Sports Talk with MC

by MC

Darko Millicic is now an unrestricted free agent, and as I type this piece, I can think of quite a number of teams that are ready to jump at the opportunity to acquire the 22-year old Serbian.

After recently announcing that they planned to sign former Seattle forward Rashard Lewis to a max contract, Millicic’s been left out in the cold to chew on what could have been with the Orlando Magic. Reports have indicated that Darko’s demand was to be paid a salary around the level of 10 M USD, an amount GM Otis Smith wasn’t ready to throw his way.

The former number 2 pick’s agent seems to think that Otis Smith used less than “honest” methods with regards to dealing with the entire free agency situation involving Darko.

Marc Cornstein declared in an interview with the Orlando Sentinel that Millicic would not suit up for the Magic now, or ever again, so long as Otis Smith was at the team’s helm.

Between human beings, Millicic being lied to isn’t the most acceptable thing. However, this is a business, and at the end of the day, the deal that will bring you the most gains at the best possible price will be the way to go. Lewis is a former all-star, Darko is viewed as a bit of a draft day bust. Rashard Lewis was a mainstay with the Sonics, averaging over 20 points a game. Millicic played an average of 23.7 minutes per contest in 06-07, and averaged 8 points and 5 boards. Although many people argue that Darko has the potential to be a star in the NBA, he has not proven to have enough as of yet to let GM’s give him a max contract.

It’s with this sort of logic that the Orlando Magic had to, if you want to put it that way, ditch the 7 foot European, in favor of a sweet shooting preps to pros stalwart.

Will the acquisition of Lewis make Orlando make a dent in the watered down Eastern Conference? Perhaps, but there are still some gaping holes on their roster. JJ Redick still needs to prove his worth, and while his emergence is on hold, Jameer Nelson, a guy who plays more like a 2 guard, will have to run the show. Hedo Turkoglu can’t play a sliver of defense, and is by no means an inside threat. Dwight Howard, as good as he is, has yet to develop a consistent 10-15 foot jumper enough to keep defenders honest. Tony Battie is not exactly Yao Ming (or even Erick Dampier), and Grant Hill, a steady presence on and off the court, looks like he’s headed either to the golf course, or to a contending team.

All factors considered, Stan Van Gundy has his work cut out for him.

It’s a good thing these guys are in the East, or else, the Magic Kingdom would’ve been known as the Tragic Kingdom by the end of the next NBA campaign, whether or not Lewis would end up as part of the active roster.

If I were Cornstein, or one of Serbia’s favorite sons, I would just take the hit (painful yes, but there’s no use dwelling on it), and move forward. After all, Dallas still has Erick Dampier, Amare Stoudemire still has no backup, and the Raptors’ Bryan Colangelo, like a good father, ALWAYS has his front porch open to European upstarts looking to take the alluring NBA Title’s hand in marriage.

Black magic, yes. Reason to be auspicious about the entire picture of the future, if you’re Darko? Absolutely. It can happen, if he can get past the label, the hype surrounding his depature from Florida, and manage to revel in, ironically, the efficient performances the lack of fanfare can tend to breed.

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