What kind of player will Darko be...now that the Pistons aren't blocking his hog

"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?

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 . . . .

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.

That's why I'm thinking he'll avg. Double Digits Assists. He could be as good as BBen in the Blocks and Steals cat., all that came natural.

lol double-digit assist average? did i miss the sarcasm or were you being serious?

Watch and learn Hog. I think when I start my "Truth about Darko punishment thread" you'll be first on the Rack.
I'll research all the wrongful qoutes about Darko and make you all gag on them.

i'm not really following you. but i asked about the double-digit assists. apparently you weren't kidding, which is fairly amazing in that you believe darko (or any center) could average more assists than every player in the league (save 1 or 2 MVP-candidate point gurds)

Darko will never average 10 assists, however he will have his share of 10 assist games. I think Darko may have more double-doubles from point/assists than point/boards. The scary thing about Darko is that does not need to score or have the ball in his hands to be effective on offense.

"The Orlando Magic quickly reversed the ball from one side of the court to the other, catching the Houston defense out of position and setting up Darko Milicic for an open 15-foot jump shot."

"But just as the ball hit Milicic's hands, it suddenly headed in another direction. Without him even looking, Milicic's touch pass ended up in the hands of Magic center Dwight Howard, who finished with a dunk."

"Even after the first practice with us, you could tell that he just has such a great feel for the game," Magic coach Brian Hill gushed. "It's those types of plays where he sees how the defense is reacting and he's thinking one play ahead. He knows what the play is going to be, even before the ball gets to him.

"That's priceless. Some guys you can explain it and show them on tape all year long and they never get it. Others just see it and react instinctively."

If, and this is a huge if, Darko plays up to his hype, he will be 7 foot combo of AK and Dirk, leading the league in triple doubles.

Don't forget the quadruple double. This rare, but venerable statistic will make its sweet return in 2007, courtesy of the Serbian Gangsta. He will play up to his talent, fired by urge to make so many, glassy-eyed detractors curl up into a fecal (sic) position and whiff the fetid smell of their past errors.

I think Orlando will re-sign Darko (or they really look stupid)... so we may assume that Darko will be paired with Howard for a lot of years... Dwight will dominate the boards (much like Ben over Sheed)... and Howard will be the goto guy ... ever compare this 20 year olds muscles to Darko's?... this cat is a guided missile when it comes to conditioning for success.

I think Howard will draw a lot of double teams and Darko will get the benefit of put backs (if he ain't floating on the perimeter like Sheed).
Predictions by year three with Orlando...
13PPG... 6 rebs... 3 assist... 2.5 blks...52% shooting.
Sounds good but I think he'll give up way too many open looks on defense while he's resting on the court.... blocks will not translate to good defense.

fecal position

Three blocks avg. is phenomenal. He may want to own that stat. I'll back off my DDA and go to 4 block avg.

I like the Octagonal double - That is when you watch a game 4 times in which a player had a double double.