Detroit frees Darko and sends him to Orlando
Darko Milicic and Carlos Arroyo are headed to Orlando for Kelvin Cato's expiring contract and a protected first round draft pick in 2007.
What a draft it was that year as Joe Dumars took heavy criticism for not having selected any of those that followed Darko. The Pistons organization cannot be faulted for not having played Darko on a team that has four All-Stars and that has continuously been to the finals since his arrival. He was to be a spectator in Detroit and if he could learn a little something while watching then all the better.
It is still too early to label the 20 year old Serbian as a bust he was simply not given a chance to show his game in Detroit. Going to the Magic however he is expected to step in immediately and to play alongside "He-Man" and fellow 20 year old Dwight Howard.
2003 NBA draft
1. Cleveland Cavaliers-LeBron James
2. Detroit Pistons-Darko Milicic
3. Denver Nuggets-Carmelo Anthony
4. Toronto Raptors-Chris Bosh
5. Miami Heat-Dwyane Wade
6. Los Angeles Clippers-Chris Kaman
7. Chicago Bulls-Kirk Hinrich
8. Milwaukee Bucks-T.J. Ford
9. New York Knicks-Mike Sweetney
10. Washington Wizards-Jarvis Hayes
The following are a series of quotes on the Darko Milicic experiment with the Detroit Pistons and a team that is so close to repeatedly competing for the title cannot afford the turnovers that come with the schooling required to form and mold a young player :
What a draft it was that year as Joe Dumars took heavy criticism for not having selected any of those that followed Darko. The Pistons organization cannot be faulted for not having played Darko on a team that has four All-Stars and that has continuously been to the finals since his arrival. He was to be a spectator in Detroit and if he could learn a little something while watching then all the better.
It is still too early to label the 20 year old Serbian as a bust he was simply not given a chance to show his game in Detroit. Going to the Magic however he is expected to step in immediately and to play alongside "He-Man" and fellow 20 year old Dwight Howard.
2003 NBA draft
1. Cleveland Cavaliers-LeBron James
2. Detroit Pistons-Darko Milicic
3. Denver Nuggets-Carmelo Anthony
4. Toronto Raptors-Chris Bosh
5. Miami Heat-Dwyane Wade
6. Los Angeles Clippers-Chris Kaman
7. Chicago Bulls-Kirk Hinrich
8. Milwaukee Bucks-T.J. Ford
9. New York Knicks-Mike Sweetney
10. Washington Wizards-Jarvis Hayes
The following are a series of quotes on the Darko Milicic experiment with the Detroit Pistons and a team that is so close to repeatedly competing for the title cannot afford the turnovers that come with the schooling required to form and mold a young player :
"The Pistons made the deal mostly for salary-cap
purposes. Cato is making $8.6 million this season,
the final year of his contract. Milicic is making $4.1 million
this season and $5.2 million and $6.8 million
in the next two seasons. Arroyo has a contract for
$4 million annually for two more years."
" Despite his struggles with the Pistons,
Milicic was a fan favorite during his first two seasons and was
embarrassed when they chanted: "We want Dar-ko!" This season, the
fans seemed to give up on trying to get him into games and the
team ran out of patience with a player it knew would be a project"
"Darko was not going to make a difference this season.
Dumars saw that. New coach Flip Saunders
hasn't been able to milk anything more out of
the 7-foot Serbian than Larry Brown did.
And once this year is over, the Pistons have
money issues with Ben Wallace as a free agen
and Chauncey Billups likely to seek a contract extension."
purposes. Cato is making $8.6 million this season,
the final year of his contract. Milicic is making $4.1 million
this season and $5.2 million and $6.8 million
in the next two seasons. Arroyo has a contract for
$4 million annually for two more years."
" Despite his struggles with the Pistons,
Milicic was a fan favorite during his first two seasons and was
embarrassed when they chanted: "We want Dar-ko!" This season, the
fans seemed to give up on trying to get him into games and the
team ran out of patience with a player it knew would be a project"
"Darko was not going to make a difference this season.
Dumars saw that. New coach Flip Saunders
hasn't been able to milk anything more out of
the 7-foot Serbian than Larry Brown did.
And once this year is over, the Pistons have
money issues with Ben Wallace as a free agen
and Chauncey Billups likely to seek a contract extension."
Of course no post about Darko would be complete without a link to the fantasy allusions of FreeDarko.blogspot.com
