Darko showing signs that 'bust' label may fade soon
In the coming months, after the United States has finished its routine at the world championships, the focus of the NBA world will turn back to the regular season. When it does, you can count on one prevailing theme:
The class of 2003.
You know who I'm talking about. There's LeBron James and his quest to become the NBA's youngest MVP. There's his draft sidekick, Carmelo Anthony, who is trying to keep up with the Jameses while helping his Nuggets gain a foothold in the brutal West. There's Dwyane Wade, who in the eyes of many has leapfrogged James as the world's premier player, complete with a ring to back it up. And there's Chris Bosh, who doesn't have the same individual or team accolades as the aforementioned trio but has the intrigue of captaining Bryan Colangelo's latest reclamation project, in Toronto.
In addition to that quartet there's Kirk Hinrich, T.J. Ford and Chris Kaman, each ready (or close to being ready) to take his place among the elite. Yet with all this burgeoning talent, perhaps the most interesting story line of '06-07 will involve the player many consider the biggest draft disappointment in years: Darko Milicic.
Play a little word association with "Darko" and what you end up with isn't pretty. Flop. Bust. Sam Bowie. A 3.0-point career scoring average will do that to you. He has become the poster boy for all that can go wrong for a European player in the NBA.
His start in Detroit certainly left him at a disadvantage. Borderline All-Stars would have had trouble cracking the rotation of Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess, but opportunities, however rare, did exist. Still, in '04 Milicic found himself unable to unseat the likes of Corliss Williamson, Elden Campbell or the immortal Zeljko Rebraca (insert derogatory comment about Larry Brown here). And in '05 Darko averaged fewer minutes per game than the diminishing Campbell. Before Detroit traded him to Orlando last season for Kelvin Cato, Milicic had become a long-standing source of frustration for the organization.
The question, as he begins his first full campaign with the Magic, is no longer whether he can earn the elite status held by James, Anthony, Wade and Bosh. At this point that's a fairy tale; Milicic is not even in the company of Hinrich. The question is whether Darko can play at all.
He showed signs of life at the end of last season. Buoyed by increased minutes, Milicic posted double-figure scoring nights in five of his last six games in the regular season and morphed into a powerful shot-blocker. As he developed a comfort level with Dwight Howard (who has begrudgingly accepted the move to center), Darko helped to transform the Magic from floundering lottery team to borderline playoff contender, winning nine of their last 13.
Additionally, Milicic now has a coach, Brian Hill, who developed Shaquille O'Neal in Orlando, and a new assistant in John Kuester who coached Darko in Detroit for two seasons and knows what the 21-year-old went through.
The Magic should boast a lineup talented enough to do the heavy lifting while still affording Milicic minutes and shots. And on top of all else, Darko will be playing for a new contract, the ultimate motivator for NBA players.
With the support system in place, is Milicic willing to work hard enough to make last season's late blossoming a starting point for better days ahead? If the world championships are any indicator, there might be hope in the Magic Kingdom. In a statement game against Argentina last week, Darko poured in 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds in Serbia and Montenegro's 83-64 exhibition pasting of the Olympic gold medalists. One game doesn't tell a story, but it's certainly a good start.
So embrace the class of '03, the group that has already taken the torch from the tattooed but never toned down ensemble led by Allen Iverson. Just don't forget about Milicic. In the coming years, he could move to the forefront.
