Article about larry and darko.

I don't think Chauncy really blasted Larry so much as Chauncy trying to help.
If they were so high on darko, why get Dale Davis?

Larry is all about dudes that are in the NBA should be professional and tough to get the job done. He was hard on him cuz this is pro ball. I can imagine much of tension with Joe was Larry making Joe look not so good. Larry was there to win NOW, not cultivate talent. Larry is here to cultivate talent, but its got to be there. Isiah getting the acompolished 4 years college kids will help as they are stronger mentally to handle Larrys heavy style. Bynum would have been brutalized short term.

Darko likely needs an easy hand. its hard for a 17 year old who can barley speak english (if at all) be thrown into the pressure cooker that is the NBA. This is why higher ages entry is a good idea. Not for the lebrons mind you, but alot of the kids.

I hope Darko has a nice career, and should be fun if he gets to play against the knicks!

Billups sticks up for Darko in broadcast


Of The Oakland Press
Pistons guard Chauncey Billups ripped former coach Larry Brown on Thursday for being too hard on Darko Milicic during Brown's two seasons with the club.
In an interview with WXYTAM (1270), Billups claimed that Brown destroyed the confidence of the No. 2 overall pick in the 2003 draft.

"Larry beat him up too much," Billups said. "He tore the kid's confidence apart too much, and it was tough for him to recover. ... With (new coach) Flip (Saunders) there, maybe it's different. (Brown) beat him up too much, man, to where he could never recover."

Brown frequently criticized Milicic in the media and refused to give him meaningful playing time, saying the 7-foot-1 center hadn't earned a spot in the rotation and wasn't ready to play. Milicic created a brief fi restorm midway through last season when he griped publicly about his endof-the-bench status. A meeting among Milicic, Brown and president of basketball operations Joe Dumars eased those tensions, but Billups revealed that Milicic remained sullen and frustrated by Brown's constant rebukes.

"He beat that kid up way too much," Billups said. "The kid has unbelievable talent. There's nothing he can't do out there on the court. ... In the playoffs, we're smiling and laughing and having fun out there. I've never seen Darko smile one day ever in practice or playing, and that's a problem."

Dumars has said that Milicic will be the fourth big man in the Pistons' rotation this season behind Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess, despite the recent signing of veteran center Dale Davis. Dumars rebuffed an overture this summer from the Atlanta Hawks about trading Milicic for forward Al Harrington.
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Ummm...This is not good. Hopefully, Brown doesn't kill the confidence on our youngins.

Yeah, the only one I see possibly not being able to handle brown is possibly crawford...He seems...you know...unable to take criticism.
And maybe TT.

Agreed, and it IS a shame that the images projected are always of the brainless bling, and not of the 'Admiral'-types... And I think he also plays sax.

I read that Darko didn't look that good in the summer league this year. Maybe the problem wasn't Larry Brown or 'curcumstances'. Maybe the problem was a lack of talent.

It's amazing what a little confidence can do for someone's game. He's probably been beaten down so much that it'll take some time for him to get back to playing at a high level.

The NBA has plenty of CBA/European castaways who just needed a chance and the right opportunity to shine.

Ben Wallace comes to mind. Early in his career, he barely got any minutes--- he had journeyman written all over him. If Washington knew what he was capable of, he wouldn't have been let go... If Orlando knew what they had in Wallace (future DPOTY, rebounding/shot blocking leader/etc), I doubt he'd have been included in the Grant Hill trade... heck, you'd think if anyone knew, he'd have been one of the top picks of his draft class.

I think even with his mediocre summer league, he still has potential... it all starts with one great game.