This discussion would not even be a topic if he was pick towards the end of the 1st rnd. We're basically weighing his value base on his draft status which is a little unfair to a certain extent.

Posted by Marv:

seb bro -

darko cost us nothing. and by that you know q was nothing.

eddy cost us 2 lottos, a buttload of money, maybe a shot at a second free agent in '10, and a whole lot of self-esteem as a franchise.

there's simply no comparison.

Word.

And MDA's system is not like those he played on previously. If he gets 1 block per game it'll be an improvement over Lee. I aim to be pleasantly surprised by Darko.

They're different players but if Darko can have the impact Chris Andersen had for the Nuggets last year I'd sign up for that right now. I actually think he's capable of much more eventually to be honest (he's bigger than Andersen and has superior overall skills though they're somewhat untapped & underdeveloped at this point) but I'll be happy if I see the big-time commitment to protect the tin right away. Let's start there. I think the Birdman either led the league or was 2nd in the league in blocks last season (2.5) at only around 20 mins. a night. Why couldn't Darko do that? Though he's underachieved so far, he did manage to average 2.1 bpg for Orlando in 05-06 in 20 mins. (albeit in only 30 games that season), 1.8 in 06-07 again for the Magic and then 1.6 in 07-08 for Memphis (the last two came in under 24 mins a night)...If Darko chose to concentrate on the defensive side of the ball and re-committed himself to the game the way Andersen has, there's no reason he couldn't have that type of impact for us. No reason he shouldn't be OVER 2 blocks/game this year and among the league leaders in that category, and I don't even think that's asking for too much. What a shot in the arm that would be for us. Curry's already off to a rough start yet again (what else is new?). Darko's gotta step up the next couple of days and seize the opportunity. Mike's dying to give him some minutes, you can tell. He's gone out of his way to throw him a lot of praise so far - Darko just needs to go out and take it now. Good 1st sign - he apparently came to camp in very good shape. Good 2nd sign - he talks like he wants to be here. 3rd - just reading his comments today, he understands that we have enough scorers and talked about playing defense, blocking shots and doing the little things to help the club win and hopefully make the playoffs...MDA talked about how he just had a kid, speaks better English than ever before and appears to be much more comfortable & mature now. I'm feeling pretty good about this guy so far. Hopefully coach is right and we got this guy at the right time..

THe bottomline is that this guy gets his role. He is here to block shots and play good low post and help defense. If he does that without getting in the way on offense, then it is all gravy. I think this team will be much better off if Darko can win the starting center job. He has to earn it, but if he can, the team will be more balanced.

Posted by GKFv2:

Darko in his own words is in my sig.

I guess Darko not getting his own sneaker anytime soon!

I feel good about Darko here, mainly cuz he'll be in a more comfortable situation. I think he was in a decent situation in Orlando, but here it should be even better for him. If he really wants it, he can take the Center job. It's all up to him. There's no D. Howard here or even Marc Gasol. So it's all open for him right now. Who knows what Curry will be able to do, but while he's down, Darko can get the jump on the spot. He's got all the tools he needs to succeed in this spot too. He may not always look fluid but the guy can move. I think most likely he won't lose his spot if he secures it by the end of preseason.

How about I solve this dispute: neither has lived up to their potential and its likely they never will. D Howard in 2012!

I'm just ecstatic that Darko came to camp in good shape, cuz I was a bit concerned that he hadn't come over until late, but now that we've seen some bad video of the guy in practice, he seems to be keeping up just fine! With every other big on our team there's a ? as to whether they can block shots and hold their own in the post, but at the least we know he can defend and give us some reliable help D. We need him more than we need a Curry scoring inside. I love the fact that he can move well enough to cover the paint and get over to help defend. We really can benefit from that this year. Any scoring he gives us is a bonus.

"[But] I don’t want to say it’s only their fault. It’s my fault. My first training camp, my second training camp, maybe I was supposed to be more aggressive, maybe do some different stuff. … I didn’t really get everything right away."

that quote sums it all up for Darko. His problem was largely one of a contemplative but talented youth that found himself with the expectations of No. 2 and the stresses that come with moving to a new country.

he's a good guy, a very talented player, and only 24.3 years old. everything about this guy points to 'BREAKOUT YEAR", it's almost guaranteed.

[Edited by - orangeblobman on 10-03-2009 11:07 PM]