Darko Watch

[_marsal]

Yeah i watched the game. Man was he killing them He was 7/9 for 2points FG..He played for about 25-30min..He sure is developing

[J@3]

Macedonia wow, I can't wait to see him dominate against the French Under 14 girls side.

[Matt]

Yeah Macedonia is no powerhouse.

I think it's obvious he can score. I'm eager to see what else he'll be able to do with the Magic.

[Gedas]

Macedonia wow, I can't wait to see him dominate against the French Under 14 girls side.

[Fenix]

Interview with Darko Milicic. Props to Dynasty22 from RealGM for translating the whole thing:

National Team member Darko Milicic said that he is trying to play the best he possibly can, but that the team results are most important.

"I am trying my hardest and want to play well, but only within the team concept, the team is the most important" Milicic said after another good game in the friendly match against Macedonia in Belgrade.

The "Blues" (nickname for all NTs in Serbia) had an off day on Sunday, and travel to Singapore on Monday to play a tournament against Argentina, Spain and Slovenia, which will be the last test before the start of the World Championships on August 19th.

"We've worked well so far and we are preparing well. I am glad that we are working together, and that all of us want to be here playing for the National Team. We still have more to improve on in our play, but I think that we still have some time for that too" Milicic said about the training thus far.

Beside the 23 points and 10 rebounds against Macedonia, Milicic also ran the floor well, pushed the opposing centers around, often time he jumped right into the fire of the battle, and in some moments looked like he was close to a physical incident. Milicic said that he is starting to gain the ability to overcome this part of his character. (My note: I guess this is what they meant by mean streak)

About his temper: "It's better now, considering how it used to be. That's all a consequence of my huge wish to win, I want a win in every single game that I play, regardless of the opponent. I think that I am improving." said Milicic.

http://www.b92.net/sport/kosarka.php?nav_id=207076&dd=06&mm=08&yyyy=2006

Skills, size, athleticism and mean streak paired with Dwight Howard. This season is going to be awesome.

[kinokong]

lol.... they can be the new twin towers of the nba

[Metsis]

lol.... they can be the new twin towers of the nba

They can and they can be that for the next 15 years, if no one gets too full of themselves and asks for way too much money.

Darko and Dwight are going to cause some waves next season... They will be hard to contain as two good big guys always are. Especially if Darko can play in the post and use that midrange game as well.

Howard and Milicic are a pair of good shot blockers and will scare some people in the paint on the defensive end and probably will cause some grey hairs on some coaches heads on the offensive end.

I already liked the way Darko played after the trade last season...

[_marsal]

Man, where are those f*ckers who called Darko a bust prior to the trade Is it just me or does everybody suddenly like him?

Go Darko

[Gedas]

It's just you.

[Metsis]

I never thought the man was a bust... It's more like he never got a chance...

There were a lot of those "nay-sayers" around, but I always thought that the boy deserves a shot before we write him off... Especially with the talent and potential that was seen in him prior to the 2003 draft...

I think I wrote something like "he seems soft or something and not intrested" or something like that at some point about Darko, but if you're called "the human victory cigar" and get to play 1-2 minutes at the end of some games... Well you get the picture. He had all the right to be disenchanted then... I think we will see a whole new Darko next season. Much like Yao...

Next season we get to see how the real Yao Ming and Darko Milicic play... I can't wait...

[The X]

Darko won't be great this season....that being said, I think he'll be pretty good & really make Detroit regret trading him away for nothing....

[Mayerhendrix]

Detroit should've at least gotten something more from a Darko deal, like a draft pick.

[axare]

Detroit shouldn't even have traded him...

[kinokong]

one of the few mistakes that gm dumars has made

[Metsis]

Well, thinking about it now... If Detroit would have Darko on board, he really couldn't replace Big Ben... Darko isn't that strong or great at rebounding to fill in for Ben and Darko is more like Rasheed with his scoring range and shooting touch.

But I think Dumars will curse the day he agreed to that trade... And I don't think the day is too far away... I bet that day is sometime next january, when the Pistons are floundring and Darko is playing significant minutes in Orlando and is being a difference maker he could have been for the Pistons...

I thought that Flip would have used Darko last season as a replacement for Wallaces along with McDyess, to get him some minutes and even an opportunity to show what he's got.

Darko's time will come... Check out the FIBA tournament... I think this kid is going to explode.

[kinokong]

well nazr mohammed doesn't exactly ring defensive stopper in most ppls head if you think about it so id rather have a young talented and bigger big man instead of him.... i think expect at least a 15/8/1.5blocks from darko... anything less than that and he truly is a bust

[Fenix]

I doubt Darko will average 15/8 this year (that 1.5 blocks seems a bit conservative, though), considering this will be his first full season and he's only 21. When Jermaine O'Neal was 21, he was still riding the pine in Portland. I'm thinking about something like 13/7/2.5 if he starts most of the time. That's very respectable. But if we're talking about best case scenario, then yeah, he's capable of putting up 15/8/3 with 2-3 assists per game. Those are Brad Miller type of numbers, but with more blocks and in a bigger, more athletic package. Keep in mind that Brad Miller is considered to be one of the top big men in the League and now imagine what Darko's ceiling is if he puts those numbers this year.

A nice piece on Darko by Draftexpress: http://draftexpress.com/viewarticle.php?a=1433

[axare]

I am so happy Darko is in Singapore now haha...for the Phillips Cup on friday, saturday and sunday...today's our National Day...maybe he came early to watch our parade

[J@3]

Darko's nowhere near being the passer that Miller is, but I would be surprised if he averaged under 2bpg.

[kinokong]

lol the fight for the championship is gonna be tough in the future... kobe amare lebron wade oden mayo howard not to mention some teams like the bulls and second tier stars such as marvin williams and billy walker... you also got some old guys like td and kg.... has the league ever been stacked this much?

[Fenix]

Are you like 12? From those guys you mentioned only Kobe and Wade won a ring, Amare lost his knees, Howard hasn't even been in the playoffs yet and Mayo and Oden aren't even in the League. It's all hype, baby. Look at the 80's. Magic, Bird, Jordan, Drexler, Ewing, Olajuwon, Jabbar, Worthy, Thomas, Dantley, Wilkins, Karl&Moses Malone, Stockton, Barkley, Erving,... I that's a bit better than what we have now. The legit stars of today are who?, Kobe, Shaq, KG, Duncan, Kidd, Nash, Lebron, Wade, and then Arenas, Anthony, Amare (those bloody knees), Jermaine O'Neal....

[Amphatoast]

you forgot iverson
80s > today's stars still.
But Wade vs. LeBron should be exciting in the coming years.. like Magic vs. Bird was.

[Dan's Brain]

you forgot iverson
80s > today's stars still.
But Wade vs. LeBron should be exciting in the coming years.. like Magic vs. Bird was.

yeah kind of a shame, that they wont be able to match up in the nba finals unless one of them moves.

[bigh0rt]

lol the fight for the championship is gonna be tough in the future... kobe amare lebron wade oden mayo howard not to mention some teams like the bulls and second tier stars such as marvin williams and billy walker... you also got some old guys like td and kg.... has the league ever been stacked this much?

The real question is has the league ever had this much exposure? Not sure how long you've been watching the NBA, but the mid-80's to mid-90's was, and remains the golden age for superstars. Now we've got guys making millions before they even step on the court, shoved in our face as 'the next big thing' without having to prove anything. Give me the 80's and 90's all over again, please, and stop telling me how good Mayo is going to be when his shoes aren't even tied yet.

[_marsal]

S&M beat Argentina 83:64 Darko had 17 points (2 threes as well) and 9 rebounds, while ex-minnesota guard Rakocevic had 18. Delfino had 16 and Manu had 11. Tomorrow S&M plays Spain...