nixluva wrote:

Bippity10 wrote:All the naysayers at once, just get it off your chest. Admit that the kid can play. Who knows if he levels out or if he becomes a star. What we do know is we can now understand why he was targeted at #6. He does not have to apologize to anyoen that was drafted after him.

I'm glad that he's getting a chance to show what he can do, cuz it was hard to really make a case for him while he was injured. Now as you say the Naysayers need to pipe down a bit and admit that he looks like a lottery pick should look. I get the idea that he's gonna get better, just assuming the growth mentally and physically. The kid was still growing after we drafted him. They said he was stiff and couldn't move quickly enough to do well at this level and now what are they gonna say, cuz he's able to drive when he needs to. I always said that penetration was about more than raw quickness. He's not a great leaper, but he still draws fouls. As he get's stronger I can see him really making that a bigger part of his game.

I must say too that I really like Darko. He isn't getting many touches, but he's been making the most of what he gets. His presence has made a big difference inside. I saw that he turned away a few drives last game. He makes really nice passes and his post up is coming along. I think his only issue is confidence. I want MDA to play him more cuz he's not a deriment, but a plus when he's in there.

I think Gallo is good at getting by people that are rushing out at him to get on his shot. He's getting better at up faking and then getting his shot. Using peoples momentum against them is actually a learned skill believe it or not. He seems to be pretty good at it. This is an area I do not worry about. It's already happening.

The part of his game where I think there will need to be improvement is beating people off a standstill dribble. Athletic quick 3's not only bother him, but last night I thought at times he was taken out of the game by (forget his name). He needs to be able to do more off the dribble then just pull up(although with his height this will always be a weapon. As he's able to mix it up more this step back pull up will be even easier to get off. Right now, players seem to be focusing on it and able to get a hand up. His game right now would be enough for him to score points, but if he wants to be an offensive star he's going to have to mix things up.

I have no complaints about Darko. I have no idea how someone thought he was better than Wade and Melo etc, but as a bench player I think he's solid.