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You think Darko Milicic hasn’t heard that he’s a colossal bust? You think he hasn’t caught wind of the jokes? Trust me, Darko has heard it all. He knows that his career hasn’t stacked up to the expectations, and that his body of work adds up to a player with limited upside and very little impact on the game.
Yeah, Darko is to the NBA what Vanilla Ice is to rap: A one hit wonder who washed out almost immediately after hitting the bigtime.
But, you know what? Darko, like Ice, is out to reinvent himself. He wants to contribute to a winning team and a winning organization. He wants to do the things that he’s capable of doing, and in the process help his team win a championship.
Hats off to Darko.
Get off his back.
Darko knows he won’t be starting in Boston, and that he’ll be a roll player who likely won’t see regular minutes as a part of Doc Rivers’ rotation. But he’s good with that. As long as he’s able to work hard and stay ready, he knows that he’ll have his opportunities throughout this long grind of a season.
And if he proves that he can be productive, he knows that he has a shot at convincing Doc to utilize him more than originally planned.
I like Darko. I hope it works out. I hope he’s more than just size insurance. I want him to listen to Kevin Garnett and listen well, because KG will do his very best to coach Darko into becoming a better player. Does that mean Darko would magically transform himself into an All-Star? Not even close. Never going to happen.
But if Darko maximizes Darko, then we’ve got a vastly improved player on our hands.
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Darko’s biggest problem was that he was drafted #2. If he had been drafted lower first round or early second round, we’d be talking about what a steal he was. He just never had the chance to develop because so much was expected of him too quickly. I think in the Celtics system, he will have a chance to do well.
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I’m a Darko fan, and I want to see him succeed. I’m still pissed at Dumars, Brown and Saunders for how they handled the situation. Darko should have been much more than this, there is no reason why he shouldn’t have had a similar peak to Marc Gasol.
While I wrote a post spoofing how the internet demonizes Darko and added one-liners in kind, I am a real proponent of this signing. The day before he came aboard, I commented on a blog post that had suggested the Celtics would make a mid-season addition for big-man help. I maintained that no one available now, or at mid-season would be as serviceable as Darko.
There are two Celtics that I think have the widest variance in their possible contributions this season. If Jared Sullinger and Darko Milicic play with energy, passion, and determination, I think they can boost Boston from a playoff team to a first level contender. It is these two players that most make me want to be a ball rack at the training camp practices. I’ll follow them closely in preseason games but I think the litmus test will be how they practice. If they work hard, and I mean all the time; play within themselves; and mesh with their teammates, I see these guys providing an enormous lift in the Celtics’ play. They each provide skills in areas of need. How, and how consistently, they use them can wield a huge influence on the Celtics’ fortunes.
You’re right. Darko has a chance to be a real contributor this season. It’s all up to him; how hard he works and plays will determine whether he plays. Look, he’s got more tools in his bag than Steamer did, and everybody loved Steamer, because you always felt he was giving max effort, and he was a good shot blocker. I think Darko has more talent than Steamer does, so greater upside. It’s all up to him to fulfill it. He’s got a great chance here. I have a feeling that if he plays hard all the time, the fans will love this guy.