Is Darko the worst NBA draft bust ever? In all of sports?

[datznasty]

Thread was inspired by watching him tonight and the fact that he had the game of his season certainly, probably the best of his career, that only consisted of making a few open layups of penetration of the guards and grabbing some rebounds. The fact that is worthy of praise from a #2 pick, 8 and 8, is embarassing. There's tons of ways to look at it though.

The 2010 All Star Game featured the #1, 3,4,5, and 6 players from that draft.

Tracy McGrady has scored more career points as a New York Knick than Darko Milicic.

Overall, 8 players from that draft have been all stars to include David West (1, Josh Howard (29), and Mo Williams (47), the later 3 all being 1 timers.

I know a lot of people want to mention Oden, but at least with him and many other guys (Stromile Swift for example) who have been disappointments, at some point in their career they had a season, or a stretch of games, or 1 game, or hell even a string of possessions where you can, "that's a lottery pick move right there! I see why you took him #2! That's tough!" With Darko, no such moment has really ever existed. I mean, his best game of the season tonight was open layups and generally easy to get defensive boards except a few O boards. You can get that from undraftees and NBDL callups.

The well the Pistons were drafting for need excuse (like the one Blazers fan use for Bowie over Jordan), Zaza Pachulia (42) as a big is still in the league along with obviously Chris Bosh (4), Chris Kaman (6), Nick Collison (12),  David West (1, Kendrick Perkins (27), Udonis Haslem (undrafted) are all still in the league and productive.

 

[twozerosix]

Yes.

 

[703flipfiend]

Well, under most NTers' logic, he's not since he has a ring haha.

 

[thecalculator]

Biggest bust in all of sports?!
HELL NO, this guy is the biggest bust in all of sports 

Maybe he'll redeem himself in '10, lord knows he'll get a chance.

 

[bigmike23]

in all of sports? hell no


in the NBA? EH im take Michael okadkajkdjafds from the clippers

 

[vietishi]

Well you can blame Larry Brown for stunting his growth and making him a bigger nutcase than he already was. Darko could of balled there's no question about it and that's why he was chosen 2nd in one of the most talented drafts ever. It seems to be more mental with him, and Larry Brown treated this guy like crap.

 

[ballinboykz]

Basketball? Debatable.
Overall? Ryan Leaf.

 

[rook]

Ryan Leaf & the great....Kwame Brown

 

[airjordan jb23]

He's top 5 in the major sports I'd think. As mentioned, I'd put Kwame Brown & Ryan Leaf ahead of him.

 

[datznasty]

Originally Posted by Bigmike23

in all of sports? hell no


in the NBA? EH im take Michael okadkajkdjafds from the clippers

He has been in the league 7 yrs. For how long can we continue to blame coaches and situations? Contrary to popular belief, Larry Brown doesn't have a problem playing rookies anyways. He just has a problem playing guys who aren't good enough, which tends to be rookies much of the time. He played Tim Thomas and Larry Hughes as rookies.

Olowokandi had seasons of 12/9 and an 11/9 season, not to mention all but 3 seasons of his career averaged more per game than Darko's season high.

Can somebody with an Insider account post that Chad Ford article anyways?

 

[cincoseisdos]

Matt Bush for my baseball heads

 

[dako akong otin]

Ryan Leaf, Brien Taylor, Kwame...   but yeah, Darko's up there

 

[Ja's 2¢]

[h2]http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ba...on-shots-of-Darko-Milicic-or-B?urn=nba,220535[/h2]

[h2]There are no action shots of Darko Milicic, or Brian Cardinal[/h2]
By Kelly Dwyer

The trade that sent New York's Darko Milicic(notes) to theMinnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Brian Cardinal(notes) inspired more than a fewquips, and it probably should. Darko's been a bust as an NBA pro since theget-go, and Cardinal seems to typify the worst of NBA contractin' gone mad. Thefact that the Wolves will have to track Darko down somewhere in Europe and theidea that Cardinal will be waived well before the time you read this post addsa bit to the silliness of the transaction.

But I'm a little bummed. Mainly because it didn't have to belike this. Because both of these guys can play, and in a perfect world, theywould have a pretty sound niche in this league. And as it stands, there's agood chance we won't see either suit up in the NBA again.

Cackle all you want, but Darko Milicic can play. Or, heshould have been able to play. He's a 7-footer with significant hops who had asturdy frame that could have even gotten sturdier in time. But he was also anangry young man, entering this league, and the Detroit Pistons (who drafted himahead of Kendrick Perkins(notes), Steve Blake(notes), and Jason Kapono(notes)) did something youreally shouldn't do to an angry young man — make the young man angrier.
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They didn't play him at all in his rookie year, which madesense on paper because the Pistons went ahead and, you know, won the damnchampionship that year, but they could have handled him better. Instead, LarryBrown artlessly handled what could have been Detroit's ticket to multiplechampionships, failing to mix up his minutes, playing Darko only ingarbage-garbage-garbage time.

A broken hand suffered in the last game of that year'sFinals knocked out his offseason, allowed him to sulk, and continued iffyminutes in 2004-05 contributed to Darko's mood. Was he a knucklehead? Could hehave suffered through it? But Larry Brown was the adult in this situation, andhe had a choice. He could show tough love, and hand Darko the minutes hedeserved (which weren't many, or any), or he could teach the poor kid to fish,deal with being let down at times in the process, and think pound-wise for thefirst time in his coaching career.

Instead, Darko never played. And he got angrier. And henever got over it. Never stopped blaming others. Never fulfilled his potential.I can't tell you how important the lessons learned in the first two years of aplayer's career are, you've just got to handle these projects the right way, oryou risk losing them forever.

Cardinal? He fulfilled his potential. He was the anti-Darko.The guy never got minutes, but kept working on his game, kept getting better,kept playing his tail off whenever his number was infrequently called.

His PERs over the first seven years were around average intotal, and though his per-minute production plummeted over the last threeseasons, his teams constantly played better with him on the floor as opposed towhen he was off it. I'm not going to tell you that he was some unrecognizedgem, but there are things that PER can't pick up, and when it comes to hockeyassists or perfectly-set screens, Cardinal was the man.

Every time I'd see him play he'd be doing something helpful.Something to help the team in ways that weren't being picked up by the boxscore. Points and rebounds count, they really do, and you have to have theright setup and rotation to consistently field a player who isn't going to helpmuch on that end. But you would have at least liked to see the Grizzlies andTimberwolves try.

Instead, he sat. And never really got a chance to build onhis 2003-04 campaign, Darko's rookie year by the way, one that saw himcontribute a 19.4 PER and lead the NBA in offensive rating. Dork it up, scoutit up, he could play. And rarely got the chance to.

Trading these two seems appropriate to most NBA followersbecause of the combined stiff-o-tude of the two particulars. I understand that.Throw me a bone by understanding that it didn't have to be that way.

 

[jumpmanjordanaddict89]

 

[bangdak]

Wait what? when has darko ever been given the chance to legit play?

 

[alan garner]

Originally Posted by TheCalculator

Biggest bust in all of sports?!
HELL NO, this guy is the biggest bust in all of sports 

Maybe he'll redeem himself in '10, lord knows he'll get a chance.

/thread

 

[frankthekingdtx]

In the nba he is,right ahead of greg oden.
The NBA would be completely different if the pistons took anthony,wade or bosh instead of this bum.

 

[big j 33]

I just don't know why he was picked 2nd.

Maybe if he had the hype and expectations I'd be quicker to label him a bust.

 

[jpzx]

 

[drop knee 101]

worst ever?


peep the sig and cry with me

 

[TheGift23]

 

[the gr8]

Cackle all you want, but Darko Milicic can play. Or, heshould have been able to play. He's a 7-footer with significant hops who had asturdy frame that could have even gotten sturdier in time. But he was also anangry young man, entering this league, and the Detroit Pistons (who drafted himahead of Kendrick Perkins(notes), Steve Blake(notes), and Jason Kapono(notes)) did something youreally shouldn't do to an angry young man — make the young man angrier.
wait a sec, THOSE are the players that you mention he was picked ahead of

 

[billy hoyle]

no hes not, Darko is good but hes been treated like crap and benched ever since he came to the league.

 

[datznasty]

Darko isn't better than this Fazenko cat who plays for the Jazz, and this dude isn't even good enough for me to feel like I should learn how to spell and pronounce his name properly.

 

[Ja's 2¢]

Originally Posted by THE GR8

Cackle all you want, but Darko Milicic can play. Or, heshould have been able to play. He's a 7-footer with significant hops who had asturdy frame that could have even gotten sturdier in time. But he was also anangry young man, entering this league, and the Detroit Pistons (who drafted himahead of Kendrick Perkins(notes), Steve Blake(notes), and Jason Kapono(notes)) did something youreally shouldn't do to an angry young man — make the young man angrier.

hold up. THOSE are the players that you mention he was picked ahead of

Read the article and see why he mentioned those and not the obvious.