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Sat Feb 25, 2006 12:17 pm

8 points vs Seattle, i think he just broke his season high....

Sat Feb 25, 2006 12:29 pm

Darko's Game Stats

orlando 102 seattle 89

22 mins 8 pts 3-4 fg 2-2 ft 5 boards 1 assist 2 blks 1 to

good game lets see more of him

Sat Feb 25, 2006 12:31 pm

Lets hope he keeps getting better and Orlando keep giving him minutes...How long till he replaces Battie in the starting line up do yas reckon?

Sat Feb 25, 2006 12:39 pm

Darko for MVP. :D

Sat Feb 25, 2006 12:40 pm

8 points 5 boards and 2 blocks in 22mins

most impressive stat is that he only had 1 PF.

Sat Feb 25, 2006 12:44 pm

Some slight signs of what he can be capable of....hopefully by the end of the season it will be Howard and Darko up front. (Y)

Sat Feb 25, 2006 12:49 pm

Once he's adjusted to Orlando's offence and gets in top form, he should start and show us what he's got. he's got 1 and a half seasons to show the Magic and the League what he's all about!

Sat Feb 25, 2006 12:58 pm

Article on Darko

Milicic blames everyone but himself for his shortcomings
BY DREW SHARP
Detroit Free Press

ORLANDO, Fla. - Four days into a fresh opportunity at redemption, and Darko Milicic is already sulking. The name on the uniform is different, but the seat at the end of the bench hasn't changed.

He doesn't get it. And he probably never will.

He can't even play on a team that has given up hope on the season.

"I didn't come here to sit on the bench," Milicic said Thursday after the Orlando Magic's practice. "I tell myself that everything will be fine here, but right now, nothing has changed. I want to play. I need to play. I learn nothing sitting on the bench."

Nothing has changed. Darko still blames other factors for his inactivity. He eagerly embraced his emancipation from the Pistons, somehow convincing himself that liberation from his self-described "nightmare" would immediately register into consistent playing time with the Magic.

But Darko didn't play one second in his second game with the Magic, Wednesday at New Jersey.

"You have to ask them why," Darko said of the coaches.

Magic coach Brian Hill offered the same refrain that grew age lines in Detroit the last three years. Darko has "tremendous upside," Hill said, but he has to "learn his new surroundings" and grow comfortable with the situation.

In other words, he needs to wake up.

But the Magic soon will discover what the Pistons reluctantly learned before they traded him last week. Darko has an unyielding sense of entitlement that will prevent him from fully taking advantage of his physical gifts. He still equates playing time with something gift-wrapped under a Christmas tree.

"There's no disputing the kid's skill level," Hill said.

The coach gave Milicic one-on-one tutelage Thursday, initially letting the 7-footer rain threes with unconscious consistency, then schooling him on the low block. Once again, there was the liquid ease in which Darko flowed off his pivot, slamming the ball home or gently kissing it off the glass.

And once again came amazement from observers.

How could the Pistons not find even a little room for somebody of this much potential?

But those who caught the solo show during Darko's first workout in his new home will come to understand that those skills diminish in a five-on-five setting.

It's time for Darko to grow up, sack up and maybe wise up. He still holds a grudge against the Pistons for how he thinks they treated him.

"I was pissed," he said. "It was always the same story, same story. They told me to be ready, and I was. They told me to have a good preseason, and I did. But my playing time went to nothing. They didn't want me, so I needed to leave."

But was his time in Detroit really "a nightmare," as he called it this week before he played his first game with the Magic?

Milicic, 20, found freedom and riches he never could have envisioned as a kid in war-torn Serbia and Montenegro.

"War is bad, but it's something that is out of your control," he said. "Basketball is something that you can control, and when it didn't work out like I had wanted, it became a bad experience. I just want to play basketball and have fun." The Pistons "didn't give me that chance."

If anything, Darko's problem is that he has become too Americanized.

A concern remains that Milicic lacks motivation to push himself beyond the fruits already won from being the second overall pick in the 2003 draft. It's still easier to blame somebody else for his shortcomings.

Isn't there a local law on the books prohibiting the Magic from engaging in a business deal with Joe Dumars? Orlando hasn't recovered from the less-than-minimal return on its seven-year, $98 million investment in Grant Hill in 2000. The sign-and-trade deal involving Hill gave the Pistons the backbone of their championship revival - Ben Wallace.

But some people in Orlando think that vengeance is finally theirs, fleecing the Pistons of an unrefined talent they ruined solely by neglect.

Sounds like the Magic Kingdom has been sniffing Tinker Bell's pixie dust.


Yeah can't blame him for being pissed after getting a dnp last game against jersey when they were losing by quite a lot and could of seen if he could try and do something after quite a few of the magic players didn't have much for the nets. Also brian hill promising game time.

But he couldnt say the pistons were a nightmare when he was there. of course he didnt get much time but he got a ring in first season and his gm aint isiah thomas.


But i reckon the jurno who wrote this was pretty harsh on darko saying he is a sook besides the "nightmare thing" and his skills he showed in a practice with the coach none will translate to a 5on5 situation.

Sat Feb 25, 2006 1:41 pm

Drew Sharp is a tool, he never wrote articles like this when Milicic was still a Piston, now that he leaves he bags him. Sounds like a bitter old man.

There was fault on both sides for the failure ot this relationship, not just Darko's....surely promising a guy PT and giving him none will lose his interest.

Sat Feb 25, 2006 3:59 pm

He's still on good money for how much PT he had.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Sat Feb 25, 2006 4:10 pm

Darko's a whinging bitch. That guy needs to die or something. How annoying.

Sat Feb 25, 2006 5:42 pm

You will burn in hell for this, Jae.

DARKO, DARKO, DARKO!

Damn, I'm such a homer.

Edit: I actually agree with his whining. If you were 20 years old player with obvious talent and ability to help your team and you were rotting on the bench with your talent being wasted, you would do the same.

Sat Feb 25, 2006 7:51 pm

It's one person's perspective, but still an interesting read there. Especially if that really is Darko's attitude, blaming everyone else and expecting playing time without earning it. It wouldn't surprise me if that lack of maturity is costing him playing time.

Sat Feb 25, 2006 7:53 pm

how do u earn playing time exactly? from all reports he trains really hard and impresses people at training...then sits the games on the bench

Sat Feb 25, 2006 7:58 pm

Maybe the reports are wrong.

Sat Feb 25, 2006 8:00 pm

That's no 'report', that's only an opinion. Like mattyj said - how do you earn playing time? He obviosly did a good job in practice, so what else could he do? He was suprisingly quiet for two and a half years and bitched only occasionally. Anyone would do that. I don't know how that means 'lack of maturity'.

Sat Feb 25, 2006 8:05 pm

See this is the thing, people go on about how great he is in training and how "obviously" talented he is... but how do we even know it's true? The guy's had 2 different coaches and barely played with either, he's getting some minutes now because Orlando suck but the trade that brought him in was for an expiring contract and nothing else... this isn't a superstar in the making we're dealing with, it's just an enigma that people like to exaggerate into something more.

Sat Feb 25, 2006 8:25 pm

VanK wrote:Anyone would do that. I don't know how that means 'lack of maturity'.


If he's blaming other people for his struggles, expecting everything to be handed to him and has a notion that the world revolves around him, I'd say that's a pretty immature point of view, an obvious lack of maturity.

I'm not saying that's definitely the case but if he's as talented and amazing as you make him out to be, there's got to be another reason he's not getting the PT and the one that springs immediately to mind is that there's a problem with his attitude.

how do u earn playing time exactly? from all reports he trains really hard and impresses people at training...then sits the games on the bench


Well, there's two possibilities. If what Drew Sharp asserts is accurate, that he can demonstrate his abilities in training but falters in actual games then it's not surprising. The notion of the great practice player who doesn't do much in games is not unheard of, at all levels of the game.

And the other as I mentioned before is a possible attitude problem. If Darko has the point of view that he's entitled to more playing time simply because he wants it and he's that good, then perhaps he's warming the bench because his coaches want him to learn some respect and humility.

Sat Feb 25, 2006 9:10 pm

With the training part.. didn't Sheed say that Darko was lazy or something?

Sun Feb 26, 2006 12:57 am

don't think so.....

but where i think Darko is coming from, is that he was told from the coaches that he'll get PT, but he never did. More so with Larry Brown who was completely unprofessional (as he is with young guys). That would piss anyone off....young or old.

after his contract is up....someone is going to offer a nice extension.

Wed Mar 01, 2006 5:26 pm

6 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and 4 block against Houston and 6 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 3 blocks against Lakers. He is showing a great feel for the game, shows energy on the court, he's already one of the best passers amongst big men in the League, has extraordinaire timing for the block, a lot of range on his jump shot and superb athleticism/quickness/speed. Eat shit, Bogut.

Wed Mar 01, 2006 5:33 pm

saw him play tonight, he has some freakishly long arms, and good footwork. good shot blocker too, but then again, he pretty much tries to swat anything which may sometime result in fouls.

Wed Mar 01, 2006 5:34 pm

6 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and 4 block against Houston and 6 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 3 blocks against Lakers. He is showing a great feel for the game, shows energy on the court...


So far, so good... (Y)


he's already one of the best passers amongst big men in the League, has extraordinaire timing for the block, a lot of range on his jump shot and superb athleticism/quickness/speed.



now you blew it... :lol:


Eat shit, Bogut.



That makes it a little better.
:wink:

Wed Mar 01, 2006 5:39 pm

Eat shit, Bogut.


Andrew Bogut: 16 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists vs. Denver.

Darko Whingicic: 14 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists vs Seattle AND Houston

Keep trying :lol:

Wed Mar 01, 2006 5:54 pm

AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy wrote:
he's already one of the best passers amongst big men in the League, has extraordinaire timing for the block, a lot of range on his jump shot and superb athleticism/quickness/speed.



now you blew it... :lol:

Look at his block stats and tell me which 7 footer not named Garnett is as quick as Darko is?

Jae wrote:
Eat shit, Bogut.


Andrew Bogut: 16 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists vs. Denver.

Darko Whingicic: 14 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists vs Seattle AND Houston

Keep trying :lol:


OK, is a battle of homers :lol:.

Edit: some general observations. He is Orlando's best post defender and best shot blocker which surprised me, because I expected more of that mythical Euro softness everyone was labeling him with. To the contrary, he is showing good agresivness, good instincts and footwork on D. He should work on his fouls, but they DO NOT come because of him trying to block everyone, but they are those little fouls, mostly because of beginner's mistakes and poorly (to agressively) played help defense.

On the other end of the court he showed wilingness to pass the ball with flair (his primary target is DH12), range on his jump shot and suprisingly good footwork in the paint which included spins, reverse layups and all sort of moves. Considering he didn't yet started to use his jumper more, I recognize this is the area where he can improve the most.

Athleticism-wise, you could compare him to Nowitzki, simply because they are both white, but I don't believe that is the fair comparison. Darko is faster, quicker (especially laterally) and more athletic. Speed and quickness as surely in the KG range, but his vertical isn't, but that doesn't mean it isn't great for a big man. I can obviosly see where did predictions that he could guard/play 3 in the pros come from.

I hope (and I'm probably right, but you can't know because of my homerism, can you) that he'll become a bad ass hard-nosed Nowitzki with more athleticism. Well, that's a scary thought, isn't it :lol:.
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