Milicic may have found his niche

Pssst. Thought you said you gonna let me score?

At 25 years old, Darko Milicic is now in his 7th NBA season and the experience has been anything but easy.

Milicic was 18 years old when he was drafted second overall by the Detroit Pistons back in 2003. Lebron James, Milicic, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade were the Top 5 overall picks of the 2003 NBA Draft.

Having your name mentioned in the same breath as those guys isn’t actually a bad thing. But in Milicic’s case, it has been a curse.

While people can live with the fact that Darko’s career can’t even compare to that of the person selected ahead of him, he was labeled a bust because the three players selected after him combine for 14 All-Star appearances, an NBA title and a Finals MVP, while he struggled to become a rotation player. The fact that the 6th overall pick of the 2003 draft, Chris Kaman, became an All-Star didn’t help his cause either.

As his draft mates continue to command attention on and off the court, Darko has slowly drifted into the unconsciousness of NBA fans.

Darko! Get your ass back on the bench!

And you can blame Larry Brown and Flip Saunders for that. Unlike his draft mates who were seeing a lot of action, Darko barely got off the bench with the Pistons. And though he had a decent season with his next team, the Orlando Magic, they too didn't want anything to do with him. The fact that he helped them get to the post season wasn't enough reason for GM Otis Smith to re-sign him.

Moving on, Milicic ended up playing for the Memphis Grizzlies and New York Knicks where he would see his minutes and numbers go down. Once again, the chance to develop was slipping away from him, as if at his young age, the window of opportunity is closing on him.

It's because of these instances that Milicic almost gave up on his NBA dream.

Now, Darko may have found himself a home in the Minnesota Timberwolves, a small market NBA team struggling for wins. He’s seeing playing time more than ever, and since the Wolves are in rebuilding mode, there’s no pressure for him to win now. All he has to do is play and tap into whatever is left of the potential that Joe Dumars saw in him.

Taking a closer look, this could actually be Darko’s best chance to shake off the bust label. At 25 years old, he still has some good 7 years left in him. Fortunately, he’ll be spending some of them with Kurt Rambis, a notable big man who helped the Showtime Lakers win four of its five titles during the 80s.

And if their November 19 loss against the LA Lakers was any indication, Darko’s time with Rambis is paying off. Finishing with 23 points (10 of 18 shooting), 16 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 turnovers, Milicic was playing so well that during one sequence when he had Lamar Odom on him, he had the Lakers forward grabbing onto Kobe Bryant’s jersey for some help defense.

In a perfect world, Darko would average double-double in points and rebounds, and regularly command double teams. But once you snap out of that dream, whoever you are, you’ll have to make to do with whatever Milicic brings to the table on any given day. And as of this moment, what he manages to regularly bring to the table is interior defense.

Milicic is currently the NBA’s second leading shot blocker at 2.8 bpg, only behind to Josh Smith’s league leading 3 bpg. As a testament to his improved shot blocking, he had six blocks in their game against the Lakers.

Aside from rejecting opposing players, Darko has been putting some work into his rebounding. His rpg and rebounding percentage has seen a slight increase. From last season’s 5.5 rpg and 12.1 rebounding percentage, Milicic is now strutting 6.2 and 12.8. If it weren't for that rebound swiping Kevin Love, I bet Darko could be averaging 2 more rpg.

These numbers, though decent, aren't enough, especially if you’re only scoring 7.3 ppg at a 37.4 field goal percentage. But at 25 years old, and with no major injury issues, there’s still room to grow. Former Pistons teammate Chauncey Billups was 26 when he started producing All-Star numbers.

All-Star may seem to be a far fetched idea right now, but don’t count out Milicic just yet. While Love could be robbing Darko of some rebounds, Milicic may just pick up some things from him that could help turn the Serbian into a solid player. Darko can also learn a few things from his former Magic teammate Dwight Howard, like getting some help from retired NBA bigs.

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Through the years, Howard has gotten pointers from Patrick Ewing who is a member of the Magic coaching staff. He also spent some time with Bill Russell and recently, with Hakeem Olajuwon. The result: Superman is shaping up to become the best center of this generation.

While Darko is expected to learn from Rambis, it wouldn't be a bad idea to get some pointers from fellow Serbian Vlade Divac to get his offense going. Divac, who was a terrific passer and outside shooter during his heydays with the Sacramento Kings, should be able to help Milicic find his place in the Timberwolves’ offense. He could also give Darko tips in dealing with bruisers since Divac spent his career banging bodies against a peaking Shaquille O’Neal.

There’s still hope for Milicic to resurrect and meet expectations that come with being a second overall pick. There’s still a chance to get the bust label removed. And there’s still that possibility that he can end his NBA career on a high note. But it’s all up to him. The ball is now in Darko’s hands. No more Flip or Larry to blame. If Milicic can’t step up his game, it’s all on him.

For the meantime, we’ll have to appreciate him for what he brings to the table. And so far, interior defense seems to be Darko’s redeeming quality.