<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">There are times still when he rushes his shots badly and plays as stiff as a wooden puppet -- almost scared to make a mistake -- but the vast talents inside him finally are starting to thaw. Darko Milicic is getting ready to shine. Milicic, the reserve center/power forward, has used the recent slump by Dwight Howard and the injury absence of Grant Hill to become a bigger part of the Orlando Magic game plan. Although the Magic continue to play sporadically, losing some games in embarrassing fashion, Milicic quietly has been showing the improvement they will need to stay in the playoff hunt through the second half of the season.</div> Read the rest <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">ORLANDO - There are still times, even now in the good games when he's playing big minutes and giving glimpses of his vast potential, when Darko Milicic wonders where his career would be had he not wasted away on the Detroit Pistons' bench for two-plus seasons. This might be his fourth NBA season, but in many ways Milicic, 21, feels like an NBA rookie still learning when and where to assert himself in the flow of a game. As happy as he is about securing a role now with the Orlando Magic, he is still extremely bitter about his experience with the Pistons. Even to this day, Milicic is still upset that he was promised playing time by Larry Brown and later Flip Saunders, only to see little action on the court. And even though he's highly complimentary of Pistons president Joe Dumars, he's still miffed at how he was told one thing and treated another way entirely. "I couldn't stand it much longer there," Milicic said of his time in Detroit, adding that he had thoughts of leaving the NBA and returning to his native Serbia. "My second year I thought I was gonna get a chance and they told me to wait. The third year I played with my national team all summer, came in, in great shape, and they told me I'd get time and then nothing again. "It's taken some time to get my feeling for my game back again. I'm just excited about finally getting a chance to play on a regular basis."</div> Read the rest
I agree. He has been a lot more effective lately and I hope they finally give him the starting spot ASAP.
