# The Myth of Darko



## TBALL (Sep 11, 2002)

Now I keep hearing on this site that Darko averaged 9 pts 4 boards his last season. I believe that to be incorrect. According to FIBA.Com, in 2003 FIBA European Cup Champions for Men League, Darko averged the following.

13.4pts
6.8 rebounds
23 minutes per game

What particularily stood out to me was that he shot 59% from the field. I believe those numbers to be fairly impressive for a 17 year old kid in any professional league.


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## Bball_Doctor (Dec 29, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>TBALL</b>!
> Now I keep hearing on this site that Darko averaged 9 pts 4 boards his last season. I believe that to be incorrect. According to FIBA.Com, in 2003 FIBA European Cup Champions for Men League, Darko averged the following.
> 
> 13.4pts
> ...


Yup...that is why I didn't understand the 9 ppg. But on YUBA Darko averaged 9 ppg. Maybe it is like football (REAL NAME for soccer) they only count what they did in their league. FIBA should be what Darko did in all competitions.


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## Nevus (Jun 3, 2003)

*Stats*

Also you have to remember that he is very young and in that league, seniority is taken very seriously. He isn't given much freedom to create for himself or take on more responsibilities. So his stats probably don't reflect his capabilities. 

I looked through some old chats from ESPN and found a couple things... these are both from Chad Ford.

"As for Milicic, he was as good as advertised when we saw him on Saturday. In fifteen minutes he had 14 points, 10 boards, 5 blocks, 3 assists without any plays run for him. Unbelievable."

"He had 37 points on 17-19 shooting, 9 boards and 9 assists in 30 minutes versus Latvia this week. His coach is now giving him the predominant role in their offense and he's shining. No question he's the No. 2 pick in the draft. If it was anyone other than LeBron, he'd go No. 1."

So I think that when he has the chance to accumulate stats, he doesn't have much trouble doing it.


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## Jmmy_James (May 29, 2003)

Lest we not forget that his coach also wouldn't allow him to shoot 3's. Why you wouldn't let somone who can knock them down shoot is beyond me.

I remember in an old insider article Chad Ford mentioned that the coach wouldn't allow him to shoot, yet Ford felt he was one of the best shooters on the team.


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## the wall (Jul 21, 2002)

I heard that in one game he shot a pivotal three pointer late in the game to put his team in the lead...and his coach took him out because he shot a 3! A guy gives the team momentum...and then he gets taken out??? I didn't know Rick Carlisle coaches in Europe!!


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## Matiz (Jun 5, 2003)

You shouldnt worry about Darkos stats, the fact is that the first Yugoslav league is a bit stronger than American high school games-There he'd score 30ppg.
no offense.


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## SkywalkerAC (Sep 20, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Matiz</b>!
> You shouldnt worry about Darkos stats, the fact is that the first Yugoslav league is a bit stronger than American high school games-There he'd score 30ppg.
> no offense.


i'm starting to get the feeling that he'd probably score closer to 40 ppg in american highschool. all specultation but this kid can probably reach as high as 9'6 with one hand (supposed to reach 9'4 with both hands) and he's a talented athlete. he likes to bang (for a european player anyways) and would fit into american ball like a square peg into a square hole. :grinning: 

i've always ranked darko pretty closely to lebron in terms of who i'd want on my team...i can't wait to see what the holy trinity of basketball can pull off next year.


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## Matiz (Jun 5, 2003)

My predictions about Milicevic are based only on what I've read on the internet- nottn but superlatives, he still is anonimous in europe and can't match with Lebron, but we'll see if not this maybe next year.
And it's true i've got a lot more reading to make before i'll get close to your NCAA (and NBA )knowledge but I still think picking Varejao or Tskitishwili isn't quite the best possible thing to do.

It is obviously i've been cutting my english classes this year so sorry for possible misslead of my words in here.


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## nico (Jun 2, 2003)

*Re: Re: The Myth of Darko*



> Originally posted by <b>Bball_Doctor</b>!
> 
> 
> But on YUBA Darko averaged 9 ppg. Maybe it is like football (REAL NAME for soccer) they only count what they did in their league. FIBA should be what Darko did in all competitions.


"2003 FIBA European Cup Champions for Men League" is an european cup. YUBA is the league of ex-yougoslavia. 
In Europe, there's 2 type of competitions: national's championship (Italia, Spain, France, Greece, Germany,...) and European cup which regroup the best team of each national championship.

" 2003 FIBA European Cup Champions for Men League" is the third european competition after Euroleague and UELB cup and it's the worst of the three.

But Darko's very young and he plays against veteran, that's why his stats are not great... But he knows how play against more athletic's player and he would be have no difficulties to adapt his play for the NBA.
This is not like Lebron...


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## bl611 (May 7, 2003)

*Reply to nico*

If your implying that Darko should be quicker to adapt to the NBA because he has played more athletic competition then Lebron I'd have to disagree in fact I'd argue the exaxt opposite....
Yes Lebron plays against high schoolers, but i the summer Lebron has played against competition far superior then anything Darko's played against (in Darko's own words he said the toughest player he has played is Pat Burke) Nad probably has a better idea ofthe athletic talent in the NBA then Darko...
That's not to knock Darko, Ive never seen him play and people in the who know alot more about basketball then I do are raving about him in the US, but I would have to say Darko has alot better chance of being initially overwhelmed then Lebron


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## Jmmy_James (May 29, 2003)

Where did you read that the toughtest player he faced was Pat Burke?


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## bl611 (May 7, 2003)

I think it was on an interview on NBA.draft.net


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## BuhBuhBuhBen (May 26, 2003)

I saw that interview as well, but I think Darko took the interviewer literally when asked about the "toughest" player he'd faced. I don't think he meant Burke was exceptionally gifted, rather that he was a physical player in the post. If Burke was really the best player he'd faced, it would be a sad statement for Yugoslavian basketball. However, we all know how competitive Yugoslavia is on a world stage. So, I wouldn't put much stock in that comment.


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## Bball_Doctor (Dec 29, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>BuhBuhBuhBen</b>!
> I saw that interview as well, but I think Darko took the interviewer literally when asked about the "toughest" player he'd faced. I don't think he meant Burke was exceptionally gifted, rather that he was a physical player in the post. If Burke was really the best player he'd faced, it would be a sad statement for Yugoslavian basketball. However, we all know how competitive Yugoslavia is on a world stage. So, I wouldn't put much stock in that comment.


This topic of the interview was actually mentioned months ago and I can see that you are a new poster so...the argument was:

MJ often said that the toughest player he faced was Gerald Wilkins. I will let you and the other guys think about this.


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## bl611 (May 7, 2003)

Point taken (although I think that says something in its own right Pat Burke doesn't exactly come across as "tough" in a literal sense in the 3 minutes he played this year). But I would still say that Lebron has played against better competition and is probably more aware of the level of play in the NBA


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## Greg Ostertag! (May 1, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>bl611</b>!
> But I would still say that Lebron has played against better competition and is probably more aware of the level of play in the NBA


Yeah, posterizing 16-year olds makes him more NBA ready than the solid European player Darko putting up good figures against guys far more bigger and developed than him. :no:


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## bl611 (May 7, 2003)

Once again I wasn't refering to Lebron's competition during the High school season. Lebron has pspent the last two summers playing with NBA players and he's gone through an informal practice with the cavs. I would doubt Darko has had such oppprtunities in europe


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## Jmmy_James (May 29, 2003)

Lebron may have played a few pickup games and such, but by and large, his competition has been high schoolers. Darko has consitently played his "games that count" against men, not boys.

EDIT: I would also like to point out that, while many people say Darko and Lebron aren't ready to play, I have a feeling they will be playing big minutes. "He is too young" they say. What about Stoudamire last season straight out of high school. Was he too young? No. I think both are going to be a factor now, and stars later on down the road.


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## bl611 (May 7, 2003)

Ok let me clearify my point one more time it is not that Lebron has played better competition on a consistant basis, or even that he is more prepared for the league (which I think at this point would be too hard to tell. I was originally refering to a comment made that Darko had a better idea of the athleticism in the NBA then Lebron which I disagree with since Lebron has played against better athletes then Darko (even if not on a regular basis, he still should have a better gauge of the talent)


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## Nevus (Jun 3, 2003)

Well, Darko obviously is <i>more familiar</i> with playing against adults since he has been playing in that league for years. LeBron obviously knows some NBA players and has played with them, but in my opinion he will still take longer to adjust. LeBron has never played basketball professionally before, period, and Darko has been a "professional" for years in one of the top leagues in the world.


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## Red_Bandit (Apr 20, 2003)

Darko has played against WAY better competition then Lebron.

Partizan: Just won the Serbian basketball championships again. This team has one of the best players in all of Europe, Milos Vujanic (which every knicks fan is dying to have come over and play for them) and countless other future NBAers (Nenad Krstic, Blagota Sekulic, Marko Lekic and Kosta Perovic). They were also in the Euroleague but didnt do well because they were one of the youngest teams in the tournament (KK Buducnost was the youngest). Darko's team played them 2 times and lost both times but by a total of 7 points against the defending champions,


Crvena Zvezda - Lost in the semifinals in the Adriatic basketball league on a last second winner by the other team (beat teams like maccabi tel aviv and union olimpija who are in the euroleague and finished in the top 16). Darko's team played them twice and split the series.

FMP Zeleznik: This team just lost in the championships to Partizan. This team dominated the ULEB Cup, and finished with a 9-1 record in the regular season (good for first overall). They split the series versus a spanish powerhouse Pamesa Valencia who have star players such as Oberto and Tomasevic. Unfortunately they choked in the quarter finals but were still the team to beat. Darko's team played FMP Zeleznik twice and split the series with them.

KK Buducnost : Finished 3rd in the Serbian league (beat by partizan to reach the finals). Another team in the Euroleague, but didnt do well because they were the youngest team there. This is another team that is producing future NBAers (Cabarkapa, Pavlovic, Vranes and Koljevic who will go in the draft next year) Darkos team played them 2 times in the regular season and split the series with one convincing win by darko's team and a very close loss. They played 3 times in the playoffs (best of 3) and darko's team got swept.

Thats 11 games Darko has played against very tough competition in just the Serbian league alone, I didnt even include the games he played in during the FIBA Champions League (although the teams he faced in Serbia are a lot better).


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