The magic are not going to be able to keep both Darko and lewis,It's either one or the other. The rockets need to try to get one or the other. If not lewis then Darko.Darko is much better than his flashes of potential. You put him into adelman's system he and yao will wreck havoc from the high post and low post positions. Both players will have triple doubles during the season,Both players will average 2 assist or more per game. Darko will flourish BIG time in the system because of his skill level to hit the 15 footer and his overall inside outside versatiltiy. He will also help on the defensive end with rebounding and blocking shots. Darko needs to take the MLE and realize that it is the sysytem that can make him the all around player that his skills and his mind believe that he can become.
Darko needs to realize what teams fit his skill level. Most teams have a sterotypical view of the # 4 position,wheret they would have darko trying too hard and doing too much to be effective,consequently he ends up in a system where moving the basketball hitting teh 15 footer,screen and rolls are not emphasized with that team. As a result Darko and his european game get lost and people call him a bust,they say he has flashes of potential, all because of sterotype of how the power forward position is supposed to be played. Darko comes to houston and in Adelmans's system he would be a near all star and his talents and skill level will be displayed properly. He plays under stan van gundy and it will be all about,my way or the highway, shut up and rebound and block shots,be kurt rambis or charles oakley.
Darko can lock down PF's and C's. Perimeter PF's and post PF's. He can also block shots man to man and weak side off the ball. He can hit the 12-15 foot J. He even has a few post moves. He's a nice passer. He can stuff with authority if left open. Granted his rebounding his suspect, his experience nill, questions on offense potential, etc. But this guy could reasonably be a 14 points 8 rebounds 3 blocks type of player with excellent defense and ability to hit that open J from mid-range. Darko can guard Dirk, KG, and Duncan. Personally I think he is way more valuable than a Chris Wilcox type.
Darko at MLE type money is much better than Shard at near MAX money. The question is how do the Rockets obtain Darko at a reasonable price.
In adelman's system Darko would fit better than wilcox,joe smith and the other free agents. Adelman doesn't like guys out there from 1-5 who can't hit the 15 footer and don't understand ball movement and sharing the basketball. The system offensively is predicated on ball movement,screen and rolls and high post action and being able to hit that 15 footer. Darko fits in perfect in what adelman wants to do offensively and on the defenseive side he can hold his won probably better than wilcox or smith.
I think something like Head or Alston and Battier plus maybe a future first round pick is reasonable for Darko. Think about it. They lose Hill to FA now, they replace him with Battier. Alston is better than Nelson. Dooling is a FA after this year, Head could replace him. They need more outside shooters, Head and Redick could occasionally man the back court to draw doubles off Howard in certain situations. They have Fran Vazquez coming over and he's a PF and talented. If Orlando really does sign Lewis to a huge deal then they will not have the resources probably to give Milicic something like $50 million over 5 years. At least I don't see it happening from a management perspective for them, because Vazquez could replace him and they essentially would add a player like Battier and upgrade the back court. They have no other way of adding a guy like Battier.
With Orlando showing no signs of resigning Darko (according to his agent anyway) then he would be a good fit for the Rockets. He doesn't need to be in the low post because of Yao and brings everything needed on the defensive end to compliment Yao, I'd give him a good amount of the MLE to sign him with the Rockets. And if the Rox can pickup Rashard aswell, then it's going to be quite a team the Rox can put out next season, wait and see what happens on July 11th.
Actually his rebounding is pretty good. His rebounding rate is 25.0, which is between Juwan Howard at 23.3 and Yao at 28.2. I have to wonder if Darko would be a better rebounder when he is not next to rebounding monster Dwight Howard at 36.2.
If you watch Darko play, he's clearly a high post guy and he is also an area rebounder. I expect about 8 rebounds a game if he played starter's minutes. Him and Yao would not be a great go get rebounds combo but stats wise they would get it done. The main thing with Darko that is intriguing though is that now with Adelman he would fit perfectly. You could run him and Yao high and low like Webber and Brad Miller, the difference being Darko would let Yao be the guy down low because he actually can do that unlike Miller and Darko can hit that open jumper, while at the same time proving defense unlike Webber or Miller. It's basically a super version of Webber and Miller and would work just right. Perfect fit in Adelman's system? Check Better defense than Webber and Miller? Check Yao > Webber? Check Darko potential > Miller? Check Yao actually having a PF with size that can defend any PF one on one and can also play weak side and off the ball D, while still being able to hit that 12 to 15 foot J, and also being a good post feeder, with ability to play high post combined with Adelman's system would make Yao's life much easier than it has been at any point in his career to date.
I'd give him our full MLE. He's everything we need in a PF. He can draw his man away from the basket, play solid defense and rebound, and nail some mid range jumpers, while forcing a guard or forward to help double team Yao down low rather than a PF and center doubling him since the opposing PF will have to follow Darko outside. This could help Coach A draw up plenty of more offensive plays. We could see even more wide open 3 point shots than last year and players finally slashing to the basket more.
I wonder if that might make him less effective even though he will have more opportunities.Having Dwight around can take pressure off from hitting the boards all the time. Yao doesn't rebound well consistently. I'm not sure if Darko would step up to the challenge every night.
According to his agent, there have been 10 teams calling about Darko. some have supposedly made offers. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/orl-bk-magicdarko070107,0,3749293.story "Cornstein told the Sentinel he received calls from more than 10 other teams today about Milicic, including "a few" who made offers, but added, "Curious by their absence was the Orlando Magic."
i am all for darko...adelman wanted him back in 2005 and obviously sees some great potential in him...i take him over rashard..even though i love rashard..but this will save us some money and possibly give us a chance at another trade
