You could say the same thing about Darko. That's sort of the point. All of these criticisms about effort and intelligence all apply to Darko as well, ask any magic fan about this.
Stro was inconsistent, on top of that inconsistently in the lineup due to some injury or other, (I mean for goodness sakes out with pink eye for several weeks) and in JVG's doghouse (Didn't he explain it as not being able to understand JVG's "terminology"?). Stro's numbers weren't all that bad, he wasn't going to be the All star McGrady was hyping him up to be, he just needed to stay on the floor (Not happeening, to paraphrase gasol, only needed the bus to hit a bump for stro to get on the injury list) to be a solid contributor. Darko wouldn't be my top choice but if they can get him for starting at 5M or full MLE for 5yrs and maybe team options in the last two he'd be a nice gamble.
I called Darko a Stromile Swift clone in another thread. These people have obviously never seen him play, so they'll magnify his strengths (or invent some) while downplaying all his weaknesses. They'll salivate over getting him at the "bargain" price of the MLE. "Darko would be perfect for this team!!! Sure, he can't rebound but give him starters minutes and he can get 13/8. That's good, right?" "He's got a good mid-range game, his jumpers go in at around 25%. That's pretty low, actually, but at least they swish!" "He's a terror on the defensive end because of his high block numbers. No, he doesn't just swat at everything at the expense of good position defense like Stro, picking up a bunch of cheap fouls in the process." "He's better than Stro because he's got a high bball IQ. How could he not? He's white!"
Darko would be a very nice fit in Houston. He is also a lot more built and developed than i thought he was. Id take him for sure... unless he slicks back his hair like he did in the clip with Deke
Those stats show what a really bad defender Stro is. Darko's could be the answer for us. Great shot blocker, decent rebounder, decent shooting touch around the basket. Just 22 years old with nba experience. He can play both PF and backup C. Shot 58% in the playoffs. And most importantly signing him is achievable. They both seem to disappear at times, but I think Darko would be a really good gamble.
Anybody else notice Darko is listed at 275 lbs? That's one big-ass PF. Sounds more like Yao's backup than a PF... unless you're Tim Duncan. He outweighs the Sheeds and Stouds of the world by 30-40 lbs. Heck, he even outweighs Duncan by 10-15 pounds probably.
With our current power forwards and other options for next year, another Stro doesn't seem that bad to me.
Mikki Moore put up some monster stats the last 2 months of the season this year. Including huge playoff numbers. He is probably achievable as well.
Moore is 32, has the benefit of the J-Kidd effect, suddenly has breakout year in a contract year after 8 or 10 years as a journeyman. Though I agree nice numbers. If he was willing to take something like 3.5/4M for 2/3 years. OK, nice gamble. For over 4/full MLE I'd be more than wary.
A bad defender maybe, but he sure had a higher PER than Darko. They were both outproduced by the opposition about the same amount. The only plus I will give Darko over Stro is that he can slide over to center much easier, possibly contributing more minutes in the process. Other than that Darko = Stro. However, both had/have potential. Maybe we won't strike out twice? At this point he may be the best we can do. The Stro show was thought to be a steal by many other people besides us at the time.
Darko(right) vs Oden(left) combine result. Darko would be perfect Height – no shoes 6' 11.5" / 6’ 11” Height – shoes 7' 0.75" / 7’ 0” Weight 250 / 257 Wingspan 7' 5" / 7’ 4.25” Standing Reach 9' 3.5" / 9’ 4” Max Vertical 32.5” / 34” Lane Agility 11.30 / 11.67 ¾ Court Sprint 3.36 / 3.27
Again I say...I love Darko in our front court too, but I'm not going to be delusional and think he's going to sign for the MLE. He's simply not going to give up close to $7 mil next year just to sign somewhere for the MLE (even if there are umpteen years offered with it). I'll just come right out and say that if for some unknown reason (and a stupid one at that on Darko's part) he decides to sign with us for the MLE, then that'll be a steal. If Dr. Basketball's comment on Billups is the understatement of the decade, my previous statement would become the understatement of the year.
Houston trade Battier, head and Sura for Darko and Reddick! The new Rockets lineups:- C - Yao Deke PF - Darko, Hayes, Landry SF - T-mac, Synder, Novak SG - Bonzi, James PG - Alston, VSpan, Brooks, JL III Darko has nice outside jumper and decent shotblocker to protect yao though no a decent rebounder but moving t-mac to SF and starting Bonzi as SG who is a excellent rebounder will cover Darko's rebounding weakness.
