>"Darko's date with destiny By Chad Ford NBA Insider Send an Email to Chad Ford >> Friday, May 23 Updated: May 23 9:37 AM ET >> >> What does a 17-year-old kid from the war-torn town of Novi Sad, Yugoslavia, do >> on the day the fate of 13 NBA lottery teams would be decided? >> ESPN Insider Chad Ford spent Thursday with Darko Milicic in New York City. As >> you would expect it was no ordinary day. >> >> NEW YORK -- I wrote this once and I'll write it again: I believe the good >> stories really don't have an end, or even a beginning. Karma throws >> fate in the dryer of life, hits the button and starts an eternal spin. >> >> So when 17-year-old Yugoslavian phenom Darko Milicic bumped into Pistons >> president Joe Dumars at a New York practice facility on Thursday, I >> had a vague premonition the gods of fate were about to go to work. >> >> Lotteries might be about luck. But the NBA Draft Lottery on Thursday night was >> about more than that. It was about destiny. >> >> 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. >> >> A private workout Thursday turned into an audition for the team that wound up >> with the No. 2 pick. 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. >> >> ³ That's a freak of nature right there. And he's just 17. Seventeen, Chad. ² ‹ >> Joe Dumars 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." >> >> 46th Street, 1:15 p.m Darko emerges from the gym, decked out in AND 1 gear. He >> smells his sweatshirt once or twice and looks concerned. >> >> "Marc," says Semi Pajovic, Cornstein's partner. "We need to get Darko to a >> big-and-tall store. He needs clothes." >> >> Cornstein nods as we pile into Pajovic's car. Everyone is hungry, though, and >> shopping will have to wait. The topic of the discussion over >> lunch -- the topic for most of the day, in fact -- is the upcoming lottery. >> Cornstein knows his client will go either second or third in this year's >> draft, and he already is mapping out each scenario. Where will Darko fit? Who >> has a coach who will develop him? Where will he be received >> by the fans? Cornstein keeps talking, but Darko is too busy picking at his >> food. >> >> After eating Serbian food his whole life, it'll take more than three days to >> get used to the eclectic nature of U.S. menus. He douses >> everything with salt and picks through anything that isn't chicken or bread. >> >> He's not interested in the discussion, or at least doesn't appear to be. Darko >> speaks English. Pretty well, actually. But he's quiet, and >> frankly doesn't care. >> >> "Where would you like to play?" I ask. >> >> "I don't care about that," Darko says. "I don't have favorites. I just want to >> play." >> >> Spend a day in the tiny town of Vrsac, where Darko played the last three >> years, and you'll understand why. He lived in a cramped >> apartment, played for minimum wage and was relatively unknown until six months >> ago. His country, fresh off a devastating civil war, was in >> constant strife. The economy was shot, and basketball was more than a game, it >> was a way of survival. >> >> Even Cleveland looks like a paradise compared to where he has been. >> >> "I think it's not so much where I want to go, but who wants me," Darko says. >> >> That makes a lot of sense coming from a kid who lives in a place where kids >> sign lifetime deals when they're 15. >> >> "I will just do my best wherever." >> >> Marc Cornstein's apartment, 4:15 p.m. We're back from a quick run to the music >> store. Darko bought a CD walkman and the latest discs >> from 50 Cent and Dr. Dre. >> >> "I like hip hop when I'm in Yugoslavia," he says with a smile. "But when I'm >> in America, I like Serbian music too. It reminds me of home." >> >> Darko Milicic refreshed the LeBron Mock Draft window until the Pistons came >> up. Once inside, the issue of where Darko will land keeps >> coming up, and we eventually head over to ESPN.com and begin playing the >> LeBron Mock Draft. >> >> Before long, Darko has taken over the computer and is giving his analysis of >> my analysis. >> >> "Is LeBron really that good?" he asks. He's never actually seen LeBron James >> play. Serbia gets NBA games and the NCAA Final Four, but >> LeBron's high school games are out of the question. >> >> "I like Carmelo Anthony," he says. "He's very smooth, and he can light it up." >> >> Darko wants to know if T.J. Ford is too small, whether Chris Kaman is really >> ready for the pros and why we have undersized guys like Mike >> Sweetney and Dwyane Wade rated so high. >> >> He does have a favorite among the group. "I love Kirk Hinrich, he's tough and >> he can shoot the ball." >> >> He has a harder time with the international players. All the other top >> international prospects suffer from the same disease. He's much more >> intrigued by the players he's never played against. >> >> Darko's not impressed with Mickael Pietrus or Victor Khryapa. He swears that >> Sofaklis Schortsanitis is really only 6-foot-8, and he reserves >> his harshest judgment for Pavel Podkolzin, who he played against last year. >> >> "Pavel can't even walk," he says with a grin. "So how can he play in the NBA." >> >> Darko then starts refreshing the mock draft web page. >> >> With the No. 2 pick in the draft, the Denver Nuggets select Darko Milicic ... >> >> "Kiki is cool," is his only response. >> >> With the No. 2 pick in the draft, the Miami Heat select Darko Milicic ... >> >> "Pat Riley can't yell as much as my last coach." >> >> With the No. 2 pick in the draft, the Detroit Pistons select Darko Milicic ... >> >> He stops and smiles. Darko likes the fit. Countryman Zeljko Rebraca, also a >> 7-foot center, is on the roster, and Darko knows the team >> needs help scoring in the paint. But he's worried about practicing against Ben >> Wallace every day. >> >> "I'll get a lot of bruises." >> >> 8 p.m. A camera crew from ABC has rearranged the Cornsteins' living room in an >> effort to get a live shot of Darko's reaction to the lottery. >> >> It's just one of man media annoyances Darko has to put up with sudenly. >> Reporters from the U.S. and Yugoslavia call constantly. He's in >> the process of scheduling photo shoots with GQ and ESPN The Magazine, and >> people are starting to recognize him on the streets. >> >> That's not bad for a kid who wasn't recognizable on the streets of Belgrade, >> let alone New York six months ago. Still, Darko's confused why >> the cameras are there. >> >> Darko watched the lottery with agents Marc Cornstein (left) and Semi Pajovic. >> "How am I supposed to react?" he asks me. >> >> "Just be yourself," I reply. >> >> "But that means I sit here and say and do nothing." >> >> "That's OK, just be yourself." >> >> "But that's pretty boring. Should I act surprised?" >> >> "Are you surprised?" >> >> "No." Then lets move on. >> >> The living room of Cornstein's penthouse apartment is quiet, even intimate. >> There are no screaming throngs of fans. No bands playing in >> the backcourt. No product placements. No entourages, no advisers or childhood >> friends to tell Darko how good he is. It's just Darko, his two >> agents and their wives on a couch and two chairs. He wants it that way. >> >> Three years ago, Milicic left his parents behind in Novi Sad to become the >> youngest player ever to play professional basketball in >> Yugoslavia. He left behind family, schoolmates and the familiar places he grew >> up with to pursue a dream and help provide for his family. >> He's been on his own for a long time. Tonight, nothing is different. >> >> The camera is rolling, waiting for his reaction. When NBA deputy commissioner >> Russ Granik reads the list of top lottery teams, Darko barely >> cracks a smile. >> >> To him, it is just another day in the life of a kid who's made an amazing >> journey from obscurity to the pinnacle of the NBA Draft. He's as >> cool as the other side of the pillow. >> >> 8:19 p.m. The bombshell drops. Cleveland wins the first pick in the draft, and >> Darko finds out that, in all likelihood, he'll spend his NBA >> rookie season in Detroit. As expected, he doesn't even blink. >> >> Everyone else is overjoyed. Cornstein had identified Detroit and Denver as >> potentially the best fits for his young client. >> >> Three days ago, Darko was still in Yugoslavia. He had neven been to the U.S., >> much less Detroit. He still hasn't seen an NBA game in >> person. Still shaking off jet-lag, he is tired and overwhelmed. He's a >> stranger in a stranger world. >> >> For Darko, Thursday wasn't about milestones or endorsement deals. It was about >> basketball and survival. >> >> Dinner, 10 p.m. The Cornsteins' have a private party for Darko at their >> favorite restaurant, Mr. Chow's. Milicic is seated right next to Mariah >> Carey. He's a long way from Belgrade. >> >> Milicic picks at the gourmet Asian food with his fork. >> >> "Where's the bread?" he asks politely. >> >> Cornstein orders him some Mu Shu pancakes, the closest thing to bread Mr. Chow >> has. Darko eyes it suspiciously. >> >> Yugoslavians eat large quantities of bread with every meal. Darko is >> struggling to adapt his diet to the new conditions. >> >> At one point Darko smells his shirt again, and Pajovic tells Cornstein that >> Darko really needs to go shopping. Natasha Cornstein, Marc's wife >> and business partner, offers to wash Darko's clothes for him. Then the >> 17-year-old reveals the problem. >> >> He left Yugoslavia with, literally, only the shirt on his back. After three >> days and one sweaty workout, you can image the problem. >> >> "He has just one outfit," Pajovic explains. "Kids." >> >> After the meal, autograph seekers corner Darko on the sidewalk. He signs a few >> for a man who says his child is a big fan. Once a 7-footer >> starts signing for one person, more follow, trying to get a piece of the >> action. >> >> Soon Darko is mobbed by his first throng of fans. >> >> "What's you're name?" one autograph seeker asks. >> >> "Darko Milicic," he replies. >> >> "Who are you?" she asks. >> >> "Basketball player," he responds. She wants the autograph anyway. >> >> Plaza Hotel, 12:47 a.m. "I'm like a dog in a bone factory," says Dumars, still >> grinning ear to ear hours after the lottery and despite his >> team's subsequent Game 3 loss to the Nets. >> >> There were at least two winners in the draft lottery. The Pistons were one of >> them. >> >> ³ When I saw that kid today, I just had to quit looking. I knew he was too >> good to be there when I was drafting, and I didn't want my heart >> broken. Now ... ² ‹ Joe Dumars, Pistons president "When they drew the Nuggets >> card at No. 3," Dumars says, "my heart stopped for the 60 >> seconds it took Russ Granik to reveal who was No. 2. It didn't start until I >> heard Memphis' name at No. 2." >> >> The Pistons players in the hotel lobby seem just as psyched. >> >> "We need more help," Rip Hamilton said. "Especially down in the post. Darko >> would be great down there. I'm upset about the loss, but this >> is still a big night for us." >> >> Other players, like Barry, seem to be on the bandwagon too, now that they've >> seen Darko up close for the very first time. >> >> Dumars still can't believe his luck. >> >> While Dumars maintains that Carmelo Anthony is still in the running, there's a >> glimmer in his eye that looks very familiar. >> >> It's the same one we saw at 11:07 a.m. at a downtown gym, approximately nine >> hours before fate would drop Darko Milic >> It's the same one we saw at 11:07 a.m. at a downtown gym, approximately nine >> hours before fate would drop Darko Milicic directly into his >> lap. >> >> Destiny? Dumb luck? No one cares. Fate brought the Pistons and Darko together >> once. The NBA lottery got it done again. The Pistons better >> grab him quick, before the spin cycle shakes things up one more time.
Darko sounds great. Great player and nice kid. Did Rockets really not do a workout with Eddie Griffin???
Thanks for posting the article. Darko seems like the real deal. it will be interesting who turns out to be a better pro: him or LeBron. I thought this was funny:
I think what distinguishes Darko from all of the past International players is that not only does he possess all the fundamentals, but he's also got the defense, explosiveness and aggressiveness that most of them don't have. He does not shy away from contact at all. And this is still just a 17 year old kid. Just think what a beast he'll be when he's 21. He and Yao will be battling each other for years to come as the top big men in the game one day.
The article was wrong it stated that he had never been to the US, but he was in the Global games in Dallas last year and I saw him play. He was hurt some so I don't think I saw the whole package. Kristic the pick last year of the Nets was the best player on the Yugo team, but he was 20-21 and Darko had just turned 17. By the way, Bosh was the best player in that tournament, but like I said, Darko had an injury that slowed him down. If you get a chance to go to the Global Games, do it. It was at the SMU campus last year (Reunion had the gold medal game) and there were at least 2-3 GM's and probably 30-50 NBA scouts in the stands. http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/basketball/nba/stories/070902dnspoglobal.5cde.html Stressboy
Another Darko article in Insider... Darko receives ringing endorsement DETROIT -- Meet Will Robinson. Robinson is the assistant to the president of basketball operations for the Pistons. He is the NBA's oldest scout, at the ripe age of 92. He has been inducted into 24 Halls of Fame. He has coached the likes of Doug Collins and Spencer Haywood. He was the first African-American head coach in the history of NCAA Division I basketball. And if you listen to him, he invented such things as the full-court press and the fast break. It's tough to find anyone who's been around long enough to dispute that. You've heard of six degrees of separation? Robinson plays about three. Rumor here in Detroit has it that he cut the hole in James Naismith's peach basket. He comes to work every day, watches game film and never misses a workout. Robinson has sat through the Pistons' draft workouts for the past 28 years, witnessing the auditions of Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Dennis Rodman and Grant Hill. Dumars, now the Pistons president, smiles when he sees Robinson walk onto the court Wednesday in preparation for Darko Milicic's individual workout. Call him a comfort blanket. "Let me tell you something about Will Robinson," Dumars says. "He's seen it all. You can't fool Will Robinson. Nothing gets by him." Robinson's a little early today for a reason. He's a late-comer on the international bandwagon. He has listened to the talk radio hosts and local writers imploring the Pistons to take Carmelo Anthony over Milicic. Like the rest of them, he has yet to see the young Yugoslavian in person. "In the past, when we brought in the guys from overseas, Will would sit there, shake his head and say 'Send him back ... he needs to spend more time in the oven,' " Dumars says with a laugh. Darko Milicic Darko Milicic has impressed the Detroit Pistons both on and off the basketball court. Robinson takes his seat courtside, crosses his legs and stares Darko down as he begins warming up. For the next 45 minutes, his eyes never leave the 7-footer. From agility exercises (Darko ranks in the top 15 percent) to tests that gauge lateral quickness (Darko ranks in the top 2 percent), vertical jump (a little above average) and upper and lower body strength (OK on the first, above average on the second), Robinson is watching Milicic's every movement. It isn't until Milicic picks up a basketball and starts effortlessly draining NBA-range 3-pointers (remember, his coach in Yugoslavia wouldn't let him take European 3s, let alone from the NBA distance) that Robinson begins speaking up. He doesn't stop talking until well after the workout. "We hit the jackpot," Robinson says with a smile. "Jackpot!" Milicic moves into the post and begins hitting jump hooks, first with his left hand. Then with his right. Robinson can't tell whether Milicic is left- or right-handed. That's a good thing. "How'd that boy learn to shoot with both hands?" he asks. “ He's going to own the game. Own the game. We're going to have to build a new arena. The only thing that could destroy a kid like that is a woman. ” — Will Robinson, on Darko Milicic Interesting story. Milicic was born left-handed, but his parents and teachers encouraged him to do everything with his right hand. He shoots 3s with his left, signs autographs with his right and handles the ball equally with both. "That's just unfair. Very few players can do that." At one point, a clearly exhausted Milicic bends over and, for a moment, looks like he can't go on. He sips a glass of water, slaps his hands together and gets back on the court. "Did you see the way he just gutted that out?" Robinson says. "That's the type of kid you want to coach. If I was coaching him, we'd go to the moon." Soon Darko is running the floor, handling the ball on the break and finishing with thundering dunks. "He's going to own the game. Own the game," Robinsons exclaims. "We're going to have to build a new arena. The only thing that could destroy a kid like that is a woman." Another big dunk, and Robinson gets up from his chair and begins walking toward Dumars. "I've seen all I need," he says. "Take him," he screams at Dumars. The Pistons aren't through with Milicic yet. After lunch with Dumars and Co., Milicic is back at the workout facility receiving his homework assignments from strength and training coach Arnie Kander. Kander isn't taking the usual approach to tall, skinny Europeans. Over the few hours since Darko's audition, Kander has been devising a workout plan for the kid that will get him up to speed for minicamp. Milicic and his agent, Semi Pajovic, have asked for the help. Until now, Milicic has been living on a steady diet of 200 push-ups and 300 sit-ups per day. Kander's plan calls for no weight lifting, fewer push-ups and zero protein supplements. Kander is blown away by what he calls "Darko's tremendous gift of speed." "He's got a naturally strong body," Kander says. "I don't want him to bulk up. If he does that, he'll lose that quickness he's been blessed with. I just want him to get a little stronger, work on his base and improve his flexibility. I love his body for a 17-year-old. I just want to let it grow." Kander prescribes a number of exercises meant to give Milicic upper body strength, better balance and more explosiveness in his jumping ability. “ That kid's going to be a star. He's a 7-footer that plays like a point guard. That kid's something special. ” — Will Robinson He also gives him a tip or two about rebounding by pulling a page out of Ben Wallace's book. The key to Wallace's rebounding prowess, according to Kander, is the way he always keeps his arms bent. It allows him to free himself from defenders and get to the ball quicker. Kander shows Milicic exercises that will get him in the right position to rebound. Nothing like learning from the best. "He has all of the physical tools to exceed," says Kander, who has been testing draft prospects for the Pistons the last 10 years. "My job is to teach him how to use them." Kander lectures Milicic on everything from posture to shooting form to push-up positions. Darko eats it up. He had nothing even remotely close to this in Yugoslavia. Kander promises that if Milicic faithfully follows the regime four times a week, he'll be in NBA shape by the start of summer league. After the workout, Milicic measures out bigger than expected: 7-foot-1, 253 pounds. Robinson has found religion. "I've seen a lot of kids come through here in my day," Robinson says. "And none of them have ever played like that. That kid's going to be a star. He's a 7-footer that plays like a point guard. That kid's something special." From the looks on the faces of the rest of the Piston brass and assistant coaches, they're on the same page. "Welcome to the Pistons, young fella," Robinson tells Darko after the workout. "Ain't youth a wonderful thing?" Yes it is. Like just about anything else Robinson says, it's awfully hard to argue with 92 years of experience. In a league that can be swayed by the whims of trends and fleeting success stories, it's nice to have an anchor that keeps the ship from straying too far beyond shore. Will Robinson is sold on Darko Mililic. The question, for the unbelievers still out there, is why aren't you? I think I just found my new signature:
Well if Darko is as good as that Robinson guy is saying....then holy crap. He sounds like he will be unstopable. Maybe the Cavs are making a mistake by taking Lebron. I wonder if he realy is 7-1 253?
sounds like he's a lot better than Yao. hope it's all hype because i want rockets to have the best center once shaq retires!
Thanks for the post, dude. It sounds like Darko is the real deal and that there's NO question the Pistons are taking him. And, judging by his work out, who can blame them? I can't wait to see this kid play.
