Darko Milicic loves hamburgers

[celticsclay]

I thought this was pretty funny. Darko used to throw down hamburgers in the locker room before the knicks games because he knew he wouldn't play. Its a pretty funny image to me. Man I cant help but wish we could get him working with KG and Cliff Ray. The combination of those two would probably make him a solid backup. I know a lot of people think he is horrible, and maybe he is, but you have to admit he hasn't been put in the best positions with most of the franchises he has been with.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/wolves/86040682.html

[LarBrd33]

he can block shots. 

I think working with Cliff Ray and KG would definitely help the guy's career, but I have a feeling with Darko it's a personality thing.  He's a headcase.

[Change]

We can use his length right now. How many years before Baby is gone? All that cash in the offseason, and he is still fat.

Darko is same age as Rondo. And Rondo is no where near his full potential. Darko still raw but the potential is still there. It would interesting if Ainge can convince him to stay in the NBA and work with KG, Sheed, and Cliff Ray. That's priceless right there. I know Doc would love having a shot blocker inside.

[celticsclay]

Has Danny ever expressed interest in Darko? If swift captivated him for years, I can only imagine what he thinks of Darko.

[cornbreadsmart]

i love darko as a character. he would be the last dude i'd mess with in the league after where he grew up and the stuff he threatened to do to a ref and his family after a euro game. absolutely hysterical. love this crazy dude!! hamburgers in the locker room? hahahaa. awesome.

[moiso]

He really looked like he was coming on a few years ago in Orlando.  I'd have to say that I agree he's a headcase.  With a different mentality he would be a pretty nice starting center.  Doesn't look like that's going to happen now.

[Lucky17]

I think he came into the league thinking he'd be a high-profile, scoring big man. A first or second scoring option on a team. When teams wanted him to focus on defense, rebounding, and dirty work, he didn't like it.

Unless he comes to a sudden realization/change of heart (and ego) in the next couple of months, I don't expect him in the league next season.

[hpantazo]

I think Dumars killed this guy's NBA career by taking him at #2 over Melo, DWade, and Bosh. Heck, the same Dumars went on to trade Billups so that he could clear cap space to sign Ben Gordon and Villanueva, and he was executive of the year? Anyway, I think Darko can be a solid player in a good program (like the celtics) but will never be good enough to make himself happy by living up to his own expectations. Let him go back to europe.

[Lucky17]

I think Dumars killed this guy's NBA career by taking him at #2 over Melo, DWade, and Bosh. Heck, the same Dumars went on to trade Billups so that he could clear cap space to sign Ben Gordon and Villanueva, and he was executive of the year? Anyway, I think Darko can be a solid player in a good program (like the celtics) but will never be good enough to make himself happy by living up to his own expectations. Let him go back to europe.

This is the second (Thabeet) recent post I've seen where a GM has been blamed for ruining a player's career for drafting him too high.

I don't understand that logic. If anyone killed Darko's career, it was Larry Brown.

[PLamb]

How the drafting of Darko Milicic didn't cost Joe Dumars his job is still one of the great mysteries in the NBA over the last ten years

Of course, five years from now the same might be being said about signing Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva

[hpantazo]

I think Dumars killed this guy's NBA career by taking him at #2 over Melo, DWade, and Bosh. Heck, the same Dumars went on to trade Billups so that he could clear cap space to sign Ben Gordon and Villanueva, and he was executive of the year? Anyway, I think Darko can be a solid player in a good program (like the celtics) but will never be good enough to make himself happy by living up to his own expectations. Let him go back to europe.

This is the second (Thabeet) recent post I've seen where a GM has been blamed for ruining a player's career for drafting him too high.

I don't understand that logic. If anyone killed Darko's career, it was Larry Brown.

at a young age, when you come in knowing you need to work your tail off to improve your game and earn a place in the league, you come in with the mindset needed to succeed. If you come in as the #2 pick and you were totally hyped in your home country, you come in thinking that the team owes you shots, playing time, etc. and you are a gift to them, you come in with the mindset to fail. Simple as that. Very few guys chosen in the top 5 are actually good enough to live up to the hype, but very few are bad enough to get crushed by expectations, and Darko is one of them.

[Lucky17]

I think Dumars killed this guy's NBA career by taking him at #2 over Melo, DWade, and Bosh. Heck, the same Dumars went on to trade Billups so that he could clear cap space to sign Ben Gordon and Villanueva, and he was executive of the year? Anyway, I think Darko can be a solid player in a good program (like the celtics) but will never be good enough to make himself happy by living up to his own expectations. Let him go back to europe.

This is the second (Thabeet) recent post I've seen where a GM has been blamed for ruining a player's career for drafting him too high.

I don't understand that logic. If anyone killed Darko's career, it was Larry Brown.

at a young age, when you come in knowing you need to work your tail off to improve your game and earn a place in the league, you come in with the mindset needed to succeed. If you come in as the #2 pick and you were totally hyped in your home country, you come in thinking that the team owes you shots, playing time, etc. and you are a gift to them, you come in with the mindset to fail. Simple as that. Very few guys chosen in the top 5 are actually good enough to live up to the hype, but very few are bad enough to get crushed by expectations, and Darko is one of them.

So, even though Darko lacked the requisite work ethic and drive to live up to the expectations of being #2, he'd not have been a bust had he been picked 10 slots lower?

[moiso]

I don't blame any of his coaches or Dumars.  The guy should have come into the league and kept working and eventually his chance would come.  Nobody should be handed anything.  When he finally got his chance he played pretty well for a year then fell off the face of the earth.  I put all the blame on the player himself.  D'antoni was excited to get the guy and apparently Darko didn't do anything to earn minutes.  I think he's a lazy guy.

[moiso]

I think Dumars killed this guy's NBA career by taking him at #2 over Melo, DWade, and Bosh. Heck, the same Dumars went on to trade Billups so that he could clear cap space to sign Ben Gordon and Villanueva, and he was executive of the year? Anyway, I think Darko can be a solid player in a good program (like the celtics) but will never be good enough to make himself happy by living up to his own expectations. Let him go back to europe.

This is the second (Thabeet) recent post I've seen where a GM has been blamed for ruining a player's career for drafting him too high.

I don't understand that logic. If anyone killed Darko's career, it was Larry Brown.

at a young age, when you come in knowing you need to work your tail off to improve your game and earn a place in the league, you come in with the mindset needed to succeed. If you come in as the #2 pick and you were totally hyped in your home country, you come in thinking that the team owes you shots, playing time, etc. and you are a gift to them, you come in with the mindset to fail. Simple as that. Very few guys chosen in the top 5 are actually good enough to live up to the hype, but very few are bad enough to get crushed by expectations, and Darko is one of them.

So, even though Darko lacked the requisite work ethic and drive to live up to the expectations of being #2, he'd not have been a bust had he been picked 10 slots lower?

I'd say any player picked in the top 25 that plays himself out of the league in a few years is a bust, right?

[Lucky17]

I think Dumars killed this guy's NBA career by taking him at #2 over Melo, DWade, and Bosh. Heck, the same Dumars went on to trade Billups so that he could clear cap space to sign Ben Gordon and Villanueva, and he was executive of the year? Anyway, I think Darko can be a solid player in a good program (like the celtics) but will never be good enough to make himself happy by living up to his own expectations. Let him go back to europe.

This is the second (Thabeet) recent post I've seen where a GM has been blamed for ruining a player's career for drafting him too high.

I don't understand that logic. If anyone killed Darko's career, it was Larry Brown.

at a young age, when you come in knowing you need to work your tail off to improve your game and earn a place in the league, you come in with the mindset needed to succeed. If you come in as the #2 pick and you were totally hyped in your home country, you come in thinking that the team owes you shots, playing time, etc. and you are a gift to them, you come in with the mindset to fail. Simple as that. Very few guys chosen in the top 5 are actually good enough to live up to the hype, but very few are bad enough to get crushed by expectations, and Darko is one of them.

So, even though Darko lacked the requisite work ethic and drive to live up to the expectations of being #2, he'd not have been a bust had he been picked 10 slots lower?

I'd say any player picked in the top 25 that plays himself out of the league in a few years is a bust, right?

Absolutely. I'm arguing that drafting him at #2 wasn't what turned him into a bust. It was his failure to change his preconceived notions of his career path and do what his coaches wanted him to.