<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">A pilgrimage to The Palace to see Darko Milicic was not fruitless. Milicic, the Pistons’ 18-year-old phenom-in-development, did something Friday night that he hadn’t done in 22 other games this season. Milicic was on the court before the final buzzer — and not just to stand on the fringe of the huddle during a time-out. Now, being “on the court” does not mean Milicic “played.” Coach Larry Brown sent Milicic into the game with 18.1 seconds remaining in the Pistons’ 93-81 victory over Phoenix. The Suns had the ball, and guard Stephon Marbury held it until time ran out. That was it for Milicic. No shots. No rebounds. No sweat. A few smiles. Milicic’s appearance was recorded as one minute in the official box score. That gave him 29 minutes of — “playing time?” — in 11 appearances in the first 33 games. He did not play Saturday against Golden State. It’s not what fans and many in the media expected when Pistons President Joe Dumars took Milicic with the second pick in last summer’s draft. The populace is getting antsy over Milicic’s lack of game action, and understandably so. Everyone wants to see him play — including Dumars, who has no doubt that when it’s time for Milicic to play — later this season, next season, whenever — the Pistons will have one of the NBA’s next great all-round centers. Until he plays, Dumars understands why Milicic commands so much attention for having done so little. “I’ve been saying this since training camp: We look at Darko like a first-round-draft-pick quarterback in the NFL,” Dumars said. “Most of the time, when they go to a great team, they don’t play a lot.” “I understand everybody’s anxiousness,” Dumars said. “I understand why everybody is ready to see him play now. Listen — we’re not a lottery team. We have a lottery pick. “For the 99th time, I’m asking the media and the fans of Detroit — be patient with Darko. He’ll be here for the long term.” </div> By Vartan Kupelian and Mike O'Hara / The Detroit News Joe D said it best..The quotes in bold basically sums up this situation.
I read that article and I was wondering if I should post it. I come back here to post and you already posted it? That is not fair! However, this article doesn't really state anything that we did not know already. Although it does say that Dumars wants to see him play, maybe he will "request" that he is played soon. By the way, you are going to do the preview for the Boston game, right? I can't so I'm just wondering if you have the time.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting PyroManiac:</div><div class="quote_post"> By the way, you are going to do the preview for the Boston game, right? I can't so I'm just wondering if you have the time.</div> Yep will do The main thing about Darko in the articles are indeed basically saying the same kind of thing.However people keep questioning Dumars decision for drafting Darko...Joe D by now is frustrated with people going on and asking him the normal questions.He has to keep on repeating alot of his theories why he made this move.People need to wait 2 to 3 years for Darko to produce...until then it is pointless making very bad claims not only about Dumars but about Darko
I trust Dumars more than anybody else in the Piston's organization. Anything he says about Darko, I believe. We have some of the best scouts and overall our trainers are all excellent. They all said Darko would be great and who are we to argue. I just wish that Dumars asked Brown to play Darko. I just don't believe in the "learn in practice, rot on the bench during game time" theory for skills and confidence. Get him 5 minutes a game, his confidence will build, people will believe in Dumars again, and ESPN won't put Darko on any insulting polls.
I can't wait for Darko and Joe D to prove everybody wrong and lead the Pistons to a championship. It'll be soon, and it'll be a great answer for all of the critics. Joe D knows his stuff, and they should know that by now.
Eh..I never thought he should've fired Carlisle...altho LB isnt a bad choice...I dunno, I'm thinking Darko will be sitting atleast another year after this one...which would make him 20 or so...sometimes these project stars can backfire...
Joe Dumars said: "He'll play when he's ready. Instead, we have him practice against the best defensive player in the game who is cutting him no slack. I told Ben after the first week I was ready to call child protective services because what he was doing to Darko was child abuse, and we all got a good laugh."
I love Joe Dumars, he knows what he's doing. He's a very level headed and smart man. Although this Darko thing is a rather sad sight, they never let him in unless it's in the bag. It's the damn language barrier, look at what happened with Yao and Nene.
I still don't know....Darko over Carmelo??? Can someone please tell me that he will be better than Carmelo??? Would any pistons fan not want this lineup? pg-billups sg-hamilton sf-anthony pf-wallace c- okur bench- Campbell, Sura, Prince, atkins I am sticking by the fact that I think the Pistons made a huge mistake by not drafting melo over darko. Do Pistons fans agree or not? I know Darko ain't gettin time and this and that but who wouldn't want Melo over Darko?
Piston fans don't agree, at least the intelligent fans don't agree. Carmelo doesn't fully fit the mold of the type of player that Brown likes. He is not the best player on defense and because of that Prince would be getting just as many minutes. Prince would probably be starting too because Brown likes the fact that he can play defense. Piston fans still agree that in the long run, Darko could become an extraordinary player. It always happens that if a rookie isn't killing his opponents that he is quickly labeled a bust. (Obviously wrong to do) It takes some players a few years to get used to the NBA game, and Darko is the youngest player in the NBA. Give him at least another year and everybody will see why the Pistons drafted Darko.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting PyroManiac:</div><div class="quote_post">Piston fans don't agree, at least the intelligent fans don't agree. Carmelo doesn't fully fit the mold of the type of player that Brown likes. He is not the best player on defense and because of that Prince would be getting just as many minutes. Prince would probably be starting too because Brown likes the fact that he can play defense. Piston fans still agree that in the long run, Darko could become an extraordinary player. It always happens that if a rookie isn't killing his opponents that he is quickly labeled a bust. (Obviously wrong to do) It takes some players a few years to get used to the NBA game, and Darko is the youngest player in the NBA. Give him at least another year and everybody will see why the Pistons drafted Darko.</div> You would rather have Prince than Anthony? I can't agree with that. Even having Anthony coming off the bench to supplant Prince(if you don't agree that Anthony is a better player)? How intelligent is that? Anthony = Allstar Prince = Role player I never said Darko was a bust. Darko COULD be an "extrodinary" player but Carmelo is pretty much headed for Superstar status very soon. How extrordinary could this guy be?? I'm just saying that Carmelo is guranteed to be an allstar for years and he is showing it while people are using the words "if" and "Could be" a lot when talking about Darko. Are you sure its going to take a year for everyone to find out why the Pistons drafted him? Thats a lot of BS especially when you only see his game for 2 minutes every 10 games. I don't think Pistons fans even know what kind of game this kid has and how can they when they don't even see him play...thats big words for someone who has not seen this kid play a full quarter in the NBA. Not only that, but the pistons are trying to change the very game that made them draft him the first place. Larry Brown was quoted saying once, "Darko wants to play like Tony Kukoc, but we want him to play like______(add in your typical fundemetnally sound power forwards name)" That quote is not word for word but it shows that the Pistons are still trying to mold this player into the type of player they want him to be, not the one he wants to be and how smart is that? My point is Carmelo is a great NBA player already and the Pistons may have missed out on something really special. How good is Darko going to be?? I don't think anyone really knows that other than people who have seen him for more than 5 minutes at a time.
A few things. I never said I would rather have Prince over Carmelo. In fact, I'm slightly dissapointed with Prince this season. I never wrote, that YOU said he was a bust. I said that people say that somebody is a bust very quickly these days and that it is stupid. Now, if you are going to try to correct somebody's spelling, pick a word that is spelled incorrectly. It is "extraordinary", not how you wrote it "extrodinary" We may be trying to change his game, but I trust Joe Dumars and Larry Brown, a hall of fame coach and executive of the year. I have seen that quote and they don't want to fully change his game. They believe that he can be a great post player, where he currently tends to stay in the very high post. Darko was a raw talent, which means that he NEEDS to be molded. Anyways, Carmelo is a good player but you don't pass up on a player like Darko. During his 5 minute stretches, he has shown some of his raw talent. If he had the stamina to play for 30 minutes a game (Probably his biggest fault at the moment), then he would be putting up good numbers. He has the talent and now he just needs to be "molded." Who better to do that then Larry Brown?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting PyroManiac:</div><div class="quote_post">A few things. I never said I would rather have Prince over Carmelo. In fact, I'm slightly dissapointed with Prince this season. I never wrote, that YOU said he was a bust. I said that people say that somebody is a bust very quickly these days and that it is stupid.</div> I'M saying who wouldn't want Anthony to start over Prince? Then you go ahead and rant on about his defence, how the coach likes him etc...You were trying to make it look like he was better fit for that position. When you agree that he is better. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Now, if you are going to try to correct somebody's spelling, pick a word that is spelled incorrectly. It is "extraordinary", not how you wrote it "extrodinary"</div> Okay, I guess I'm sorry for the spelling mistake. Is this your way of getting your point across? So I missed the "r" out of extrordinary....big deal, I hope my post isn't deleted because of that travesty of vocabulary(dry sarcasmmmm<---oops bad spelling again) <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> During his 5 minute stretches, he has shown some of his raw talent. If he had the stamina to play for 30 minutes a game (Probably his biggest fault at the moment), then he would be putting up good numbers. He has the talent and now he just needs to be "molded." Who better to do that then Larry Brown?</div> I guess you should be an NBA scout because you can judge a lot in 5 minutes of play. How can you say, "Well in that 5 minutes, I saw a whole lot!!" And because of conditioning issues he can only play 5 minutes at a time? I think 18 year olds have more energy than you think sonny. How about this one....He's not good enough to play more than garbage time. How can you be a big Darko fan if the most time you have seen him is 5 minutes?? I call that an extreme case of BANDWAGON disease. I would be a fan of someone only by knowing his game and watching him play, and you obviously don't need that, all you need is for your hero to be picked high in the draft. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Anyways, Carmelo is a good player but you don't pass up on a player like Darko.</div> How the hell would you know that??? Your thoughts are based pure on hearsay and what the pistons newspapers, gm and coach tell you. And no, Carmelo is going to be a GREAT player, not good and yes at this point you CAN pass up on a player like Darko. I'm thinking that Bosh should have been picked higher than this kid. Face it....you have hardly seen the kid play, how would you know how good he is?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting CourtVision:</div><div class="quote_post">I'M saying who wouldn't want Anthony to start over Prince? Then you go ahead and rant on about his defence, how the coach likes him etc...You were trying to make it look like he was better fit for that position. When you agree that he is better.</div> I was only pointing out that Larry Brown traditionally likes players who are good on defense and that Prince is better than Carmelo on defense. Although, overall Carmelo is obviously better. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> Okay, I guess I'm sorry for the spelling mistake. Is this your way of getting your point across? So I missed the "r" out of extrordinary....big deal, I hope my post isn't deleted because of that travesty of vocabulary(dry sarcasmmmm<---oops bad spelling again)</div> First, I was just trying to correct you because you tried to use the word against me and spelled it wrong. Second, you still didn't spell extraordinary correctly. There is an a before the o. I only mentioned it because you decided to quote the word. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> I guess you should be an NBA scout because you can judge a lot in 5 minutes of play. How can you say, "Well in that 5 minutes, I saw a whole lot!!" And because of conditioning issues he can only play 5 minutes at a time? I think 18 year olds have more energy than you think sonny. How about this one....He's not good enough to play more than garbage time. How can you be a big Darko fan if the most time you have seen him is 5 minutes?? I call that an extreme case of BANDWAGON disease. I would be a fan of someone only by knowing his game and watching him play, and you obviously don't need that, all you need is for your hero to be picked high in the draft. How the hell would you know that??? Your thoughts are based pure on hearsay and what the pistons newspapers, gm and coach tell you. And no, Carmelo is going to be a GREAT player, not good and yes at this point you CAN pass up on a player like Darko. I'm thinking that Bosh should have been picked higher than this kid. Face it....you have hardly seen the kid play, how would you know how good he is?</div> I can't really say that I know that he will be a great player. However, I do trust what Joe Dumars and Larry Brown both tell us about Darko. I trust them a lot more than you. Also, I consider myself to know a few things about basketball and during Darko's game time he often shows flashes of greatness. He has demonstrated that he has a lot of lateral quickness and he is pretty agile. He has also shown some pretty good footwork. As for his stamina, he did not train during the summer. If you ever worked out and then stopped for 3 months, you would notice that your strength and stamina would lower extreme amounts. He may have more energy then I think, but not enough to play 35 minutes in a NBA game. What we do know is that the Piston's organization believes that he has an amazing amount of raw talent. He has great work ethic and he wants to get better. There is not much more that you can hope for from the youngest player in the NBA. If you really care, let him go play some high school basketball and see how he dominates those players like Lebron did when he was 18.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting PyroManiac:</div><div class="quote_post">I was only pointing out that Larry Brown traditionally likes players who are good on defense and that Prince is better than Carmelo on defense. Although, overall Carmelo is obviously better.</div> Is this why he's a worse pick at two than Darko? You are just telling me why they drafted him but not really agreeing or giving facts as to whether it was a good move or not. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">First, I was just trying to correct you because you tried to use the word against me and spelled it wrong. Second, you still didn't spell extraordinary correctly. There is an a before the o. I only mentioned it because you decided to quote the word. </div> Isn't extraordinary and extrordinary somewhat the same word? <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">...I can't really say that I know that he will be a great player. </div> Didn't you just say for us to wait a year and see why the Pistons drafted him? You just basically guranteed that he's gonna be a good(if not great) player. My point is that no Pistons fan knows how good this guy is going to be, while Carmelo was a surefire superstar in the making. IMO it was a bad move drafting this boy over Carmelo and maybe even Bosh.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting CourtVision:</div><div class="quote_post">Is this why he's a worse pick at two than Darko? You are just telling me why they drafted him but not really agreeing or giving facts as to whether it was a good move or not. Isn't extraordinary and extrordinary somewhat the same word? Didn't you just say for us to wait a year and see why the Pistons drafted him? You just basically guranteed that he's gonna be a good(if not great) player. My point is that no Pistons fan knows how good this guy is going to be, while Carmelo was a surefire superstar in the making. IMO it was a bad move drafting this boy over Carmelo and maybe even Bosh.</div> How do you want me to tell you whether it was a good move or not? The general rule is that you draft a big man with talent over a wing player with talent. What facts do you want me to give you? This is the one topic that can be argued forever with no real facts. Any changes would be guesses, how would Darko do if he had 30 minutes a game, how would Carmelo do on the Pistons, those are all guesses. There are no facts. If you really care, it is spelled extraordinary and it just looks odd spelling it extrordinary. I'm still sticking by my personal opinion that he will be a great player. As a fan, it is a guarantee. However, I'm not a professional scout so I can't say exactly how good he will be. My point is that Darko has the raw talent and the work ethic to become a superstar. His vertical is almost as good as Carmelo's which is great for a 7 footer. His lateral quickness is up there with KG. He is a great passer like most Europeans. He is supposed to be a good shooter, although we can't really say anything about this because he is always in the low post. At the moment, everything is hypothetical. Joe Dumars obviously saw something in Darko that made himdraft Darko. The Pistons players are all saying that he is getting better. The coaching staff is saying he is getting better. Joe Dumars is saying that he is getting better. Everybody is saying that he is getting better.
Darko could be the next Sam Bowie just like Melo can be the next Glenn Robinson. Too early to tell with both, though the future does look great for Melo who would be even more popular had he been a Piston. But like I said all along, Darko 1 on 1 can score on anyone in the league right now, but he has got to get used to the speed of the game, he still gets too lost and scared when he plays. It's ok, he will be fine in my opinion.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting PyroManiac:</div><div class="quote_post">How do you want me to tell you whether it was a good move or not? The general rule is that you draft a big man with talent over a wing player with talent. What facts do you want me to give you?</div> How about real ones other than that you see for five minutes at a time. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">If you really care, it is spelled extraordinary and it just looks odd spelling it extrordinary.</div> Its still a word that is used in the english dictionary. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">I'm still sticking by my personal opinion that he will be a great player. As a fan, it is a guarantee. However, I'm not a professional scout so I can't say exactly how good he will be. My point is that Darko has the raw talent and the work ethic to become a superstar. His vertical is almost as good as Carmelo's which is great for a 7 footer. His lateral quickness is up there with KG. He is a great passer like most Europeans. He is supposed to be a good shooter, although we can't really say anything about this because he is always in the low post. At the moment, everything is hypothetical. Joe Dumars obviously saw something in Darko that made himdraft Darko. The Pistons players are all saying that he is getting better. The coaching staff is saying he is getting better. Joe Dumars is saying that he is getting better. Everybody is saying that he is getting better.</div> You opinion before was that he COULD be, now he WILL be? Please stick with the script. I don't mean to be so arguementative but I just think the Pistons got the worse of the picks by not choosing Carmelo over Darko. Its all speculation as of now but thats what is showing in front of my face and I can't deny it.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting CourtVision:</div><div class="quote_post"> Its still a word that is used in the english dictionary. </div> Here: http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=extrodinary The word "extrodinary" does not exist. Why do you continue spelling it that way? It looks odd and improper. There are no facts for the Pistons side. That is why this argument is unfair. There is no defense other than speculation, because it is not balanced. We have no seen what Darko would do with extended time nor what Carmelo would do on the Pistons. As KJ pointed out, Darko's biggest fault is that he is not used to the pace of the game. Since the start of the season Darko has gained muscle and it has showed during his 1 minute game stretches. If he can score on anybody on the league, then he obviously cannot be horrible. I'm probably in the minority (Like .05%) when I say this but there is something about Carmelo that I don't like. Something about his game/style that sticks out. I would rather have a raw talent like Darko than a "guaranteed" superstar like Carmelo. Just something about him that bugs me.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting PyroManiac:</div><div class="quote_post">Here: http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=extrodinary The word "extrodinary" does not exist. Why do you continue spelling it that way? It looks odd and improper.</div> Try extroRdinary, I left the R out of the first post by mistake. Can you check that one for me please dicktionary master? <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">There are no facts for the Pistons side. That is why this argument is unfair. There is no defense other than speculation, because it is not balanced. We have no seen what Darko would do with extended time nor what Carmelo would do on the Pistons.</div> So why you saying that he is going to be a good player, and then saying he could be, and then say he's going to be again? You are kind of second guessing yourself in the same posts. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">I'm probably in the minority (Like .05%) when I say this but there is something about Carmelo that I don't like. Something about his game/style that sticks out. I would rather have a raw talent like Darko than a "guaranteed" superstar like Carmelo. Just something about him that bugs me.</div> So because of this unknown dislike about him you base this for your arguement? You's a hater....j/k. I agree that Darko COULD be a good player, but better than Anthony....I can't say that and make myself believe it. I guess this is the definition of agreeing to disagree.
