Magic Darko era

This kid could be something special.... when he was on the floor, lal scored only once (kobe) from paint...he's very skilled and if he can handle pressure mentally, he'll be better than Howard...coach Hill is impressed too:
"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."
 
LoungeLizard said:
I think the thread should be titled "Magic Dwight Howard Era, and Darko is along for the ride."

Darko will be a good complimentary player for a while, he will never be THE man. This is clearly Howards team.
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Dwight Howard is clearly a very special player. If Darko pans out (and his style already compliments Howards), Howard and Darko together may become a nightmare for the rest of the league (14 feet of quick, athletic monsters). The fact that Howard would still be a better player, leader, athlete or all three together is irrelevant to me as they are both on some other team.

Unless Orlando really, really wants Corliss and Hart for D&D. ;)
 
I think it is impressive that he is getting 2.25 blocks per game while playing less than 18 minutes in his first 4 games with Orlando.
 
vj9999 said:
I think it is impressive that he is getting 2.25 blocks per game while playing less than 18 minutes in his first 4 games with Orlando.
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Manute Bol: career averages of 18.7 minutes and 3.3 blocks. Now that's impressive.
 
bozzwell said:
He cannot possibly ever live up to the hype (European Garnett) that caused DET to draft him that high, but he will be a good-to-very-good player. The size and quickness, his passing skills and D may get him as far as All Star game or two. So, he will be like last years TC with better offense.

No, I don't think that RA would play him straight away, but yes I think he would be just what the doctor ordered for this Kings team if he keeps up his D.
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In a list of players he was drafted with an All-Star game or two isn't going to cut it.

I've never said Darko is a bad player. I just don't think he'd be ideal for us. He needs to grow up and learn to play. The only way you can do that is minutes. I don't think Miller, Kenny and SAR are the best options for our 4/5 guys (if you look league wide), but I also don't think Darko would play in front of them.

Just like Gerald, who we all knew had talent, has finally started to flourish with the Bobcats. I know the team itself isn't that great, but Gerald is one hell of a talent. Do you think he would have done even marginal things of what he's doing now, sitting on our bench. I highly doubt it.

Gerald has become a defensive monster, leading the league in steals, being a very good rebounder and having a high fg % (cause he dunks alot).

With that being said, Gerald wouldnt' have done much, being 2nd or 3rd string at wing on our bench. If he started, maybe, but then again, we'd have our growing pains.

Darko needs a place where he can start or play 25-30 minutes. The magic give him that. If he does flourish, what a great gamble the Magic made, if he doesn't. Well they drafted him in front of Wade, Melo and Bosh. Yes Wade, Melo and Bosh might have also had to wait in Detroit, but who knows.
 
bozzwell said:
Darko will never be Garnett2, but I am projecting Darko to be Tyson Chandler with better offensive skills and much better passing. ;)
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when Darko develops, KG will be honored to be called a "poor-man's Darko." ;)
 
bigbadred00 said:
In a list of players he was drafted with an All-Star game or two isn't going to cut it.

I've never said Darko is a bad player. I just don't think he'd be ideal for us. He needs to grow up and learn to play. The only way you can do that is minutes. I don't think Miller, Kenny and SAR are the best options for our 4/5 guys (if you look league wide), but I also don't think Darko would play in front of them.

Just like Gerald, who we all knew had talent, has finally started to flourish with the Bobcats. I know the team itself isn't that great, but Gerald is one hell of a talent. Do you think he would have done even marginal things of what he's doing now, sitting on our bench. I highly doubt it.

Gerald has become a defensive monster, leading the league in steals, being a very good rebounder and having a high fg % (cause he dunks alot).

With that being said, Gerald wouldnt' have done much, being 2nd or 3rd string at wing on our bench. If he started, maybe, but then again, we'd have our growing pains.

Darko needs a place where he can start or play 25-30 minutes. The magic give him that. If he does flourish, what a great gamble the Magic made, if he doesn't. Well they drafted him in front of Wade, Melo and Bosh. Yes Wade, Melo and Bosh might have also had to wait in Detroit, but who knows.
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I don't really understand your argument. You seem to be holding Darko up to an impossibly high standard, which can only be justified because you either believe in Darko hype (I never did) or now that he was hyped out so much to get drafted ahead of some super-studs he has to retroactively justify it to "cut it"?!
 
bigbadred00 said:
Just like Gerald, who we all knew had talent, has finally started to flourish with the Bobcats. I know the team itself isn't that great, but Gerald is one hell of a talent. Do you think he would have done even marginal things of what he's doing now, sitting on our bench. I highly doubt it.
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I'm not even sure if the Bobcats are *really* all that bad; I, for one, would love to see them get a string of ten games in a row where their main five players (Knight, Rush, Wallace, Okafor, Brezec) are all healthy... I don't know if they've played three games in a row all season where all five of those guys could go.
 
bozzwell said:
I don't really understand your argument. You seem to be holding Darko up to an impossibly high standard, which can only be justified because you either believe in Darko hype (I never did) or now that he was hyped out so much to get drafted ahead of some super-studs he has to retroactively justify it to "cut it"?!
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Have you read our message board? What other obscure high round draft pick has been talked about on our board that hasn't done well. The guy could be the next Jermaine or the next Kwame, we don't know. Yet, since I guess we have a lot of Serbian fans due to Peja, Darko is going to be different.

Why shouldn't I hold Darko to a higher value than your average Joe. You guys are making him out to be a savior. Have you read this. Oh, in 10 minutes, Darko has 2 points, oh wow. Does average Joe get this debate on this board? This is my point, if he is this good, he should have to hold himself up to the players he was drafted around.

As a partial Grizzles fan and us getting robbed on the Thorpe trade back in the day so that Detroit could draft Darko and some how wasting the pick while Melo was readily available (I know they had Prince) and other more obvious choices, they went with Darko. Darko has never yet proven himself. Yes, he's pretty good defensively, but he hasn't proven himself.

The hype I hear on this board about a guy who has never proved himself enough to get past 4th on the bench even this year at the big man slot in Detroit is not something I would be proud of.

There are a lot of busts in the NBA and I mean alot, why on this board does Darko have to be the savior while there have been too many failures to count when it comes to underutilized draft picks.

Honestly I hope Darko does well, the only really thing I was looking at is he doesn't suit our time needs. I wish him the best, I hope he succeeds and if he doesn't there will always be the comparison to the players Detroit could have had with that pick, just like there are always comparisons to the guys that picked in front of Jordan. This is a very similar draft when it comes to talent.

You have 4 first ballot HOFers in that draft (Hakeem, MJ, Barkley, and Stockton a bunch of solid players (Thorpe, Willis etc) three of which were taken after Bowie. There is always a comparison to the drafters after a guy. Do you think I don't hear on the radio that the Grizzles could have easily had Amare yet they drafted Gooden who was pretty average and then landed Miller (not a bad player). Things like this go on all the time. Darko isn't anything special yet, this board treats him like he's the second coming it seems.
 
Mr. S£im Citrus said:
I'm not even sure if the Bobcats are *really* all that bad; I, for one, would love to see them get a string of ten games in a row where their main five players (Knight, Rush, Wallace, Okafor, Brezec) are all healthy... I don't know if they've played three games in a row all season where all five of those guys could go.
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Injures are definitely telling. I guess they could be maybe a 50% winning team with that team and May being healthy. They have nice young talent. Will see though.
 
bigbadred00 said:
Have you read our message board? What other obscure high round draft pick has been talked about on our board that hasn't done well. The guy could be the next Jermaine or the next Kwame, we don't know. Yet, since I guess we have a lot of Serbian fans due to Peja, Darko is going to be different.

Why shouldn't I hold Darko to a higher value than your average Joe. You guys are making him out to be a savior. Have you read this. Oh, in 10 minutes, Darko has 2 points, oh wow. Does average Joe get this debate on this board? This is my point, if he is this good, he should have to hold himself up to the players he was drafted around.

As a partial Grizzles fan and us getting robbed on the Thorpe trade back in the day so that Detroit could draft Darko and some how wasting the pick while Melo was readily available (I know they had Prince) and other more obvious choices, they went with Darko. Darko has never yet proven himself. Yes, he's pretty good defensively, but he hasn't proven himself.

The hype I hear on this board about a guy who has never proved himself enough to get past 4th on the bench even this year at the big man slot in Detroit is not something I would be proud of.

There are a lot of busts in the NBA and I mean alot, why on this board does Darko have to be the savior while there have been too many failures to count when it comes to underutilized draft picks.

Honestly I hope Darko does well, the only really thing I was looking at is he doesn't suit our time needs. I wish him the best, I hope he succeeds and if he doesn't there will always be the comparison to the players Detroit could have had with that pick, just like there are always comparisons to the guys that picked in front of Jordan. This is a very similar draft when it comes to talent.

You have 4 first ballot HOFers in that draft (Hakeem, MJ, Barkley, and Stockton a bunch of solid players (Thorpe, Willis etc) three of which were taken after Bowie. There is always a comparison to the drafters after a guy. Do you think I don't hear on the radio that the Grizzles could have easily had Amare yet they drafted Gooden who was pretty average and then landed Miller (not a bad player). Things like this go on all the time. Darko isn't anything special yet, this board treats him like he's the second coming it seems.
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The fact that you feel called to action to put things into perspective when "we guys" comment on Darko is something that you need to deal with yourself. The extents to which you are going to in order to make a point that Darko is nobody in NBA terms yet (which nobody has denied, Serbian or otherwise), and these imaginary odes to Darko that you have just made up in order to justify your "indignation" tell me everything I need to know.

So, pretty please, with a Cherry on the top, EOD as far as I am concerned.
 
Resurrecting an old thread. How about Orlando! Beating Pistons last night, haven't lost at home in a while. Only 4 games out of playoffs (not going to make it, but still imressive considering their pre-rade record)

I've been actually recording their games on League Pass , because they have been fun too watch.
 
vj9999 said:
Resurrecting an old thread. How about Orlando! Beating Pistons last night, haven't lost at home in a while. Only 4 games out of playoffs (not going to make it, but still imressive considering their pre-rade record)

I've been actually recording their games on League Pass , because they have been fun too watch.
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When Pedja got traded I thought my Kings pre-game will consist of watching Indy on LP. Not so, Orlando is my new pre-game "routine". Howard/Darko/Nelson are fun to watch. Turkoglu is on fire (so I can even justify following ORL as there is an ex-King factor ;)), and even though he is very erratic, Arroyo can be fun to watch too.
 
I've been into Orlando for most the year, but got into them more when Dooling/Nelson came back, and then Darko/Ariza came in. They're gonna have a nice next season, and future of course.
 
Indeed, saw that game... another good win for Magic. Jameer Nelson and Dwight Howard rocked it. Beat Pistons and Heat in their last two wins.

They're gonna be damn good next season and beyond. Intrigued to watch that.
 
Kings113 said:
They're gonna be damn good next season and beyond. Intrigued to watch that.
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Actually they still have nice chances to get in playoffs this year: they host both Philly and Chicago and outside of game with Spurs can easily win all others. They are 3 games behind Sixers and Bulls, wins in head-to-head games make that two games behind and there's easily two more losses for each of their competition: if I'm correct each faces Washington, NJ(twice for Philly) and Miami. And Orlando will have tie-breakers on both.
 
Oh, that's right, almost forgot about those teams records... that'd be great to see Magic make the climb and get at least the 8th spot. I think they could give Detroit or Miami a run for their money.

Next to the Bulls (and maybe Pacers soon, but I doubt it) Magic would be the team I'd like to see get the 8th spot, Sixers I've been on and off with since March or so.
 
They are a suprising 12-4 in their last 16 games. I think it has more to do with removing Francis than anything else. Darko has played decently but nothing that really is that dramatic. He does block well per game. The reason there winning though is the Francis removal (cancer) and Nelson's excellent play.

As a PG, over the last 2 months, he's shooting 52% from the field and averaging about 5.5 APG and 18 ppg. I also guess Arroyo is playing much better than he did in Detroit and Utah the last 2 seasons.
 
bigbadred00 said:
They are a suprising 12-4 in their last 16 games. I think it has more to do with removing Francis than anything else. Darko has played decently but nothing that really is that dramatic. He does block well per game. The reason there winning though is the Francis removal (cancer) and Nelson's excellent play.

As a PG, over the last 2 months, he's shooting 52% from the field and averaging about 5.5 APG and 18 ppg. I also guess Arroyo is playing much better than he did in Detroit and Utah the last 2 seasons.
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for some reason, the media has been hyping nelson to no end. but at least as much as nelson, hedo's latest form (he is averaging over 20 points a game, for the last 7 i think; his rebound and assist numbers are of course better than nelson's) has been a factor. he seems to have finally settled into a comfortable role within the team. he plays like he is the veteran leader (in a way, he actually is).
 
twocents said:
for some reason, the media has been hyping nelson to no end. but at least as much as nelson, hedo's latest form (he is averaging over 20 points a game, for the last 7 i think; his rebound and assist numbers are of course better than nelson's) has been a factor. he seems to have finally settled into a comfortable role within the team. he plays like he is the veteran leader (in a way, he actually is).
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Well wasn't Hedo playing major minutes before? The only difference now is Francis is gone and Nelson has been playing better on top of getting Darko is pretty much a role player.
 
bigbadred00 said:
Well wasn't Hedo playing major minutes before? The only difference now is Francis is gone and Nelson has been playing better on top of getting Darko is pretty much a role player.
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nope. hedo was on and off the starting lineup, due to hill's unstable health. he never knew how many minutes he would play come next game. that certainly does not translate well into your game.

on the other hand, besides being injured for quite a while, nelson was always getting his share of minutes. but for some reason, media loves him. to tell you the truth, i find his personality somewhere between self confident and arrogant. he has publicly declared himself the leader of the team; that is pretty childish to me. but you have got to submit that despite his height, he will be a solid nba player, probably ala damon stoudamire.
 
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