You think Darko would’ve been picked by then?
If you’re drafting without 20/20 hindsight, yes. Darko was heralded around the league by scouts and front offices. No way he would last until #6 unless you’re drafting with hindsight. LeBron, Darko, and Melo were the clear cut top 3 guys on most teams’ boards entering the draft.
Brad Holmes, Dan Campbell and Sheila Ford-Hamp.
2 Likes
Cool. I just remembered being puzzled by the whole thing and obviously the reaction by everyone else was quite negative. I didn’t remember him as being regarded at all, let alone highly regarded. Shows you what I know about basketball. I lived that whole thing through the 6 O’Clock news.
2 Likes
I loved Mahorn but the Pistons won the Championship after he was gone and in '91, it was just a matter of them getting old and injured, plus MJ and the Bulls were ready to take the torch after getting closer and closer the previous 3 years.
I’m only a fan of two of the Detroit teams (Lions and Pistons) but I wouldn’t say the city has no luck. Detroit has had two Pistons dynasties in 30 years (3 Championships) and a two decade Red Wings dynasty (4 Cups). If you go back 35+ years, you can add a World Series championship with the Tigers.
It’s certainly not a Boston level of success but they’ve had 8 championships in 30 years and lots of sustained success with two of their team over 20 of those years. Not so bad.
Edit: I guess you were talking about draft lottery luck. Not so great on that front, I’d agree. The Pistons are certainly due for a lottery break and in this years’ case, it’s just don’t fall farther than 2 spots back IF they finish in 2nd.
1 Like
People were puzzled because they generally don’t pay attention to anything outside of the US, this is mostly still the case now and even more so in 2003. So if you have Carmelo Anthony on the board, who had just been a National Champion hero for Syracuse or Darko Milicic, who because he’s from Serbia, is relatively unknown to the average fan…well, it’s easy to see why Joe Fan would be puzzled.
You can find tons of scouting reports on Darko pretty easily now as they’ve been immortalized because of how far off some of them were. But it goes to show how high scouts and front offices around the league were on Darko. One of the best from an SI article:
“He has the makings of the most dominant center in Europe since Arvydas Sabonis,” says an NBA scout who isn’t sure that James should be picked ahead of Milicic.
3 Likes
Darko had a huge amount of hype and it was the Detroit scout, Tony Ronzone, that really lead the way on that, but it was crazy crazy hype.
Next Wilt Chamberlain. Quote unquote.
Will Robinsons quote in the article is hilarious.
The Grant Hill injury sucked, big time, but it did get us Ben Wallace…
3 Likes
I guess I’m giving Dumars some credit that he wasn’t the only one fooled by the Euro lefty. Even after Kaman, though, you had Kurt Heinrich.
1 Like
Yep.
However, I am predicting the Pistons win the lottery this year.
1 Like
funny you said that, i have that same feeling this year. I’d be real happy with 1 or 2 - Cunningham or Mobley.
1 Like
Haha! They have to get past the curse of Darko. 
Darko got over here and got really, really distracted. He was known for frequenting strip clubs and being out super late during the season. I"m sure a lot of the guys do, but you get to know your limits and what you can/can’t handle, as far as sleep and/or partying. I strongly suspect Darko didn’t prioritize hoops as much as most professionals do.
1 Like
Pistons - whoever they draft in this upcoming draft. They better not get screwed in the lottery AGAIN…
They really need a top 2 to get Cade or Mobley. Suggs to me is meh. The next tier of guys is just that, a tier of guys. Think RJ Barrett, Darius Garland, Bagley, etc etc . Yawn.
Yea… i haven’t done enough research. gotta see how the damn lottery balls fall out before i get attached to any of the potential picks. that next tier of guys seem solid with possibly 1 or 2 turning into all-star players.
I’m a Maple Leafs fan. The Red Wings are a tire fire and the coming draft sucks too. Oh well, ya’ll made the playoffs for like a million years in a row so you get no sympathy from me.
I don’t watch basketball or baseball, haven’t watched much football either, for reasons. I would say the Lions biggest names for me are Goff, Campbell, and Holmes. The past is trash, I’m focused on the future. They’re the reason I’m thinking of watching some Lions games again.
1 Like
Mobley is the “meh” to me. A big guy with a skinny frame who plays soft and doesn’t have any elite offensive tools. Bleh. I’d take him at 4 or 5 but I have Cade, Suggs and Green ahead of him, possibly Kuminga too.
I’d be happy with any of the top 5 but I always come away underwhelmed with Mobley when watching him.
Yeah he is a “what he could be in 3 yeara” kind of guy
ben wallace going to basketball hall of fame love that dude and that whole team rhey really were awsome.
1 Like
thread said currently/ now…I’m not good at these but : Swift, Goff, Hock…?
