When reports first surfaced about the Celtics interest in Darko Milicic, I was prepared to storm the offices on Causeway Street to make my point – Anybody but Darko.
Sure, he’s a big body with p-p-p-otential, but I didn’t want my organization tainted by this laughingstock.
Let’s just say I’m starting to come around. Celtics.com’s Mark D’Amico writes:
“I know what my job is,” Milicic said on Thursday. “I’m not looking to go crazy on offense.”
Milicic’s ability to process that fact is both newsworthy to the basketball world and refreshing to him. He was not brought here to be the No. 2 pick in the draft, as he was on his first five NBA teams. Instead, he was acquired to be an important role player, which seems to be a much more comfortable situation for the largest man on Boston’s roster.
“We’re not asking him to go out and be (Kareem Abdul-) Jabar,” Doc Rivers joked. “We’re just asking him to help us win basketball games, and I think that’s helped him.”
He’s saying and doing all the right things, and he’s even got some personality.
We’ve set the bar very low for a lot of big men; guys like Greg Stiemsma, Ryan Hollins, Patrick O’Bryant, Jermaine O’Neal, etc. Their role was simple – rebound and play some defense. Some were decent, others failed miserably.
We have miles to go before the regular season, but it’s looking like Darko might be the best of that bunch.
Related link: ESPN Boston – Darko settling into his role
Hopefully a bigger and better version of Perkins!
Blasphemy!!
Even if he plays like Perkins I’d be satisfied
if he plays like perkins??? Perk started and never lost a series while he started with the big 4 (at the time)… you better be ELATED if he plays anywhere close to perks level
Um KG+Paul Pierce+Ray closer to their primes had a lot to do with that.
I think he is great. He plays defense, rebounds, sets picks, and passes the ball good.
With rondo and KG offense will come easy.
I don’t know about on the court, but he has had some great quotes off the court so far this year. Should be good reading material if nothing else.
When you see him pass, you know he’s not just a big body
if he averaged 5-6 rebounds a game. He had a great year for us.
REBOUND REBOUND REBOUND
Wow, things really are getting off the rails with the Darko optimism. I can just imagine fans in Detroit, Orlando, Memphis, New York, and Minnesota reading these posts and getting nostalgic.
I saw on nba tv real training camp, Pierce was Raving to C. Lee and Smith about Darko’s ability to pass out of the high post.
All I have to say regarding this headline…
http://www.upworthy.com/malarkify?url=http%3A%2F%2Fredsarmy.com%2F2012%2F10%2F12%2Fim-drinking-the-darko-kool-aid-and-not-gagging%2F
i am still sitting impressed by that sitting swat behind the head by darko against fenerbahce. all these years we have recruited bigs who werent truley 7′ and then said he needs to pack muscle and also had bigs like hollins who doesnt rebound well. stiemsma only blocks but now we have a big who is over 7′ and 270 lbs, passes well, sets screens, doesnt hesitate on the offensive end, though not very successful and rebounds well. if it is flash in the pan i can only blame darko for lack of motivation than skills.
Darko was not asked to be the guy worthy of the #2 pick in Memphis. He was an immature yet serviceable backup center. While he wasn’t making the vet min, Memphis had him at a decent price (3m/year).
I’m a Celtic fan who lives in Memphis (griz are hard not to like). Not sure what his expectations were at other places like Orlando, NY, Min.
Greg Kite 2.0?