Doc Rivers Unsure What to Expect from Darko Milicic

Darko Milicic won’t have the weight of expectations on his shoulders in Boston. Celtics head coach Doc Rivers says that he has no idea what to expect from his new forward. Per the Boston Herald: “Milicic was the second pick of the 2003 draft, the player who went after LeBron James. And Detroit, which picked him, suffered through his 96 career games as a Piston. But as harsh as Milicic’s critics have been, and there are many, none will grade him with a tougher standard than Kevin Garnett, who can either make or break new teammates. ‘It can either make you great or crush you, one of the two,’ C’s coach Doc Rivers said. ‘There isn’t any in between with Kevin, and in a way I like the way he goes about his work, and how he approaches the game. If you are willing to learn, you can only get better playing with Kevin.’ Rivers won’t treat Milicic like a former No. 2 pick. ‘I don’t know (what to expect),’ he said. ‘I like a lot that he has size. What we want Darko to do is fit a role for us, and not push all of these expectations on him that he’s had all of his career. His first concern should be our team, instead of trying to establish himself. It’s the second pick in the draft thing. I think that hurt him over his career. We’ll find out. I’ll tell you if that’s true in January. I hope it’s true.’ If the Celtics do indeed strike gold here, then Milicic’s age will be a bonus. He played his first NBA game at 18, and is still a rather tender 27. The Celtics will be his sixth NBA team.”