Yeah, Darko is just 18, and plays for the world championship Detroit Pistons. He has an NBA title already. But how many of you think that Darko was the right choice for the Pistons? They did have their chance to acquire Melo but instead they took Darko. Im just wondering what your feelings are about it now that the season is over and Detroit are World Champions...
There's really no argument yet, at least until another few years to allow Darko time to develop. There is no question that Melo is a better player at this point in time, and ultimately having someone with his talent on the Pistons would probably improve them.. BUT that being said, the Pistons won the championship anyway. Until Darko has been given enough time to firmly establish him as either a worthy pick or a flop, the argument can't really have a good answer For the time being, the Pistons have a player with one of the biggest upsides in league history. Whether or not he lives up to that billing is something only time will tell.
Carmelo Anthony should've been selected by Detroit, but, I can understand that he may want to build his team's future around big guys, thus the selection of Milicic. In a way, it's good that Carmelo is in the Western Conference, but it's also bad coz we only get to see LeBron vs. Carmelo twice a season, unless they meet in the NBA Finals of coarse. Speaking of which, how long til you think we will see a Cleveland-Nuggets NBA Finals match-up?
ok this doesnt have to do anything with darko... but i dont understand why do people call nba champion "World Champions" it makes no sense to me...only teams from usa and one team for Canada play in nba and then they call the champion "world champion"... maybe there is a team in Europe or Asia somewhere that could somehow beat pistons... pistons are not world champions, they are NBA chanpions... Currently Serbia is world champion, right ?
we won't see that in a long time when we do LBJ and melo will be retired. but the pistons have no second thoughts about darko, they just want him to develop and get used to the nba game.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Player4Ever:</div><div class="quote_post">ok this doesnt have to do anything with darko... but i dont understand why do people call nba champion "World Champions" it makes no sense to me...only teams from usa and one team for Canada play in nba and then they call the champion "world champion"... maybe there is a team in Europe or Asina somewhere that could somehow beat pistons... pistons are not world champions, they are NBA chanpions... Currently Serbia is world champion, right ?</div> The NBA is the best league in the world, no other league comes close. No team in europe could come close to the Pistons. Therefore the word "world champions" is labeled the right way. As for the topic, why can't people wait till Darko's projected time to produce? which is still another 2/3 years away. He was picked as a project and will stay one for a while. Why is it so hard to wait for youngsters to develop?
I still can't understand that Detroit passed up Carmelo for him. Ahh well they were able to win a championship with that pick weretnt they?.
we still need more time to figure out whether Darko was a smart pick for the Pistons, but I do believe that Carmelo would not have fit in Detroit...Prince is more suitable for the Pistons than Carmelo, and its likely that Carmelo woulda received the same "Darko" treatment if he woulda been drafted by Detroit...
Basically Dark owas the biggest upset of that draft going at #2 and what he has done is ridicoulous. He doesnt do anything even when hes put in the games its like hes not even on the court and then you see some idiot with bleached hair and you go there he is darko is going to amount up to nothing.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Ace2k2:</div><div class="quote_post">I still can't understand that Detroit passed up Carmelo for him.</div> I still think Dumars did the right thing by passing up Anthony for Darko - regardless of how this last year played out - and that even with the way this last year played out, the Pistons probably wouldn't be World Champions if they had taken Anthony. Here's why: <ul> [*]Up until the draft, and even now, Carmelo's defense was in doubt. He had only played one year on a level where defense matters, and did that in a 2-3 Zone, which told NBA GMs, and Dumars in particular, nothing about how Anthony could play man-to-man defense. And on a team like the Pistons, they needed to be absolutely sure he could lock down his man, and contribute in their complicated help defense schemes. [*]The Pistons (read: Larry Brown) could afford to sit someone like Darko. The idea here is, if they select Carmelo, and he ends up putting up points, but not being able to play D, and Brown doesn't like young players in the first place, that he'd sit him. And imagine what the media would say if Brown sat Carmelo. Imagine what the NBA would say. They need the LeBron-Carmelo rivalry to be the next Magic-Bird, and if he went to Detroit, they wouldn't be able to sit him because of external pressure. With Darko, who really cares? He was picked to sit for a year or two. [*]Rasheed Wallace. Rasheed Wallace figures into the evaluation of this pick in more ways then one. The obvious way is, had Detroit selected Anthony, they probably would not have gone after an SF in Wallace, and probably wouldn't be holding Sweet Mrs. O'Brien right now. But in the less obvious sense, Rasheed is the kind of player they were looking to get in Darko. A guy who could play PF, maybe step out and play some big SF, but contribute on both offense and defense down low. He may be that in 4 years, and I'm sure the Pistons knew they were getting a project. What they didn't count on is him not being able to contribute significant minutes at all. Thus, the trade for Rasheed. [/list] (By the way, this brings up an interesting choice - if in 3 years Darko hasn't made much progress - do you think Detroit will re-up him? Or what if he shows hints, like Kwame in the Capitol? I'm sure they'll take his option - that's why in 3 years, not 2 - but I wonder if his contract expires and he's not so big yet, what they do.) Overall, I still think down the road, Darko is a little better fit. And if he turns into a Mehmet Okur in a couple years, although he'll probably be better, then they won a championship and got a decent player, instead of with Melo, they'd probably still be struggling for the right offensive and defensive balance, and might never win a championship.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Troy Wingate:</div><div class="quote_post">Carmelo Anthony should've been selected by Detroit, but, I can understand that he may want to build his team's future around big guys, thus the selection of Milicic. In a way, it's good that Carmelo is in the Western Conference, but it's also bad coz we only get to see LeBron vs. Carmelo twice a season, unless they meet in the NBA Finals of coarse. Speaking of which, how long til you think we will see a Cleveland-Nuggets NBA Finals match-up?</div> Just imagine that. Melo playing with the Pistons. That's a heluva dynasty. Well it coulda been.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting FFSBasketball:</div><div class="quote_post">I still think Dumars did the right thing by passing up Anthony for Darko - regardless of how this last year played out - and that even with the way this last year played out, the Pistons probably wouldn't be World Champions if they had taken Anthony. Here's why: <ul> [*]Up until the draft, and even now, Carmelo's defense was in doubt. He had only played one year on a level where defense matters, and did that in a 2-3 Zone, which told NBA GMs, and Dumars in particular, nothing about how Anthony could play man-to-man defense. And on a team like the Pistons, they needed to be absolutely sure he could lock down his man, and contribute in their complicated help defense schemes. [*]The Pistons (read: Larry Brown) could afford to sit someone like Darko. The idea here is, if they select Carmelo, and he ends up putting up points, but not being able to play D, and Brown doesn't like young players in the first place, that he'd sit him. And imagine what the media would say if Brown sat Carmelo. Imagine what the NBA would say. They need the LeBron-Carmelo rivalry to be the next Magic-Bird, and if he went to Detroit, they wouldn't be able to sit him because of external pressure. With Darko, who really cares? He was picked to sit for a year or two. [*]Rasheed Wallace. Rasheed Wallace figures into the evaluation of this pick in more ways then one. The obvious way is, had Detroit selected Anthony, they probably would not have gone after an SF in Wallace, and probably wouldn't be holding Sweet Mrs. O'Brien right now. But in the less obvious sense, Rasheed is the kind of player they were looking to get in Darko. A guy who could play PF, maybe step out and play some big SF, but contribute on both offense and defense down low. He may be that in 4 years, and I'm sure the Pistons knew they were getting a project. What they didn't count on is him not being able to contribute significant minutes at all. Thus, the trade for Rasheed. [/list] (By the way, this brings up an interesting choice - if in 3 years Darko hasn't made much progress - do you think Detroit will re-up him? Or what if he shows hints, like Kwame in the Capitol? I'm sure they'll take his option - that's why in 3 years, not 2 - but I wonder if his contract expires and he's not so big yet, what they do.) Overall, I still think down the road, Darko is a little better fit. And if he turns into a Mehmet Okur in a couple years, although he'll probably be better, then they won a championship and got a decent player, instead of with Melo, they'd probably still be struggling for the right offensive and defensive balance, and might never win a championship.</div> Sheed isnt a Sf but a PF. They still couldve probably gotten Sheed too. I think the only reason they didnt pick Melo was because they had faith in Tayshaun. But in history people will always remember Carmelo better than Darko. Darko will never be a 20 and 10 player that people see him to be. His best year will be something like 12 and 6. He should've just stayed in Serbia. I still dont see how he can be a star. Breaking your hand in the final 2 minutes of a finals game is pretty classic though. . This guy has got to be the worst player I have ever seen in his curretn state. He just some bleached hair pansy running up and down the court.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Ace2k2:</div><div class="quote_post">Sheed isnt a Sf but a PF.</div>He'll play big SF now and then, but nevertheless, there wouldn't have been room for him had they brought in Anthony, especially for him to get enough touches on the offensive end to be effective. <div class="quote_poster">Quoting Ace2k2:</div><div class="quote_post">They still couldve probably gotten Sheed too. I think the only reason they didnt pick Melo was because they had faith in Tayshaun.</div>It payed off, didn't it?
People think that because Carmelo is better than Darko that he would have made the Pistons better. The thing is, you can't get better than winning a championship, no matter what. Carmelo would not have fit in, and would have gotten benched. Then he wouldve complained and tore the team apart. If you think that star players crammed into a team = a championship then you learned nothing from this season (see: Lakers)
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting MarkCubanFan:</div><div class="quote_post">People think that because Carmelo is better than Darko that he would have made the Pistons better. The thing is, you can't get better than winning a championship, no matter what. Carmelo would not have fit in, and would have gotten benched. Then he wouldve complained and tore the team apart. If you think that star players crammed into a team = a championship then you learned nothing from this season (see: Lakers)</div> Well put. That's what I was trying to say before - it's just not that simple. People assume that putting the biggest stars and scorers together makes the team better, but its been proven again and again that a well built team working together can beat the All-Star team. That's part of what makes the game so great.
The only way they still won the championship is because they weren't a lottery team and they had the #2 pick. They still won because they didnt need another good player they were already great. See if the Nuggets picked Darko they wouldnt improve at all. They were bad and they needed a star player. The Pistons were already good. IF the Pistons were a lottery team they would be MUCH better and be a playoff team. Carmelo improved his team a whole lot by having a 26 win improvement. Darko wasnt even a reason why they won the championship.
That's not what we're talking about. We're not comparing Carmelo vs. Darko. We're analyzing the selection of Darko by the Pistons over Carmelo.
Wow Ace you seem to see the future, knowing exactly what Darko will average and not becoming a 20/10 player and no where near Melo's standard. I would love to hear your crazy theories why those predictions will come true. You also need to realise, Rasheed Wallace would never of got traded to Detroit had Melo been picked. Here's why As soon as Darko was known as the Pistons choice, Dumars went out and traded one of the logjam at the forward spot, Cliff Robinson... for an expiring contract which was Bob Sura. That created not only cap room but a potenial deal for Atlanta to bite on. Which was the case, without that trade which was made purely because of Darko, the Pistons wouldn't of had enough expiring contracts to hand out to the Hawks and therefore=no Sheed At this stage, having Sheed over Melo is a no brainer.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting AllNet:</div><div class="quote_post">Wow Ace you seem to see the future, knowing exactly what Darko will average and not becoming a 20/10 player and no where near Melo's standard. I would love to hear your crazy theories why those predictions will come true. You also need to realise, Rasheed Wallace would never of got traded to Detroit had Melo been picked. Here's why As soon as Darko was known as the Pistons choice, Dumars went out and traded one of the logjam at the forward spot, Cliff Robinson... for an expiring contract which was Bob Sura. That created not only cap room but a potenial deal for Atlanta to bite on. Which was the case, without that trade which was made purely because of Darko, the Pistons wouldn't of had enough expiring contracts to hand out to the Hawks and therefore=no Sheed At this stage, having Sheed over Melo is a no brainer.</div> Haha, you took the words from my mouth. I was going to post this until I scrolled down to the bottom and found it But, anyways...just to point out...Larry Brown has actually said that he wouldn't start a rookie, but he probably knew that Melo had enough potential to become a starter. It just wouldn't have worked out with Melo and Detroit. Also, Darko wouldn't be a bad player if he would just hit the gym with Big Ben, put on some more muscle and shave his head...oh yeah...there you go, Milicic. Go travel with Sheed and get a few tattoos...not of a Superman emblem, but maybe more like "Piston 4 Life" across his back in Old English, get a little mean...then he could start. Bring back the Bad Boy era... If that did eventually happen, I would be a Darko fan haha
You really cant say he was the right or wrong choice for the pistons you can give opinions, but cant really say. Who knows mabye if they got melo they moved prince to the bench reggie hits that layup pacers win the game and the team never gets a title. He was drafted as a project so nothing can be said yet about him. They new what they were passing up when they took darko over melo. I think the pistons really had no choice, but to take darko after jim grey openned his big mouth when they got the pick saying the pistons will take darko melo canceled his schedualed work out with the pistons because of that. I think the pistons are pretty happy either way since they have a ring and resigned sheed. I dont think it matters to them who is on there team as long as they got the title thats all that really matters.
