[Rumors] Francis to Denver/Darko to Orlando/Kmart to NY

more like the 1st round pick and a bit of cato

 

Some are speculating that if this deal goes through that Cato will be dropped after the deal.

 

Jesus, is that all they want for Darko? We could give them better than that and wind up with a future 4/5, or use him as trade bait of our own.

Expiring contract is one thing. Heck, we could hook that up, too, with our trade exception and likely lottery pick.

 

Okay, so Darko can be had for cheap. Why exactly is this a reason for the Rox to jump in and acquire him?

Let's not forget one important thing: Darko sucks. If he hasn't been able to work himself into what's essentially a 9-man rotation in Detroit, then how good could he possibly be? I've had enough with potential-rich, production-poor players for a while (Stro, Boki, Cato). If we're going to trade, let's trade for people who have already proven they deserve to be pulling down the big bucks in the NBA. Darko doesn't fit that description.

TRADE r****dED.

 

Wow, it's like a sickness how Isiah is drawn to the most underachieving, overpaid and disaster prone players in the league.

Pull the trigger on a K-Mart deal Isiah, what the hell!

 

Darko needs to be on a really, really bad team with no front line so he can play and blossom. The kid has tons of talent and potential, he's going to be a solid player in this league if he's ever given the chance.

 

Further proof: "Darko" is an anagram of "A Dork."

 

Just food for thought:

Najera is out for 2-3 weeks meaning that the Nugs frontcourt consists of Camby, Elson, K-Mart and Linas Kleiza. My gut instinct to this reaction is that unless we get a deal we can't pass up (Frye & Nickel?), K-Mart is a Nug for the rest of the season.

 

I find it funny that, if true, Zeke bases his players' value on how many teams want him instead of evaluating the player himself. It'll be pretty funny if he's trying to unload Mo Taylor, and then all the GMs teamed together saying they want Mo, only to have Zeke keep him instead because everyone wanted him.

 

they could always make two deals. someone at najera's caliber could be found fairly easy i would think.

 

Denver would get a lot worse in that deal. Nene still has a future and they would be getting rid of him just to save money.

 

Agreed, but I still am starting to think that it's unlikely K-Mart is moved. If the NY offer of Frye & Nickel for K-Mart & Watson is on the table on deadline day, I think Kiki has a hard decision, but other than that, I think he's decided to let the team stick together for the year*.

* -- obviously this comment doesn't include Watson and Vo who are both being shopped for different reasons. Odds are one, if not both, are gone soon.

 

Ric Bucher expects this deal (Darko to Orlando, Cato to Detroit) to be announced within the next 24 hours. [NBA Coast to Coast]

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2331049

Updated: Feb. 14, 2006, 11:19 PM ET
Pistons close to deal that would end Darko experimentBy Marc Stein
ESPN.com


Two things it now appears that these Detroit Pistons won't do: Win 70 games or continue the Darko Milicic experiment.

Darko Milicic
Forward-Center
Detroit Pistons

Profile
2006 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
24 1.5 1.2 0.4 53.125 37.500


NBA front-office sources told ESPN.com on Tuesday night that the Pistons and Orlando Magic were close to completing a long-discussed trade that would relocate Milicic, 2003's No. 2 overall pick, to central Florida. The trade could be completed as early as Wednesday, sources said, with only one potential snag.

The sides, according to sources, are bartering over the extent of lottery protection Orlando would have on the first-round pick it has agreed to send Detroit along with center Kelvin Cato for Milicic and guard Carlos Arroyo.

It's thought Orlando is seeking to retain this year's first-round pick -- and convey its 2007 first-rounder to Detroit instead -- if the Magic's pick winds up in the top seven of the June draft. The deal would collapse if the sides can't come to a resolution -- with Detroit looking to reduce Orlando's level of protection by a few spots -- but it's clear the Pistons have made the decision to move Milicic before the Feb. 23 trading deadline after giving him a chance to earn a rotation spot under new coach Flip Saunders.

Milicic hasn't played much more for Saunders than he did for Larry Brown, unleashing a new wave of second-guesses on Detroit's decision to draft the Serbian 7-footer over Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade ... even though the Pistons won the championship in Darko's rookie season and came within one game of a repeat title last season.

Yet, even if Milicic had established himself as a rotation regular under Saunders, it's doubtful the Pistons could have afforded to retain him beyond this summer. With Ben Wallace bound for free agency in July and Chauncey Billups expected to seek a lucrative contract extension before becoming a free agent in the summer of 2007, Detroit needs Cato's expiring contract ($8.6 million this season) to create the salary-cap space to re-sign both comfortably and keep together its vaunted starting lineup.

After Wallace and Billups re-sign, all five Pistons starters will possess contracts averaging at least $10 million per season -- an NBA rarity but a necessity for Pistons president Joe Dumars given the success and relative youth (Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace are both 31) of the group.

While Orlando continues to explore its Steve Francis trade options, this move would give Milicic a chance to play immediately alongside franchise forward Dwight Howard. It might also eventually give the Magic two highly touted but unproven European big men for its frontcourt rotation, with the Magic still hopeful they will have 2005 first-round pick Fran Vazquez (who controversially elected to play in Spain this season) in the near future.

 

Per Tigermission1:

"
Darko needs to be on a really, really bad team with no front line so he can play and blossom. The kid has tons of talent and potential, he's going to be a solid player in this league if he's ever given the chance"

I completely agree- I saw Darko in Euro game film-he moves very well for a tall player and can shoot well. He just needs a chance to play. I think he will make a legit NBA player..

 

why does detroit want cato. i don't get it. Orlando getting Arroyo is potentially a bad sign for Nelson fans. dude has a foot injury that is starting to scare them.

 

Total cap move. Cato's $8 million comes off the books this offseason, while Arroyo's got 2 years left at $4 per, and Darko is on the hook next year for $5 mill. This allows them to re-sign Big Ben, and next year Chauncey without going into the luxury tax.