No doubt the Detroit Pistons have been a terror in the Eastern Conference for many years in recent history. Chauncey Billups and Co. are title contenders every season they step foot on the hardwood, and it is hard to deny them the respect they deserve as an organization for the fact that, no matter how they do it, they just win.
But think back to a part of history that is not too long ago for many people to remember. LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all available in the same draft. It was a scout's dream because, as long as you had one of the early picks, you would get to keep your job for at least another year. Well, except for maybe one.
The Detroit Pistons had the second overall pick in the 2003 draft. With James going first overall to Cleveland, the Pistons had a decision to make with whom to take. So many good prospects, they just had to pick Darko Milicic.
The mediocre big man from Serbia has had a less-than-stellar career to say the least. Sure he has a championship ring, which would be all that anyone would want. The Pistons knew they were taking a gamble on a guy that stood at 7'0" at age 18 when they drafted him.
Milicic's career stats include 5.5 points per game with 4.0 rebounds. Chris Bosh does that by the end of the first quarter in a game.
The 2003 NBA Draft was one of the best ever. Outside of the top five, you also have Kirk Hinrich, David West, Jarvis Hayes, Michael Pietrius, Boris Diaw, Kendrick Perkins, Nick Collison, Chris Kaman, T.J. Ford, Leandro Barbosa, and Josh Howard going in the first round, which accounts for six All-Stars (not to mention almost every one of those players emerged as a reliable starter).
The second overall pick played 70 games last season, averaging nearly twenty-four minutes per game with 7.2 points and 6.1 rebounds. Let's compare that, shall we?
James has never averaged less than 20 points per game. Anthony averages about 24 points and six rebounds for his career. Wade averaged over 24 points last season and has an NBA Finals MVP award under his belt. Bosh averaged over 22 points and nearly nine rebounds per game last season.
You win some, you lose some. But I would be hard-pressed to say "no thanks" to any of the top five drafted players, except No. 2!
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2 months ago
Yah yah Detroit made a mistake but no one can tell the future. Give them a break and give Darko a break. He's still young and can develop under the right coach and team
from about 1 month ago
Doesn't matter. Detroit passed on three of the best players in the league, and tons of players who are good starters, for a bust.
At the time they did not need another star but right now I bet they wish they had Wade, Melo or Bosh.
2 months ago
doubt like the other of the top 5 have or will. Plus playing for the Grizzlies isn't going to help him much.
2 months ago
the'03 draft was sick. But you have to remember what the Pistons were....a team. Most of those players would not have fit on that team. The Pistons were solid, they could have used a little more depth at every spot, but they did not need a flashy rookie looking to take shots and playing time away from a veteran team.
I do think the Pistons made a mistake, but what would you do? Trade the pick? Maybe. But you can't say that the Pistons were wrong...they made the Eastern Conference Finals that year, won the NBA Championship the next and have been at the top of the Eastern Conference and the NBA since.
Darko Milicic is a bust as a No. 2 pick. But he could still end of being a solid player in this league.
from 2 months ago
Once again I am not denying the ability of the Detroit Pistons. In fact for about two season there, they were a team I loved to hate because they were scary good. I just feel that if they had used the pick on say a Chris Bosh then they would have had some serious depth at the PF position. Imagine Ben Wallace, Chris Bosh, Sheed Wallace, Mehmet Okur (yes he was on the 03-04 roster I checked) and T-Prince on the same team rotating spots between F and C? WOW what a dominate team. I really believe that Chris Bosh would've been the best pick for them at the time because of his height and overall ability. I realize that it is hard to pass on a guy that is 7'+ but they were trotting Ben Wallace out to play C @ 6'9" on a good day? So an inch or two would be a good improvement. Plus they had an aging Elden Campbell. With Billups and Rip handling the G spots at top of the key and anyone of the previous listed near the paint it would have been sick. I probably would not be fighting in Pistons defense right now if they had gotten Chris Bosh because I don't think the Celtics could've handled the Pistons last year if they had and we'd be talking about who knows how many rings because they won without Bosh. Yes Detroit is a team with great vet players that have shown what they can do in the spotlight but the key word is "vet." Sheed Wallace isn't the best "team" player on the planet either. I'm sure we could argue into oblivion about what if this and that but we see how it has turned out.
about 1 month ago
Actually Brandon, I have to agree with Daniel, who said what I was about to say. The only reason the Pistons were so dangerous during those years WAS because they had great chemistry and were team-oriented. Big draft picks are meant to go to teams with nothing, teams at the bottom that NEED them because they have no one else. I honestly think trading picks is iffy just on principle because of this instance with Darko. He went to a team ready to play and instead was forced to spend his entire rookie season sitting on the floor beside the bench, watching everyone else play, listening to obviously ignorant people talk BS about him every time he turned on the radio or television or surfed the net. Why? Because Dumars drafted him "for the future," and because Darko was so young and overexcited he obviously didn't consider this prospect. Joe Dumars wasn't going to draft a ball hog like Anthony or James. The only reason those two are leaders in scoring is because if you shoot the ball 100 times a game you're bound to make at least a quarter of those. The only thing where Darko Milicic has failed is in the tenacity necessary to get past the **** hand he was dealt in coming to a team that wouldn't need him for at least the first year, if not two, and which had a history of not using rookies (like they did with Tayshaun Prince?). He's allowed his confidence to be stripped and his desire to start playing the way he was supposed to had he gone to Denver, etc to be flushed down the john. It basically boils down to whether he can rewind his mental state to the point where he came into the league and step it up, whether people are still talking **** about him after five years or not. I mean, how many times does "the biggest draft bust" need to be written about before it's just redundant? Do Americans really thrive on negativity that much?
As for Mehmet Okur being on the roster that year, he was a huge part of the bench that won the championship, along with Corliss Williamson, Mike James, and Lindsey Hunter. Also, there was nothing wrong with Ben Wallace at C... it doesn't matter how tall you are if you can jump another ten feet in the air. He led the league in defense, remember?
about 1 month ago
This article is a clown's paradise. Dumars was specific looking for a role player. He thought he had one in Darko. Only mistake he made was not trading down, in the draft. He simply had no need for any of the top 5-6 players. And, he was right-------because out of all those cats you put above Darko, as humiliating him after that draft-------Darko was the only one sporting a championship ring at the end of that rookie season!
as in, Big DUH??...as in, Go get clue??...as in, Earth-to-Brandon!...as in, Sgt. Dinglemire's keyboard strikes again!!
And furthermore;
The Greatest Bust In History during The Greatest Draft In History, is still, the one and only-------Sam Bowie! Who was picked 2nd in that draft behind #1 Hakeem Olajuwon *and before* some guy we wound up knowing as...Michael Jordan!
from about 1 month ago
I do not need your negative name calling. If you are going to do that read someone else's articles. Great point on Sam Bowie. Also true nobody else has a ring yet. And although having the ring is all that really matters, how big a role did Darko have in that team as a rookie? Like Johnny said he pretty much sat on the floor all season. I still believe they really did not need him because of the talent they had already. Sure they could have been looking to the future and planning ahead but all I was trying to get across in the article was that he was drafted number two between those two great players and has not really produced that well since being in the NBA.
about 1 month ago
Johnny,
Nice read. Except for one thing;
You're dead wrong. The Pistons did use Tayshaun Prince. Remember, his rookie playoff performance? A playoff performance, which caused Dumars to feel that there was simply *NO NEED* to go after some guy named 'Carmelo Anthony' in the following season's draft?
from about 1 month ago
Indeed, that's all true enough... However, Rick Carlisle let him sit for the majority of the season and only allowed him to play in the end because he was forced to try a different rotation as a last-ditch attempt to come back from the brink. Prince appeared in about eight more games than Milicic his rookie season. To me, the fact that Prince was allowed that opportunity and succeeded proves only two things: one, that Carlisle was a slightly less stubborn man than Larry Brown, and two, that Prince was able to prove himself when given any chance whatsoever while Milicic was unable to do the same. I doubt Tayshaun Prince had been subjected to anywhere near as much bashing and insults as Darko had by the time the playoffs had come around, but nonetheless...
about 1 month ago
I think Dolly Parton has the biggest bust ever, not the people you mention here.
about 1 month ago
Johnny,
Unfortunately you didn't do your research first, before trying to measure Darko's self-inflicted shortcomings vs. Tayshaun's, during their respective rookie-years. So, I'll do it for you, therefore you can see that one of those guys has no one to blame but himself, for not rising to the occassion when his number was called;
Tayshaun Prince's rookie year: Appeared in 42 games (five starts) averaging 3.3 points, 1.1 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 10.4 minutes…Scored 10-plus points six times…Appeared in 15 playoff games, averaging 9.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 25.5 minutes…Scored game-tying bucket vs. Philadelphia in Game 2 of the conference semifinals with 4.2 seconds remaining and then scored seven of his then-playoffcareer- high 20 points in overtime to give the Pistons a 104-97 win.
Darko Milicic's rookie year: Appeared in 34 games, averaging 1.4 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.44 blocks in 4.6 minutes per game…Played in eight playoff games, averaging 0.1 points, 0.4 rebounds and 1.8 minutes per game…Became the youngest player ever to appear in an NBA Finals game (18 years/356 days)…Played a career-high 12 minutes twice (on 2/27/04 vs. Atlanta and on 4/10/04 at Orlando)…Scored a career-high six points twice (on 1/7/04 vs. Houston and on 2/25/04 at Chicago)…Grabbed a career-high six rebounds (career-high four defensive) at Orlando on 4/10/04…Blocked a career-high two shots three times including back-to-back games vs. Chicago on 3/10/04 and vs. Philadelphia on 3/14/04…Recorded seven blocks in 10 appearances during March…Scored his first NBA basket (1-1 FG) in four minutes vs. Seattle on 12/12/03…DNP-CD 48 times.
from about 1 month ago
Wonderful research. Glad you took the time to try and prove your point again. Still makes no difference to me whatsoever though. Thanks again.
from about 1 month ago
To be honest with you I actually did look at the entire bit, and more, of what you just posted before I myself posted what I said previously. You may not have realized, but you seem to be disagreeing with me when I don't disagree with you:
"...Prince was able to prove himself when given any chance whatsoever while Milicic was unable to do the same. I doubt Tayshaun Prince had been subjected to anywhere near as much bashing and insults as Darko had by the time the playoffs had come around, but nonetheless..."
To this very day this point is being proven, as Prince continues to play fairly well (if not always consistently) while Milicic flounders. My entire reason for posting in the first place was merely to bring some attention to the fact that Darko Milicic would not have turned out the way he has if he had gone to a team that needed him as he was meant to have done. A team that would have been built around him, as is the case with most higher draft picks. That being said, his own inability to get PAST the unfortunate circumstances is what has made the ultimate difference in his career.
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