# What We Know About Darko Milicic



## JustinSane

I've noticed that on most threads dealing with this year's rookie crop, Darko is sometimes labled a bust, most often simply an unknown quantity. This is understandable. He hasn't contributed on the court and has barely played, even in garbage time. A common sentiment is that's it's impossible to state anything definitively about him, one way or the other. As far as whether he is currently a good player, that's very true. That doesn't mean that we know nothing more now about him than we did before he was drafted. 

This post aims to set out several things now clear about Darko that were less so when he was drafted, as well as to speculate a bit about his future potential based on what is known.

Facts:
1. The guy is huge. He played six minutes tonight (6 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block), and he towered over everyone else on the court. He has to bend over to listen to Ben Wallace. Darko is listed at 7'1'', and he's all of that at least. He has extremely long arms and big hands. If you were to design a body type for an NBA center, you'd design Shaq. Darko would be the back-up plan. That's still not too bad 

2. He is in far better condition now than when he was drafted. At draft time, he looked somewhat like a taller Kukoc as far as his build goes. Now, his chest has filled out, his arms are thick and defined, overall he has developed a very cut physique. There is not an ounce of baby fat visible on him. He no longer appears to quickly become winded when put in the game. 

Observations bordering on unquestioned fact:

1. Darko is very quick for someone of his size. At this point, his offensive and defensive game appears based on his length and quickness more than his strength, somewhat like Gasol. Once he learns to over-power defenders, he'll be twice as dangerous. On screen and roll switches, he got right out and defended guards on the perimeter tonight, and only got beat by them once out of several times the Rockets tried.

2. He has good body control and coordination for a big man. His movements are fluid and his reactions are quick, as are his hands. He does however seem to have occasional difficulty handling entry passes for some reason. I'm not sure why. 

3. He's aggressive. This kid refuses to back down against anyone he's played, including Divac, the Serbian Jordan. He plays physically (He needs to learn to be smarter about this, as he's rather foul prone currently) and does not get backed down in the post. From limited observation, it seems he could do a better job of establishing low post position offensively however. Too often he seems to get stuck out in the high post. He goes after rebounds aggressively, and seems particularly good off the offensive glass. His quickness helps him get around box-outs. For the minutes he's played, he's blocked a lot of shots. 

4. He's not quite sure what he's doing yet. He often seems to hesitate a bit while deciding what he needs to do. Once he has arrived at a decision, he's quick and aggressive about executing it, but it looks like overall the game is still moving too fast for him. 

5. He shoots a low percentage so far, both from the floor and the free throw line. For the season, he's taken 14 shots and hit 5 of them (3/7 tonight accounting for half his season shot total) From the free throw line, he's been even worse (1/5), but the sample size is so small that it isn't enough to make an outright determination that he's a terrible free throw shooter. His form looks fairly good, though his shot seems a bit flat.

6. He has an excellent work ethic. This is attested to by all his team-mates (in particular, Ben Wallace and Chauncey Billups speak highly of his effort), his general manager Joe Dumars and the Pistons' coaching staff. The noticable improvement in his musculature is also evidence that he's been putting in some serious work in the weight room. 

Summary and Future Projection:

He's exactly what everyone thought he would be. A freakishly talented physical specimen with a serious lack of experience. When he was drafted, he was not physically ready for the NBA game. It looks like if he isn't already now, he's extremely close. He's put on 15-20 pounds of muscle and added over 6'' to his vertical leap, and he's vastly improved his endurance. Just off his physical superiority it looks like he could play and contribute now, but his on court uncertaintity indicates that Brown may not be completely off base keeping him on the bench and honing his skills in practice, intending to use him only when the correct reactions to game situations are second nature and automatic, unlike now, when you can almost see him thinking about what to do next. It would be shocking if he didn't turn out to at least be a decent player (say, 15/7/1.5/1.5). He clearly has the potential for much more than that. It really is impossible to confidently say he will become an elite player, but it does seem reasonable to say he has the physical talent and work ethic to make it a real possibility.


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## futuristxen

I can't wait to see the highlights. Heard he threw it down a couple times tonight.

Go DARKO!

Hope he gets in the rookie game.


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## froggyvk

Good points.

He's working hard. People forget he'd be a high school senior if he grew up in the United States right now. We've got to give him time, and as it says in my signature--when he fully develops, we'll have one of the best all-around centers in the NBA.

He's in much better shape--He's down to 8% body fat and has already added 15 pounds of muscle, so you know he's working hard.


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## therealdeal

Darko is 6' 11"

that is 100% accurate info from his former team in Serbia.

The only reason he towers over everybody is because everybody in the NBA is listed at 2-3 inches taller than they really are.


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## JustinSane

At the pre draft camp, he was measured at 7'1 3/4''. Remember, he's only 18 years old. Most guys don't stop growing until they are twenty. He very well may have been 6'11'' when his Serbian measured him last, but he's taller than that now.


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## therealdeal

Come on, don't be so naive.

Pre-draft camp is nothing more than a pre-publicity stunt camp.
You really believe he grew almost 3 inches in less than a year.
That may happen when you're 14-15 , not at 18.

I just checked , and he supposedly measured 7' 3/4 " in shoes, which would put him at 6' 11" and change as his real height.


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## visionary432

> Originally posted by <b>JustinSane</b>!
> and added over 6'' to his vertical leap


this was a great post with a lot of detailed information but i find that this quote seems HIGHLY unlikely. Pre-draft reports said that he had great athleticism for a guy his size, and you are saying he added 6 inches to that? adding 6 inches vert is really hard for any player coming into the league, ESPECIALLY for a big man... im just saying you probably exaggerated this...

good post otherwise :yes:


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## the wall

Lebron who?? Darko Milicic is the truth! Yes it's true, he was the McDonald's player of the game...in 5 minutes he had 6 points,4 boards, and 1 block. Multiply those by 9, and in 45 minutes he was on pace for 54 points, 36 rebounds, and 9 blocks! And of course, he is so good that he most likely would've stayed on pace to get this double double. In conclusion, Darko Milicic is the best player in the NBA. period.


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## The King of the World

> Originally posted by <b>the wall</b>!
> Lebron who?? Darko Milicic is the truth! Yes it's true, he was the McDonald's player of the game...in 5 minutes he had 6 points,4 boards, and 1 block. Multiply those by 9, and in 45 minutes he was on pace for 54 points, 36 rebounds, and 9 blocks! And of course, he is so good that he most likely would've stayed on pace to get this double double. In conclusion, Darko Milicic is the best player in the NBA. period.


LOL


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## JustinSane

The source for the six inch increase on the vertical was a quote from the Piston's strength and conditioning coach, Kander, in an article in the Detroit News about two months ago. When he was drafted, his lateral quickness was phenomenal, but his vert was only slightly above average. I can't recall the exact quote word for word, but it had to do with a thrice repeated jump drill. When he first got there, he went 27'', 20'', 19'' (may have been 21'' and 20'' on the last two, I can't remember for sure). At the time the article was written, he was up to 32'', 29'', 28''. I suppose that is only 5 inches though. My bad  I didn't add straight the first time. 5 inches is still a good increase however.


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## The King of the World

I've read quite a bit this season about how they are bringing him along slowly in practice, and I've always thought that it is a good idea. Hopefully he's getting some minutes by the end of the season. Even if he doesn't though, all of the effort that he's putting in at practice and while training is gonna pay huge dividends whenever he does get the chance. BTW, the Rookie Game would be a great place to see what he's got...


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## therealdeal

Unlike growing 3 inches in 6 months, it is quite possible to add 6 inches to your vertical jump. Actually if you had not done much weight lifting in your life 6 inches is pretty easy to gain in 3-4 months by just doing Squats. It's only difficult to add that much if you already have significant amount of lifting and training behind you.

They don't do much weight lifting in Serbia, so it is very likely Milicic
made a significant improvement in that department.
They do more smoking and coffee drinking than practicing.


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## the wall

> They don't do much weight lifting in Serbia, so it is very likely Milicic made a significant improvement in that department.
> They do more smoking and coffee drinking than practicing.


I'm sure since you are in Serbia and Montenegro so often you know this for a fact? You have made some of the most ridiculously ludicrous statements ever in this one thread alone. Congratulations my friend.


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## Cap

therealdeal doesn't live in the same universe as everyone else, don't bother with his posts.

And yes, Milicic looks great.


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## rocketeer

> Originally posted by <b>therealdeal</b>!
> Come on, don't be so naive.
> 
> Pre-draft camp is nothing more than a pre-publicity stunt camp.
> You really believe he grew almost 3 inches in less than a year.
> That may happen when you're 14-15 , not at 18.
> 
> I just checked , and he supposedly measured 7' 3/4 " in shoes, which would put him at 6' 11" and change as his real height.


i think most people would consider 7' 3/4 to be 7'1 because the 3/4 would round up. so he is playing at 7'1 because in case you haven't noticed, nba players wear shoes while they play. the only height that matters is the height while you are wearing shoes.


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## ballocks

it's funny to see darko being labelled as a bust already- people are just the most impatient animals. we need a conclusion quick-fast! we don't care what it takes! give us something we can use to simplify what we're seeing now- and give us something to render the future moot!

it's too bad that darko isn't really getting much PT in detroit but i'm sure pistons fans aren't worried; they probably have the highest confidence in larry brown and joe dumars to do the _right thing_. after all, there must've been a reason why joe didn't even workout 'melo pre-draft; there also must've been a reason why he didn't even pick up the phone to hear what trade proposals he had in front of him at the time. 

i mean, i'm guessing that he saw milicic as a surefire superstar, but evidently wasn't expecting much of a contribution this season. for a team like detroit that wants to win now, it says a lot about darko's perceived potential to have him riding the pine when he could likely be moved for star-quality help immediately. i bet a proposal already exists from some rebuilding franchise to make the pistons bona fide title contenders overnight. thus, i guess this kid must be really special.

of course, i'm anxious to see him play myself, and i don't mean for 4 or 5 possessions during garbage time. i want to see this guy play 35-40 mpg; i want to see this guy perform down the stretch; i want to see this guy perform under some pressure.

but i guess i'll/we'll just have to wait. 

and that's fine by me. 

peace


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## rebelsun

All we know for sure:

1.) He is young
2.) He is tall
3.) He is European
4.) He is far from being a superstar, but has superstar potential.


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## Nevus

Awesome post, JustinSane. I still think Darko is going to be a very good player. He's obviously gifted with great height and agility. If he keeps working on his body and following Ben Wallace's weightlifting guidelines, I think he can physically be a lot like David Robinson.

If I had to guess what kind of player Darko will be someday, I'd say something like David Robinson with guard skills, probably weaker than D-Rob on the inside but much stronger on the perimeter.


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## therealdeal

As a matter of fact , yes I do know that in Serbia and Montenegro they don't do nearly as much weight lifting as they do here and they also do not have any of the fancy equipment we do here ( it's mostly free weights over there and basic machines.

Audience still smokes during games and sometimes during half times when most people light up it's like fog in there.

A lot of players still smoke a lot. These guys go through their hole careers mostly on talent alone. There is almost no off season weight lifting programs and players mostly work only on basketball fundamentals, play pick up games then hang out in sidewalk cafees smoking, drinking and playing cards.

I've been there and I still know people there.

Whether 7' 3/4 " in shoes is real I don't know, I doubt it.

He is 2 meters and 11 centimeters tall which translates to almost exactly 6' 11" ( an 1/8 of an inch above it )

And finally, I am the one living in the real world, most of you guys live in the fantasy world created by David Stern and Disney who owns ESPN and ABC. How else does one explain all of the posts here.

In my world players are listed at their real height, shooting 40% is bad, the only difference between the 80s and today is that most players can't play.

In your world players travel, carry the ball, play no defense and when they can't hit wide open shots and simply fumble the ball you attribute it to great defense. In your world a ball hog who takes 30 shots to score 30 points is a great scorer, a fat pig ( Kobe said it ) gets away with murder and is called the most dominant player despite having no basketball skills whatsoever. All this happens in your world and you still think NBA is fantastic because Disney and David say so.


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## KIMCHI

> Originally posted by <b>therealdeal</b>!
> Darko is 6' 11"
> 
> that is 100% accurate info from his former team in Serbia.
> 
> The only reason he towers over everybody is because everybody in the NBA is listed at 2-3 inches taller than they really are.


OH NO !!!!!! this must be the first time i actually agree with this guy's post.
yeah darko is 6-11 in stocking feet, 7-0 and 1/2 in shoes (that will round up to 7-1), thats according to his former yugo team's information guide shortly before he was drafted.
remember that embarass moment when he missed that dunk against the cavs a few weeks back ?? he was stand right next to big z and big z has at least 3 inches on him if not more.


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## MLKG

> Originally posted by <b>KIMCHI</b>!
> 
> he was stand right next to big z and big z has at least 3 inches on him if not more.


Well that would make sense considering Z is 7'3".

Darko is the tallest guy on the Pistons. And unless Elden Campbell and Zeljko Rebraca are also not legit 7 footers, then he is easily at least 7'0". 

And for a kid who can't even grow facial hair yet, I don't see how it's that hard to believe he has grown a couple inches since whenever his Serbian team measured him last.

Remember guys, most men don't stop growing until their early 20's. Dennis Rodman was 5'11" when he was Darko's age. People DO grow.

Maybe some guys heights are padded in your program, but both the NBA combine and the Pistons measured him independantly and both said he's 7'3/4". They have no reason to lie about these things.


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## JustinSane

Thank you everyone for your responses. It seems no one is disputing the substance of the original post, though some of the concrete measurables (mostly height) are open to a level of question. Fundamentally, as Mike luvs KG points out, he's the tallest guy on a team with three guys listed at 7'0'' or taller. He's a big kid. His lateral quickness is truly freakish for a player of his size. My personal opinion is that five years from now he'll be an Hakeem or David Robinson type center and defensive player of the year. That's not bad, though Lebron is likely to be even better. Thanks also for the compliment and the feedback Nevus. I will disagree however in that I see no real reason Darko should
be weaker in the paint than Robinson. Men don't reach their peak physical strength until around age 30, and Darko is strong already. Combine that with his quickness, and I don't see where he should concede to being second best inside (in the future) to anyone save possibly Shaq, depending on how the next few years treat both of them.


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## BEEZ

> Originally posted by <b>therealdeal</b>!
> 
> In my world players are listed at their real height, shooting 40% is bad, the only difference between the 80s and today is that most players can't play.
> 
> In your world players travel, carry the ball, play no defense and when they can't hit wide open shots and simply fumble the ball you attribute it to great defense. In your world a ball hog who takes 30 shots to score 30 points is a great scorer, a fat pig ( Kobe said it ) gets away with murder and is called the most dominant player despite having no basketball skills whatsoever. All this happens in your world and you still think NBA is fantastic because Disney and David say so.


Please explain Marko Jaric's 37.7 % shooting

Manu Ginoboli's 40.1%

Boris Diaw's 42.6%

Gordon Giricek's 41.4%

Bostjan Nachbar's 33.8%

Hedo Turkoglu's career low 36.7%

Vladimir Radmanovic's career low 38.7%

Nikoloz Tskitishvili's 34.7%

Toni Kukoc's 41.5%

Dirk Nowitzki's 44%

You are always talking about the ineptitude of American players and their shooting. Please explain this?


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## allenive21

Bam good point Beez, European's are not the basketball shooting gods as much as a lot of people want to think.


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## bender

Darko Milicic was listed at 212cm w/out shoes, which is 6-11½, in Europe. That makes him 7-1 in shoes now in the NBA. And further, he'll likely grow another inch or two. He's still only 18 yrs old! (Remember, KG entered the League at 18 meassuring 6'10, and he's now above 7 ft.)



> Originally posted by <b>JustinSane</b>!
> This kid refuses to back down against anyone he's played, including Divac, the Serbian Jordan.


Vlade Divac is the Serbian Jordan? According to whom?


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## Jonathan Watters

> Originally posted by <b>BEEZ</b>!
> 
> 
> Please explain Marko Jaric's 37.7 % shooting
> 
> Manu Ginoboli's 40.1%
> 
> Boris Diaw's 42.6%
> 
> Gordon Giricek's 41.4%
> 
> Bostjan Nachbar's 33.8%
> 
> Hedo Turkoglu's career low 36.7%
> 
> Vladimir Radmanovic's career low 38.7%
> 
> Nikoloz Tskitishvili's 34.7%
> 
> Toni Kukoc's 41.5%
> 
> Dirk Nowitzki's 44%
> 
> You are always talking about the ineptitude of American players and their shooting. Please explain this?


:rock: :rock: :rock:


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## MLKG

*Re: Re: What We Know About Darko Milicic*



> Originally posted by <b>bender</b>!
> 
> Vlade Divac is the Serbian Jordan? According to whom?


In terms of popularity. They say he could run for president in Serbia and win in a landslide.


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## Nevus

> They say he could run for president in Serbia and win in a landslide.


I read an interview with Darko once where they asked him if that was true about Vlade, that he could be elected President, and Darko said probably so.


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## MagnusPinus

*Re: Re: Re: What We Know About Darko Milicic*



> Originally posted by <b>Mike luvs KG</b>!
> 
> 
> In terms of popularity. They say he could run for president in Serbia and win in a landslide.


That's so true.In Jugoslavia basketball is an istitution..


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## AMR

> Originally posted by <b>BEEZ</b>!
> 
> 
> Please explain Marko Jaric's 37.7 % shooting
> 
> Manu Ginoboli's 40.1%
> 
> Boris Diaw's 42.6%
> 
> Gordon Giricek's 41.4%
> 
> Bostjan Nachbar's 33.8%
> 
> Hedo Turkoglu's career low 36.7%
> 
> Vladimir Radmanovic's career low 38.7%
> 
> Nikoloz Tskitishvili's 34.7%
> 
> Toni Kukoc's 41.5%
> 
> Dirk Nowitzki's 44%
> 
> You are always talking about the ineptitude of American players and their shooting. Please explain this?


OK....don't make me laugh... so Devean George or Bruce Bowen are better shooters than Giricek or Radmanovic???? stats don't say anything... if any of these European shooters *played with Shaq or Duncan he would have more open shots*.... because, Jaric isn't a shooter, is a defender, Ginobili is Argentinian, and Argentinians are known for their athletic game, not for their shooting, nobody said that Diaw could shoot the ball, as Pietrus, in fact most of the French players can't shoot well, they're just athletic (Abdul-Wahad, Pietrus, Digbeu...)


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## BEEZ

> Originally posted by <b>AMR</b>!
> 
> 
> OK....don't make me laugh... so Devean George or Bruce Bowen are better shooters than Giricek or Radmanovic???? stats don't say anything... if any of these European shooters *played with Shaq or Duncan he would have more open shots*.... because, Jaric isn't a shooter, is a defender, Ginobili is Argentinian, and Argentinians are known for their athletic game, not for their shooting, nobody said that Diaw could shoot the ball, as Pietrus, in fact most of the French players can't shoot well, they're just athletic (Abdul-Wahad, Pietrus, Digbeu...)


WOW, the post was directed at 1 particular poster. You jumped in and are very wrong. The post was made because of thngs that the poster has posted about American basketball players


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## CMC

I dunno about the adding 6 inches to his vertical, or the adding 20 pounds of muscle. I do know this, though: No young 7 foot, agile, skilled big man who's LEFT handed should be called a bust halfway into his rookie season.

Without jail-time, sudden death, or a dehabilitating virus, I don't see how Darko can't be a special player.


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## rainman

he did measure 6-11 1/2 barefoot at the predradt camp but supposedly grew an inch by the end of the summer by the detroit people. it isnt out of the ordinary for a kid who turned 18 in june to grown an inch over the summer as a matter of fact that would be pretty normal and before he's done he'll probably be an inch or two taller. fact is he's tall enough, sky's the limit with this guy,i was just glad to see larry brown say the kid has been doing great and looking real good in practice, he'll get there probably sooner than a lot of people thought he would.


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## therealdeal

I said 40% shooting is bad. I never singled out American players.

I'm talking about anybody who shoots 40%

Peja happens to be European and the best shooter in the league, that's the guy I'm talking about. I never said anything about the rest of the Europeans like Jaric, Giricek or Radmanovic.

I can accept 46% - 50% considering some circumstances , but generally unless you're shooting 50% or better, it's not good.

Example #1 Peja shoots around 50% overall and 40% threes, If you look up only 2 pointers he's around 55% I believe. That is good.

Example #2 Baron Davis shoots 40% overall and 30% from three point land. Look up what he shoots from 2 point land only and he's still only around 45%. That sucks.



European players still look up to the NBA and all the crap that happens here quickly makes it over there. They carry the ball and travel as much as they do here and lie about player's height.

Look at the tallest 50 player's list on eurobasket.com . There are players ther listed at up to 3 inches more than their real height.

Ilgauskas is not 7'3", He's 7'1" as is Sabonis. They have him listed at 7'4" on that site.

You can usually find out about real height in some official national team or national sports organizations' brochures given out to journalists.

If Sabonis is listed at almost 7'4" in one place and then you see him listed as 7'1" in one of those former Soviet Union brochures, you can be pretty sure 7' 1" is the real number.

Never, EVER believe what a team says or a site like Eurobasket.com or these draft.com sites. Those are supplied by players' agents and they not only add height, but 10 - 20 pounds too, to make their client look better ( unless he's Shaq or Oliver Miller, then they deduct weight to make them look better )


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## MLKG

Oh my God. You're saying we should trust the Soviet Union over draft camps and NBA teams? Wow. Wowey wow wow wow.

Only 12 players in the NBA shoot over 50%. I think someone needs to get used to the fact that times have changed.


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## Aurelino

> Originally posted by <b>Mike luvs KG</b>!
> Oh my God. You're saying we should trust the Soviet Union over draft camps and NBA teams? Wow. Wowey wow wow wow.
> 
> Only 12 players in the NBA shoot over 50%. I think someone needs to get used to the fact that times have changed.


There's no point in arguing with therealdeal


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## rocketeer

> Originally posted by <b>therealdeal</b>!
> Whether 7' 3/4 " in shoes is real I don't know, I doubt it.
> 
> He is 2 meters and 11 centimeters tall which translates to almost exactly 6' 11" ( an 1/8 of an inch above it )
> 
> In my world players are listed at their real height,


please tell me why it matters what their height is without shoes. that height really doesn't matter at all when it comes to basketball. that may be his "real" height, but his height when he plays is his height with shoes. that's all i care about when it comes to basketball.


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## therealdeal

I'm not saying it does matter. It's the league who lies , so obviously they think it matters. I'm just saying that if a guy is 6' 11" he's obviously not 7' 1" . Why can't we have the truth?

It's not just the shoes.

It's the shoes , then add another inch or two. That is the general rule.

Yes we, should trust the Soviet Union brochure because nobody is going to lie and say on purpose that the player is shorter than he is. But people will lie about their *poof* size and their height because they believe bigger is better.

*Totally uncalled for, we dont allow that here--BEEZ*


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## bender

> Originally posted by <b>therealdeal</b>!
> Ilgauskas is not 7'3", He's 7'1" as is Sabonis. They have him listed at 7'4" on that site.
> 
> You can usually find out about real height in some official national team or national sports organizations' brochures given out to journalists.
> 
> If Sabonis is listed at almost 7'4" in one place and then you see him listed as 7'1" in one of those former Soviet Union brochures, you can be pretty sure 7' 1" is the real number.


Sabonis is listed at 220cm on FIBAeurope.com, what's exactly 7-2¾ - w/out shoes! I don't think the FIBA has any reason to list him higher than he actually is.

BTW: Zy is listed at 220cm, too.


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## therealdeal

FIBA has no reason to lie, but they do not measure the players themselves. They get their info from agents and clubs.

The info I'm talking about is from brochures given out to journalists by the Soviet Union olympic comitee whic has access to real measurements done by the national team staff. Since there were no agents and clubs involved they had no reason to inflate numbers.

Examples from early 1980's:

Belosteny was listed in most European media as 2 meter and 15
which would be 7' 1"

According to the official Soviet Union olympic figures he was only 6' 11"

Tkachenko ( Sabonis' early nemesis ) was listed at 2 meters and 24 cm, which would be 7' 4"

Official S.Union Olympic number have him at only 7' 1"

Same situation for Sabonis


Some other known examples are Toni Kukoc, listed in the NBA at 6' 11" but is only 6' 9" and 3/4 , Peja listed at 6' 10" but is only 6' 8" G. Giricek listed by FIBA at 1 meter and 99 which is almost 6' 7" and he's only 6' 5"

It's getting more difficult to know exact numbers because everybody inflates the numbers, but when you see a game and know how tall Toni Kukoc is , and you see him looking down on most players listed as 6' 10" or 6' 10" you know those guys aren't that tall.

And Shaq did say in an interview he was only 6' 11" ( which I knew all along ), so compare him to other centers and you'll see there are very few real 7 footers in the league.


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## KIMCHI

> Originally posted by <b>therealdeal</b>!
> FIBA has no reason to lie, but they do not measure the players themselves. They get their info from agents and clubs.
> 
> The info I'm talking about is from brochures given out to journalists by the Soviet Union olympic comitee whic has access to real measurements done by the national team staff. Since there were no agents and clubs involved they had no reason to inflate numbers.
> 
> Examples from early 1980's:
> 
> Belosteny was listed in most European media as 2 meter and 15
> which would be 7' 1"
> 
> According to the official Soviet Union olympic figures he was only 6' 11"
> 
> Tkachenko ( Sabonis' early nemesis ) was listed at 2 meters and 24 cm, which would be 7' 4"
> 
> Official S.Union Olympic number have him at only 7' 1"
> 
> Same situation for Sabonis
> 
> 
> Some other known examples are Toni Kukoc, listed in the NBA at 6' 11" but is only 6' 9" and 3/4 , Peja listed at 6' 10" but is only 6' 8" G. Giricek listed by FIBA at 1 meter and 99 which is almost 6' 7" and he's only 6' 5"
> 
> It's getting more difficult to know exact numbers because everybody inflates the numbers, but when you see a game and know how tall Toni Kukoc is , and you see him looking down on most players listed as 6' 10" or 6' 10" you know those guys aren't that tall.
> 
> And Shaq did say in an interview he was only 6' 11" ( which I knew all along ), so compare him to other centers and you'll see there are very few real 7 footers in the league.


yup thats right, the league has inflates the numbers so that
player will look more impressive when it comes to negotiation, for example a player might measure 6-7 but hes a post player, so the team might add 2 extra inch to the player so the player will have an ideal height for his position on the paper.

big ben wallace has said hes only 6-5 in the inside stuff and hes listed at 6-9 in the league, players height are exeggerate anywhere from 1 to 4 inch, and yes shaq did say hes only 6-11 in an interview and i believe it was on howard stern show.

ok tell me therealdeal, how tall do you think the following players are ?? these are the ones i think listed at a much reasonable measurement compare to their real height, they might be as tall as they listed or just 1 inch above their real height

yao ming - listed at 7-6, i believe he was measured 7-5 and 1/2 without shoes
kevin garnett - hes definately 6-11 in stocking feet
shawn bradley - was measured 7-5 in stocking feet
gheorghe muresan 
earl boykins
donyell marshall
desmond mason - he has at least 2 inch on j rich, saw him stood next to j rich in last year's dunk contest.
shannon brown - the cat is not in the league yet but how tall do you think he is, listed at 6-3, he isnt all that much shorter than j rich at all, is a legit 6-2.
chauncey billups
lebron james - no way hes 6-8 in shoes, hes around 6-6 to 6-7 range.
pau gasol - listed at 7, hes every bit as tall as kg if not taller
mengke bateer - is he a legit 6-11 ?? 
wang zhi zhi - hes looks about same height as bateer, maybe half inch taller.


----------



## therealdeal

Well, I can only guess about most of those guys. I don't spend that much time trying to figure out who's how tall. The examples I mentioned I know for sure.

So, if I had to guess I'd say that Garnett is between 6'10" and 6'11". Lebron is 6' 6" 
The rest of them I haven't really had a good look at, but for those tall guys like Yao, Bradley and Muresan I'd just take off 2 inches from whatever they say. That always seems to be the safe bet.


----------



## BEEZ

So Tmac is about 6'5 and Kobe is 6'4 because that would be the case because Lebron clearly has a inch possibly 2 on Kobe and Tmac is also about 1/2 inch smaller than him as well


----------



## BEEZ

Also I have one other question. What makes the measurements outside of America so much of a fact? I mean if the guys over here are being measured at one height without shoes on our metric system, its going to be equivalent to whatever country or countries you are speaking of. That being said your conspiracy theory of exaggerating heights holds 0 weight because if that was the case it would be league wide and clearly its not.


----------



## ballstorm

> Originally posted by <b>AMR</b>!
> nobody said that Diaw could shoot the ball, as Pietrus, in fact most of the French players can't shoot well, they're just athletic (Abdul-Wahad, Pietrus, Digbeu...)


That's the ultimate statement. Dude , please stop asserting this type of categorical sentences. Whatever you think , just try to listen to the voice of reason.

:no:


----------



## therealdeal

I never said that Europeans do not lie about height, I actually pointed to Eurobasket.com site and stated it was all bogus.

Giricek's 6' 7" listing is from Fiba's site and I know he's 6' 5"

All those old Soviet Union player listings for Tkachenko ( 7'4" ) Belosteny ( 7'1" ) and Sabonis ( 7'3" ) were by the European press.

But there are brochures you could get your hands on from the early and mid 80s. They were sometimes given out to journalists by Russian Olympic comitee or whoever and there they had real numbers. 7'4" guys were really 7'1", 7'1" guys were really 6'11" and so on.

About the USA, it should be common knowledge by now that from high school, through college all the way to the NBA or NFL numbers are greatly exaggerated. It doesn't take a genius to figure it out when a group of guys listed from 6'2" to 6'4" walks by you and they are shorter than you and you happen to be barely 6 feet tall.

There isn't a single player in the NBA who is listed at his real height. There was an article about this a while back and the only player said to be listed at his real height in shoes was Dr. J


----------



## Lope31

Darko up to 1.0 Points Per Game.

:djparty:

13 Career Points!!!

:allhail:


----------



## Bartholomew Hunt

I agree with therealdeal in the sense that many players are listed at inaccurate heights. I had my picture taken with Ben Wallace. He didn't even seem 6-8 with shoes on. Barkley and Rodman both admitted to being much shorter than listed.


----------



## MLKG

Over the last month Darko has been averaging about a point per minute.


----------



## NugzFan

what do we know? 

a) hes not very good

b) hes not as good as melo


----------



## MLKG

What else do we know?

1) You've never seen him play.


----------



## froggyvk

1) He will be better than 'Melo


----------



## dmilesai

> Originally posted by <b>NugzFan</b>!
> what do we know?
> 
> a) hes not very good
> 
> b) hes not as good as melo


Sorry, but that's one of the most *edited*, uninformed posts ever.


----------



## Crossword

> Originally posted by <b>AMR</b>!
> 
> 
> OK....don't make me laugh... so Devean George or Bruce Bowen are better shooters than Giricek or Radmanovic???? stats don't say anything... if any of these European shooters *played with Shaq or Duncan he would have more open shots*.... because, Jaric isn't a shooter, is a defender, Ginobili is Argentinian, and Argentinians are known for their athletic game, not for their shooting, nobody said that Diaw could shoot the ball, as Pietrus, in fact most of the French players can't shoot well, they're just athletic (Abdul-Wahad, Pietrus, Digbeu...)


Manu Ginobili and Hedo Turkoglu play with Duncan.


----------



## 7M3

> Originally posted by <b>dmilesai</b>!
> 
> 
> Sorry, but that's one of the most *edited*, uninformed posts ever.


How so? It's pretty tough to be over 7'0 feet tall and not even be able to crack an Eastern conference team's rotation... Milicic, as of right now, just isn't a good player.

And he's certainly nowhere near as good as Carmelo.


----------



## rainman

> Originally posted by <b>7M3</b>!
> 
> 
> How so? It's pretty tough to be over 7'0 feet tall and not even be able to crack an Eastern conference team's rotation... Milicic, as of right now, just isn't a good player.
> 
> And he's certainly nowhere near as good as Carmelo.



the fact that he didnt crack any rotation is more a result of larry brown's old school style. we all know that darko isnt at the same level now as carmelo but in 3 years i beleive he will be the best center in the east and melo will be a 20 pt a game wing player and maybe nothing more.


----------



## 7M3

> Originally posted by <b>rainman</b>!
> 
> 
> 
> the fact that he didnt crack any rotation is more a result of larry brown's old school style.


Bull****. Prove that.


----------



## Nevus

Nobody can prove or disprove how good Darko is right now... that's the point... we haven't got to see him play very much. He's never played quality minutes. For whatever reason, which we don't know, Larry Brown's not playing him.


----------



## 7M3

> Originally posted by <b>Nevus</b>!
> Nobody can prove or disprove how good Darko is right now... that's the point... we haven't got to see him play very much. He's never played quality minutes. For whatever reason, which we don't know, Larry Brown's not playing him.


The title of the thread is "What We Know About Darko Milicic." 

We KNOW he can't crack the rotation of a team in need of a big body. We KNOW he's averaging 1 PPG... As of right now, he isn't a very good player. And that's really the only conclusion that can be drawn.


----------



## froggyvk

*"Why didn't you draft Melo?"*



Code:


                    G     GS    MIN     FG         FG%       
Tayshaun Prince     34    34    36.1    4.6/10.1   .453      
Carmelo Anthony     34    34    35.2    5.4/16.4   .393

                    3P         3P%      FT         FT%
Prince              0.7/2.1    .347     1.1/1.4    .766
Anthony             1.1/3.3    .327     4.4/5.9    .748

                    STL   BLK   TO      REB     AST    PTS
Prince              0.97  0.8   1.7     5.1     2.6    10.9
Anthony             1.24  0.8   2.7     6.2     2.7    18.4

Furtherfore..



Code:


Jermaine O'Neal
                 S1    S2    S3    S4    S5    S6    S7    S8
Points/Game      4.1   4.5   2.6   3.9   12.9  19.0  20.8  20.3
Rebounds/Game    2.8   3.3   2.8   3.3   9.8   10.5  10.3  10.3
Minutes          10.2  13.5  8.9   12.3  32.6  37.6  37.2  36.9

Zach Randolph
Points/Game      2.8   8.4   22.6
Rebounds/Game    1.7   4.4   11.6
Minutes          5.8   16.9  39.8

It wasn't until his 5th or 6th season that Jermaine O'Neal 
became a consistant lock for a double double each night.  
Randolph got there sooner, but not until the third season.  
Give Darko at least another season, maybe two, and give 
him quality minutes, before questioning the move to draft 
Milicic over Carmelo Anthony.




> Everyone wants to see him play — including Dumars, who has no doubt that when it’s time for Milicic to play — later this season, next season, whenever — the Pistons will have one of the NBA’s next great all-round centers.


----------



## bananas

> Originally posted by <b>7M3</b>!
> We KNOW he can't crack the rotation of a team in need of a big body. We KNOW he's averaging 1 PPG... As of right now, he isn't a very good player. And that's really the only conclusion that can be drawn.


Well just to let you know, Detroit does have Ben Wallace the DPOY along with three other 7 footers in Campbell, Okur and Rebraca - so they aren't really in need of a big man maybe you're thinking about a different team.

Yes, Darko has not played alot due to him A) being on a championship caliber team, B) being 18 years old, C) learning a new lifestyle/language in a new country, D) working into a new position (Center) as well as the skills that are used at that position. When he has gotten in, he has produced and provides a spark even if it is in garbage minutes. Again, just because he isn't playing doesn't mean he isn't capable of playing quality ball because I believe he is (going by quotes from Dumars, Brown and his team along with watching him progress since training camp).

Have you seen him play? What makes you say he isn't a good player other than he isn't getting PT. There are other factors in a young player not getting minutes other than he sucks.


----------



## MLKG

Yeah, I don't get where you are coming from when you say Detroit is searching for a big body. They have four 7 footers PLUS Ben Wallace.


----------



## BEEZ

Hes correct in what hes saying. Detroit is looking for a big man with a post presence in reference to scoring


----------



## JustinSane

Have you ever known Brown to play an unpolished rookie when there is as solid veteran available? He needs to know that the players he has on the floor are going to execute his system the way he wants them to and not make mistakes. He also does not like playing young players before they've learned the game in all its facets, even if their raw athletic ability would be enough for them to be productive on the court. The Pistons' coach simply has little tolerance for letting inexperienced players play through their mistakes. He'd rather wait till they've nearly eliminated mistakes in practice before giving them meaningful playing time. If they make mistakes with the playing time they are given, they're sent back to the bench. 

I think people are also underestimating how good Detroit's depth at the 4 and the 5 is. You say the Pistons need an offensive post presence? Actually, Rebracca is very good down low. However, he'd not as good defensively as Elden Campbell, so he isn't getting playing time lately. The Pistons are very much a defense first team. Can you think of another team in the league where Rebracca wouldn't be playing? And it's only recently that Mehmet Okur has gotten consistent, extended playing time, despite his being one of the most productive and well rounded young centers in the league. Brown, if given a viable option, will pretty much always choose to play a veteran over a rookie. I'm fairly confident that Darko will only get playing time when it becomes obvious that he's outplaying Campbell and Rebracca in practice, consistently and in every facet of the game. When that happens, Darko will play, play very well, and everyone will be wondering where he came from and why he didn't get playing time earlier.


----------



## BEEZ

> Originally posted by <b>JustinSane</b>!
> 
> 
> I think people are also underestimating how good Detroit's depth at the 4 and the 5 is.


So you are underestimating what is acutally coming from Joe Dumars and Larry Brown's mouth. Thats not something that posters or the media brought up. Its the Vice President/GM and the Head Coach.



> You say the Pistons need an offensive post presence? Actually, Rebracca is very good down low. However, he'd not as good defensively as Elden Campbell, so he isn't getting playing time lately.


Rebraca has played in 14 games this season and is avg 2.6 ppg. His season high is 8 points and his season high in rebounds is 5. Once again this is something Larry Brown said. Rebraca isnt much of a post presence if hes not even avg 3 ppg. Brown might as well use Milicic. Sorry but the post stands. They have no semblance of a offensive post presence. Its just not there


----------



## MLKG

Ben Wallace and Mehmet Okur both average 10 points a game as the starting front court, and Elden Campbell and Corliss Williamson give them another 15 points a game off the bench. 

Detroit may not have a dominant offensive big man, but they are still stacked with capable veteran front court players.


----------



## BEEZ

> Originally posted by <b>Mike luvs KG</b>!
> Ben Wallace and Mehmet Okur both average 10 points a game as the starting front court, and Elden Campbell and Corliss Williamson give them another 15 points a game off the bench.
> 
> Detroit may not have a dominant offensive big man, but they are still stacked with capable veteran front court players.


Its not about how many points a game they score all together. They do not have a solid offensive low post presence to where they can utilize they'e shooters even better. Its not that hard to understand if you are watching and its coming from the coach. They have nobody down low they can dump the ball into to score 2 when you needed


----------



## bananas

> Originally posted by <b>BEEZ</b>!
> 
> 
> Hes correct in what hes saying. Detroit is looking for a big man with a post presence in reference to scoring


I'm not sure where you got this information from, maybe I missed out on an article somewhere - but since I live in the Metro Detroit area I'm pretty sure it wasn't a local article atleast.

Anyways, If you're refering to Sheed Wallace as that low post player they've been after; A) he is not a low post player and is wasting his talent on the perimiter currently, B) Dumars said he talked to Portland weeks ago and that's all, he expects Sheed to get traded but not to Detroit.

Other than that, I'm sure Brown has said in post game interviews that he'd like more production from the post but that doesn't mean he isn't talking about from internal personnel and not gaining additional players. Okur is developing his post game, along with Ben while Campbell and Rebraca are already refined and productive in the paint for limited minutes. Detroit is counting on Okur and Darko for their future post offense and at this time both look very promising. Obviously they are doing just fine now without any additions/subtractions to the roster and are only going to get better as they expand their games under Browns system.


----------



## MLKG

No they don't have a go to post player, but they have a glut of veteran post players who have been effective on the offensive end, and tenacious on defense. If your question is why isn't Darko one of the best post players on a team that doesn't have very many, the answer is he IS. He can score in the post, but his total floor game isn't at the level of the veterans in front of him yet.


----------



## Smooth Lotion

Anyone care to add to this?

*A year later, the silence is deafening.*


----------



## Perfection

> Originally posted by <b>therealdeal</b>!
> Come on, don't be so naive.
> 
> Pre-draft camp is nothing more than a pre-publicity stunt camp.
> You really believe he grew almost 3 inches in less than a year.
> That may happen when you're 14-15 , not at 18.
> 
> I just checked , and he supposedly measured 7' 3/4 " in shoes, which would put him at 6' 11" and change as his real height.


Not true. I have a friend that was 5'7" throughtout high school and then when he turn 18 shot up...in the course of a year and a half...to being 6'1".

He used to tell me that his Uncle grew really late...but no one actually thought he'd grow so freakishly much at such a late age. 

So believe me...people can definately grow late...and I imagine that someone who was already tall could expect to see big gains as well..


----------



## KrispyKreme23

We know that Rodney Rogers > Darko Milicic.


----------



## shazha

> Originally posted by <b>JustinSane</b>!
> I've noticed that on most threads dealing with this year's rookie crop, Darko is sometimes labled a bust, most often simply an unknown quantity. This is understandable. He hasn't contributed on the court and has barely played, even in garbage time. A common sentiment is that's it's impossible to state anything definitively about him, one way or the other. As far as whether he is currently a good player, that's very true. That doesn't mean that we know nothing more now about him than we did before he was drafted.
> 
> This post aims to set out several things now clear about Darko that were less so when he was drafted, as well as to speculate a bit about his future potential based on what is known.
> 
> Facts:
> 1. The guy is huge. He played six minutes tonight (6 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block), and he towered over everyone else on the court. He has to bend over to listen to Ben Wallace. Darko is listed at 7'1'', and he's all of that at least. He has extremely long arms and big hands. If you were to design a body type for an NBA center, you'd design Shaq. Darko would be the back-up plan. That's still not too bad
> 
> 2. He is in far better condition now than when he was drafted. At draft time, he looked somewhat like a taller Kukoc as far as his build goes. Now, his chest has filled out, his arms are thick and defined, overall he has developed a very cut physique. There is not an ounce of baby fat visible on him. He no longer appears to quickly become winded when put in the game.
> 
> Observations bordering on unquestioned fact:
> 
> 1. Darko is very quick for someone of his size. At this point, his offensive and defensive game appears based on his length and quickness more than his strength, somewhat like Gasol. Once he learns to over-power defenders, he'll be twice as dangerous. On screen and roll switches, he got right out and defended guards on the perimeter tonight, and only got beat by them once out of several times the Rockets tried.
> 
> 2. He has good body control and coordination for a big man. His movements are fluid and his reactions are quick, as are his hands. He does however seem to have occasional difficulty handling entry passes for some reason. I'm not sure why.
> 
> 3. He's aggressive. This kid refuses to back down against anyone he's played, including Divac, the Serbian Jordan. He plays physically (He needs to learn to be smarter about this, as he's rather foul prone currently) and does not get backed down in the post. From limited observation, it seems he could do a better job of establishing low post position offensively however. Too often he seems to get stuck out in the high post. He goes after rebounds aggressively, and seems particularly good off the offensive glass. His quickness helps him get around box-outs. For the minutes he's played, he's blocked a lot of shots.
> 
> 4. He's not quite sure what he's doing yet. He often seems to hesitate a bit while deciding what he needs to do. Once he has arrived at a decision, he's quick and aggressive about executing it, but it looks like overall the game is still moving too fast for him.
> 
> 5. He shoots a low percentage so far, both from the floor and the free throw line. For the season, he's taken 14 shots and hit 5 of them (3/7 tonight accounting for half his season shot total) From the free throw line, he's been even worse (1/5), but the sample size is so small that it isn't enough to make an outright determination that he's a terrible free throw shooter. His form looks fairly good, though his shot seems a bit flat.
> 
> 6. He has an excellent work ethic. This is attested to by all his team-mates (in particular, Ben Wallace and Chauncey Billups speak highly of his effort), his general manager Joe Dumars and the Pistons' coaching staff. The noticable improvement in his musculature is also evidence that he's been putting in some serious work in the weight room.
> 
> Summary and Future Projection:
> 
> He's exactly what everyone thought he would be. A freakishly talented physical specimen with a serious lack of experience. When he was drafted, he was not physically ready for the NBA game. It looks like if he isn't already now, he's extremely close. He's put on 15-20 pounds of muscle and added over 6'' to his vertical leap, and he's vastly improved his endurance. Just off his physical superiority it looks like he could play and contribute now, but his on court uncertaintity indicates that Brown may not be completely off base keeping him on the bench and honing his skills in practice, intending to use him only when the correct reactions to game situations are second nature and automatic, unlike now, when you can almost see him thinking about what to do next. It would be shocking if he didn't turn out to at least be a decent player (say, 15/7/1.5/1.5). He clearly has the potential for much more than that. It really is impossible to confidently say he will become an elite player, but it does seem reasonable to say he has the physical talent and work ethic to make it a real possibility.


You sure know alot about Darko from that whole 6 minutes of action he got.

Or the 99 hes played ALL season.


----------



## BEEZ

> Originally posted by <b>bananas</b>!
> 
> 
> I'm not sure where you got this information from, maybe I missed out on an article somewhere - but since I live in the Metro Detroit area I'm pretty sure it wasn't a local article atleast.
> 
> Anyways, If you're refering to Sheed Wallace as that low post player they've been after; A) he is not a low post player and is wasting his talent on the perimiter currently, B) Dumars said he talked to Portland weeks ago and that's all, he expects Sheed to get traded but not to Detroit.
> 
> Other than that, I'm sure Brown has said in post game interviews that he'd like more production from the post but that doesn't mean he isn't talking about from internal personnel and not gaining additional players. Okur is developing his post game, along with Ben while Campbell and Rebraca are already refined and productive in the paint for limited minutes. Detroit is counting on Okur and Darko for their future post offense and at this time both look very promising. Obviously they are doing just fine now without any additions/subtractions to the roster and are only going to get better as they expand their games under Browns system.


*Cough* Guess I was right *Cough*


----------



## HKF

> Originally posted by <b>BEEZ</b>!
> 
> 
> *Cough* Guess I was right *Cough*


LOL. :laugh: Guess so BEEZ.


----------



## JuniorNoboa

So I wonder when JustinSane will be posting Darko's +/- stats next


----------



## jaja

if brown hates rookies so much, why does he play delfino


----------



## BEEZ

> Originally posted by <b>jaja</b>!
> if brown hates rookies so much, why does he play delfino


Are you speaking of the older Rookie whos avg a paltry 15 minutes and 5.2 ppg. Oh


----------



## jaja

those minutes are similar to what udrich is getting from the spurs. i think its pretty significant minutes on a championship team


----------



## BEEZ

> Originally posted by <b>jaja</b>!
> those minutes are similar to what udrich is getting from the spurs. i think its pretty significant minutes on a championship team


Pistons won the championship last year. Detroit is 17-14 hardly championship caliber. If they are then so is Minnesota


----------



## JustinSane

> Originally posted by <b>JuniorNoboa</b>!
> So I wonder when JustinSane will be posting Darko's +/- stats next


If they're good, probably pretty soon. If not, I'm just going to hope everyone forgets all about this  
Seriously, I'm beginning to lose confidence in this kid. He doesn't seem to have the best attitude these days. He still has potential, but there are a lot of talented people bagging groceries in the world. It takes more than talent. There's still time. Here's hoping.


----------



## compsciguy78

> Originally posted by <b>JustinSane</b>!
> 
> 
> If they're good, probably pretty soon. If not, I'm just going to hope everyone forgets all about this
> Seriously, I'm beginning to lose confidence in this kid. He doesn't seem to have the best attitude these days. He still has potential, but there are a lot of talented people bagging groceries in the world. It takes more than talent. There's still time. Here's hoping.


He's 7'1"....he's not going to be bagging groceries anytime soon. :yes:


The guy is still soooooo young. Even if he sits on the bench for 3 more years, the guy could conceivably become an all time great still. I wouldn't worry so much about Darko, but worry about getting him some playing time.


----------



## Pan Mengtu

> Originally posted by <b>froggyvk</b>!
> Good points.
> 
> He's working hard. People forget he'd be a high school senior if he grew up in the United States right now. We've got to give him time, and as it says in my signature--when he fully develops, we'll have one of the best all-around centers in the NBA.
> 
> He's in much better shape--He's down to 8% body fat and has already added 15 pounds of muscle, so you know he's working hard.


He's the same age as Dwight Howard, who is a major contributer. There is no justified reason to say Darko will be better than Howard.


----------



## Pan Mengtu

> Originally posted by <b>JustinSane</b>!
> 1. The guy is huge. He played six minutes tonight (6 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block), and he towered over everyone else on the court. He has to bend over to listen to Ben Wallace. Darko is listed at 7'1'', and he's all of that at least. He has extremely long arms and big hands. If you were to design a body type for an NBA center, you'd design Shaq. Darko would be the back-up plan. That's still not too bad


7'1" is maybe an inch taller than the average NBA center. He's tall, but don't pretend like he's Yao Ming. He does not tower over everyone. Towering over extremely short centers like Ben Wallace doesn't not make a player unbelievably tall. Shawn Bradley and Yao Ming tower over everyone, Darko does not.


----------



## grumpyd

Is 7 minutes a game too much? They need another body in there!


----------



## The Mad Viking

*Re: "Why didn't you draft Melo?"*



> Originally posted by <b>froggyvk</b>!
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> G     GS    MIN     FG         FG%
> Tayshaun Prince     34    34    36.1    4.6/10.1   .453
> Carmelo Anthony     34    34    35.2    5.4/16.4   .393
> 
> 3P         3P%      FT         FT%
> Prince              0.7/2.1    .347     1.1/1.4    .766
> Anthony             1.1/3.3    .327     4.4/5.9    .748
> 
> STL   BLK   TO      REB     AST    PTS
> Prince              0.97  0.8   1.7     5.1     2.6    10.9
> Anthony             1.24  0.8   2.7     6.2     2.7    18.4
> 
> Furtherfore..
> 
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> Jermaine O'Neal
> S1    S2    S3    S4    S5    S6    S7    S8
> Points/Game      4.1   4.5   2.6   3.9   12.9  19.0  20.8  20.3
> Rebounds/Game    2.8   3.3   2.8   3.3   9.8   10.5  10.3  10.3
> Minutes          10.2  13.5  8.9   12.3  32.6  37.6  37.2  36.9
> 
> Zach Randolph
> Points/Game      2.8   8.4   22.6
> Rebounds/Game    1.7   4.4   11.6
> Minutes          5.8   16.9  39.8
> 
> It wasn't until his 5th or 6th season that Jermaine O'Neal
> became a consistant lock for a double double each night.
> Randolph got there sooner, but not until the third season.
> Give Darko at least another season, maybe two, and give
> him quality minutes, before questioning the move to draft
> Milicic over Carmelo Anthony.


:greatjob:

You get my vote for best 16 year-old poster on bbnet.


----------



## mr hoopster

Darko needs to be traded to some team like Charolotte or Atlanta and he will shine. he is not a bust.


----------

