"Breaking News: Wolves agree to a four-year, $20 milion deal with Darko Milicic."
by FaithfullyFanatical on Jul 1, 2010 11:52 AM CDT
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PrintFrom ESPN's Chad Ford: "Breaking News: Wolves agree to a four-year, $20 milion deal with Darko Milicic."
During the season, Darko talked about leaving the NBA and going back to Europe, but the Wolves traded for him at the deadline, and were committed to giving him some solid playing time.
With Darko back in the fold, it's possible the Wolves could trade Kevin Love or Al Jefferson, two names that have been rumored in trade talks.
Been reading the site for awhile now and finally decided to join.
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Welcome!
I looked ahead to the open road, thought about the people and what they know, and wrote a book called "People Don't Know Nothin!"
Thanx
I see another post was up before this one. Good work Blond Ricky!
by FaithfullyFanatical on Jul 1, 2010 12:01 PM CDT reply actions
Glad to have you on board.
Enjoy the mayhem.
too much
Darko deserves 3 million per, but whadaya gonna do. So I guess Center is set for a while now with Darko and Pek off the bench. Not super exciting but could be effective.
That's fine
Darko’s should work really well in the TO
by 123farve567-612 on Jul 1, 2010 12:14 PM CDT reply actions
Triangle Offense
You mean the Triangle Offense that the team barely runs? Do people even watch the team?
by peterchristian on Jul 1, 2010 11:13 PM CDT up reply actions
maybe worth it maybe not
But sadly could be one of the top two centers in wolves history
Sadly indeed!
That raises the question of who was the best pure center who played for the Wolves for at least one full season?
Stanley Roberts!
Rasho!
"I’m tired of hearing about money, money, money, money, money. I just want to play the game, drink Pepsi, wear Reebok." ~Shaq
by Max_in_Missouri on Jul 1, 2010 2:01 PM CDT up reply actions
What about the dude that got the DUI while jacking off to porn in his SUV?
RIP Eddie!
"I’m tired of hearing about money, money, money, money, money. I just want to play the game, drink Pepsi, wear Reebok." ~Shaq
by Max_in_Missouri on Jul 1, 2010 6:03 PM CDT up reply actions
everyone please, a few seconds of silence to remember the great Eddie Griffin.
by jordanmowbray on Jul 1, 2010 6:32 PM CDT up reply actions
...and for the record, I actually liked the dude
too bad about his off-court stuff.
by jordanmowbray on Jul 1, 2010 6:34 PM CDT up reply actions
coulda been one of the best shot blockers in the league...
…if he had managed to put his life together.
"Hell Yeah...welcome back Darko"..............that is the funniest thing i heard all day.
The Timberwolves president should have the responsibility of selecting talent taken away from him. KAHN IS THE LAUGHING STOCK OF THE NBA. Who in their right mind would sign Darko to another multi-year contract while trying to trade your only franchise player in Al Jefferson. Jefferson is a top 5 PF in this league. Not to mention the drafting of half the PG in the draft last year. I hate to be the one to the break the bad news wolve fans but RUBIO WILL NEVER PLAY FOR THIS ORGANZATION WHILE KAHN IS IN CHARGE. I feel for you fans..i really do….lol. If you trade Jefferson and play Darko with Love you are still going to have the same issues of starting two PF at the same time unless KAHN thinks Darko can play center in this league…..who knows.
Kenneth Lewis Moore
Darko's a PF now?
Enlighten us some more, lightskin.
I see your top 2 blog memberships are Bengals & Pirates. My heart goes out to you too.
I looked ahead to the open road, thought about the people and what they know, and wrote a book called "People Don't Know Nothin!"
1. Darko is not a power forward… he CAN and HAS played center in this league for many years now.
2. We are not overpaying Darko (see: 18 games Darko put up respectable numbers as the starter… while he was still out of shape mind you)
3. You obviously dont know what your talking about, and have probably never watched a Timberwolves (or basketball) game in your life…
4. thank you for enlightening us with your well-thought out post.
by jordanmowbray on Jul 1, 2010 6:26 PM CDT up reply actions
everyone please, a few seconds of silence to remember the great Eddie Griffin.
by jordanmowbray on Jul 1, 2010 6:32 PM CDT up reply actions
I hope he'll be able to blossom here
I always thought Darko got put in a bad situation in Detroit. You had a coach who didn’t want you and a fanbase that wanted any of the four players drafted after you, despite the fact that of them, only Bosh and Kaman would have filled a Pistons need at the time.
5 million might be too much, but for a guy that young with his size, I think it’s money well spent.
And With 'Sheed/Wallace/Okur/McDyess there was no playing time anyway
It’s too bad he just couldn’t have stayed overseas a few more years and gotten drafted by a team that wanted and needed him.
The biggest concern about Darko that I have isn’t in his game, it’s in his head. Hopefully, he’ll be in shape and ready to go this fall.
Well
He likes it here, at least, so that has to help the situation. Sounds like he’s been miserable until he came here.
Interviewer: Can you understand why teams value potential ahead of experience and accomplishment in the draft? Wes Johnson: "Yeah. I understand. It’s the youngness of everything – older guys like young women, so it’s the same way."
Yesss!! Bring on Gasol, Duncan, Amare, Millsap, Duncan.....
Now the Wolves can be competitive since Darko will FINALLY start showing that “#2 overall pick” form that 4 other franchises didn’t get to see.
Rambis will get the most outta him, & with Kahn & your FO at the helm, these kinda moves will soon have the Wolves in contention!!
Seriously though, this is the plan?
Darko, Petko, ….thats the formula for Western Conf contention? Really?
And the same fanbase that dumps on Flynn, Al, Love, even Wesley & Lazar Hayward…BEFORE they’ve even suited up- THAT fanbase is actually applauding such an inane lateral move towards further mediocrity?
Oy vey!
In response:
(Insert generic comments about Syracuse and it’s fans that really aren’t true at all here)
Buckeyes are red, Wildcats are blue,
I wanted Evan Turner, But DeMarcus Cousins will do.
Yes, by all means...kill the messenger!
Nothing in my post, albeit dripping w/ obvious sarcasm, was inaccurate or misplaced.
The only fanbase applauding the multi-year signing of Darko Milicic is the Wolves fanbase.
And yet the only response is to bash the Cuse- because obviously all their fans are missing the big picture? Ummm, excuse me if the rest of the world just doesn’t get it!
Frankly, with every increasingly baffling undertaking, your FO is becoming more of a punchline.
Thats a fact.
Disagree
There’s no “T” in Peko.
Interviewer: Can you understand why teams value potential ahead of experience and accomplishment in the draft? Wes Johnson: "Yeah. I understand. It’s the youngness of everything – older guys like young women, so it’s the same way."
You still struggle with this fact don't you
Our joke of a front office thinks your guys from Syracuse are the next great thing.
a) People love Kevin Love around here
b) People have given Lazar tons of respect considering we drafted him about 25 or more spots higher than he was slotted
c) Most people have said Johnson will be a good player, but he was clearly not the best [perceived] value at the 4
d) Htow mtany gatmes htave yout wached Pektovic ptlay?
e) People were unhappy with Flynn over Curry (and a couple others)… is it wrong to be right?
f) No one here thinks we have a championship squad right now
g) You have issues lumping one opinion as the opinion of the entire fanbase (there are AT LEAST 2 differing views among the 63 of us)
h) Syracuse plays the zone
Buckeyes are red, Wildcats are blue,
I wanted Evan Turner, But DeMarcus Cousins will do.
Put me down as a homer for Darko
If last year was him out of shape, I’m really looking forward to seeing what a smart 7-footer can do for us. Based on what little we saw last year, I think the Knicks were insane to have kept him on the bench.
Rambis knows big men, likes Darko, and that’s enough for me.
Dude
He’s Keyser Soze.
Don’t eff with him.
I looked ahead to the open road, thought about the people and what they know, and wrote a book called "People Don't Know Nothin!"
You never know when he
will start killing many men in the harbor. quiver
Hey come on..
The first sarcastic post stung, but then you go all hard core with your second verbal dart, in CAPS no less…we got feelings too. Ouch. Never mind that almost every one of your posts are wildly inaccurate. Still hurts, still stings (caps? Really? Are you that upset?)
We should pick up a small forward
by Son of Gerald Green on Jul 1, 2010 3:50 PM CDT up reply actions
thank you
For removing any reservations o had about ignoring everything you say. Now I know I made the right decision.
"Pinch-bunters don't have a ton of value, even with the Twins"
by Steven Ellingson on Jul 1, 2010 5:09 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Overpaid
It seems obvious we had to pay Darko more than Pekovic to sign him, but $5m/yr seems too high for so very little proven talent. He was outmatched at the 5 and only showed us below average to average NBA talent. I guess I’ll join the “hope he improves” train, but it was still an overpay. 3mil/yr would’ve been more prudent. Like someone on ESPN said, who exactly were we competing with for his services? Europe?
This just means I’ll be placing my bets on Pekovic even more for the wolves at 5. At least that deal seemed reasonable. I am pretty curious about why Peks rebounding numbers are so bad though…more for Kevin/Al?
The Darko contract is slightly better than the T-Hud contract, which isn’t saying much. Lets “hope” he gets better…
Details
Hopefully there’s a team option in there to reduce it to 3 years if he doesn’t live up to expectations.
Visit my D2 Baseball Blog - Northern Sun Baseball
Fair price
Per basketball-reference.com, here’s a list of Centers in their mid-20s with similar PERs to Darko, who played at least 500 minutes last year, who are NOT on rookie contracts (Darko himself had a PER of 12.9 with the Wolves, but is not on this list because b-r.com considers him primarily a forward, not a Center.):
http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/tiny.cgi?id=Vt2vi
Krstic is on a 3yr, $15.8 mil contract.
Zaza is on a 4yr, $19 mil contract.
Biedrins is on a 6yr, $62 mil contract (!!!)
Ty is on a 6yr, $64 mil contract
Hollins is on a 3yr, $7 mil contract.
Might be the going rate for a young big man
But, it’s still sort of lousy for the Wolves unless Darko improves unexpectedly. With four slow big men signed, the wolves lose some leverage in trades because teams will think we need to get rid of Al Jefferson. Our choices are then to either keep Jefferson despite worries about fit or to make a less than optimal deal. If the Wolves had just waited to sign Darko until other possibilities had diminished, they might have been able to make a better deal or find a player who fits the team better without paying much more. Even if Darko had simply walked, it wouldn’t have been a huge loss. I just don’t know if it was a smart bet. The risks of taking Darko at $5 for 4 yrs seem greater than the risks of going into next season without a seven footer, but then, I’m not a season ticket holder so I might be a little too patient.
well he's slow for a basketball player, and big, but not slow for a big basketball player.
I’d like to see cousins beat him in a foot race.
"Pinch-bunters don't have a ton of value, even with the Twins"
by Steven Ellingson on Jul 1, 2010 5:14 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
I think
everyone is underestimating Cousins’ speed.
Buckeyes are red, Wildcats are blue,
I wanted Evan Turner, But DeMarcus Cousins will do.
Is that possible?
I like Cousins too, and I wanted him, but he doesn’t run like the wind. Or at all.
Wildly inaccurate misconception about him
The man is big, that doesn’t mean he’s never run up and down the basketball court in his life.
One piece of evidence: He scored the 2nd largest percentage of his points in transition among Cs.
Buckeyes are red, Wildcats are blue,
I wanted Evan Turner, But DeMarcus Cousins will do.
Combine results, grain of salt, etc.
From DX,
Darko’s 3/4 court sprint: 3.36, Lane Agility: 11.30
Boogie’s 3/4 court sprint: 3.55, Lane Agility: 11.40
Favors’ 3/4 court sprint: 3.25, Lane Agility: 11.74 (!)
I find
his actual in game performance a lot more indicative of his ability to get up and down the court than .2 seconds in a drill. That means he was less than 2 steps behind Favors.
Buckeyes are red, Wildcats are blue,
I wanted Evan Turner, But DeMarcus Cousins will do.
There are worse things
you could support the team that is going to pay Drew Gooden $32 million over the next five years.
"I was trying to focus on breathing," Milicic said. "I was just focusing on breathing so I didn’t die."
Think this is a right deal. The 4 yr might come back to bite us … but at least if he starts to flourish we’ll be able to cash in the dividents… good deal imo
More than 10 days guaranteed is too much.
Darko is not good.
by peterchristian on Jul 1, 2010 10:24 PM CDT up reply actions
I've been waiting
…22 years for the Timberwolves to sign a center. Not a great center, or even a good center. I’ve been waiting for us to get an adequate center. For the first time ever, I think we may have accomplished that. Rasho was wildly overpraised while he was here.
Next up, I’d like a good PG. Marbury was good while he was here, though he was a team-killer wherever he went afterwards. Sam Cassell was good for one season. So we’ve had a good PG 3 years out of 22. Which is probably why we in Minnesota are so willing to wait for Ricky Rubio. Note: I think Flynn can play point in the league, I just don’t think he’ll be a top 5 or even top 10 PG.
With a good PG due any year now and an adequate big man signed, we may be just a year or two away from credibility.
Didn't Cardnial
Brian Cardnial got paid 6 million in one year i think. Darko at 5 is not bad at all
by Twolves for ever and ever on Jul 1, 2010 8:08 PM CDT reply actions
That's perspective for you...
Even though I am a huge fan of Cardinal… think he’d sign for the league-minimum as that veteran good-guy role?
Oh. no!
I’d rather not.
"I was trying to focus on breathing," Milicic said. "I was just focusing on breathing so I didn’t die."
I'd take Cardinal in that role. End of the bench guy
who only plays in junk time, and apparently a good influence on Kevin Love!
The legend is that
the owner of the Grizz was whining to then-GM Jerry West about the fact that he hadn’t signed anyone. So West picks up the phone in front of the owner, offers Cardinal a ridiculous deal, gets an immediate (and I assume stunned) agreement, and then hangs up the phone.
Pure awesome.
At the time Cardinal was younger and an effective hustle-player.
"It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future." -- Yogi Berra
by Wile E Coyote on Jul 1, 2010 10:29 PM CDT up reply actions
Like the Darko deal
especially if year 4 is not guaranteed totally. About the mid-range of what posters have said he would get as far as salary, so that works nicely. He probably will be the Wolves best all time center in three years, sadly. Ended up being a nice trade for Cardinal, let’s give Kahn and Rambis some credit.
Give credit?
Let’s not do anything hasty… Kahn just gave a third of his available cap space to a guy who can’t score, is among one of the worst defensive 7 footers in the league and is the BIGGEST bust in the league in the last 7 years. That isn’t anything to “like” and Darko wasn’t going to get any mid-level offers, he was ready to call his NBA career over. The rest of the league was OK with that, except for the basketball idiot that is David Kahn.
by peterchristian on Jul 1, 2010 10:22 PM CDT up reply actions
among the worst defensive 7 foot centers?
Here is were I ask you to put your money where your mouth is and back this up if you can. Darko is a below average scorer and rebounder…but not defender.
No one is getting Rubio's rights unless they pry them from our cold dead fingers.
by TheEvilProfessor on Jul 2, 2010 8:42 AM CDT up reply actions
Terrible
For anyone who likes this signing, sit down and shut up. This signing is terrible. Way too much money for a bad player. The guy didn’t want to play in the NBA anymore and was likely not going to get any other contract offers but Kahn decided to give him $5 mil/yr. Might I remind you all that the Wolves were 1-17 in the 18 games Darko started last year. So it’s not like he really EARNED that contract either. Just because Cardinal got $6 million doesn’t make this contract a “deal.”
If you need statistical evidence to back my feelings up please click this link
Darko has been downright bad for 7 seasons, he’s not suddenly going to “get it” in his 8th season. If you like this signing, stop talking or watching basketball, you are embarassing yourself.
Wow, where did all the trolls come from
I am a grown man with kids, a job, and a mortgage. I think I will decline your ‘command’ to sit down, shut up, and stop watching basketball.
"It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future." -- Yogi Berra
by Wile E Coyote on Jul 1, 2010 10:31 PM CDT up reply actions
Enlighten me
How is this signing defensible? I’m not alone in this one. If you enjoy basketball, understand the game and the league, the signing of Darko is baffling.
If you are going to put yourself out there on a message board that you like an asinine decision you are fair game to be told that you should find a new hobby (i.e. stop watching basketball). Even IF you have kids/job/mortgage, because those things have nothing to do with having a valid opinion about basketball.
by peterchristian on Jul 1, 2010 11:10 PM CDT up reply actions
pound sand then
What makes your opinion so great? The fact is that Darko wouldn’t have been signed if Rambis didn’t think highly of him. And I would bet my rather decent paycheck that Rambis knows a hell of a lot more about a players skills then you ever will.
I dub thee peter"holierthanthou"christian.
No one is getting Rubio's rights unless they pry them from our cold dead fingers.
by TheEvilProfessor on Jul 2, 2010 8:46 AM CDT up reply actions
Asinine and indefensible
Are good descriptors for your contributions thus far.
I looked ahead to the open road, thought about the people and what they know, and wrote a book called "People Don't Know Nothin!"
Please, enlighten me
How is this signing defensible? I’m not alone in this one. If you enjoy basketball, understand the game and the league, the signing of Darko is baffling.
If you are going to put yourself out there on a message board that you like an asinine decision you are fair game to be told that you should find a new hobby (i.e. stop watching basketball). Even IF you have kids/job/mortgage, because those things have nothing to do with having a valid opinion about basketball.
by peterchristian on Jul 1, 2010 11:12 PM CDT up reply actions
Enlightening Peterhead
First, It’s about market for a guy that size with ANY upside (and, really, even those without).
Second, he could still get several million in Europe. It’s not like the NBA has been a good experience for him, so going back was probably his preferred option. You had to make him an offer that showed you were invested in him and that you believed in him. Is it a bit too long of a contract? Yes, I’d like 2 or 3 years max, instead of 4 guaranteed, but it’s what we had to do. I don’t think he’s going to be Tim Duncan or Kareem Abdul Jabbar, but I do think he’ll be a serviceable center in the league, which at this time, is worth abut 5 million a year.
Third, he’s 25, and at one point, people thought he had a ton of potential. But due to the bad situations he’s been in, he hasn’t shown one way or the other if he’ll live up to it. There have been numerous stories of players fulfilling their potential after a change in scenery, including Chauncey Billips when he found a team that was a much better fit for him in Detroit. He showed flashes last year, despite being completely out of shape and in a completely different offense.
Fourth, no one is coming here. We’re not getting a sniff from any decent free agent. There aren’t many, if any, options out there other than him willing to play for our team. It’s a terrible state to live in for the majority of the basketball season (even though half their games are away games), we’re not anywhere close to winning anything, and there’s a barely existent fanbase here. All we have is the draft and trades. And, we passed on Cousins (who may end up being a Trailblazers era Rasheed Wallace), so we need to have another big. Darko is that guy.
So, in the end, this signing is worth it. Yes, he’s sucked since he got into the NBA. Yes, there’s a decent to good chance that he is what he has been. But there’s a slight to decent chance he can turn it around. We’re taking a chance because that’s the best we can do for now. Unlike franchises that have proven talent, we’re stuck with being nowhereland for free agents. That’s how it works when you haven’t been competitive in more than five years.
Don't hold your breath, Peter-
What you’ll get from the Darko-bots is crickets!
The entire league is laughing at the Wolves organization, & these Einsteins don’t know why.
care to compare IQs?
I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.
No one is getting Rubio's rights unless they pry them from our cold dead fingers.
by TheEvilProfessor on Jul 2, 2010 8:46 AM CDT up reply actions
What's with all the bad trolls?
I know that internet forums have tons of trolls but peter and verbal don’t even do a good job of it..
I guess Darko brings out the worst in the worst people.
I’m amazed at the reactions. The Wolves needed a center with size. They tried out a malcontent Darko last year (after about a year of inactivity) and — guess what? — they LIKED WHAT THEY GOT from him.
So they offered him a contract that is in line with his statistical production, and a bargain if he makes some headway into that upside he’s always had.
It cuts into cap space? Guess what? Cap space is for one thing only — signing players you want.
Honestly, it seems like a job well done. Where’s the problem here?
Cap space
Cap space does no good to team that won’t attract any free agents. The people whining about the Darko signing probably think we’d somehow get LeBron to sign here if only we had the cap space.
For the Wolves, the cap space doesn’t matter.Even if we had the cap space to sign two max players, none of them would sign here. Anything you do is going to be a trade, the salaries will basically have to match up anyway.
Darko is a good bet for the money. And the only reasonable option we have.
If they can trade Jaric
they can trade Darko.
Can this signing go poorly? Sure. But he’s probably like Joe Smith at 25 (2000), not worth his draft pick but a reasonable 10-7 guy. Compare his salary to Dalembert and Okafor.
Or maybe Darko is as good as Kendrick Perkins and can fill that role. He isn’t being paid to be Duncan, or expected to be that anymore.
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