Darko Watch

[Matt]

i think the problem was that the coaches didn't play him......so he was wasting away on the bench.

[Fenix]

Getting rid of Darko and basically giving up on Darko at the age 21 is way too early...

Even worse - Darko was 20 when they traded him. He just turned 20 a month or two ago.

BTW, his statistical comparisons on databasebasketball.com are Jerome Moiso and Sean Marks.

[_marsal]

Well, in the first shocker, Nigeria beat S&M 82:75...Darko had a VERY poor game, 2/11 from the field (1/4 3pt), 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal. He was double and triple teamed, so he couldn't do shit in the post. Most of his missed FG are from midrange jumpers (contested)..Let's hope he does better tomorrow against France.

[axare]

damn....S&B cant do any shit w/o Darko and their captain...

[_marsal]

Oh boy..things are looking bad for S&M..This time they lost against France in the final seconds 65:61..Darko had an average game (average because he let F. Weis own him in the 1st half) with 14 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks...6/13 from the field (0/2 3pt) in 36 minutes..At least he played better than yesterday

[Sauru]

i dont think i have ever seen so much love for a player who has yet to do anything at all in the nba.

[Its_asdf]

^What about Greg Oden?

[cyanide]

^What about Greg Oden?

Naw, we have 13 pages on Darko and only 11 pages on the Raptors

[_marsal]

Sauru, if you commented on my post: you can't say I'm overreacting I don't see how I'm showing "that much love" simpy by posting his stats. If not, sorry then

[The X]

Getting rid of Darko and basically giving up on Darko at the age 21 is way too early...

Even worse - Darko was 20 when they traded him. He just turned 20 a month or two ago.

BTW, his statistical comparisons on databasebasketball.com are Jerome Moiso and Sean Marks.

ahh yes, we have a few more Sean Marks' believers look how crap us Kiwis are playing without him....no heart inside....but that statistical comparison is essentially guys who never got a chance (not sure about Moiso, was he just lazy or something?!?)

[_marsal]

Darko had 18 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and a block against Lebanon. Since S&M had a huge lead after first half (final score was 104 - 57), he practically didn't play in 2nd. He spent 24 minutes on the court. His FG % was also very high (8/11, 1/1 for 3pt). A very dominating performance...but after all, Lebanon does very much suck

[iG®]

Yea, solid game by Darko, and he had 20 pts btw.

[Metsis]

Well, let's just say that Darko is the go to guy first time in a long time for any team... He certainly wasn't that in Detroit... With multiple defenders they were able to contain him, but he has had better games after that. Game against Lebanon isn't much of a challenge, but if he can do this through the tournament and face best defenders the other teams have, he will improve. He's playing a big role for the first time in years...

And what does this bode for the up and coming season... Well, Darko is not going to be "the man" in the middle for Orlando. There's Dwight Howard the teams are going to have to contain much better than Darko, so Darko will not be the focal point of defenses in the NBA. So he might have it easier in the NBA than how he has it in the Worlds. Darko will have a good season this winter along side Howard, since Orlando could have two really big threats on the inside. Look for the guards to have a field day next season and Howard and Darko rack up the assists...

The day Dumars traded away the prospect is going to go down in history...

[cyanide]

I've been reading that Darko's lateral movement and blocking abilities are underrated. Howard and him in the middle would be very dangerous on the defensive end. On the offensive end in NBA games, that's questionable.

[Fenix]

Darko against Venezuela: 18 points, 11 rebounds, 6 blocks, 4 assists in 27 minutes, 8/16 from the field, 1/3 3pt. Serbia won, 90:65.

[axare]

Nice game...very good game for Darko..happy to see him do well

[_marsal]

Yeah, he played really well. His biggest flaw is his tendency towards midrange and 3pt shooting. But he's young, he'll improve

[_marsal]

Oh boy, in a dramatic finish Darko missed (perhaps) the key lay-up (he wasn't in easy position though) that would cut the deficit to -1 about 15 seconds to go in the 4th quarter against Argentina. But he played big versus Oberto and ex-NBA center Wolkowisyki, scoring 24 points & 12 rebounds (more update on his stats will come later). Final score: 83:79 for Argentina. S&M will advance to the 1/8 finals though. He showed a nice touch from midrange, not to mention a block on Manu

[axare]

What's there not to love about Darko...

[Metsis]

What's there not to love about Darko...

Exactly... We can treat this winter as Darko's rookie season... He has a chance to play and make his mark on the Orlando franchise... Darko and Dwight in the middle will be a troublesome place for any attacker and I'm pretty sure that Darko hitting some jumpers and Howard banging down low, that they will find a tune together this winter -> I think that because their games practically complement each other.

Two 20 year old big guys on the same roster... This could be something very nice... Very nice indeed. If they hit it off and play off of each other, I think Orlando could shoot for a play-off spot... If everybody stays healthy that is...

[J@3]

We can treat this winter as Darko's rookie season

how about no.

What's there not to love about Darko...

His excessive whining at Detroit and subsequent bitching about playing time after TWO games with Orlando is a start.

[_marsal]

Or maybe you're just jelaouse because he's getting more attention and making more noise than Bogut?
Btw, some people actually mind sitting on the bench and doing nothing. Of course he'll "whine"..

[J@3]

Or maybe you're just jelaouse because he's getting more attention and making more noise than Bogut?

I think I'd take Bogut's average rookie campaign over being called a bust for 3 straight years I don't see what there is to be jealous about, he's not exactly a superstar despite what you foreigners seem to think.

3.0ppg, 1.4rpg in 126 games... what a star, and definitely worth a multi-page thread like this one.

[_marsal]

I never said he was anything near superstar. There's just one difference in Bogut's rookie year and Darko's. Bogut had Gadzuric, Joe Smith and E. Johnson in front of him, while Darko had Ben, Rasheed, Mehmet, Elden and McDyess. I wonder if Bogut would've got the chance. You posted the stats where he averaged sth like 3mpg, and even that was garbage time. Look at the WC in Japan. Let's compare Bogut and Darko:

Bogut:
30mpg
11.4 ppg
47% from the field
59.5% from free throw line
25% from 3pt line (he hit 1 3-pointer so far)
6.2 rebounds
2.4 assissts
0.6 blocks
0.6 steals
3.4 TO
and 2.4 fouls commited in 5 games played.

Darko:
31mpg
15.8 ppg
49% from the field
67% from free throw line
27% from 3pt line (he hit 3 3-pointers so far)
8.2 rebounds
1.6 assissts
2.8 blocks
0.8 steals
2.2 TO
and 2.2 fouls commited in 5 games played.

So actually, only department where Bogut is better are assissts. Oh and Darko's one year younger than Bogut. I don't know about you and the rest of the haters, but I'd definitively take Darko over Bogut.

[Fenix]

Even I'm not that homerish (and/or stupid) to fuck with Jae and his cr4z1 banning powers.

And you forgot the rebounding numbers.