<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Darko Milicic still isn't producing on the same level as LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade, his classmates in the 2003 NBA Draft. But Milicic, the No. 2 pick in that draft ? sandwiched between James and Anthony ? says he is enjoying playing for the first time since entering the league. Milicic, 21, languished on the Detroit Pistons' bench for 2? seasons, averaging 5.6 minutes in 96 games, before they traded him to Orlando last year. Now the 7-footer is a key backup for the Magic, averaging 7.0 points and 4.7 rebounds in 21 minutes a game. "This is the first time I'm getting a chance to play," Milicic said. "It feels good. It's difficult for someone not to play for three years. You forget what you're doing. You lose the feeling about basketball. I'm trying to get all that back. I'm happy here. "Sometimes you do (stop enjoying basketball) because you come to the arena knowing you're not going to get a chance to play. Sometimes you think, 'What am I doing here?' It's very hard to focus. Now I am getting everything back, and I am happy right now." Milicic is in no way happy with where he is as a player, however. "I still want to get better," he said. "I'm still not close to how I'm supposed to play. It's frustrating to come into the game and not play the game the way it's supposed to be played. But it's coming." MORE ON THE MAGIC: Orlando team report Magic radio analyst Will Perdue, who played 13 seasons in the NBA, says watching Milicic's inconsistent play drives him crazy. "When you think of Darko, the biggest word is frustration," Perdue said. "He shows you moments of brilliance and you say, 'That's why Detroit picked him second.' "Then he has moments where he has brain freeze. He doesn't defend the screen roll correctly. Instead of dunking the ball with authority, he tries to do the finger roll and gets the shot blocked."</div> Read The Rest
Good read. I agree with some parts, while others I have to say I do not. Darko seems to play good when he feels like it, not when we need him. He'll have 1 or 2 good games and then will go like 3 or 4 averaging like 3 points, 2 rebounds and 0.5 blocks in those 4 games, or the other way around. The inconsistency is the 'frustration' that Perdue was talking about, but with time, he should get better
