Darko Explodes; Grizzlies Unhappy with Rant
Apparently, Darko Milicic has a temper. Photo Courtesy of pinnaclehoops.com
Darko Milicic, the newest Memphis Grizzlies' big man acquisition, was, let's say, upset at the recent officiating in the Eurobasket Tournament, being held in Spain. His rant has become instant internet legend already and is quickly becoming the scariest and most shocking thing that I've ever heard from someone that once had unnaturally dyed hair.
Zach Harper has the full rant and translation here.
Darko Gives Pau a Hand
By Zach Harper
The Memphis Grizzlies looked like an up and coming franchise up until last season. They won 144 games over the 3 seasons spanning from 2003 to 2006. They had a man who some determine to be a great young player in Pau Gasol.
Let me give you a little hint- Pau Gasol isn’t a franchise player. Pau isn’t a star. Pau isn’t a great player. Pau is simply a big man that has plenty of skill but not enough to lead a team and dominate.
So when you try and build a team around him, you better have a lot of really good role players. Last season, the Grizzlies did not. They have a lot of players that could develop into good role players, but they aren’t there yet. Last season due to injuries, Mike Miller had to be the main man for more than half the season until Pau Gasol was not only back but also in shape. Pau’s two best big man teammates were Hakim Warrick and Stromile Swift that combined for 20.5 points and 9.7 rebounds.
That isn’t terrible production. In fact anytime anyone is combined with Stromile Swift and can get to those numbers, that’s pretty damn good. But it isn’t good enough for two men to combine for to make Pau Gasol and effective first option. The Griz needed another big man and this off-season, when the opportunity suddenly sprung up; they took full advantage of it.
What’s Wrong with Darko Milicic?
In a word: nothing.
Darko Milicic is a pretty decent player. In fact, he’s really good for his age and experience level. Last season, he averaged 8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1,8 blocks per game. He only played 23.9 minutes per game. A great way to measure a player’s effectiveness when he’s playing around 20-25 minutes per game is to check out his statistics per 40 minutes.
Darko Milicic per 40 minutes
Yr |
Team |
G |
FG% |
FT% |
OREB |
DREB |
REB |
BLK |
PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
06-07 |
ORL |
80 |
.454 |
.613 |
3.0 |
6.1 |
9.1 |
2.9 |
13.4 |
Those are pretty impressive numbers for a 22-year old big man. A similar big man’s numbers per 40 minutes when he was 22 are 15.9 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game.
You know who that player is? Vlade Divac, one of the most underappreciated big men of the 90’s.
Would that be a bad result to the Darko era? To end up like Vlade Divac?
The reason that Darko is still looked at as a joke is that he was picked before Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. Is that Darko’s fault? No matter how good or bad he ends up, shouldn’t the bad feelings towards his career be directed at Joe Dumars instead of Darko?
Darko Milicic is a good basketball player and a good NBA big man for a 22-year old. He has yet to have an opportunity to showcase his abilities on the offensive end. He was stuck either under Larry Brown’s refusal to play rookies, behind Rasheed Wallace and the rest of Detroit’s big men, or in Brian Hill’s anemic offense in Orlando.
Darko Signs with Memphis
When the Orlando Magic decided to overpay Rashard Lewis, they had to renounce the restricted free agent rights to Darko, which allowed him to control his fate as an unrestricted free agent. By depleting their frontcourt in hopes of signing a $126 million spot-up shooter, they let a very promising big man go.
New GM Chris Wallace actually decided that he would wait to kill Memphis’ future next summer and realized that signing Darko to put next to Pau Gasol would give them a good young frontcourt that could protect the rim and rebound. He swooped in and offered more than the mid-level exception, which was more than most other teams could offer.
At 3 years, $21 million, it was the best of both worlds for both player and franchise. It’s short enough and cap-friendly enough that Memphis will be able to evaluate Darko as he grows into a much better player. They’ll still have plenty of flexibility in their payroll to be able to offer their young players contract extensions.
For Darko, it will make him a free agent when he’s 25 years old, which will be the time he begins to enter his prime. At the rate he’s progressing, he’ll probably earn close to a max contract for that off-season, whether it’s from Memphis or a team desperate for size.
How the Roster Looks Now
At the guard positions, the Grizzlies are stacked with firepower. They have rookie, Mike Conley Jr., who will inject a lot of speed, energy, and playmaking ability into Memphis’ new up-tempo offense. He’ll have Kyle Lowry and Damon Stoudamire backing him up. Lowry will be able to keep the pace up when Conley sits down and Damon will provide plenty of scoring off the bench. Mike Miller and Tarence Kinsey will provide plenty of good shooting, solid defense, and playmaking ability also. Miller is becoming one of the best shooters in the league and Tarence Kinsey has added a fantastic mid-range jumper to his repertoire. They also have recently signed Casey Jacobsen to be another outside weapon for Memphis.
At the forward positions, they have Rudy Gay who is really emerging as one of the top young wing players in the league. He has improved his offensive game immensely and has the athleticism and ability to become a lockdown defender. Hakim Warrick had a breakthrough year last season. He has the body of a 3 and the skill set of a 4. He was able last season to utilize that makeup and turn it into a tough match-up for everybody else in the league. They also have Brian Cardinal as a do it all, intangibles type of player that they were lacking after trading away Shane Battier. Cardinal provides a little more outside shooting and a little less defense. Stromile Swift continues to be an albatross and a frustration for Grizzlies’ fans. He’s an uber-athletic big man that should be dominating this league and instead has been one of the biggest busts in NBA history. They just recently signed Andre Brown, a big man that spent part of last season in Seattle.
At the center position, Pau and Darko provide a very versatile combination that when placed together will do a fantastic job of protecting the rim and rebounding of defense. This allows Swift and Warrick to not play out of position and gives the Grizzlies more depth.
Overall, the Grizzlies under new head coach, Marc Iavaroni, will be able to push the ball and play a highly entertaining, highly effective brand of basketball. The Darko signing gives them not only versatility for this season but tons of options to explore in the future.
Grade: A
Photo Courtesy of ESPN.com