Bigger Bust? Michael Olowokandi or Darko Milicic?
saying he is not gonna be in the league is a little rough. He can contribute as a solid bench player for the next 10 years. I would say they both are huge busts, but right now I would say Olowokandi was bigger. I know the Kwame draft was not as deep, but he is definitely in this conversation as well.
Calipari, who was in charge of the Nets at the time, needed to draft a sg with the 9th pick and was torn between two guys from Pennsylvnia. One was a guy named Kerry Kittles who was a proven all-American senior, and the other was a young highschool prospect named Kobe. He decided to go with the safe pick and the rest is history.
OLOWAKANDI....I don't think he was the starter on that T'wolves team, I think it was Nesterovic. That's like me saying Milicic went to the finals with the Pistons. Plus Darko is still in the league to make an impact. The "Kandi Man" is sitting on a couch somewhere.
Kobe was traded to Lakers because he said he would not play for Hornets and Hornets did get Divac for their troubles and he gave them immediate help. I would have to say Olowokandi but I think had he went to a better team early on he could have been decent. That is why I fear for Griffin. Darko is not that bad. The half year he was with the Magics he was solid on D and was a decent rebounder. Memphis don't know what they have. They steady giving up people that go other places and play well. Darko could be key for a lot of teams the lack a defensive prescence in the post. he would do well on the Knicks, Wolves, Atlanta, Magics, and a few others. I am telling you if he gets traded this year he will put up better numbers on that team then he did with Memphis. He was not maybe the smartest pick now that we look at it but I think they thought he could replace Okur. He seems to have the skill too but he confidence is shot. Kwame is talented but his heart is not really in basketball all the time
defensively he is a beast because he can guard quicker guards on the perimeter on a switch.
It's gotta be Darko. Kandiman has career averages of 8 points and 7 boards. His break out year, 02-03 he averaged 12 points 9 boards.
Darko's career averages 5.5 points 4 boards. He got a chance to start for pretty much a whole year with the griz in 07 and the best he could do was 8 and 5.5 and he was on a really bad team. At least kandiman had a couple years where he was a legitimate nba starter for a couple years. It;s gotta be Darko
I really think that Darko is a solid player in this league given the right situation. He's nowhere near his peak. Have you guys watched him in international play? the guy is a beast, even when matched up against NBA or NBA-calibre guys. I really think if he had or gets the same opportunity to play extended minutes like Bargnani is with the Raptors, he'll be head and shoulders above Bargnani right now. I really think Being on the Pistons created this whole Darko is a Bust mess. Yes, he's a bust.... so far. But remember, this guy is only like 24, many guys come INTO the league at that age or a year or two younger. The book on the Kandiman has closed, we know what he did. But Darko, he might be able to carve out a solid career as a solid starter still.
I agree wholeheartedly with tli232. Milicic is 7 feet tall, very strong, and an outstanding athlete. He's never been in the right situation, but on the other hand, he doesn't seem to have that drive to be great. I think the Piston experience destroyed his confidence, and so far, he's never developed the mindset or confidence that one needs to become an outstanding player.
There were some games in Memphis where he had double digit points, rebounds, and blocked 4-6 shots, looking like the player Joe Dumars thought he could be. Then the next game, he would do virtually nothing. I really don't know what to make of him.
I'm guessing that if he was on a veteran team with guys who want to teach him how to be a professional, he could become an excellent player. In fact, he's so talented, I think he actually has all star potential. But there are lots of players who had potential and never came close. Maybe Milicic is just one of those guys?
In the end, he's still only 24 years old, has great physical skills and maybe he'll figure it out one day soon. Once again, I think it's a matter of confidence and being in the right place. But the responsibility is on Milicic, he must dedicate himself and do what's necessary to become a great player.
I would have to agree that Kandi Man is the bigger bust, for the one reason that his career is over and can't prove anything. Darko on the other hand is what 24. He still has some good years ahead of him. I think he can be a solid 3rd big one a good team, or a starter on a bad team. I think he could have a few years as a guy with 11ppg and 7rpg. I would also like to hear what people say about Kwame.
I mean everybody on here is saying Milicic has "potential". Does he have more "potential" than D-Wade, Melo, Bosh, Josh Howard, or Marquis Daniels? The truth is he got drafted waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to early considering how deep that draft ended up being. Think about it, Josh Howard was the ACC player of the year, the year before this draft, and even he didn't get picked up until the last pick in that draft. Doesn't realy matter that Detroit won the championship that year, because they have been on the decline ever since. Melo or Bosh definitely would've helped.
Oh and please stop telling me about Darko Milicic's "potential". After a guy has been in the NBA for about 4 or 5 years, you pretty much know what he's gonna be. You don't see too many NBA players explode into superstars after they have been marginal for more than 5 or 6 years in the league.
Kandi, Darko and Kwame were all busts in their own right. All completely unproven players drafted purely on potential. Sometimes in that situation you get a Kevin Garnett or a Dirk Nowitzki, sometimes you get Kwame, Kandi or Darko.
I was always convinced that there had to be something about Darko that would eventually shine through when he got out of Detroit, but I have given up on him by now. He had the raw natural talent, but I don't think he ever had the drive to be one of the best.
Either way, I'd say both Kandi and Darko were both busts, niether bigger than the other.
ps. Ever wonder what would have happened to Kobe Bean if he had not been traded from the Hornets?
Bishop71 is probably right when he says if a guy hasn't met his potential after 4 to 5 years in the league, he probably won't. However, I think he misunderstands the use of potential in this discussion. The question was asked who was the bigger bust. One player's retired and the other is still young, he's still in the league, and therefore he still has potential.That's how the discussion was framed and that's the only possible answer.
Will Milicic reach that potential? That's another question and I personally doubt it, but I won't use the word never. Anyone who's followed the NBA over the years remembers players who were glued to the bench on one or more teams, then they're traded and finally receive an opportunity to play regularly. Everyone seems surprised when the player succeeds in his new environment, but I'm not.
If your teammates and coach have no faith in your ability, you will probably fail. If you get another opportunity where the coach believes in you, there is a pretty good chance of success. Life is all about confidence, on and off the court.
darko taken ahead of melo, wade, josh howard, kirk hinrich, tj ford, boris diaw, travis outlaw.
or taken ahead of other bigmen bosh, kaman, nick collison, david west, and kendrick perkins. they have all been more productive than darko.
kandiman taken ahead of bibby, vince carter, larry hughes, paul pierce, al harrington.
or taken ahead of other bigmen lafrentz, antawn jamison, dirk nowitzki, and Rasho Nesterovic.
darko was more of a bust because better players were taken after him in that draft.
darko is also a more productive player than kandiman. he has potential to be in this league for 12 years.
Kwame Brown is big, strong, and decent athletic. A team like the celtics could have really used him this year.
You can't decide on the merits of a player based upon who was drafted behind him. You should judge a player on his own performance.
As I mentioned earlier in this thread, Milicic is a great athlete for a 7 footer, but he obviously lost his confidence during that horrible Detroit experience. I don't think it's game over for him yet, he could still turn into a terrific big man, but he must gear up mentally and develop a desire to become great. Even though he's shown flashes of brilliance in terms of rebounding and blocking shots, he seems to lack that drive to play hard every night.
...The merits of a player based on where they were drafted but you sure can say whether or not they are a bust based on who was drafted after them.
Maybe I posed the question wrong, because truthfully, I'm reasonable enough to say it's not actually Darko's fault he's a bust, nor is it Olowokandi. It's the Pistons and Clippers' fault respectively. The question should have been who drafted the biggest bust the Pistons in 2003 or the Clippers in 1998.
But you can definitely say a guy is a bust based on who was drafted after him. I mean come on, what did Joe Dumars see in Darko Milicic that made him say,"Yeah forget this Carmelo guy, I'm going with the 18 year old European kid." Nevermind the fact that 'Melo just got finished carrying Syracuse to the National Championship as a freshman no less (and in the Big East at that!!!).
Hindsight is 20/20 and the truth of the matter is that the more future superstars that were drafted after a particular guy, if that guy isn't a superstar himself, honestly increases the degree to which that guy is a bust.
Like even though I do not, I repeat, do not necessarily see Greg Oden as a bust, I do think that Portland would be SIGNIFICANTLY scarier if they drafted Kevin Durant. I mean MY GOD, can y'all imagine if Brandon Roy and Kevin Durant were on the same team? So with that, Portland made the wrong decision. Not a bad draft pick because I think Oden will be pretty good, but definitely the wrong pick.
I just want to see who do you all think was a bigger bust in the lottery Michael Olowokandi or Darko Milicic. For the Clippers to draft Olowokandi the had to pass on Mike Bibby, Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison, Paul Pierce, Dirk Nowitzki, and Matt Harpring to name a few. Where as to draft Darko Milicic meant that Detroit had to pass on D-Wade, Carmelo, Chris Bosh, Kirk Hinrich, Josh Howard, Marquis Daniels, Leandro Barbosa, and David West to name a few.
So who do y'all think? I personally would say Milicic is the bigger bust because at least Olowokandi was on a Timberwolves team that weent to the Western Conference Finals with KG. Milicic hasn't come close to making an impact on any team and its only a matter of time before he's out of the league (if he isn't already).