"I told John Hammond yesterday, 'Make no mistake, we're going to look up and see some 18-point, 10-rebound, four-block nights from Darko at some point,' " Dumars said.

I think that he will be a solid big next year and possibly the year after that, but either that second year or the third, he will break out and become a monster. It will take a little while for he and Dwight to divide up the chores but they should work well together. Grant Hill is there to help, and they have a guy coming over from Euro that everybody seems to think will work in well. With Carlos there, it should help, too.

The rest of this year will be spent getting acquainted withe the system but he still should average 8-12 points, 6 boards, 4 assists, 3 blocks, and a couple of TOs because he will pass when he should shoot at times and his teammates will be expecting him to shoot. Probably have 3 fouls a game, too, but seldom foul out.

Saw a nice video on the Orlando site of the Darko jam over Zo.

i think you're crazy. i'll take a stab, and say if he plays 30 mins a game he'll average 7 points, 4 boards, 1 assist, 2 blocks, 3.5 turnovers, and 4.5 fouls

Since D Howard is such a strong rebounder, I don't think Darko's boards will be very impressive. Sheed and Ben operate that way too.

Assists will be tough with Francis around. Darko better look to score and block shots.

I really hope he does get 30 mpg so that we can finally see his true character... good or bad.

Yep, I've got him penciled in for about 8 points, 4 boards, 2 blocks, and 3 fouls if he gets regular playing time. But, you know, I wouldn't be at all surprised if the numbers fluctuate significantly in either direction.


It will be interesting to see whether or not they start him immediately.
They may as well have Battie come off the bench right from jump. They have a chance in hell of making the playoffs...so put the boy in.

I wonder how the Orlando players feel about all of this?

It is such a relief to be able to say this.

WHO CARES?

Ok, I feel better now.

I'll start watching and following Darko when he begs Joe to bring him back to Detroit for a shot at a title...

__________________
Momma was queen of the mambo, Poppa was king of the congo, deep down in the jungle, I start banging my first bongo
Every monkey like to be, in my place instead of me, cause I'm the king of bongo baby, I'm the king of bongo bong
-Manu Chao

Or when in three years, Joe trades Ben, Sheed, and Dyce for Darko to come back and win a title !!

Just joshin' witcha, Micro!!

BUT . . . .

In three years, We'll be watching Amir Johnson, Jason Maxiell and our 2007 first round pick along with the replacements for Dice/Davis.

Life goes on without Darko. The vibe I get across the internet from Pistons fans is that the Darko trade is like a weight being lifted off. It's ok to talk about the 4 guys in the All-Star game, and to be proud of that.

Besides, DMC might not like Orlando in a year or two. Heck, he might be moving again. He's got a massive contract coming up, and whether he plays well or not, he 'll get paid. I wonder if Orlando will be able to afford him good or bad. The Pistons couldn't.

__________________
Momma was queen of the mambo, Poppa was king of the congo, deep down in the jungle, I start banging my first bongo
Every monkey like to be, in my place instead of me, cause I'm the king of bongo baby, I'm the king of bongo bong
-Manu Chao

Just how greedy do you think Darko can/will be, Laker greedy like Shaq? If so he'd have to be one badddd playa!
TayS I think you're right, he better learn to throw it down. It took Sheed years to develope his tre shot. Darko better learn the "washing machine".

The big question from Orlando's point of view isn't how Darko will do. It's how Howard will do. Darko likes to pass and he's already better at it than anybody on their team except Nelson and Hill. Expect Howard's shot attempts and ppg to increase significantly.