him.

I was reading where it says that the coach told Darko that he
can not attempt a shot thats 8 feet from the basket.

It's odd. Every time he gets the ball it's at the low block. He
doesn't look comfortable there. What would've happened if
they tried to transform Dirk into a low post scorer? He might be
in Europe right now. It could just be a wrong-headed
philosophy on the part of Brown in terms of what he expects
out of a seven-footer.

Well i wounder why? Oh yeah i know now its because he has
a great mid and long range game and just an ok post game.

Interestingly, he only took 5 three-pointers in his last season
with Hemofarm. He hit one of them. I was surprised by that.

They dont wont him to draw any fan base that will call for
more playing time.

If Detroit doesn't want that, they shouldn't have drafted him in
the first place. That's what the NFL does with white RB's and
WR's. They just ignore them.

Some say its becasue he is so young but how old is (King
James)?

James is very physically developed at his age though.

Biedrins scored 18ppg in europe and he's being  burried too. 
He at least deserves a shot. I don't think darko ever scored
more than 4 ppg in europe

He averaged 9.5 ppg in his last season with Hemofarm.

Darko is raw. If the NBA had a minor league system instead
of having the taxpayers finance one through the use of the
college game, then Darko could be developing by playing every
night.

I agree. They should set up a system where NBA players can
play in the NBDL- or wherever- on a limited basis. I guess
insurance purposes- a player getting hurt- would be the reason
why that wouldn't happen. All these guys should be playing in
real games at least some of the time.

He was only drafted because the Pistons thought he would
one day be a dominant big man. How he could become that on
a team that is competing for a championship and has no
opportunity to do OJT for a rookie is beyound me.

Great point.

They did that and now they can trade Darko for a player that
can fit in and fill a gap and help win another title.

And according to Dumars, but not ESPN, there are several
teams that are interested.

As long as Darko has some value he is an asset. Probably
why they don't play him. If he plays poorly his value decreases,
if he doesn't play then he is still a possible star.

Very interesting perspective.

a real coach would try to give thebest players playing time.

He may be doing that. I don't think we can say for sure at this
point.

why is the tawshawn prince playing so much he is only 6'5
120 he need to hit the gym. darko looks alot more developed
then him why not let him play.

I actually think he's a good player. Tall, long arms, quick for his
size, good defender, decent shooter. He's skinny, but so is
Kirilenko and Garnett and a lot of other good players. He's
also quiet and well-behaved, which is surprising given that he's
from Compton.

 

[jaxvid]

Yes, Tayshaun Prince is a good player. Like the players of old he is long and lanky. Just skin and bones. it's part of his game, if he were to bulk up it would change his game, he might be worse. he's a good example to hold up and say "see you don't need to be Karl Malone to succeed in the NBA".

Prince is also so light skinned he's got freckles.

 

[JD074]

An NBA minor league system would be particularly fruitful for
European players. European teams are well known for playing
veteran players over younger ones (makes sense.) A lot of the
hottest prospects play very little. Podkolzine's experience last
year is a good example of this. They can't play American
college basketball because they have no eligibility, obviously.
Young NBA-bound American players have the option of playing
for excellent college programs, and get plenty of minutes.
So a European player could go to the training camps, play for
their clubs, develop their fundamentals, come to America at
around 18-20, and then play in the "NBA minors" so that they
can learn the American game. And of course Americans would
play, too.

It also may deter some of the teenagers from going pro so
early. If they realize that that may have to play in the minors
for a couple of years before they can get the big bucks, they
may decide to go to college, stay in college, or stay in Europe
for a little bit longer to make more money. Either way, we
would have older, more mature, more fundamentally sound
players coming into the NBA. And many players who hardly
ever see the floor will have a better opportunity to compete in
real games on a regular basis as well.

 

[JD074]

And even if the Europeans could play American college
basketball, that may not be a good idea for many of them
either. Where would they go and how much would they play?
They might end up as benchwarmers just like in Europe. At
least there they're making some money. So they can stay in
Europe and not play, and try to impress scouts and NBA teams
with great workouts, or not go pro and go to an American
college and maybe play a lot for a good program (like Bogut,)
or maybe not play that much. Geez.

 

[speedster]

European coaches don't want their guys to play American college basketball.When these players go back to Europe,they lack the fundamentals and it hurts their chances of making it in one of the Euro-Leagues or playing for their country.Learning to "takin' it to dah hoop" doesn't cut it over there.

 

[JD074]

I agree. Playing American college ball doesn't seem like the
way to go for a player who's just looking to play in a
non-American pro league. Of course, the players who start
playing pro at 14-17 years old don't have college eligibility so
it's not an issue for them anyway. I've wondered why the
international players who play American college ball didn't just
go pro instead. It's an interesting decision.

My thought was to play abroad (at the training camps, pro
leagues, etc.) until about 18-20 years old, and then play in the
NBDL while being under contract with an NBA team; as
opposed to either sitting the bench in the NBA (as is the case
for Darko, Biedrins, and many others,) playing in the NBDL as
a "free agent" (no financial incentive for teams to give a d*mn,)
being a benchwarmer in a pro league abroad, or being a
benchwarmer in college.

The NBDL isn't as good as the Major League's minors, or NFL
Europe, because NBA teams can't play their young players in
NBDL games. That's such a waste. Why not let a Darko or
Robert Swift play in some real games? Practicing with an NBA
team and also playing, at least occasionally, in real games in
the NBDL would be a pretty good combination. You can do
that in baseball. They call you up, you play a little bit, they
send you back.

It wouldn't surprise me if that happens in the NBA eventually.
As more and more teenagers come into the league- and this
doesn't seem to be slowing down any time soon- this seems
that much more realistic and valuable. A lot of these players
are clearly immature in some respect- whether physically,
emotionally, and/ or skill-wise. And it would mean more talent
in the NBDL, making it even more useful for teams to send
players there. (Of course, the league and player's union
would have to hammer out the financial details. That could be
tricky.)

Or they can just stay in Europe longer, instead of trying to
make it in the NBA at 18 years old. That would be fine as long
as they get playing time (a lot of them don't.) The competition
may or not be be better than an expanded NBDL, depending
on which league they're playing in. (Not all those leagues are
very competitive. Biedrins played in a Latvian league, which
was criticized as being pretty weak during last year's draft.)

It would be advantageous to show off their skills in a setting
where the organization can actually observe them, rather than
in "some far away land" where they can only see them when
they send a scout over, or during a workout, or whatever.

 

[speedster]

I think a minor league system in the NBA would be a good idea.There are just so many kids picking up the game,not just in the U.S. but of course Europe and South America that the talent pool is huge and with a minor league deal teams can let players cut their teeth instead of sitting on the bench rotting away.This way you have players who officially belong to you.As far as international players just going pro,I'm not sure,but do you remember Christian Drejer last year.He just cut and run from the Florida Gators to a pro league in Spain in only his sophmore year at mid-season.Maybe he thought playing for Florida looked good on his resume?

 

[caste_System87]

A minor league system would be the worse thing for all of the white guys in the NBA. It would be hell on us also. This would give all the NBA team an answer to why a talented white guy isnt playing. The answer would always be we have in the minors to get better ball controle or hes working on his jump shot or shomething like that. The white guys would either spend years or their entire life in the NBA minors and nothing would be said about it. Just put it this way guys it would be like the NFL pratice squads. It would be filled with white talent that will never be used so it would be the worse thing to happen to all white players.

 

[Colonel_Reb]

Yeah, I agree Caste_System87, it would become a deposit box if you will for whites, or maybe a better term would be a holding pen. It would be tougher, I think for them to break out. That's my opinion, and I base it on the practice teams that football has, so if it's a bad analogy, please somebody tell me.

 

[jaxvid]

Interesting. That might be true. At least it would be a chance to see white guys play. I'd watch minor leagues instead. On the practice teams you never get to see them play.

 

[JD074]

I think it would be more similar to the Major League's minors,
rather than the NFL. It would still be bad (like MLB's minors,)
but still much better than the NFL. But that's just my opinion.
None of us can know with certainty what it would be like. I
think it would be better because it would be actual games, not
just a practice squad where nobody can see you or know
anything about you.

If playing in real games in the minors would make them better
players than just sitting, it would have to be a good thing.
Anything that makes you better is going to increase your
chances of playing, even if just a little bit.

A practice squad may not be the best thing for a white football
player, but is it worse than never playing real games, riding the
pine, not being in the league, etc.? You can be forgotten sitting
on the bench just as easily as playing in the minors. Probably
more so because at least NBDL games are occasionally shown
on NBA TV. Can't say that for NFL practice squad players.
What if a white player had 30 ppg, 10 rbg, 7 apg, and 3 bpg in
the NBDL? He might still be overlooked (and I'm sure plenty of
great white baseball players in the minors are overlooked,) but
it would be better for them to achieve something in actual
games than just practicing and nothing else.

And how can it be worse than playing in Europe or not playing
at all? (Yeah, you can make more money in Europe, but the
contract can actually be a complication to getting in the NBA.)
They can't really observe you closely over there, and they
certainly can't do so if you're not playing at all. What if a player
is released and out of the league because they don't have
enough room on the roster, like when Matt Frieje was released
when they picked up Jackson Vroman? I bet Frieje would
rather be playing than being out of the NBA entirely.

Also, maybe it would turn away some black players. The
thought of not making much money in the minors might scare
them off. At the very least some teenagers would think twice
about declaring for the draft (unless they get offered a shoe
deal coming right out of high school like Lebron James and
Sebastian Telfair did.)