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So what are your thoughts on C-Will?

1K views 40 replies 9 participants last post by  fear the fro 
#1 ·
He was getting bashed alot earlier in the year by lots of us posters, I never really got too watch him play so sort of kept my mouth shot but as of late his numbers have improved drastically. It is reminding me of a few years ago when we sort of *gasp* relied on his offence! He has lead us in scoring a few times and been up there in a couple more. so what is the word on this former 6th man of the year. Is he a keeper?
 
#2 ·
Originally posted by <b>KABI</b>!
He was getting bashed alot earlier in the year by lots of us posters, I never really got too watch him play so sort of kept my mouth shot but as of late his numbers have improved drastically. It is reminding me of a few years ago when we sort of *gasp* relied on his offence! He has lead us in scoring a few times and been up there in a couple more. so what is the word on this former 6th man of the year. Is he a keeper?
I'm 95% sure I want to keep him, but I also want to keep Memo. I'm not sure how much money Memo will command this off-season, but everything I have been hearing has been saying that we need to clear either Chucky's or Corliss' contract off the books to retain Memo. So in my eyes it comes down to either Corliss or Chucky and right now I can't pick between those two. I really hope there is a way we can re-sign Memo and at the same time keep Corliss and Chucky, I really do.

Corliss and Chucky both mean a lot to this team. Corliss is our most reliable low post scorer and Chucky always brings energy and timely 3-pointers.
 
#4 ·
Corliss is the only guy who can seemingly regularly miss layups and still shoot 48% the field.

Despite all the shots he seems to miss, he leads the team in FG% by a sizeable margin.

It's easy to get frustrated with him, but he does bring a lot to the team. He has great post moves which allows him to be an effective backup PF even at 6'7". If Corliss could do what he does now at 7'0" he'd be a Tim Duncan like scorer.
 
#5 ·
He´s a great boost off the bench, he knows how to take his shots and he makes most of them. I think the pistons should hold on to him if it is possible...
 
#6 ·
He's a very valuable member of the team and, situationally, a devestating weapon off the bench. However, he does not have a good contract (18 million over the next three years is a lot to pay for 9-12 points off the bench). He's also our only bad contract (though an argument could be made that Rip is overpaid also at 9.34 million a season (average) over the next six seasons). Usually, a team can afford one poor contract if it has been careful elsewhere and the player nearly lives up to his price tag. If possible, it'd be good to keep Corliss around. However, I'd assume that within a couple years he'll have outlived his usefulness, since Darko should be at least an adequate post presence offensively by that point.
 
#7 ·
I got really frustrated with his play earlier in the year, but he has been playing much better lately. He hasn't been throwing up as many bad shots, he's turning it over less, and he's stopped making so many dumb fouls. Still not my favorite player, but I don't mind as much when I see him checking into the game.

everything I have been hearing has been saying that we need to clear either Chucky's or Corliss' contract off the books to retain Memo.
I'm not sure that's true. Elden is getting paid like $4.5 mil next season, and he is much more expendable than Chucky or Corliss, especially if Darko is able to play 10-15 min a game next season at the 5 (which he had better be.)
 
#8 ·
No one has mentioned Corliss defense.
He is the worst defender on the team.
He is possibly the worst rebounding "big man" in the league as well.
Corliss is a type of player who can be successfull if put in the correct situation. Otherwise he can be a huge liablity.
I can not understand why he has been in the game in crunch time lately.
 
#10 ·
Originally posted by <b>D.Spartan</b>!
No one has mentioned Corliss defense.
He is the worst defender on the team.
He is possibly the worst rebounding "big man" in the league as well.
Corliss is a type of player who can be successfull if put in the correct situation. Otherwise he can be a huge liablity.
I can not understand why he has been in the game in crunch time lately.
Corliss has been playing great in the fourth. He still misses his layups, but like it or not he's our best low post threat and in all honestly problay our most efficient scorer. Sometimes he gets out of control and shoots too much, but when he's under control, he a scoring machine.
 
#11 · (Edited)
Originally posted by <b>fear the fro</b>!



I'm not sure that's true. Elden is getting paid like $4.5 mil next season, and he is much more expendable than Chucky or Corliss, especially if Darko is able to play 10-15 min a game next season at the 5 (which he had better be.)
Darko being ready is a big if and even though Elden may be on his last legs and more expendable. Getting rid of him will leave us with only Ben, Darko, and Memo.
 
#14 ·
Unfortunately, I do not share your confidence there. I think Darko is stuck in an unfortunate catch-22 right now. Brown will only play those who have proven themselves ready. He feels you can only prove yourself by helping your team win games. This requires playing, but Darko doesn't play because he hasn't proven himself, and so on... Call it crazy, but there is historical evidence to back it up. Remember the Larry Hughes fiasco? And now he's got a team that, to his mind, has a chance at winning it all! No way he's gonna stuff that up by playing some untried foreign rookie when he's got a 35 year old veteran with hundreds of games under his belt. And if the veteran is not producing and playing, just imagine how much worse an untried rookie would do!

Of course, there are certain problems with this line of reasoning.. First, Darko has more talent than Elden ever had, and far more talent than the old Elden we've got has. Five minutes a game is unlikely to affect the outcome much one way or the other. And this team, realistically, is not a strong title contender this year. We have no post presence offensively, so we live and die by the guards, and come playoffs, eventually you die (unless one of your guards is HOF level - Jordan, Thomas, etc.). Still, my hunch is that that is the way Brown is thinking.
 
#15 ·
Originally posted by <b>JustinSane</b>!
Unfortunately, I do not share your confidence there. I think Darko is stuck in an unfortunate catch-22 right now. Brown will only play those who have proven themselves ready. He feels you can only prove yourself by helping your team win games. This requires playing, but Darko doesn't play because he hasn't proven himself, and so on... Call it crazy, but there is historical evidence to back it up. Remember the Larry Hughes fiasco? And now he's got a team that, to his mind, has a chance at winning it all! No way he's gonna stuff that up by playing some untried foreign rookie when he's got a 35 year old veteran with hundreds of games under his belt. And if the veteran is not producing and playing, just imagine how much worse an untried rookie would do!
Is that sarcasm... Because I don't see anything wrong with that. Darko is not ready, he would get eaten alive if he played meaningful minutes for an extended period of time. The reason he's not playing is not because he's not proven, but because he isn't ready. Larry Hughes was not ready either, he was more prepared than Darko, but he was not ready himslef to log heavy minutes. I'm a big Hughes, but he seems to just be figuring it out.

Of course, there are certain problems with this line of reasoning.. First, Darko has more talent than Elden ever had, and far more talent than the old Elden we've got has.
I respectfully, but strongly disagree. Elden's best season he averaged 15.3 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 2 blocks his best season. What has Darko shown us to show that he can even approach those numbers this year or even next year? Nothing. It's ridiculous to think otherwise.

Five minutes a game is unlikely to affect the outcome much one way or the other.
The way Darko has played this year, those five minutes would be a big hinderance to what's best for the team. It's not Darko's team yet. Don't make it his team before it's time.


And this team, realistically, is not a strong title contender this year. We have no post presence offensively, so we live and die by the guards, and come playoffs, eventually you die (unless one of your guards is HOF level - Jordan, Thomas, etc.). Still, my hunch is that that is the way Brown is thinking.
Are you implying that Darko would be that post presence to put us over the top? I'd rather give it to Memo, Corliss, and Elden come crunch time than Darko (if going down low was the option).
 
#16 ·
I honestly don't think there is any way Darko's presence on the floor could hurt the team more than Rebraca's.

I can understand Darko not playing most of the time. But last night in a situation where Rebraca was doing more harm than good on the floor Larry should not have put him back in in the second half.
 
#18 ·
First, that was intended not as sarcasm but as a description of what I believe Brown's thought process to be. If that is what he is thinking, I disagree with him on the following grounds: First, this team is not a true contender for the NBA championship this season because we are completely reliant on perimeter scoring from our starting guards, both of whom run hot and cold. Over the course of 4 series, eventually one or both will turn cold and we will lose. We have no way, outside of the possibility of trading Darko, of gaining such an offensive presence by playoff time. Darko, and to a lesser extent Memo, represent our only solid hope for developing such a player in the future. If Darko's development is the key to our eventually winning a championship, then failure to optimally aid his progress hurts our chances of winning.

You state that Darko would be eaten alive if given extended minutes. Do you have any evidence to back that up? His limited playing time has given ammunition to both sides of the argument, but really isn't sufficient grounds for such a strong declaration. Brown has been somewhat critical, but everyone else in the organization, including Dumars and several of the players have praised his development. There are reliable reports that his stamina has improved and it's obvious he has increased his musculature. We do know that he was selected as the second pick in the draft, that he was a unanimous top 3 selection and that most experts agreed with taking him at 2. We know that he is 7'1, 265 and freakishly quick for his size. We know that he plays aggressively. How can you be so sure that if given consistent minutes, the opportunity to get into the flow of the NBA game, his superior physical abilities wouldn't sufficiently compensate for his inexperience?

As to the question of the talent differential between Campbell and Darko: Both are approximately the same size. Darko is far quicker and has superior leaping ability. He has shown a fairly developed array of offensive skills for his age and there is no reason to believe he won't continue to improve. Therefore, he has more talent. Can he play as well this season as Elden in his prime? No, of course not. At this point, his talent remains largely raw and unrefined. However, I feel that the simple difference in physical ability is vast enough that Darko would not be significantly less effective than Elden. Darko's athleticism and talent compensate for Elden's greater experience. Darko's performance over the last couple months has been at least equal to Zelly's and in no way inferior. He should at least get his time.

One last point: If we give the minutes to Elden and Zelly, they aren't going to get any better. They are already past their peaks and sliding down the other side. There is the possibility that, if given consistent though limited (5-10 minutes a game) time, Darko could rapidly develop. If he is anywhere close to as good as they are now, by playoff time he could be significantly better. A quick, strong and aggressive 7'1'' center with a variety of offensive skills would be a nice weapon to have coming off the bench this spring. Unless we give Darko a chance, it's a weapon we can be certain we will lack. If it costs us a game or two to find out what we've got, I feel it's well worth the investment. We're not going to win it all this season anyway.
 
#19 · (Edited)
Originally posted by <b>JustinSane</b>!
First, that was intended not as sarcasm but as a description of what I believe Brown's thought process to be. If that is what he is thinking, I disagree with him on the following grounds: First, this team is not a true contender for the NBA championship this season because we are completely reliant on perimeter scoring from our starting guards, both of whom run hot and cold. Over the course of 4 series, eventually one or both will turn cold and we will lose. We have no way, outside of the possibility of trading Darko, of gaining such an offensive presence by playoff time. Darko, and to a lesser extent Memo, represent our only solid hope for developing such a player in the future. If Darko's development is the key to our eventually winning a championship, then failure to optimally aid his progress hurts our chances of winning.
To be honest I see no reason we can't atleast compete for a championship. Granted, it's only regular season play, but we've played very well against the Western Conference teams at home. On paper, yes we don't have the big boys to compete with the Western Conference big boys, but that doesn't change the fact that we have beaten the Lakers, Dallas, and San Antonio at home. We competed on the road against Sacramento (with a big home game coming up next week) and the game in Minnesota should have been a win. It's no fluke when you beat everybody. As of now, we'd have home court advantage over the Spurs, Mavs, and the Lakers. I agree that these teams would probably overcome the Pistons in a 7 game series, but there is no reason why the Pistons shouldn't be in contention.

You state that Darko would be eaten alive if given extended minutes. Do you have any evidence to back that up? His limited playing time has given ammunition to both sides of the argument, but really isn't sufficient grounds for such a strong declaration. Brown has been somewhat critical, but everyone else in the organization, including Dumars and several of the players have praised his development. There are reliable reports that his stamina has improved and it's obvious he has increased his musculature. We do know that he was selected as the second pick in the draft, that he was a unanimous top 3 selection and that most experts agreed with taking him at 2. We know that he is 7'1, 265 and freakishly quick for his size. We know that he plays aggressively. How can you be so sure that if given consistent minutes, the opportunity to get into the flow of the NBA game, his superior physical abilities wouldn't sufficiently compensate for his inexperience?
If he shows that he isn't completely lost on the court when he plays he will get time. When he is on the floor he constantly has mental lapses and is out of position on defense. He improves this and THEN he should get more time in game situations. Say what you will about Zelly and Elden, but right now, today, they know how to play the game. Zelly is somewhat of a mute point anyway, since he rarely gets any minutes anyway. But, Elden is big and physical and will not be overpowered by opposing big men. Darko is just not there yet. It's not that I don't like the guy. I want to see him succeed as much as anybody else. But, I also want to see us win games. That's what Larry Brown was brought in here for. To win.

As to the question of the talent differential between Campbell and Darko: Both are approximately the same size. Darko is far quicker and has superior leaping ability. He has shown a fairly developed array of offensive skills for his age and there is no reason to believe he won't continue to improve. Therefore, he has more talent. Can he play as well this season as Elden in his prime? No, of course not. At this point, his talent remains largely raw and unrefined. However, I feel that the simple difference in physical ability is vast enough that Darko would not be significantly less effective than Elden. Darko's athleticism and talent compensate for Elden's greater experience. Darko's performance over the last couple months has been at least equal to Zelly's and in no way inferior. He should at least get his time.
Not only can he not play as well this season as Elden in his prime, he can not play as well as Elden PAST his prime. I've seen it with my own two eyes. I disagree that Darko's performance has been equal to Zelly's unless you mean both have been sitting on the bench. If not, I think you need to pay closer attention to the defensive side of the game. Yes, Darko has had a couple nice blocked shots, but largely he has been out of position. There have been a couple of times I have wondered whether he thinks he is suppose to guard all 5 players on the court, because he just chases the ball around. These mental errors lead to the opponents getting easy buckets.

One last point: If we give the minutes to Elden and Zelly, they aren't going to get any better. They are already past their peaks and sliding down the other side. There is the possibility that, if given consistent though limited (5-10 minutes a game) time, Darko could rapidly develop. If he is anywhere close to as good as they are now, by playoff time he could be significantly better. A quick, strong and aggressive 7'1'' center with a variety of offensive skills would be a nice weapon to have coming off the bench this spring. Unless we give Darko a chance, it's a weapon we can be certain we will lack. If it costs us a game or two to find out what we've got, I feel it's well worth the investment. We're not going to win it all this season anyway.
The one or two games we chance could be the difference between having a home series in the Eastern Conference Finals and having an away series. Home court advantage against the Pacers would be big. I can't see the Pistons winning a game 7 in Conseco, but if they have to travel to the Palace I see a much better chance. I think you contradict yourself a little bit, as well. Throughout your argument you claim that Darko's talent is on par with Zelly and you seem to infer that he is on par with Elden. If that were the case and we played Darko instead of those two guys, why would we lose a game or two more during the course of the season? And, again, I atleast hold out the hope that we can give the Western Conference a run for their money IF (and it is a big if) we can gain homecourt advantage.

Great argument and great post, by the way.
 
#20 ·
Originally posted by <b>jvanbusk</b>!


If he shows that he isn't completely lost on the court when he plays he will get time. When he is on the floor he constantly has mental lapses and is out of position on defense.
The last several games he got in on I thought he looked a lot better in terms of knowing what to do and where to go. He switches too much on defense but that's not a huge deal.

You could hear Larry yelling at Zelly all night yesterday for not doing what he was supposed to, you could very clearly hear him yell "We just went over that play Zelly" at one point. Rebraca is completely invisible on the floor, he does absolutely nothing but rack up fouls. I don't think Darko should be getting minutes over Elden, but playing Rebraca over him baffles me.
 
#21 ·
Originally posted by <b>Mike luvs KG</b>!


The last several games he got in on I thought he looked a lot better in terms of knowing what to do and where to go. He switches too much on defense but that's not a huge deal.

You could hear Larry yelling at Zelly all night yesterday for not doing what he was supposed to, you could very clearly hear him yell "We just went over that play Zelly" at one point. Rebraca is completely invisible on the floor, he does absolutely nothing but rack up fouls. I don't think Darko should be getting minutes over Elden, but playing Rebraca over him baffles me.
And there is no way Zelly makes it out on the court if Memo is playing. The guy gets minimal minutes and seemed to had lost his spot in the rotation, anyways. I completely understand going with the veteran, with experience to try and slow Illgauskus. Darko facing one of the better centers in the Eastern Conference (well, the league for that matter) and one of the biggest guys would not have been a good situation. If you thought Zelly was bad, just think of what Darko would have been like. It wouldn't have been better if you consider that Darko has looked for the most part bad against the Clarence Weatherspoon's of the world.
 
#22 · (Edited)
Originally posted by <b>JustinSane</b>!
First, that was intended not as sarcasm but as a description of what I believe Brown's thought process to be. If that is what he is thinking, I disagree with him on the following grounds: First, this team is not a true contender for the NBA championship this season because we are completely reliant on perimeter scoring from our starting guards, both of whom run hot and cold. Over the course of 4 series, eventually one or both will turn cold and we will lose. We have no way, outside of the possibility of trading Darko, of gaining such an offensive presence by playoff time. Darko, and to a lesser extent Memo, represent our only solid hope for developing such a player in the future. If Darko's development is the key to our eventually winning a championship, then failure to optimally aid his progress hurts our chances of winning.

You state that Darko would be eaten alive if given extended minutes. Do you have any evidence to back that up? His limited playing time has given ammunition to both sides of the argument, but really isn't sufficient grounds for such a strong declaration. Brown has been somewhat critical, but everyone else in the organization, including Dumars and several of the players have praised his development. There are reliable reports that his stamina has improved and it's obvious he has increased his musculature. We do know that he was selected as the second pick in the draft, that he was a unanimous top 3 selection and that most experts agreed with taking him at 2. We know that he is 7'1, 265 and freakishly quick for his size. We know that he plays aggressively. How can you be so sure that if given consistent minutes, the opportunity to get into the flow of the NBA game, his superior physical abilities wouldn't sufficiently compensate for his inexperience?

As to the question of the talent differential between Campbell and Darko: Both are approximately the same size. Darko is far quicker and has superior leaping ability. He has shown a fairly developed array of offensive skills for his age and there is no reason to believe he won't continue to improve. Therefore, he has more talent. Can he play as well this season as Elden in his prime? No, of course not. At this point, his talent remains largely raw and unrefined. However, I feel that the simple difference in physical ability is vast enough that Darko would not be significantly less effective than Elden. Darko's athleticism and talent compensate for Elden's greater experience. Darko's performance over the last couple months has been at least equal to Zelly's and in no way inferior. He should at least get his time.

One last point: If we give the minutes to Elden and Zelly, they aren't going to get any better. They are already past their peaks and sliding down the other side. There is the possibility that, if given consistent though limited (5-10 minutes a game) time, Darko could rapidly develop. If he is anywhere close to as good as they are now, by playoff time he could be significantly better. A quick, strong and aggressive 7'1'' center with a variety of offensive skills would be a nice weapon to have coming off the bench this spring. Unless we give Darko a chance, it's a weapon we can be certain we will lack. If it costs us a game or two to find out what we've got, I feel it's well worth the investment. We're not going to win it all this season anyway.
Right now I don't have a whole lot to say in response to this post because 1. Jvanbusk says a lot of the things I feel and 2. A lot of it is based on guessing and projecting on how you think Darko would do. I also have seen with my own two eyes countless mistakes by Darko. He is at least two steps behind on the court when he's in and sometimes more than that. This runs deeper than Darko. You go in the Detroit lockeroom and tell Ben Wallace, Chauncey Billups, and so on that their championship chances rest in the hands of Darko Milicic and tell them to sacrifice winning now (which w/ a little luck they probaly can) and maybe even a couple years of winning as many games so they can develop Darko and you see what kind of looks you get from them. There is no handbook on how to raise and develop your talent and if Darko was meant to be a special player he will become that, whether he plays 10 minutes a game this year or none. This is not the Darko Pistons or the Detroit Milicic's, it's the Detroit Pistons. Let his time come. Right now is not his time.

One more thing that I'd like to add is that getting results is better than having talent.
 
#24 ·
I think the crux of this argument lies on whether you think the Pistons actually have a chance this season. Personally, I don't. I believe that the Pacers, Timberwolves (who still have Wally and Kandi out), the Kings (who have Webber out), the Lakers (who have, variously, pretty much every decent player on the team out), and the Mavericks (who are finally getting healthy and starting to roll) are all significantly more talented than the Pistons, and that over the course of a seven game series that talent differential would be decisive. There is no guarantee that the Pistons could even reach the finals. The Pacers, Nets and Hornets are all capable of beating us. The Pacers have proven it, the Hornets are just now getting their second best player back, and the Nets have dominated the eastern conference playoffs the last two seasons with the same team. There is no solid reason to think they can't duplicate last season's performance now that the Byron Scott drama has been laid to rest.

I never stated that Darko would immediately be more effective than Elden, or even fully equal, only that the difference between the two is small enough that giving Darko 5-10 minutes of Elden's time would be very unlikely to cost more than one or two games. I think that Darko has already shown both that he has vastly more talent than Elden and Zelly and that he makes vastly more mistakes. The net effect is that his superior talent allows him to make plays the others couldn't, while his inexperience leads to mistakes the others wouldn't make. Experience (read: Playing Time) will reduce the number of mistakes Darko makes. The same playing time will not raise the talent level of our current back up 5's one whit.

The possible effect on team chemistry is a good point, and for a while it almost changed my mind, but after thinking over I think I disagree. This team isn't ready to win yet. They do need Darko. So it's worth bruising a few egos if it means Darko will be fully ready within the next 2-4 years, while Ben Wallace will still be near his prime. They may not like it at first, but after a couple months, when Darko's mistakes aren't so numerous and his talent starts causing match-up problems for the other team, they'll come around. If he really isn't ready, that should become apparent within 5 games or so, and he can be sent back to the bench. These men are professionals. They understand that sometimes teams roll the dice when the potential reward justifies the risk. One caveat: If the entire team opposes it, then I'll agree with them. They've been practicing against him all season, and they know exactly what he's capable of, both positively and negatively. Unlike Brown, they have no documented history of prejudice against young players. If they would rather play with Zelly, knowing he's not going to improve, than give Darko a shot at proving himself, then I'm willing to concede that he's not ready yet and needs to wait.
 
#25 ·
I can understand him being behind Elden and Memo. But Zelly? It's not about going in and telling people we need Darko to win a championship, it's about giving him limited minutes when we are shorthanded. Zelly contributes absolutely nothing to the team, he hurt the team when he was on the court on both ends of the floor. There is almost no possible way Darko could have done worse. If Memo doesn't play tomorow and Rebraca gets in again I will be shocked and baffled.

Originally posted by <b>jvanbusk</b>!


It wouldn't have been better if you consider that Darko has looked for the most part bad against the Clarence Weatherspoon's of the world.
Darko destroyed Clarence Weatherspoon. And I don't think he's looked bad at all in his last 5 or 6 appearances. Ilgauskas is slow and can't play D, I would have liked to see what Darko could do on him. He couldn't have done a worse job than Zelly.

I don't think they should give him minutes just for the sake of having him in the game. But in a situation where your starting center is out, you are shorthanded, and Rebraca is completely useless, either give Darko the backup minutes or put him on the IL because if you don't play him then you're never going to play him.
 
#26 ·
Originally posted by <b>JustinSane</b>!
I think the crux of this argument lies on whether you think the Pistons actually have a chance this season. Personally, I don't. I believe that the Pacers, Timberwolves (who still have Wally and Kandi out), the Kings (who have Webber out), the Lakers (who have, variously, pretty much every decent player on the team out), and the Mavericks (who are finally getting healthy and starting to roll) are all significantly more talented than the Pistons, and that over the course of a seven game series that talent differential would be decisive. There is no guarantee that the Pistons could even reach the finals. The Pacers, Nets and Hornets are all capable of beating us. The Pacers have proven it, the Hornets are just now getting their second best player back, and the Nets have dominated the eastern conference playoffs the last two seasons with the same team. There is no solid reason to think they can't duplicate last season's performance now that the Byron Scott drama has been laid to rest.

I never stated that Darko would immediately be more effective than Elden, or even fully equal, only that the difference between the two is small enough that giving Darko 5-10 minutes of Elden's time would be very unlikely to cost more than one or two games. I think that Darko has already shown both that he has vastly more talent than Elden and Zelly and that he makes vastly more mistakes. The net effect is that his superior talent allows him to make plays the others couldn't, while his inexperience leads to mistakes the others wouldn't make. Experience (read: Playing Time) will reduce the number of mistakes Darko makes. The same playing time will not raise the talent level of our current back up 5's one whit.

The possible effect on team chemistry is a good point, and for a while it almost changed my mind, but after thinking over I think I disagree. This team isn't ready to win yet. They do need Darko. So it's worth bruising a few egos if it means Darko will be fully ready within the next 2-4 years, while Ben Wallace will still be near his prime. They may not like it at first, but after a couple months, when Darko's mistakes aren't so numerous and his talent starts causing match-up problems for the other team, they'll come around. If he really isn't ready, that should become apparent within 5 games or so, and he can be sent back to the bench. These men are professionals. They understand that sometimes teams roll the dice when the potential reward justifies the risk. One caveat: If the entire team opposes it, then I'll agree with them. They've been practicing against him all season, and they know exactly what he's capable of, both positively and negatively. Unlike Brown, they have no documented history of prejudice against young players. If they would rather play with Zelly, knowing he's not going to improve, than give Darko a shot at proving himself, then I'm willing to concede that he's not ready yet and needs to wait.
First let me say thanks for the well thought out post even though I am going to disagree with you ;). I have heard LB mention on the radio repeatedly that Darko is not ready for the NBA yet. If LB realizes this and I realize this I am sure the players on the team realize this. Darko does not give them the best chance to win. So if you just go and give Darko minutes in a close game what message are you sending to the other players on your team? The team would just flat out quit and that would be a debacle. I would agree Darko should be given quality minutes if we had won 9 games at this point. Even though you don't believe it we do have a chance to make a run at the finals. We lost one game to the pacers by 2 pts and the other one we had a comfortable lead going into the fourth. The pacers other than reggie have been playoff chokers and we have all seen how well a rick carlisle led offense works in the playoffs :rolleyes: . I would be slightly worried about playing the nets again though. Still though you can't just give up on the season especially when your going be in the playoffs.
 
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