Darko ->HAS<- been used correctly - *IF* we resign him!

[davcivic 11]

quote:

Originally posted by MilitaryMagic:

quote:

Originally posted by davcivic:

Yeah but if you where in his shoes, and you know you could make 3 or 4 of those jumpers a game, add 6-8 pts to your total score, while passing and assisting others while you are at it, and moving the ball around better to help the team, but if you do that you know you will be on the bench the next dead ball, how would you feel.....

 

It's like being a doctor on a beach where there is a guy drowning, but the kid in the surfboard won't let you help the victim just because he doesn't feel like it.

 

The trouble is with Darko's FG %. To make 3-4 of those jumpers, he would typically need at least another 7-10 shots unless you remove him from the post. That would defeat the purpose of instilling an inside game in Darko, because he'd then be spending about half his time outside of the paint.

 

And regardless, to get him those jumpers, he'd be taking more shots than anyone else on the team. Do you really want Darko taking more shots than Dwight? That seems pretty twisted to me.

 

Ideally, in the future, I think you want Darko to be 50/50 inside/outside, but to instill the inside game the coaches needed to heavily favor the inside game and discourage the jumpers. Again though, that was before the last several weeks when the coaches have given Darko more freedom lately.

 

His FG% this year is lower. That is true, but he hasn't shot them as many times, meaning his confidence was not there all the way. Last year they where right on the money almost every night. You have a point. Maybe not 3-4, maybe 1-2 made a night, but still that would make the defense respect him, move away from Howard and leave him open for a pass from Darko.

[Secretly Space Jesus 670]

quote:

Originally posted by MilitaryMagic:

The trouble is with Darko's FG %. To make 3-4 of those jumpers, he would typically need at least another 7-10 shots unless you remove him from the post.

 

I'm not sure I understand this. I think the idea was that Darko should be getting 3-4 more outside shots a game, not "enough shots that he could make 3-4 more a game". Darko has taken about 4.5 shots a game over the last 5 games, and it's even less if you don't include the philly game where he had 11. So add 3-4 more shots a game, and he's still only shooting 7-9 shots a game. A developing big like Dwight or Darko should be shooting 10 a game at the very least.

[Emory889 353]

There are only two positives from the way the Magic utilized Darko this season.

 

1) Like everyone else has already said, Darko has developed a very solid post game.

 

2) Maybe there is a chance that the demand for Darko will be less because he hasn't had an opportunity to showcase his complete skills. Between this fact and his restricted free agent status hopefully it will scare other teams away. Even if we are able to resign him for a affordable price the way that he is coached must change. This team isn't good enough to go without utilizing all of our players talents.

[Mat 4]

quote:

Originally posted by davcivic:

He was made to develop his inside game. Yes he was used properly in that sense.

 

BUT............He was made into a Post only player. That is not using him correctly. Remember last season when he would shoot that long jumper and most of the time it would go in....That part of the game should be exploded too. Specially when Dwight is also in the game. Let Dwight post up, let Darko be around outside waiting for the open jumper.

 

Coach would kill him if he shot it, intead of using that strength, it was wasted completely.

 

I agree.

[Mat 4]

quote:

Originally posted by emory889:

There are only two positives from the way the Magic utilized Darko this season.

 

1) Like everyone else has already said, Darko has developed a very solid post game.

 

2) Maybe there is a chance that the demand for Darko will be less because he hasn't had an opportunity to showcase his complete skills. Between this fact and his restricted free agent status hopefully it will scare other teams away. Even if we are able to resign him for a affordable price the way that he is coached must change. This team isn't good enough to go without utilizing all of our players talents.

 

I agree.

i think utilized Milicic in that way can scare to the other team we they try to resign him. A great strategy to sign him for not much money, and play him next season with this new skills and the long gange shots.

if this is right , is a GREAT strategic move.

[Marc Acres 3:16 418]

"And regardless, to get him those jumpers, he'd be taking more shots than anyone else on the team. Do you really want Darko taking more shots than Dwight? That seems pretty twisted to me."

 

Definatley not, but I think we could take one or 2 from Turk when he was laying bricks through the first 3/4 of the year and I don't think anyone would be too upset if there were a few iso's taken away from Jameer.

 

We do want to develope him completely so it was a good idea to force him into the post. My only complaint is that we could have allowed him a couple of perimeter plays prior to the last couple of weeks of the season so we kept that part of his game fresh and in the process kept him from feeling like he had been mis-used.

 

There is something to be said for positive reinforcement once in a while. If Darko is working hard on the block, give him a jumper every so often to reward him. Teams do it all the time with big men when they make a good play on the defensive end, they will hit them on the break for a dunk.

[athena 0]

MilitaryMagic, i agree that playing time for darko has done him great and your point about him not being dirk is totaly true.

 

as for next year and after a good eurobasket, i think he will be even better.

 

but what is freaking me out ( a little) is this quote from bhill

 

http://www.eurosport.com/basketball/nba/2006-2007/sport_sto1153245.shtml

 

quote:

"I don't see any way that Darko will be playing for anyone else," said Magic coach Brian Hill. "I've told him that already -- that he will be in a Magic uniform next year, one way or another. We anticipate him being a big part of our future."

 

it does sound encouraging, but is it just me or can someone read between the lines here like me?

 

it sounds like bhill will just end up forcing him to do exactly what he's done this year.

 

like you said Military, his natural skills haven't been utilized....i ask all of you, will they ever be?

[lazyberbs 0]

I for one would not have a problem with Darko taking as many shots as Dwight, not counting the shots Dwight gets from putbacks. Not only would Darko's percentage go up considerably but he has Dwight there to clean up his misses. It would not hurt this team at all if Darko shot the ball 3 or 4 times from the outside and 3 or 4 times from the inside.

 

And it certainly would not hurt this team to have him hitting boards harder. I know that Grant yells at him when he goes to the boards too soon and gets in "Grant's Lane", but tough.

We should be using his rebounding ability more and maybe he would get some more putbacks, too.

 

As for the main theme of this thread, I do not disagree that Darko is more of a complete player after being forced into the inside game, but that does not mean that his outside game should have been taken away completely. That, in my mind, just made a waste of his use for a full season. Sure, keep him inside most of the time but get him some shots in there. And let him shoot a couple from the outside. That opens up not only his own inside game, but that of Dwight and Tony, as well.

[Detroit Magic 0]

Is it a coincidence that Darko

[Robert56 0]

I would rather have Darko taking more shoots than Dwight, but from outside. I think that Darko has the ablitiy to be better than Dwight if given the chance to play his game. This would also make Dwight a better player, as other teams wouldn't be able to consintrate on double teaming Dwight if Darko is out there scoring. Right now the one thing Dwight has going for his scoring is his dunking. Dwight dunks almost 50% of the time and everyone knows that. If Darko shoots and misses Dwight is there to slam it in.

 

The Magic have not used Darko correclty this season although they have toughen him up a bit.

[Murphy13 185]

i wonder when the magic office will release the results of darko's mri. i hope it isnt as serious as it sounded. its always the ankles with the magic, isnt it?

[MilitaryMagic 0]

quote:

Originally posted by athena:

MilitaryMagic, i agree that playing time for darko has done him great and your point about him not being dirk is totaly true.

 

as for next year and after a good eurobasket, i think he will be even better.

 

but what is freaking me out ( a little) is this quote from bhill

 

http://www.eurosport.com/basketball/nba/2006-2007/sport_sto1153245.shtml

 

quote:

"I don't see any way that Darko will be playing for anyone else," said Magic coach Brian Hill. "I've told him that already -- that he will be in a Magic uniform next year, one way or another. We anticipate him being a big part of our future."

 

it does sound encouraging, but is it just me or can someone read between the lines here like me?

 

it sounds like bhill will just end up forcing him to do exactly what he's done this year.

 

like you said Military, his natural skills haven't been utilized....i ask all of you, will they ever be?

 

I really believe that our coaching staff is not just a group of dolts and they will utilize him better next season. I don't really see that quote the same way you do. If anything, the quote "We anticipate him being a big part of our future" tells me that we're going to really expand on his game next season.

 

From my angle, I see Darko as having a very complicated set of talents. He can do a LOT of stuff that most powerful 7-footers simply cannot do.

 

These unique talents can not only cause problems for opponents, but also for his teammates in learning how to adapt to playing with him. By keeping Darko in a more unified role, it's made it easier on our team.

 

I'd imagine we'd have quite a few more turnovers as a team (as if we don't have enough already!) with Darko roaming around on the offensive end in our set plays.

 

I think our coaching staff adhered to the KISS rule - keep it simple, stupid! Have Darko learn one thing, and learn it well, before expanding on his game. It's tough to just throw a player like Darko out there and tell him "Do everything you know how to do, but be sure you always do it within a structured offense, being sure you aren't making mistakes all the while." I think our coaches wanted to be sure he can do the stuff that most other big, strong 7-footers can do before looking to expand on all the stuff that made Darko the 2nd pick in a loaded draft. Start from the ground and work your way up.