For all you guys who said Darko was better than Carmelo!

[Yuma]

And the worst lottery pick in NBA history …

1. Darko Milicic, 2003, No. 2 pick
Maybe the 7-footer from Serbia-Montenegro will play himself off this list and become everything Detroit Pistons general manager Joe Dumars dreamed he could be. But for now, the 19-year-old Milicic stands as the biggest bust because of who Dumars could've drafted instead.

The three players taken after Darko – Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade – all have emerged as franchise players and, in the case of Anthony and Wade, superstars that the league can market. Having already built a title contender, Dumars had the luxury of selecting the best player available. Milicic, who has two starts in his 71 career games, has some serious catching up to do to match his fellow lottery picks' success.


Joe Lago is an NFL and NBA editor at Yahoo! Sports

Yep, everyone told me you have to pick Darko over Carmelo! EEENNNN! Wrong answer!

 

[Yuma]

Losing Lottery Picks

Here's the full article so you can see who Darko beat out!

 

[SweetD]

He never had a chance in Detroit. I am sure Brown would have sat Melo as well, but he would have been starting by now. Since I haven't seen Darko play I can't say if he is any good, but if he can run, lets bring him in to replace Paul

 

[thegrahamcrackr]

Yep, everyone told me you have to pick Darko over Carmelo! EEENNNN! Wrong answer!

I would still take Darko over Carmelo. If you wanted to bring up Wade now, then I would back off.

Larry Brown is the worst thing to happen to Darko.

 

[NickelBack]

Taking nothing away from James, Anthony, Bosh, or Wade, but in order to be considered a bust don't you have to have some sort of high expectation of the player as they joined the team? Every other player on that 'Top 10' list was sold as some sort of saviour of rthe franchise that drafted him. Wasn't Dumars named the Executive of the Year after he drafted Milicic?

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

it's still too early to name darko a bust.

and where the hell is sam bowie on that list?!? wasn't he selected before jordan, barkley, malone, and a host of others???

 

[Chaz]

Darko is a big man still in his rookie contract.

Do we have a verdict on this guy yet considering he hasn't even played yet?

 

[Cheesebeef]

Darko is a big man still in his rookie contract.

Do we have a verdict on this guy yet considering he hasn't even played yet?

no - it's early for a verdict - but good lord - have you actually ever seen him play? It's looks like the guy has NEVER held a basketball in his hands before, much less played well enough to be a #2 pick. He's literaly the human victory cigar - the guy looks like how I would epxect one fo us to look like when he does actually play.

 

[devilalum]

William Bedford!

 

[KingofCards]

William Bedford!

Armen "The Hammer" Gilliam

 

[Yuma]

Armen "The Hammer" Gilliam

That's not fair! Armen "The Hammer" Gilliam could at least make some plays when he got into a game! He's 10X more talented than Darko!

 

[Yuma]

no - it's early for a verdict - but good lord - have you actually ever seen him play? It's looks like the guy has NEVER held a basketball in his hands before, much less played well enough to be a #2 pick. He's literaly the human victory cigar - the guy looks like how I would epxect one fo us to look like when he does actually play.

Yeah, I've seen him in one game with 3 minutes left, and another with a minute and a half left. The three minute game was his best I saw. He missed an uncontested slam dunk, and fumbled away a rebound on a free throw attempt by his teammate.

Paul Shirley can at least shoot when he gets in during mop up play. At this point, Detroit could have drafted Shirley and come out ahead if they knew how much they were being shafted by the hype that was Darko!

 

[Chaz]

no - it's early for a verdict - but good lord - have you actually ever seen him play? It's looks like the guy has NEVER held a basketball in his hands before, much less played well enough to be a #2 pick. He's literaly the human victory cigar - the guy looks like how I would epxect one fo us to look like when he does actually play.

Didn't he score 31 when he played in the last game of the season for Detroit?

 

[NickelBack]

Didn't he score 31 when he played in the last game of the season for Detroit?

Actually it was 16 (7-11 FG) and, for the record, it was against the Hawks (as opposed to a real NBA team).

 

[goldseraph]

Darko WILL be a force in the league. I mean the kid was BARELY 18 when he was drafted. He's a legit 7 feet, well proportioned and ripped. He gets about 1 minute a game on average of PT, what do you expect? An 18 year old Euro isnt going to steal the PT of the Wallaces or McDyess. Brown and Dumars both swear though that he has a ton of talent and I tend to trust their judgment.

 

[DevonCardsFan]

I don't like some of those picks, why no S Bradly or B Reeves on that list??

 

[MigratingOsprey]

if darko can keep his confidence and just keep working I think he will be a very good NBA player

he has played more than 10 minutes like 3 times this year, in which he did relatively well all 3 times

it's a tough lineup to crack, especially with a coach like brown

opportunity will come ... it takes big men a while to get used to the league

 

[sly fly]

Darko WILL be a force in the league. I mean the kid was BARELY 18 when he was drafted. He's a legit 7 feet, well proportioned and ripped. He gets about 1 minute a game on average of PT, what do you expect? An 18 year old Euro isnt going to steal the PT of the Wallaces or McDyess. Brown and Dumars both swear though that he has a ton of talent and I tend to trust their judgment.

I agree. Easy to rip on him now while Larry Brown has him wrapped in a cocoon. We all saw what he did for Amare at the Olympics.

Darko will be a force in the league. Kid has a scary body for a 19 (nineteen) year-old. 19. 19. What part of this do some of you not get? And, whoever said he can't play, simply hasn't seen enough of him.

I'd take him over a bunch of has-been, re-tread, money-stealing 7'0 journeymen the league currently has.

 

[WizardOfAz]

I agree. Easy to rip on him now while Larry Brown has him wrapped in a cocoon. We all saw what he did for Amare at the Olympics.

Darko will be a force in the league. Kid has a scary body for a 19 (nineteen) year-old. 19. 19. What part of this do some of you not get? And, whoever said he can't play, simply hasn't seen enough of him.

I'd take him over a bunch of has-been, re-tread, money-stealing 7'0 journeymen the league currently has.

AMEN!!

The kid has played a total of 418 minutes since being drafted!

Consider this, how many teams would snapp this kid up if the Pistons were to cut him (they wouldn't).

 

[jandaman]

If Bosh, Melo and Wade was picked by Pistons, Brown would bench those guys for most of the seaon/playoffs.

He'd have Hamilton, Billups and Prince start over Melo, who likes to jack up shots. Wade would suffer from Brown's lack of confidence on rookies... and Bosh will average 10 mins with wallaces in the front court.

Darko needs a team that includes him as a key factor in the system... right now he's like at the end of the bench.

 

[WizardOfAz]

Darko needs a team that includes him as a key factor in the system...

He just needs to hang in there, Larry Brown won't be there much longer. And Joe Dumars ain't going anywhere!

 

[D-Dogg]

He's freakin 19.

Darko will be fine in this league. I'd love to have him on the Lakers....

 

[Chaz]

Actually it was 16 (7-11 FG) and, for the record, it was against the Hawks (as opposed to a real NBA team).

Thanks, I must be losing it.

 

[Errntknght]

I haven't Darko play enough to know anything about his value or potential but I've seen quite a lot of Carmelo and darned if I wouldn't still take Darko between the two of them.

 

[Joe Mama]

You want to know the best thing about Darko struggling to prove himself in Detroit? It's that right now teams are a little more reluctant to draft these European players. That makes it more likely that a team with a lower draft pick and some patience could snatch a good one.

Joe Mama