Links: The Darko Dilemma
Free Darko, just don’t send him to the ATL…
I knew this was going to happen eventually. Earlier this week the Orlando Magic renounced their free agent matching rights to Darko Milicic, meaning the formerly restricted free agent is now unrestricted. (The Magic said today they’d like to keep Darko, although after Darko’s agent Marc Cornstein publicly labeled Orlando GM Otis Smith a “liar,” you have to assume there’s not a lot of love there between the two gentlemen.)
That’s right, Darko is free to chase the most money he can across the NBA landscape. And which team is sitting there a few million under the cap and in need of a center? My Atlanta Hawks.
Uh-oh.
Hey, we can’t say Chad Ford didn’t warn us. Darko and I go way back, back to when The Links were simply a daily column of news and notes, back to when Chad Ford was ESPN’s only NBA Insider. Chad bravely took up the cause for a little-known European prospect, touting him as the next big thing and writing that Detroit had made a wise move by selecting Darko ahead of such untested and anonymous American prospects as Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade.
Or not. The Darko era in Detroit didn’t work out so well. In Orlando’s it’s been better, but still: He’s been a competent player thus far, but selecting him ahead of Wade and Melo? No.
Is it too early to completely write off Darko? Probably. After all, he’s still just 22 years old. At the same time, we’re talking about a player with career averages of 5 points and 3 rebounds per game. The problem is we’re talking about a former number two draft pick four years into his NBA career who’s still averaging 5 and 3 and couldn’t get significant playing time on a team that barely made the Playoffs.
This brings us to the Hawks, my Hawks. The Hawks need a center. They have Zaza Pachulia, who is actually pretty good considering he plays center in the NBA but can’t seem to dunk a basketball. Which means he’s probably better suited to coming off the bench. Which means the Hawks need a starting center.
Which means…Darko? Sekou Smith seems to like the idea. While Darko is technically a power forward, he’d also be the biggest player on Atlanta’s roster.
What I don’t like about the thought of Darko in a Hawks uniform is that Darko is obviously still developing. The Hawks were already the youngest team in the NBA, and that was before they added Al Horford and Acie Law. Going out and getting Darko and giving him around $10 million a season would mean Hawks ownership is yet again asking Hawks fans for our patience. And that’s something in short supply among Hawks fans right now.
86 Responses to “Links: The Darko Dilemma”
Jul.6 at 12:47 pm
Detroit11 says:
!
Jul.6 at 12:47 pm
Ken says:
First yo.
Jul.6 at 12:50 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
I wouldn’t mind him in Chicago, but not for $10 million per.
Jul.6 at 12:52 pm
nastruthomas says:
he’s got a ring though, right?
Jul.6 at 12:58 pm
Mr. 416 says:
although I’ve only seen him play a few times somebody somewhere had to have seen something in him to even think that he could play in the NBA. I mean look at Rafael Araujo the guy was solid 15pts/8 reb guy in college drropped 25pts on syracuse in the NCAA tourney in 02. also did well in international play but comes to the NBA and looked lost even in the ONE PLAY Toront Raptors gamebook, and didn’t do to much more burried on Utah’s bench. Darko needs to find what he does well and stick to it not try to do everything all the time. If you’re 7′ you gotta have some game and yeah he’s 22 so he still has a lot of game in front of him if he can find a job.
Jul.6 at 1:15 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
Find a job?? He’s a 22-year-old who hasn’t done squat, and he’s pretty much guaranteed a multi-year deal starting at $7 million plus. Good work if you can get it. Oh well, at least he’s better than Skita.
Jul.6 at 1:17 pm
Kevin Wilson says:
Not $10 million. The Reignman can tell you how well paying an unproven 7-footer helps team chemistry.
Jul.6 at 1:23 pm
white hot eboy says:
Lang, wouldn’t Darko be the best passing big-man on the Hawks roster if they could get him? With Acie still learning the pro game, Darko passing out of the mid post could be helpful to ALIV. I know Darko won’t draw doubles, but he might be able to spread the floor a little bit more than the normal Hawks bigs.
Jul.6 at 1:27 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
I’m trying to figure out a way to get him to the Knicks. Darko and Z-Bo!
Jul.6 at 1:29 pm
Ben Collins says:
This reeks of bad idea. Wasn’t Marcus Camby available during the Playoffs? Wasn’t he available while the Nuggets were still in the Playoffs? Splurge, for God’s sake. Trade one of the 600 wings that look at each other in the locker room thinking they’re looking into a mirror. Childress for Camby straight up, even if you’re overpaying. Then you can run out Law/Johnson/Smith/Horford/Camby with Speedy, Marvin, Shelden, Marvin and AJ off the bench, fill up the rest of the roster with spot shooters and at least compete in the Southeast again. And you’re still young. Why is this a problem?
Jul.6 at 1:30 pm
Ben Collins says:
Apparently there are two Marvins on the team. Make that second Marvin into a Zaza. That’ll do it.
Jul.6 at 1:36 pm
Ben Collins says:
Oh my God, Lang. Lorenzen Wright is on your team? Does his Medicaid cover prescription medications?
Jul.6 at 1:37 pm
Dennard says:
Darko is only 22, but I just don’t see him being much better than he is now. He doesn’t seem to have the competitve nature it takes to get better. When he gets a guaranteed deal, worth 6/7 mill/year over about 4-5 seasons, there is no way he will work harder to get better. At that point he won’t have the incentive to put in the work to be a quality player. Whoever he signs with is going to be extremely disappointed in the ROI.
Jul.6 at 1:39 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
Which is why he ABSOLUTELY has to become a Knick.
Jul.6 at 1:40 pm
Greased Up Deaf Guy aka Clay Davis says:
lorenzen wright is on the hawks??? not the grizz. where is the stro show??? back in houston?
Jul.6 at 1:46 pm
Dennard says:
That’s an astute point Russ.
Jul.6 at 2:09 pm
Rasheedionics says:
PEOPLE… I’m not Darko’s fan by any stretch of imagination but keep in mind that Jermaine O’neal averaged 4 and 3 in 4 years in Portland. I’m not saying Darko is going to be as good as JO, but I’ve seen enough of him to see that kid got talent and could be a solid NBA player. This year with Magic he averaged 8 and 6 with 2 blocks in 24 minutes a game. If they would’ve played him 33-35 minutes a game, he would average around 12 and 9 with 3 blocks a game… Same numbers that JO averaged in his first year with Pacers playing 33 minutes a game… Like I said, if he gets decent playing time and play under a good coach (not Brian Hill), the kid could flourish.
Jul.6 at 2:13 pm
Mike C. says:
At least he’s not 6′9″.
Jul.6 at 2:15 pm
Rob says:
Darko and Z-Bo: Good to go!
Jul.6 at 2:24 pm
Detroit11 says:
Hey, Rasheed mentored JO just like he mentored Darko. Maybe were on to something here. Darko, All Star ‘08?!
Jul.6 at 2:28 pm
niQ says:
well.. i’m pretty sure darko gets more blocks that pachulia.. but then agin.. thers already josh smith
Jul.6 at 2:33 pm
Mr. 416 says:
Darko to the Sixers ?? www.philly.com/philly/sports/sixers/8350076.html
Jul.6 at 2:39 pm
bobby stew says:
rasheedionics your J.O. point was very good. He came out of knowhere. I just have a gut feeling that Darko won’t be as good as J.O. Atleast I wouldn’t gamble 10million on it.
Jul.6 at 2:45 pm
Greased Up Deaf Guy aka Clay Davis says:
the spurs should get darko, pop would get 14 and 11 and 3 out of him
Jul.6 at 2:45 pm
illydiva says:
@Mr 416…I wasn’t even going to mention that.
Jul.6 at 2:51 pm
Tricky Ricky says:
If Danny Ainge doesn’t find a way to give up Paul Pierce to get him, I will be shocked.
Jul.6 at 2:52 pm
Rasheedionics says:
Yea, I wouldn’t give him $10 mill either.. By the way, have anyone seen “WHO’S NOW” on ESPN? That must be the dumbest thing I have ever seen in my life. Matt Leinart beats Tiger Woods because he dated more female celebrities!!! Wow.
Jul.6 at 3:00 pm
Skillet Forilla says:
Phenomenal photo. Should call him Light-O.Really, I mean white-outing his own bobbleheads. heh
Jul.6 at 3:14 pm
Detroit11 says:
Nocioni just re-signed w/ the Bulls for 5 years….
Jul.6 at 3:35 pm
Cheryl says:
Why don’t the Hawks just go after Brendan Haywood. They could get him for a pack of juicy fruit cuz he’s fighting with Etan and Eddie Jordan. He’s not that great either, but he’s better than Darko, in ASPOV.
Jul.6 at 3:59 pm
Boing Dynasty says:
Serious question: If the Hawks just folded the franchise and Darko went back to Serbia to work at a gas station, how many people would care? like 65?
Jul.6 at 4:06 pm
Co Co says:
stop it boing
Jul.6 at 4:21 pm
Cheryl says:
Aw man, I’d care. A lot.
Jul.6 at 4:22 pm
Greased Up Deaf Guy aka Clay Davis says:
brendan haywood is only worth half a pack of juicy fruit, the generic kind too…………………………………………………………………………………………..darko wouldnt be able to work at a gas station, too much pressure for him. he would try to create his own bobbleheads, isnt it obvious?????
Jul.6 at 4:49 pm
nothin _personal says:
I don’t think they have 10 mill salary cap space. According to Draftexpress they had 6 million before the draft, and I am not sure if they have to subtract the to-be rookie contracts from that amount. The way I see it, Darko starting at 6 and finishing at 10 mill in 5 years is a bargain. Next year, you can take the Bobcats route , bringing some vetrans for some extra pieces you already have and some draft picks. The Hawks are in a really good shape right now.
Jul.6 at 4:51 pm
Boing Dynasty says:
Okay, plus Cheryl and Co Co. Make it 67.
Jul.6 at 4:52 pm
Bryant Reeves says:
Bosh is better than Melo or Wade
Jul.6 at 5:00 pm
nothin _personal says:
Plus, why do people get enamored with washed up guys going to really young teams for valuable trade assets (what up, Ben Collins)? Imean, the Hawks wouldn’t win with Camby while having a rookie PG, and to get some value for their young wings, they need to look like they are in the right direction, and shake that desperation tag they have on them. In a league with plenty of vultures (not you Isiah!), you can’t afford to be the corpse.
Jul.6 at 5:02 pm
what says:
Is Darko even better than Al Horford?
Jul.6 at 5:02 pm
Boing Dynasty says:
As a sane person, iam going to have to disagree with Mr Reeves, at the very least about the Wade part.
Jul.6 at 5:05 pm
#21=Top50,1stballot says:
Lang and fellow Risen Up’s,
Not that I wouldnt support such a bold stroke as to get Darko, his defensive presence would be a WELCOME addition. We wouldnt require that much out of him offensively, thus has time to continue to develop.At the same time however wouldnt that only further logjam things on the roster? I know that Darko’s a true C type, but his minutes would only decrease Horford’s in the middle (which I presume is the plan). The Domino for Horford minutes would go into Smoov and Marvin (still in need of meaningful court time), not to mention Shelden (in need of QT with Candace Parker- she could probably teach him a thing or two about roundball). We dont need him, but we’ve given out worse “Koncak’s”.
Jul.6 at 5:06 pm
Boing Dynasty says:
Bosh and Melo are close but Bosh also played all last season with pretty bad plantar fascitis, a la Tim Duncan the year before. I would like to see what he can do next year with fresh legs. Assuming he sits out of the US team for the tournament this summer to recoup.
Jul.6 at 5:06 pm
R7 says:
as long as the lakers don’t get hem. between him an kwame, forget about a kobe trade, get ready for his suicide note…
Jul.6 at 5:12 pm
Greased Up Deaf Guy aka Clay Davis says:
wow r7
Jul.6 at 5:17 pm
Myung says:
I’d like to be fan #68, boing. Rumor has it that 5 of our 7 owners are hawks fans too. Or is it up to 6 now?
Jul.6 at 5:24 pm
Myung says:
If brendan haywood is worth half a pack of juicy fruit, candace parker’s fiancee is worth 1/4 of a piece of already been chewed generic gum on the bottom of haywood’s nikes. Billy Knight should trade Shelden Williams for 200 Mega Millions tickets.
Jul.6 at 5:28 pm
Boing Dynasty says:
Co Co, Re: your blog from July 2nd. You are correct there is no D Wade in Toronto, but at this point the thier careers Bosh is infinatly better than Shaq on the offensive end, and gets more than his fare share of doubles and tripple teams. Which will leave Kapono open for many 3’s. Ask Mo Pete what hes been doing for the last 3 years.
Jul.6 at 5:53 pm
Greased Up Deaf Guy aka Clay Davis says:
boing, mo pete didnt get any kind of consistent mins. last year. bargnani, garbageman, etc,
Jul.6 at 6:07 pm
Boing Dynasty says:
What does that have to do with the fact that Mo Pete has been open in the pocket since 2002?
Jul.6 at 6:28 pm
Reggie Evans says:
ATL can take Bynum in a multi-team trade that brings KG to LA. I don’t know how.
Jul.6 at 6:31 pm
dma says:
for every jermaine oneal, there’s a jim mccalvaine, or travis knight, or *insert 7 foot white guy name here*. i’m glad only atl can offer him more than what he’s really worth.
Jul.6 at 6:46 pm
sasha s. says:
“darko does not get doubled team”?????? are you kidding, did anybody not watch the pistons series??? (granted i know it was double sided), Darko had a field day with everyone except ‘Sheed. Watch the re-runs, if ya can find them, and see how many times the pistons had to double team darko when sheed was on the bench. Every time!!!! too bad dumb#$@ brian Hill was letting jameer dribble around for 18 seconds and then take an ill faded shot….
Jul.6 at 6:51 pm
Adrian says:
Please not to Memphis, please not to Memphis…
Jul.6 at 9:01 pm
albie1kenobi says:
wait, mina suvari (or whatever big forehead’s name is) and candance parker are engaged? but why do i care?
Jul.6 at 10:33 pm
Rick T says:
Darko would not be so bad if the price tag were right and $10 mil ain’t right! Lets look at the facts; in less than 24 mins per last year he did very little in most cats. But there were those nice block numbers nearly two per game of the bench in limited minutes. Who knows? If given starter minutes it’s realistic to think he could give you 10-14 ppg close to 10 rpg and 2.5-3 Dekes(Dikembe’s) per game. Then again, considering Laettner, Jon Koncak , Cal Bowdler, Peja Drobnjak, Matt Bullard, James Edwards, Przybilla, Blair Rasmussen, Adam Keefe, Do we really want to add Milicic to our ever growing list of underachieving white big men? This is all a moot point because no one wants to admit the curse that fell on this team after we traded ‘Nique and a future first rounder to the Clippers for Danny Manning and his knees. Lenny’s chickens came home to roost today. We are cursed until the team issues a public apology and reparations to the fans.
Jul.6 at 10:50 pm
hummbabybear says:
My money is on the Warriors getting Darko.
Jul.7 at 12:16 am
whooo! says:
did anybody at slam get to watch darko’s workouts or see him in practice? what the hell was everyone so excited about if he did go through all the workouts for teams and such? and why does he get so much love from the pistons like rasheed? either they whooped the crap outta him in practice, made him their bitch, and are tryin to be sarcastic, or maybe he actually has some talent and needs the right place? i haven’t seen him play at all so i’m clueless.
Jul.7 at 12:17 am
Will Lee says:
He needs to be on an international style team. Toronto, Utah type of team. Orlando is a inferior American team, with a bad system under Brian Hill.
Jul.7 at 1:06 am
bootlace says:
Whoever said Hedo was mild mannered, in this article for SLAM Turkey, when asked what his starting 5 would be he says Wade at SG (not Kobe because he would mess up the team). There ya go, Hedo is a badass.
http://www.ntvspor.net/Pages/12492.ASP
Jul.7 at 1:52 am
Gii says:
just curious. who’s better (or worse…)? Darko or Kwame?
Jul.7 at 1:55 am
Co Co says:
Boing, We’ll see what happens with Kappono, but I’m not sure he’ll get those same looks without having 2 players that garner attention.
Jul.7 at 2:22 am
SwingMan says:
Good news. Seeing as how my Suns have the Hawks’ unconditional 1st rounder in 2008, they need to suck as much as possible, seeing as how they weaseled their way into the pick this year and all….. At least Acie Law’s a few years away from becoming Tyronn Lue. LOL!!!
Jul.7 at 4:36 am
FLUXLAND says:
That photo is priceless.
Jul.7 at 5:02 am
Russ Bengtson says:
I kind of think that Darko will still be something someday, but then again I picked him as ROOKIE OF THE YEAR, so I’m obviously an idiot.
Jul.7 at 5:45 am
Lasith says:
Darko can also be an all star one day if he works hard, at the same age he had more skills than J.O did at 22 and look where J.O is. Darko can shoot the jumper from 20 feet pretty well, he has really good ball handling skills which could be better than J.O’s right now, and if he played the center position he is a good shot blocker, and can also run the court well and beat most guys down the court for dunks, I remember last season how Darko dominated Lamarcus Aldridge who is probably going to be an all star as well. I think the magic are making a mistake letting Darko go, hes way more skilled than Dwight Howard, who can only dunk,and I’m a huge Dwight Howard fan, and also Darko proved he can be atleast a solid nba starter in the playoffs by averaging 12.8ppg against the Pistons on greater than 50% shooting. Dwight Howard struggled more than him, yet everyone hails Dwight and says Darko is bad. I think Darko should go to Philadelphia where he can dominate the offense and then get 20ppg, everytime he took more than 10 shots for the magic, he got atleast 16 pts last season, plus he didnt get the ball much last season, and also he dominated an All Star in Pau Gasol for 18pts 16Rbs in the World Championships last year, IF darko gets a chance to dominate the offense, then he could become a special player too
Jul.7 at 7:49 am
Ryu says:
Sacramento signs Spencer Hawes and Mustafa Shakur.
Jul.7 at 8:00 am
Myung says:
SwingMan, you are the most bitter Slamonline post-er I’ve seen. You’re a Suns fan, one of the top 3 organizations in basketball…and yet all you do is kill the Hawks (one of the bottom 3 organizations in basketball) with nearly every post I’ve seen in the past few months (or you complain about the Suns/Spurs series). How could a Suns fan be THAT bitter? It’s astounding. You think the Hawks tanked (wrong). You think that somehow kept the Suns from getting a lottery pick. We get it, dude. We get it.
Jul.7 at 8:10 am
Myung says:
We have the longest playoff drought in the League. You have 2 NBA first teamers. We have a bad GM, a worse coach, and an even worse ownership group. You have none of those issues. We fill Philips Arena to half capacity. You sell out your arena all the time. Our best player was the 4th or 5th best player on your team 3 seasons ago. You have our unprotected pick in 2008. I’m still trying to figure out where all your venom comes from.
Jul.7 at 9:57 am
Greased Up Deaf Guy aka Clay Davis says:
plus hes way off about acie law IV. i watched acie law IV and kevin durant all year(of course the jayhawks too) and acie law IV will be a great pg. damn, hes clutch
Jul.7 at 4:18 pm
Karakash says:
Lang, you are right that he’s developing. But not only is his play in need of development, he’s brain is also. Couple a days ago i had a chance to sit and talk with one of the ex-coaches of the Serbian under 20 national team. When i asked him about Darko, he just said that he understands Orlando’s decision not to give him the money he asks for. He also said that the biggest problem that Darko has is not his play on the court. The problem is in his head and his approach to life generaly. And that’s something that can’t be easily changed. As one of the few Hawks fans, i wouldn’t want him in ATL.
Jul.7 at 5:10 pm
Kyle Stack says:
Here’s to hoping the Lakers don’t get any crazy ideas and pair Darko with Kwame.
Jul.7 at 6:05 pm
nothin _personal says:
I just watched the Summer league Warriors vs Hornets game, and Bellineli torched them for 37 14/20 FG, 5/7 3p). They were doubling all second half, and he should have had like 12 Assists, if the other guys could make a shot under the basket, or didn’t take to many dribles before their easy dunks. I know it’s just asummer league, but he’s done the same everywhere I saw him play. Cold blood killer…
Jul.7 at 6:10 pm
nothin _personal says:
P.s.*Brandan Wright got a dnp.
*Kelena Azubuike got 29, basically feeding off Marco.
*Toby Bailey (Former NCAA champ with UCLA)is a solid role player for any team in the league. Excelent 3p stroke with nice athleticism, certainly better than the likes of Roger Mason jr or Maurice Evans that have contracts.
Jul.7 at 11:17 pm
Drolfe says:
Imagine how the Pistons would’ve felt during training camp and summer league games before Darko’s first season. With all the hype he had, finally being able to watch him play. I have this image of Joe Dumars and Larry Brown standing courtside, arms crossed, watching him in pratice.
LB: ‘He’s not good, you know. He’s…. he’s just a terrible basketball player’.
JD: (nodding slowly) ‘We’ve made a huge mistake.’
Jul.8 at 5:21 am
Russ Bengtson says:
Brandan Wright got a DNP…in SUMMER LEAGUE? Ouch.
Jul.8 at 6:40 am
Sesa says:
Darko to the Pacers anyone?
Jul.8 at 7:34 pm
Renk says:
I don’t get all the Darko hate. He got no pt on playoff vet squad where the coach basically killed his confidence. Then he goes to orlando where he continued to show the promise and talent J. Dumars taught he possessed. Basically given the right situation like many have stated he could become a better defensive version of J. O’neal. In that draft where Carmelo and Wade was given a situation tailored to their talents, so constantly bringing them up is useless. I would’ve preferred he stayed in Orlando but Charlotte could be a nice situation as far as pt goes, but then again they got Wallace to resign
Jul.9 at 4:01 am
Greased Up Deaf Guy aka Clay Davis says:
http://www.ntvspor.net/Pages/12492.ASP bootlace, thats great
Jul.9 at 4:02 am
Greased Up Deaf Guy aka Clay Davis says:
they need to have one from wherever darko is from and put jim belushis skeleton on the cover, not darko
Jul.9 at 4:03 am
Greased Up Deaf Guy aka Clay Davis says:
maybe they could have jon belushi holding up jims skeleton
Jul.9 at 4:05 am
Greased Up Deaf Guy aka Clay Davis says:
isiah thomas has signed shawn kemp!!!!
Jul.9 at 4:49 am
Greased Up Deaf Guy aka Clay Davis says:
awvee story plays for the bucks? who knew?
Jul.9 at 4:55 am
Greased Up Deaf Guy aka Clay Davis says:
christopher walken is hicky
Jul.9 at 12:10 pm
Mr. 416 says:
@Gii… that’s a good question I’d pick Darko.
K.Browne just seems too fragile, so he’s a good fit out in LA with all those other butter soft egos. Discuss……
Jul.10 at 5:15 pm
Bob says:
Hahahaha, Darko will never be an Allstar, he couldnt be out Tony Freakin Battie for a starting job. You couldnt possibly play him 30 to 35 minutes a game unless you start allowing 12 fouls per game. People keep comparing him to Jermaine O’Neal. Jermaine aint that good to begin with and Darko is no Jermaine.
Jul.13 at 11:34 am
tike says:
Darko to the Grizzlies…now i personally would never pay that kid 7mil a year…NEVER!! and if Rashard Lewis is worth 110million then im defintley worth 10