espn.com is where you wanna go to get the source<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>SPECIAL MIDWEEK EDITION Darko redemption? It's MagicBy Marc SteinESPN.comThe Darko Milicic Era is just about over in Motown. Assuming you can call this an era: 152 points and 551 minutes logged in 95 NBA games over 2? seasons. The decision to draft Milicic ahead of Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade has been and will continue to be called a mistake -- and worse -- but GMs all over the NBA map will be wishing their failed gambles turned out as well Joe Dumars' Darko experience . . . provided this trade with Orlando goes through. Barring the collapse of a deal that would bring Kelvin Cato's expiring contract and a 2006 lottery pick to Detroit, sending Milicic to Orlando will create the salary-cap space that allows the Pistons to re-sign Ben Wallace and Chauncey Billups without a blink. It'll also give the Pistons another lottery pick to probe for a better selection than Darko proved. There are worse fates. Especially when you remember that, while Darko wasn't doing anything remotely era-worthy, Detroit won a championship . . . and came within one win of back-to-back titles . . . and made the decision to move him before the Feb. 23 trading deadline at a time when the Pistons rank as no worse than a co-favorite for this June's Finals with San Antonio. Standard NBA logic dictates that you'd rather have 'Melo, Bosh or Wade more than anyone on the Pistons' roster, but standard NBA logic doesn't apply to the Dee-troit Starting Five. You view them as an ensemble in pretty much every scenario, which means the Pistons might be looking at an even more complicated situation than the one they face now had they drafted one of those three instead of the brooding Serb who had more hairstyles than memorable on-court moments as an understudy to the Wallaces. When Detroit does re-sign Big Ben and Chauncey, it'll have taken the bold (and expensive) step of committing an average salary of at least $10 million to five players. That's why Milicic -- like Mehmet Okur before him -- was always likely to be moved in the summer at the latest if something didn't materialize at the deadline. Even if he had cracked Flip Saunders' rotation, which sadly didn't come close to happening, Detroit couldn't afford to sign Milicic to a contract extension given the tab for the five starters. That's also why, even if they had drafted 'Melo, Bosh or Wade, it wouldn't necessarily be easier to choose a future course. Unless Pistons owner Bill Davidson was prepared to pay some serious luxury-tax bucks, Knicks-style, he'd eventually have to part with one of the young studs or someone in the hallowed starting five. Given how revered the Pistons' starters are in Detroit, that is no simple dilemma. NBA front-office sources told ESPN.com on Tuesday night that only one detail could unhinge the deal now -- bartering over the level of protection Orlando secures on the 2006 first-round pick it's parting with. Yet sources also say that the Magic's front-office tandem of Otis Smith and Dave Twardzik, still smarting from 2005 first-round pick Fran Vazquez's decision to spend this season in Spain, are nonetheless eager to inherit Dumars' gamble. They want to pair Milicic's face-the-basket instincts with franchise forward Dwight Howard's power game and see what kind of partnership develops. Throw in a favorable Steve Francis deal, a healthy Grant Hill and a Vazquez change of heart -- OK, granted, all that requires a lot of finger-crossing -- and Orlando's dreary outlook improves. The first step there, of course, is a mood upswing from Darko. He has to take responsibility for the total lack of grit he consistently transmitted while surrounded by the game's hard-hat kings. There were some promising signs in training camp with Saunders replacing the unforgiving Larry Brown, but Darko's willingness to fight for minutes faded quickly. It has become clear in recent weeks that he's simply waiting for the chance to go somewhere fresh. It hasn't exactly been a happy place for NBA folks since a certain S. O'Neal left town a decade ago, but maybe a move to the Magic Kingdom -- where Darko would find no unhappy memories and only one star power forward in the same locker room -- can transform the 20-year-old into something closer to what so many of us projected.</div>wow...
We need to pull the trigger. This first round pick, assuming Orlando goes no where, could easily be a top ten lottery pick.
You guys took advantage of a stupid front office and got a top 10 pick for a garbage player. Joe Dumars gets another pat on the back.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Pistonfan11 @ Feb 15 2006, 06:02 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>We need to pull the trigger. This first round pick, assuming Orlando goes no where, could easily be a top ten lottery pick.</div>The pick will probably be top 10 protected anyway, but still a good dea. They could even use a guy like Cato, I don't know why they're talking about dropping him. Also, they might as well trade Darko now before he loses any more potential and gets older.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Pistons get Cato, first-round pick for Darko, ArroyoESPN.com news services Milicic The Detroit Pistons traded forward-center Darko Milicic and point guard Carlos Arroyo to the Orlando Magic for Kelvin Cato and a first-round draft pick, ESPN.com learned Wednesday. ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported the first-round pick in the deal won't belong to Detroit until the 2007 draft at the earliest. Orlando keeps the pick for this June's draft and the pick is top-five protected in 2007, meaning that it would only go to the Pistons if it's No. 6 or lower. The pick is totally unprotected in 2008. The little-used Milicic appeared in 25 games for the Pistons this season, averaging 1.5 points per game in 5.6 minutes. Arroyo, a reserve guard, averaged 3.2 points and 3.1 assists in 50 games for Detroit. Cato averaged 13 minutes in 23 with the Magic, averaging 3.8 points and 2.7 rebounds.Milicic didn't play much more for Flip Saunders this season than he did for Larry Brown last season, fueling more second-guessing on Detroit's decision to draft the Serbian 7-footer over Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. Yet, even if Milicic had gotten more regular playing time this season, it's doubtful the Pistons could have afforded to keep him. With Ben Wallace bound for free agency in July and Chauncey Billups expected to seek lucrative contract extensions before becoming a free agent in the summer of 2007, Detroit also needed Cato's expiring contract ($8.6 million this season) to create the salary-cap space to resign both comfortably and keep together its vaunted starting lineup. After Wallace and Billups re-sign, all five Pistons starters will possess contracts averaging at least $10 million per season -- an NBA rarity but a necessity for Pistons president Joe Dumars given the success and relative youth (Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace are both 31) of the group. While Orlando continues to explore its Steve Francis trade options, the trade gives Milicic a chance to play immediately alongside franchise forward Dwight Howard. It might also eventually give the Magic two highly touted but unproven European big men for its frontcourt rotation, with the Magic still hopeful they will have 2005 first-round pick Fran Vazquez, who elected to play in Spain this season, in the near future.</div>wow. Arroyo is gone too. I know they wanted to trade him but man, I liked him... but we get another big man in Cato but he will be gone after this year. Now, were most definitely going to be able to resign Chauncey and Ben unless something very STUPID or VERY Better comes along...PN13
There was no need to make another topic on this you already had multiple ones going.http://www.bballworld.ipbhost.com/forums/i...p?showtopic=289http://www.bballworld.ipbhost.com/forums/i...p?showtopic=299
I do not like this trade at all. Kalvin Cato sucks and i hope we can buy him out. The first round pick isnt untill 2007 at least and is top 5 protected. I usually say just trust Joe Dumars but i think this move hurts us a lot. If Chauncey gets hurt (hope like hell he doesnt) then we are screwed. I hope Joe has a 2nd trade that brings in a PG that is solid and can play big minutes if needed, someone like Mike James. I think we should reunite the Pitbulls and get James back. There is one or 2 positives coming out of this, 1. we will almost for sure resign Ben Wallace and Billups will get a longer contract and 2. We now have a roster spot open for Acker and Amir Johnson (since Cato is hurt) and i think both can be decent bench players if they get some expierence.
First off, I like this trade a ton. Darko and Carlos Arroyo had a huge salary, and Cato's finish's this year. I question the decision though for point guards. Lindsey goes down, then who's going to be backup? Acker doesn't nearly have enough experience, and I don't want another guy like Anthony Goldwire. Cato is actually a decent center. He is old, but he can split backup center time w/ Dale Davis.I like the trade, but I didn't expect it to happen.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>There is one or 2 positives coming out of this, 1. we will almost for sure resign Ben Wallace and Billups will get a longer contract and 2. We now have a roster spot open for Acker and Amir Johnson (since Cato is hurt) and i think both can be decent bench players if they get some expierence.</div>It probably would open a spot for Acker until they get a backup pg or Jason. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Cato is actually a decent center. He is old, but he can split backup center time w/ Dale Davis.</div>The only time we would really need him is in the playoffs against shaq but I don't think he would make the playoff roster if they get a backup pg
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Ripcity32 @ Feb 15 2006, 10:36 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>There was no need to make another topic on this you already had multiple ones going.http://www.bballworld.ipbhost.com/forums/i...p?showtopic=289http://www.bballworld.ipbhost.com/forums/i...p?showtopic=299</div>i know. but this is the pistons forum..and it needs to be on here because it involes the pistons...i thought that you would know thatsorry. though...i should have followed up to the one i previously madePN13
