Laxation wrote:Darko is shit because he doesnt work. All reports from Detroit, watching him in games, he showed no heart. He took what he was given on a silver platter, and expected to get more.
That's what bothers me about Darko. He seems to feel he's owed star treatment despite having done nothing to earn it yet. I can kind of understand his anger at the Magic going back on their word because I've had employers do the same thing to me before and it sucks, but I still went in there, did my job and was professional about it while exploring other job opportunities. The comments Darko and his agent have made about never playing for the Magic as long as Otis Smith is the GM, how he should have been the top priority and how it's good to be going to a team that will appreciate him are good examples of a player believing his own hype in my opinion.
That's not to say Smith couldn't have handled the situation better because it seems he did go back on his word and that's not being very professional either. But if Darko and his camp expect to be the top priority when a team is courting a major free agent when he's putting up numbers that are "solid" and "promising" at best then they're going to be disappointed. And until he gets over the idea that he's owed the world on a silver plate, he's probably not going to be happy anywhere else either.
Having said that, Memphis will probably be a good opportunity for him. If he's not happy with his playing time or touches he could be on the move again though.
Sauru wrote:the thing with it is, if you were good enough to be a top 5 pick in the nba draft, then you got drafted second, then got told to sit on your ass and enjoy the show for a year or 2, would you be happy and maintain your confidence?
True, and as I said before the situation in Orlando isn't entirely his fault because it would seem Smith did go back on his word. But it seems as though Darko has resigned himself to complaining about his situation rather than working hard to overcome the obstacles that prevent him from gaining more PT. It's always about how he's unappreciated, never about having to work hard and improve his game.
I don't like to be a Homer and bring Bulls players into every discussion but for the sake of a contrast, that's one of the things I like about Ben Gordon. He's endured being in and out of the starting lineup and being yanked for missing a couple of shots while players like Adrian Griffin are given ample opportunity to stink it up at the offensive end simply because Scott Skiles likes their hustle but there's no trade demands or public tantrums with claims of being unappreciated and ultimatums to try and oust Skiles. He continues to work hard to get better and it's paid off. His improvement obviously hasn't gone unnoticed since he's now given more freedom to make a mistake or two without being immediately benched.
Dorell Wright is perhaps a better example since Gordon has still been given a decent amount of minutes since his rookie campaign. When given the opportunity Wright has looked like he could be quite a good player but he's used very sparingly on a Heat team with a lot of veteran players. There have been stories about his eagerness to play, prove himself and improve himself but no tantrums or potshots at Pat Riley or anyone else in Miami.
Perhaps I'm reading too much into what Darko and others in his camp are saying or taking the words out of context but it just seems to me that he's intent on pointing the finger at everyone else for his shortcomings thus far and doesn't seem interested in putting in any effort to change the situation. He seems content to sulk and make demands rather than strive for improvement.
TheMC5 wrote:I love how everyone's bitching about Darko getting too much money, yet no one seems confused as to why the hell Amir Johnson just got a $12 million, 3 year contract. The man has only played 11 NBA games over 2 years, so he's going to make over $1 million for each game he's played to date.
To be fair the Darko story broke earlier than the Amir Johnson signing but I agree. I suppose the only real difference is that the Pistons are in a better position than the Grizzlies, signing Johnson isn't their big offseason move and they can afford to gamble on the potential they perceive him to possess. It's still giving a lot of money to a player who's shown less than Darko though so I would agree that it's definitely no better and arguably much worse. Detroit is simply in better shape to cut their losses if things don't pan out.
They're still trying to get Navarro as well from what I hear and if they pick him up as well, they will be definitely be a playoff team next year. I don't see how you can get worse as a team when you haven't lost any of your players and you've just been adding key players...Of course he will more than likely start or recieve plenty of playing time because they wouldn't have signed him if he wasn't. Stro either isn't going to play or be traded somehow. The 3 big men the Grizzlies would use would be Gasol, Darko and Warrick. I've also heard that they will try to work Rudy at the 4 sometime as well since Iavaroni is teaching them a Suns style of play. 
