Darko Traded

[Cujo]

Pistons get Cato, first-round pick for Darko, Arroyo

The Detroit Pistons gave up on Darko Milicic on Wednesday night, trading the No. 2 pick in the 2003 draft to the Orlando Magic along with Carlos Arroyo for a first-round selection and center Kelvin Cato.

This guy has got the be the biggest flop ever. I can't believe the Pistons are getting a high pick for this guy. I wonder what the Pistons would have recieved if they had taken Melo, Chris Bosh or D-Wade? ... Idiots.

[gashouser27]

Yeah maybe equal to Portland passing on Jordan to take Bowie

What is up with Orlando? Rumors that they will trade Francis

[HatCityEnforcer]

No more Human Victory Cigar? sightings at the Palace anymore...

Ah well, no biggie...Cato will probably be a good fit as Big Ben's backup for the stretch run.

[Neon_Matrix]

If they had taken Chris Bosh, the Raptors would be playing out of Oklahoma right now.

[BCBoy]

Darko no more, the Pistons must be very happy, and I'm sure they wished they would've drafted Bosh instead. Cato an average player but at least he can help the team in the rebound department. I'm still hoping that Darko has a successful career in Orlando, but we'll see.

[HatCityEnforcer]

Besides, the Pistons have a track record of ripping off the Magic in trades (Ben Wallace for Grant Hill anyone? )

[lilgump]

Well theyve had one of the best records in the NBA since drafting him, just because they were so good he didnt get a chance to play. Will be interesting to see how he develops with some more playing time in orlando.

[Korkie]

He is only a bust because the Pistons made him a bust by not playing him, turning him into a punchline and burying him on the bench behind 4 other power forwards and centers. I will grant that he had awesome talent in front of him who won a title but he has never been given a fair shake. Besides ,Darko is only 20 or 21 now. If he came out in the draft this year he would have been the number one pick. The numbers he put up in Europe combined with his skill and potential he showed then were valid enough to pick him number two in an era where europeans are highly regarded. So if you project those numbers he had then over two or three more seasons in Europe he would have been an even bigger prospect.

I am not saying that he would have equaled Bosh's production, but if he was given any sort of regular game time and treated with any kind of respect by Larry Brown I doubt this thread would exist. How can a young kid develop his game at NBA speed if the only action he gets is in practice? The fact is Larry Brown hates young players and will only play them when he has no other choice (like in NY). That combined with the fact that he has become nothing but a punchline before he ever had any chance to prove himself on any legit level had to weigh heavily on his confidence. He still has every chance to put up all-star numbers for the next 15 years with regular playing time and using all the expenence he gained while practicing with and being around championship caliber players. IF that happens he will not be looked at as a bust, but as a guy who needed a change of scenery. Who knows, maybe Darko will be getting the last laugh.

[gashouser27]

I kind of agree with that..

If the Pistons had taken Anthony at #2 then Darko would have gone to Denver and maybe have done well there and Brown would have buried Anthony on the bench.

[rebelx]

If they had drafted Carmelo, I don't think Larry Brown would have buried him on the bench... Anthony was much more NBA-ready in his first season than Darko was, and chances are he would have seen some playing time with Detroit, especially because his position wasn't as crowded on their roster, as I recall.

I know Darko hasn't been given a lot of playing time. But I'm still a little skeptical about him, given that in the time he's had on the floor, he hasn't exactly looked spectacular or anything. He might be a good player, but not necessarily one who was worthy of being picked No. 2 overall.

[VitaminD]

If they had drafted Carmelo, I don't think Larry Brown would have buried him on the bench... Anthony was much more NBA-ready in his first season than Darko was, and chances are he would have seen some playing time with Detroit, especially because his position wasn't as crowded on their roster, as I recall.

You can bet your paycheck Larry Brown would've sat 'Melo. Larry Brown hates youth. Always has, always will. He buried Darko, and he buried LeBron James AND 'Melo in Athens on the way to underachieving to the bronze. It didn't matter who the Pistons drafted - Bosh, Darko, 'Melo - they would have gotten the same minimal playing time in Detroit. That he won the title this way only reinforces the idea in his mind that this is "playing (and coaching) the right way".

Additionally... it's hard to call Darko a flop when no one on this side of the Atlantic has seen him play, and he has never had the chance to develop against NBA competition. He gets an "incomplete" on my report card until he actually gets some meaningful time on the court to develop and adjust to the NBA. Agewise, he's barely out of high school if he were an American kid, and the Association drafts on potential over instant impact.

[DEAD!]

Darko to new teammates: See this? It's an NBA Championship ring

[NJTank]

I dont think its fair to call Darko a bust he never got any playing time. Give him a year or two of playing regurally and then decide weatehr or not he is a bust. I predict he goes to Orlando and does pretty good.

[paynomind]

I dont think its fair to call Darko a bust he never got any playing time. Give him a year or two of playing regurally and then decide weatehr or not he is a bust. I predict he goes to Orlando and does pretty good.

Tank is absolutely right, and DirtyCunty is flamboyant and wrong.

Good wins over evil.

[Cujo]

I dont think its fair to call Darko a bust he never got any playing time. Give him a year or two of playing regurally and then decide weatehr or not he is a bust. I predict he goes to Orlando and does pretty good.

Tank is absolutely right, and DirtyCunty is flamboyant and wrong.

Good wins over evil.

Get back with me in five years when Darko is back playing in Russia or wherever he's from.

And if Darko is so great, then tell me why is Detroit giving up on him already.

[Starchild]

It's a good trade for both sides.

Detroit dumps Darko who wasn't (and should not) get burn over the Wallaces and Dice. Meanwhile Detroit gets Cato who theyre turning around and trying to ship off for a point guard. Even if they don't get a point guard, Cato is more valuable to the Pistons than Darko simply because the Pistons needed some more depth, and Cato is an upgrade in that department over Darko in this stage of their careers. Darko is a project, and should be in a place like Orlando where he can get regular playing time and develop naturally.

Orlando upgrades big time, getting a young big man like Darko to try and develop next to the beast that is Dwight Howard. They also get a good point guard in Arroyo while Jameer Nelson is out.

As for the "bust", I agree with Tank. Give him regular playing time next to a guy like Dwight Howard, and lets see what he can do. If he can't produce there, then he's a bust. People forget, Jermaine O'Neal was in the exact same situation in Portland... high schooler buried on the bench, traded to Indiana, and boom, he's a superstar. Let's see what the kid can do.

[fiasco!]

i've given this a day to think about and i gotta say....joe d. made out like a bandit. cato is a serviceable backup and to get a top ten pick in a very deep draft for milicic (who i don't view as a bust at all...just nowhere to fit on the team) is a great deal. even if the magic finish in the bottom five, we get their first pick in the '08 draft, unconditionally. not too shabby.

arroyo was expendible the minute lindsey hunter came back from injury. clearing cap room by getting rid of carlos and darko will help us re-sign big ben and chauncey, therefore keeping our core intact. again, not too shabby.

who's to say if we drafted carmelo, that he would have meshed with this team? i, for one, don't think he would have been the right player for the style of basketball the pistons play.

i hope darko does well in orlando, he'll sure get the playing time to try to prove himself. he seems to have a good head on his shoulders and definitely has the skills to play the game.

[HowBoutThemFins]

A bust is Kawme Brown. A bust is Olawokandi. Darko hasn't even had the chance to play.