Delfino Out, Grant Hill In?

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Just what nobody wants: "Darko II: The Sequel."

But the Pistons better be careful. Their disjointed development of another young player, Carlos Delfino, is beginning to look familiar. It's that same combination of confusion and consternation that bedeviled Darko Milicic during his ill-fated time here.

But Milicic was neither mature enough, nor emotionally resilient enough, to understand that the answer to his problems rested primarily within himself.

"Darko and me are different," Delfino said Monday. "I know that I can't give up if I don't play a lot, but you still want to play to show what you can do. I know I can't get down. I have to keep working and trying to get better. It's hard adjusting to not playing as much as you would like."

Problem is, Pistons coach Flip Saunders has no confidence in Delfino beyond giving him sporadic minutes, and that won't change anytime soon. There's too much at stake, especially for Saunders.

He has to win NOW!

The Darko debacle denied the Pistons a transitional star who could have kept the franchise competing for championships well into the next decade. Now they must squeeze as many titles out of their starting core as possible, and that demands a veteran cast coming off the bench.

"I understand how difficult it might be for Carlos," Saunders said, "because when he comes into the game, he's often replacing an All-Star. But I don't see the same reaction from him as we did with the other guy (Darko), and I think that's where his maturity comes into play."

It's easy falling into a comfort trap when you've got the best starting five the NBA has seen since the glory days of the Boston Celtics in the late 1980s. Saunders likely will have the same starting lineup for the 70th straight game tonight when Dallas arrives for a quasi-critical, regular-season visit.

Antonio McDyess may be playing the best basketball of his career as Saunders' sixth man. Lindsey Hunter, healthy again, has become his trusted graybeard in the backcourt, and newcomer Tony Delk has shown sparks that will undoubtedly earn him valuable minutes come playoff time.

When your objective is winning now, you run at full speed until the tank burns empty. And if the young can't keep pace, they're left behind.

Saunders is no different from Larry Brown in that regard. Flip's immediate predecessor was roundly chastised from those on the outside looking in for not finding sufficient developmental time for Darko.

The popular refrain became, "Would it have killed the team to give him eight to 10 minutes a game?" But the fact that Darko has been consigned to NBA purgatory in Orlando while Delfino rides the bench underscores the first challenge of a championship-contending coach.

The future never rests beyond the upcoming playoffs.

Delfino on Monday compared the adjustment to playing time distributed with an eyedropper to a "slap in the face." But it's up to him whether the inconsistency of his contributions beats him down mentally to the point of no return.

"I know I can play," he said. "I just need the chance to show it."

Darko was a disaster-in-waiting at the outset. He never liked the game, an indifference exposed in his lackadaisical work ethic. But that's not the case with Delfino. He's canned energy and has a borderline-reckless spirit, which, when properly channeled, will serve him well at this level.

But the Pistons' continued success limits the chances of that happening in Detroit. And what do you think will happen to Delfino if Grant Hill comes back and assumes a role off the bench?

Ridiculous, you say?

Hill told the Chicago Tribune on Monday he might entertain a comeback with the Pistons perhaps as early as next season should Orlando cut him loose despite owing him $18 million next season. Any new team could then sign Hill for the league minimum.</div>

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