The NBA Draft

Milicic is almost certain to get picked by the Pistons, although publicly Dumars is saying that they're gonna wait till they work out Melo. Milicic is supposed to be a total freak... 7'2", more skilled and athletic than Nowitzski, with amazing post moves and a sweet outside shot (he's getting a lot of comparisions to Garnett). Plus, he's not 20, he's 17! A lot GMs think that he's going to be a better player in the NBA than Lebron.

Starting lineup for the 2003-4 Pistons = Billups, Hamilton, Prince, Wallace (moving to PF), and Milicic in the middle... with Okur, Williamson, Atkins and Robinson coming off the bench. Milicic might not start at the beginning of the year if he's really raw, but from what I've read about that private workout yesterday, he could start right now.

He's talking smack about LeBron already.

Lebron... man. He was asked last night about how people go away to college to get away from home and to find themselves, and if it will hurt him staying in Ohio. His answer was, "No, I did a lot of traveling in high school. So I think I'm ready."

Poor kid. I really hope the Cavs hire Van Gundy or Silas to help him out. He's obviously got the physical skills, he just needs to have really, really good people around him. At least EVERYONE in the NBA knows this and will be making sure it happens.

Anyway, Lebron will be a BUSTBUSTBUSTBUST. NO leadership on the Cavs. Wut, Dujuan Wagner & Darius Miles are gonna learn him???

I'm glad for the Pistons. I gots no idea what to expect from Darko, but at least he'll enter a system where not that much is expected of him.

And what the fuck's up with the Central Michigan center being projected to go No. 4?!?!? Doesn't anyone remember BIG COUNTRY REEVES or GREG FUCKING OSTERTAG??!?! Tall American honkies suck!

You're 7'2", dude. Jump or some shit.

Shaq is def. on the downswing. There was a good Page 2 article last week saying Shaq's too fat and he's become shitty, etc., etc.

Yao needs to hang with his fellow Houstonian Ken Caminiti! He'll beef up right quick!

They always say these SWGs are athletic and have good "court vision" and are "floor leaders" which is all code for, "Yeah this dude sucks but we need a new mascot for the suburbanites!"

I feel sorry for Shawn Bradley. He's just the NBA's most unlikable player in every respect... his biggest skill is being tall. But, go tell it to Chuck Nevitt:

http://www.nba.com/rockets/images/history/Nevitt.jpg

AAAAAAAAAAAA

I once stood near both Shaq and Manute Bol at the same time. Fucking eerie.

I've got a feeling that there are alot of nasty defencive stoppers in the NBA that are looking forward to laying a chop on James. I don't think he will have it as great as some think, at least not for a few years. If he doesn't become a head case, I will be suprised.

It wouldn't suprise me that Carmelo Anthony becomes a star before any of these other players. He is big enough not to get chopped down and with great speed and agility for his size. I really hadn't seen him play until the NCAA tournament, but he looked impressive.

Duane Wade looks like another player that could be a good pro.

The thing I have often wondered about for the past two years is how popular the NBA is in Europe. With so many good Europeans leading teams in the playoffs (Mavs, Spurs & Kings) are they being followed back home?

Carmelo will be a solid pro. He played beautifully in the NCAA Tourney, but more importantly, he played NBA-type ball -- he can take guys off the dribble and he's great passing out of the doubleteam. Also, he's a fantastic rebounder.

And Duane Wade will struggle for a few years, but he'll end up turning into Bobby Jackson eventually, which would be excellent.

Throw it down, big man.

Bobby Jackson was a good college player, but he played a role not unlike what he does with the Kings.

John Jay Gym, Manhattan, 11:06 a.m.

Darko Milicic has been in the United States for a grand total of 67 hours and already he's in the practice gym, stretching out, preparing for what is supposed to be his first light workout in the U.S.

The plan is for Darko to run the floor a bit, shoot some jumpers, go through a few drills and call it a day. He's still battling jet lag, and he looks exhausted. But plans change, and after a few minutes of warm-up, the workout is in for a sudden jolt.

Next door, Detroit coach Rick Carlilse is wrapping up the Pistons' shoot-around in preparation for Game 3 in New Jersey. When they're done, Pistons president Joe Dumars, vice president John Hammond, director of international scouting Tony Ronzone and director of player personnel Scott Perry sneak in for a peek at Darko.

Within a minute, Darko's light workout becomes a high-energy audition. The gym is silent as he goes through a series of intense drills around the basket.

He rolls to the left. Swish.

He rolls to the right. Swish.

He puts the ball on the floor, crosses over and attacks the basket. Slam.

He takes the ball on the block, throws a shoulder into his defender and attacks again. Slam.

The trainer throws the ball off the backboard. Darko grabs it in mid-air. Slam. Again. Slam. Again. Slam.

He takes the ball outside the NBA 3-point line, turns to the basket, dribbles once, then glides through the air. Kaboom.

Time stands still for just a second as Darko pauses, waiting for everyone else to catch their breath.

Then he trots to the free-throw line and starts shooting. He is relentless. He continues, pounding the ball inside. He hits a baby hook with his left hand. Then he does with his right hand. Darko seems to use his left and right equally.

A second later he's standing three feet beyond the NBA 3-point line. Swish. Swish. Swish.

Forty-five minutes later the trainers are sweating. Everyone has seen enough. More than enough.

Darko looks to his agent and asks, "More?"

"No."

He shrugs his shoulders and begins running laps around the gym.

That is how you ace an NBA workout.

Most teams will tell you the individual workout is highly overrated. Workouts over-emphasize speed, agility and quickness. They do nothing to measure the intangibles that are the lifeblood of the game. But with Darko, it will be different. Teams already knew he could play. When a 7-footer tests like that in individuals, you take him to the bank.

Rick Carlisle looks stunned for the entire 10 minutes he watches. Ben Wallace and Rip Hamilton shake their heads in amazement. Joe Dumars' mouth didn't close the entire time. His jaw was on the floor. Whenever he wasn't typing notes in his PDA, he was whispering quiet exclamations. "Damn!"

"That's a freak of nature right there," Dumars says after the workout's over. "And he's just 17. Seventeen, Chad."

"We could really use him," Hamilton says. "That kid can play. Too bad he can't suit up tonight."

Sharp-shooter Jon Barry agreed. "He'd be perfect for us. Perfect. The thing I like about kids like this is they only have one agenda, and that's to play. They take this job seriously. It's their way out of a bad situation, and they're not going to squander it."

Another scout was more specific. "He's a different breed of European than any we've ever seen. I'm not sure how anyone guards him the pros. That combination of size, speed, power and coordination is remarkable. Did you see how explosive he was around the basket? What's not to love?"

Fifteen minutes after the workout, Darko is still running around the gym.

"He didn't want that workout shut down," Ronzone said. "That kid just wants to keep pushing. He came to play."

But what really excites them is his mature low-post play. "More than Nowitzki, Gasol or even Divac, Darko has a nasty streak in him that will help him succeed in the post," a league executive said. "A lot of the Europeans are really threes in the pros. He'll be a true low-post player. His coach is doing us a huge favor by forcing him to develop those skills now. He already has moves that remind me of (Hakeem) Olajuwon in the post. Once we get a hold of him, the sky's the limit."

I mean, the kid is just 17! Imagine what he's gonna be like after battling Ben Wallace in practices for a couple seasons.

1. Cavs = LeBron James (duh)
2. Detroit = Darko Milicic (jerseys go on sale right after they make the pick)
3. Denver = Carmelo Anthony (will prolly put up big #s and win Rookie of the Year)
4. Toronto = Chris Bosh (but I think he's gonna wind up playing for another team via trade)
5. Miami = Kirk Hinrich (if they pick someone other than Hinrich or Lample, they've traded th pick as well)
6. L.A. Clippers = T.J. Ford (the ESPN draft guide lists "New Owner" as one of their team needs... classic)
7. Chicago = Dwyane Wade (the Jay Williams injury is a big setback cuz it prevents them making from making a big trade)
8. Milwaukee = Maciej Lampe (if they trade up or go for a PG that means they think both Payton and Cassell are gone)
9. New York = Chris Kaman (perfect... a big gumpy white dude... he'll prolly get a 80 million dollar contract extension in 2006)
10. Washington = Jarvis Hayes (this team if fuXored royaly... will prolly wind up with the worst record in the league next year)
11. Golden State = Reece Gaines (will prolly be making a deal with Atlanta)
12. Seattle = Michael Sweetney (will prolly be making a deal with Toronto at #4)
13. Memphis = Mickael Pietrus (The Logo would get their man... small solace for losing the pick to the Pistons)

Also, new Sporting News had an interesting stat that showed the percentage of high school kids drafted since 1995 who "contribute" (play more than 18 minutes per game) today is higher than that of players drafted after playing any length of time in college.

There's something on MSNBC where some stodgy old "expert" complains about how teams are drafting all these babies (he keeps using crappy metaphors like, "but they should probably be burped instead of drafted har har"). That's what got to me.

I think what really needs to happen is for the NCAA to relax their restrictions. It's no wonder players leave early or skip college altogether when they're not even allowed to practice 1/3 as much as European players and can't participate in meaningful summer training programs.

All I know is, I can't wait to see Milicic play in person (in a Pistons uni, of course).

Off topic, but I'm loving the Rockets with Van Gundy as coach.

I don't think Lebron will be a flat-out bust, but man, the expectations on him are pretty silly. Thank goodness they got Paul Silas in there... he's exactly what that team needs. And Lebron at least has been saying the right things in interviews (wanting to work with his teammates, learn from coaches, etc.). I'm cautiously optimistic he'll turn into a good player.

Personally, I'm not so sure how the Rockets are gonna respond to Van Gundy and think there might be a lot of tension. He's gonna want to slow everything down and run the offense thru Yao (which is prolly the way to go). My gut sez that at some point there'll need to be some personel changes or VG will simply wear out his welcome.

Oh, if whoever drafts Brian Cook can convince the boy to fatten up, he could be a late steal.

See, I think that Francis will be fine with the VG approach to Yao. It'll be Griffin and Mobley who will have problems with it, I'm guessing. But I consider both of them completely superfluous (Cuttino might be the most inconsistent player in the NBA. He's the mini, black Rik Smits!).

Yanc-- Yeah I agree. I just know that Memphis really wants him... they'll be VERY lucky if he drops down that far.

Oh! It's starting!

Also: New Nuggets hat >>>>>> New Raptors hat

WHOA! Dwayne Wade just went 5th to Miami. Nice smoke screen on that one. Although, I think I smell a trade.

So who're the Knicks gonna pick??

# of times Chris Kaman said "you know" in 20 second interview = 18

(I invited Blount. He can be our Tom Tolbert. (I get to be Stu Scott))

IS THE BULLS HAT LEATHER???!??!!??!

Bucks take TJ Ford? Maybe Lampe?

Yeah who're they gonna take?? I bet they trade down. Layden can't draft a project (Lampe).

Dunleavy sucks. He has "basketball smarts" which = white coach's kid with limited skillz.

Sweetney = good pick, but another undersized front court player for the Knicks... just what they need!

I think Pietrus might actually drop to Memphis. GS doesn't need him/will make a trade, and Seattle doesn't like/need him him.

I still can't believe the Clipper pick.

Vitale's a fucking racist.

Ugh. Collison sucks. (Dick Vitale loves him, so I stand correct.)

On a good day, Rik Smits.

STOP ASKING DICK VITALE HIS OPINION!!!

Stackhouse just signed an extension. Poor guy. At least he'll ring up some crazy numbers the next couple years.

Dick Vitale sucking Jerry West's dick SHOCKAH!

plus he ain't wearin no draws

hahaha... I'm outtie after the Pistons pick...

Okay, I'm out!

Mark Fucking Cuban (who gets slimier every time I see him on TV) better not trade off our Canadian for Jason Kidd.

Dallas with the two most outspoken anti-war players SHOCKER.

the high school kid isn't going to help them with their obvious need of a rebounder to grab all those bricks the c's hoist from beyond the arc but hopefully having an actual point guard who can, y'know, RUN THE POINT will lead to some easy baskets which will mitigate the need to live and die from the outside.

from what i hear the shammond williams may have played his last game in celtic green, ainge is going to go with banks, bremer, and kedrick brown. at least banks can push the ball up the court. that's a huge plus for a team with no pivot man. there's no way the c's will be a lottery team next year, if you think that's the case then you have truly, truly, over rated the painfully bad brand of ball the eastern conference is capable of playing.

So you think MJ was who actually made this trade?

The first few dozen posts on this thread might be the wrongest ILX has ever been on anything ever.

This post (#15 on this thread) is exempt from that general judgment:

Shawn Bradley might be the worst basketball player in the history of worst basketball players.

Wow, talk about an unanticipated find of a time capsule. Feel the Darko love. . .my Cavs spent the first pick on Anthony Bennett in '13 so I shouldn't really talk.

I do think Duane Wade could eventually be as good as Bobbie Jackson, after struggling for a few years

I would like to point out that I have been OTM in this thread (in 2004)

i value diverse opinions on the subject of professional basketball

He already has moves that remind me of (Hakeem) Olajuwon in the post.

Good that the writer clarified which Olaujwon Darko reminded him of

That entire Chad Ford workout piece needs to be in a museum, it is glorious