Darko/Arroyo or the pick?

Darko does not equate to Pitbull

Who said anything about Ron Artest?

After this series, especially the 4th quarter. I can't imagine anyone thinking we won on this pick. But, I have a solution for how we can.

After letting Orlando train Darko for a year, we sign Darko back in a sign-and-trade.

Dead serious, Darko and JJ for Rip. We get to match Darko with Sheed. Those two would be unstoppable. Tay and Delfino play the 2/3 interchangibly, which would create matchup problems against almost every team. And JJ comes in as that sweet shooting spot shooter that Flip craves.

The team would immediately be better defensively. Better rebounding. Younger And as good a shooter as Rip is, with the offense run through Darko and Sheed, we'd be an even better shooting team. And we'd have a bench of Flip, Amir, JJ, JMax, Acker/Blaylock, and the pick.

Here's the problem with that. Orlando wants Chauncey, not Rip. What are they going to do with another perimeter shooter without someone to get him ball?

I hear what you're saying though. But the well was poisoned on this one. Darko has bad memories of the city, the coach, the organization, the media, and the fans. I'm guessing he would rather play Euro ball full-time than come back here. I'm not saying he should feel all this ill will, just that he probably does.

Reddick would be a nice pick-up though.

Obviously, this won't happen. But I think it would be a good idea. Rip seems to have peaked, and I think he is at his most valuble in terms of trade bait. After signing CB, this team is not going to have many options in upgrading this team, other than a trade.

And I think Darko showed that he may not be a Bosh, but he does have the potential to be a pretty good Center. And good centers aren't cheap.

As for JJ, he doesn't have to play good D. With Flip's zone, his lack of D can be covered by the other players. His ability to knock down the open shot, off the bench, would mesh perfectly with Flips O.

If C-Webb signs elsewhere or retires, we would be right back at Sq. 1.

DD's not coming back; Darko's already outperforming Dice (who could conceivably opt out of his final year for a longer contract elsewhere); and next up on the depth chart are Nazr "cement gloves" Mohammed, Jason "6-5" Maxiell, and Amir "178 pounds" Johnson.

If Detroit were willing to offer the full MLE and he didn't get offers from any other team in the NBA or comparable compensation from a Euroleague team, he would be our starting center next year.

Does this sounds like a guy who would be a good fit for the Pistons?

from the Orlando Sentinel

Darko's not staying. He's pretty much demanded trade me or play me. Orlando will do a sign and trade for GHills replacement. Pretty dumb, IMHO, they need a point guard, a head coach, and a bigman coach for Dwight. With the amount of turnovers he commits, poor fts, and complete lack of a post up game, he'll never be deserving of the "max" paycheck he's getting. And, no I'm not smoking anything, but considering Darko's offensive skills, passing abilities, and basketball IQ (I guess LB did teach him something), he's probably a better go to option, now, than DHo.

Obviously, if Dwight can develop the barest minimum of a postup move, control the TO's, and hit at least 60% of ft, his upside is much much higher. But now, he's just a human dunking/rebounding machine.

The good news is, Orlando will be in the lottery, and they have some good players that Joe might be able to steal as they panic to build around Dwight.

16...I'm glad to see you finally give LB some credit for Darko's development. All signs that I've seen point to Orlando matching any offer for Darko. Not too many teams with the ability to sign him.

In Dwight's defense, he does have a little Shaq-like shot put shot that he can make with either hand.

Also, he has decent footwork and is quick enough to "drive" around defenders, even though they are already both in the paint.


And thirdly, the guy dunks from places that other big need need finesse from.

Still, he really is in trouble when his defender doesn't give ground... ala Sheed.

I think it's admirable that Magic fans know their place.

No coach should ever be fired if a majority of his fellow head coaches don't support the firing.

I'm thinking that maybe they should wait until after the playoffs to choose the recipients of all these awards, MVP/ DPOY/ COY, etc.

Is Mitchell coaching like the coach of the year right now? What adjustments has he made?

Is Dirk playing like the MVP?

This is all that matters, not the regular season.

b. hill is very big in the orlando community. the true basketball fans probably got outvoted by the retirees. i bet 90% of all pistons fans think b. hill needs to get fired for his coaching job this season.

i won't give lb any credit for darko's basketball iq. he's a smart player and he always knew how to play basketball. he was the one throwing lobs, blocking shots, making the right pass and being unselfish right from the start. lb hurt darko's game more than anybody involved with basketball.

darko should be the # 1 option on the magic. he's an inside outside threat to score. he's not a turnover machine like dwight. if he makes a turnover it's usually when he's being too unselfish. when darko misses a shot it's usually because he isn't sure if his coach will approve of it. darko being the # 1 option on the team will do wonders for darko's confidence and game. the biggest benefit of darko being the # 1 option would be the explosion in production from dwight. darko opens things up for him and actually looks for dwight more than himself.

Are you saying that retirees are not true basketball fans?

I think bball jay is being a little harsh when he says that retirees aren't real basketball fans. We may even have some retirees in this forum who would like to chime in here...I know a lot of them go to bed early so they might miss some games but a lot of them probably tape the games and watch them when they get up in the morning.