Author: John Paulsen (Page 903 of 937)

      Hughes to miss rest of regular season

      February 16, 2006 /

      Cavs guard Larry Hughes had surgery on his broken right middle finger for the second time in six weeks, and will likely miss the rest of the regular season.

      “If all goes well for him and all goes well for our team … he could possibly be back and participate in the postseason,” Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry said.

      The Cavs have high hopes for Hughes, whom they signed to a five-year, $60 million contract in the offseason. They reportedly chose Hughes over Michael Redd, who flirted with Cleveland for a few days before resigning with the Milwaukee Bucks.

      NBA

      Milicic trade finalized

      February 16, 2006 /

      Darko is no longer in Detroit.

      The trade sending Milicic and Carlos Arroyo to the Orlando Magic for their #1 (top-five protected) pick in 2007 and Kelvin Cato is complete. The Magic currently have the 5th worst record in the league, so unless Orlando is able to go under a transformation over the next year and a half, Dumars will have finally exorcised the ghost that’s been haunting him since 2003 draft, getting a good draft pick in return. Dumars had the opportunity to draft Dwayne Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh, but instead chose to invest the pick in a 18-year-old Serbian.

      In Chad Ford’s ESPN Insider article (membership required), he details the reasoning behind the pick.

      By the time Pistons international scout Tony Ronzone and I arrived in Serbia in December 2002 for what would be my first look at the 17-year-old, Darko had a pack of scouts following him wherever he went. After Darko’s dominant performance in Greece at the FIBA Final Four, it became a given that he would be a top-three pick in the NBA draft.

      Just 67 hours into his arrival into the U.S., the deal was sealed on May 23, 2003. I happened to be there to chronicle it all. The Pistons were practicing at the John Jay College gym in New York for a playoff game with the Nets. Darko was working out in the adjacent court, behind a curtain. One by one, the Pistons, including Dumars, head coach Rick Carlisle, Ben Wallace and Chauncey Billups, trickled in to watch him work out. What was supposed to be a casual shootaround became a full-on workout in minutes. Darko put on a show that day, hitting shots from everywhere in the court, showing great footwork in the paint and doing everything at a furious pace.

      Darko would follow up with another strong workout in Detroit. While the Pistons momentarily flirted with the idea of drafting Bosh after his own stellar workout in Detroit, Dumars’ heart was set on Darko. Meanwhile, right until the draft, Nuggets GM Kiki Vandeweghe was actively trying to swap picks with Detroit so that he could select Darko ahead of Carmelo. All in all, about half of the GMs I talked to in the days leading up to the 2003 draft had Darko ranked No. 2 on their draft boards, behind LeBron. Everyone else I talked to had him third or fourth. No one I talked to had him ranked behind Wade.

      I still think the kid can play. He looks smooth when he does get minutes, but he’s lost the confidence that he once had. Much of that is due to Larry Brown.

      Darko’s first NBA coach, Larry Brown, has long been suspicious of rookies and wanted Darko to forget about doing all the things that he, like so many other Euros, did well — play the complete floor game. Instead, Brown wanted him to play with his back to the basket.

      Even without Brown’s skepticism, there was hardly any chance for Darko to play in Detroit. The Pistons peaked just as Darko entered the picture. For more than two years, the Pistons’ starting five has been as solid as any other in the league. No one was breaking into it — especially not an 18-year-old big man.

      This is a good deal for all the major players involved. Dumars gets rid of his biggest “mistake,” and will eventually (the pick is top-five protected in ’07 but is unprotected in ’08) get a first round draft pick in return. Orlando gets a player that, had he stayed overseas the last two years, would have probably been the #1 pick in the ’06 draft. Milicic will get to play alongside Dwight Howard, who usually plays with his back to the basket. That will allow Milicic to play to his strengths, facing the hoop.

      Most importantly, the kid gets a fresh start, which is exactly what he needs.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA

      Darko to Orlando?

      February 15, 2006 /

      The Detroit Pistons are close to trading forward Darko Milicic and guard Carlos Arroyo to the Orlando Magic for Kelvin Cato and a lottery-protected, first round draft pick.

      Less than three years ago, Pistons GM Joe Dumars had the #2 pick in the 2003 draft. Everyone knew that the Cavs were going to take LeBron James, so that left guys like Milicic, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, Chris Kaman, Kirk Hinrich and T.J. Ford for Dumars to choose from. Each of the players listed after Milicic have had varied success in the league. Wade is a superstar, while Bosh and Anthony are confirmed stars. Kaman has developed into a top 10 center, while Hinrich and Ford are two of the better young guards in the league.

      Dumars has said that he drafted Milicic because he could afford to. The Pistons were coming off an Eastern Conference Finals appearance (where they lost to the New Jersey Nets) and instead of adding an NBA-ready player, he decided to draft for potential. It was a risky move, and by all accounts, it backfired. But Dumars has gotten a pass on this misstep, mainly because the team won the title the next season and appeared in the finals the year after. This year, the Pistons have the league’s best record, so it’s hard to nitpick Dumars’ past decisions.

      But how good would the Pistons be with Chris Bosh coming off the bench? The Pistons could eventually let Rasheed Wallace go, bringing Bosh in to start alongside the other Wallace. Or how about Dwayne Wade in the starting lineup, moving Rip Hamilton to sixth man status?

      But this is all conjecture, because had Dumars not taken Milicic, he probably would have taken Carmelo Anthony. At the time, Tayshaun Prince hadn’t yet emerged as a solid player and many thought Dumars would select Anthony and upgrade the small forward position. But would the Pistons be better off with the offensive-minded Anthony in the starting lineup instead of the defensive-minded, consummate-role player Prince? I don’t think so.

      So now Darko should get a chance to play. In the limited minutes that I’ve seen, he has looked like a fundamentally sound big man. His “Per 48” stats (stats projected out to 48 minutes per game) for this season aren’t bad: 12.8 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 5.8 bpg and 8.6 fpg. His ability to swat has to be the most encouraging thing about his game, but his propensity to foul is a bit worrisome. He was unable to crack Larry Brown’s rotation and has been unable to crack Flip Saunders’ as well, which has prompted this move. If the trade does go through, he should have ample time to play alongside Dwight Howard, who is one of the great young forwards in the game. Since he’s been unable to earn playing time thus far, maybe if he’s given time he’ll finally be able to shed the nagging “bust” label.

      And if Dumars is able to get a first round pick in return, and turn that pick into a productive player, he can forget all about that 2003 draft.

      NBA

      LeBron drops 44 in win

      February 14, 2006 /

      Yesterday, the Cavs beat the Spurs, 101-87, and once again played well at home against a good team, advancing to 14-2 against teams with a record over .500. What’s troubling is their record against sub-.500 teams: 5-5.

      “We have to grow up,” James said. “We can’t keep beating Phoenix, Detroit and San Antonio and then lose to sub-par teams.”

      Obviously, their record against good teams is encouraging, but their mediocre performance against mediocre/bad teams is worrisome for Cavs fans. They’ll likely be facing a so-so team in the first round of the playoffs, so if this kind of play continues, they may run into trouble getting to the second round.

      NBA

      #4 ‘Nova topples #1 UConn

      February 14, 2006 /

      The Villanova Wildcats got some great guard play from Allan Ray and Kyle Lowry, along with an unexpected double-double from post player Will Sheridan, to nip the top-ranked Huskies, 69-64. Ray started out ice cold, so it was all Lowry in the first half. He scored 16 of his 18 points on mostly driving layups against UConn’s formidable frontcourt.

      In the second half, after a UConn run put them up 12, Ray calmly took over the game, hitting five straight three-pointers to key the Wildcats win. He finished with 25 points – 19 in the second half. But the biggest boost came from Sheridan, who came into the game averaging 4.5 points and 5.7 boards. Along with Ray, he was a key player in Villanova’s comeback, and finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds against the best frontcourt in the nation.

      UConn will still likely be a #1 seed come tournament time. But for the time being, they’ll give up their #1 ranking to Duke, assuming the Blue Devils don’t have a setback this week. Look for Villanova to go deep into the NCAA tournament as well. With all their great guard play, they’ll be a tough out unless someone can exploit their weaknesses inside. If Sheridan can keep playing like he did on Monday, they may be Final Four bound.

      College Basketball

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