Darko Miličić: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
No edit summary
No edit summary
Line 39: Line 39:
| letter = m
| letter = m
}}
}}
'''Darko Miličić''' ({{lang-sr|Дарко Миличић}}; born June 20, 1985) is a [[Serbia]]n professional [[basketball]] player who last played for the [[Boston Celtics]] of the [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA). He was selected by the [[Detroit Pistons]] as the second overall pick in the [[2003 NBA Draft]] after [[LeBron James]], and ahead of players such as [[Carmelo Anthony]], [[Chris Bosh]], and [[Dwyane Wade]]. However, Miličić never received significant playing time during his 2½ seasons with the team and was traded to the [[Orlando Magic]] in 2006. After stints with the [[Memphis Grizzlies]] and [[New York Knicks]], Miličić was traded to the [[Minnesota Timberwolves]] in 2010, then signed a four year contract in the off-season. However, he was released by Minnesota in 2012. He signed with Boston later that year, but was released after playing one regular season game.
'''Darko Miličić''' aka #swag ({{lang-sr|Дарко Миличић}}; born June 20, 1985) is a [[Serbia]]n professional [[basketball]] player who last played for the [[Boston Celtics]] of the [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA). He was selected by the [[Detroit Pistons]] as the second overall pick in the [[2003 NBA Draft]] after [[LeBron James]], and ahead of players such as [[Carmelo Anthony]], [[Chris Bosh]], and [[Dwyane Wade]]. However, Miličić never received significant playing time during his 2½ seasons with the team and was traded to the [[Orlando Magic]] in 2006. After stints with the [[Memphis Grizzlies]] and [[New York Knicks]], Miličić was traded to the [[Minnesota Timberwolves]] in 2010, then signed a four year contract in the off-season. However, he was released by Minnesota in 2012. He signed with Boston later that year, but was released after playing one regular season game.


==NBA career==
==NBA career==

Revision as of 14:57, 25 February 2013

Darko Miličić (#swag)
Miličić with the Timberwolves
Personal information
Born (1985-06-20) June 20, 1985 (age 38)
Novi Sad, Serbia, Yugoslavia
NationalitySerbian
Listed height7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Listed weight275 lb (125 kg)
Career information
NBA draft2003: 1st round, 2nd overall pick
Selected by the Detroit Pistons
Playing career2001–present
PositionCenter
Career history
2001–2003Hemofarm (Serbia)
2003–2006Detroit Pistons
2006–2007Orlando Magic
2007–2009Memphis Grizzlies
2009–2010New York Knicks
2010–2012Minnesota Timberwolves
2012Boston Celtics
Career highlights and awards
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Darko Miličić aka #swag (Serbian: Дарко Миличић; born June 20, 1985) is a Serbian professional basketball player who last played for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected by the Detroit Pistons as the second overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft after LeBron James, and ahead of players such as Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade. However, Miličić never received significant playing time during his 2½ seasons with the team and was traded to the Orlando Magic in 2006. After stints with the Memphis Grizzlies and New York Knicks, Miličić was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2010, then signed a four year contract in the off-season. However, he was released by Minnesota in 2012. He signed with Boston later that year, but was released after playing one regular season game.

NBA career

Detroit Pistons (2003–2006)

Unlike most teams with high draft picks, the Pistons were a good team that made the Eastern Conference Finals the season before. They held the pick because of a trade that was made with the Vancouver Grizzlies in 1996. Miličić saw limited playing time during his first season with the Pistons, but did become the youngest player to appear in an NBA Finals game (18 years and 356 days) when the Pistons defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2004 NBA Finals.[1] He was also the fourth youngest player and the youngest foreign player to play in the NBA.

Pistons team president Joe Dumars repeatedly stated that Miličić would play a big part in the team's future, but he did not see a large increase in playing time during his second season. Miličić has been quoted on numerous occasions as attributing his slow development on his lack of playing time; "I've said it 10,000 times, the best way for me to improve is to play. All the work in practice and individual workouts can only help me so much."[2]

After Brown's departure, Flip Saunders was hired as head coach of the Pistons. It was expected[by whom?] that Miličić would see more playing time due to Saunders's track record of developing young players such as Kevin Garnett and Stephon Marbury. With Elden Campbell no longer on Detroit's roster and Dale Davis brought in as a mentor, most NBA experts[who?] believed that Miličić would see considerably more minutes that season as the Pistons' full-time backup center behind Ben Wallace. While Miličić played well in the NBA's summer leagues and earned the praise of his teammates, little changed in the first half of the 2006 season. Under Saunders, Miličić still averaged only 5.6 minutes per game, and received significant playing time only in blowout wins or blowout losses for the Pistons. Miličić's lack of playing time in Detroit was frequently highlighted in publications like ESPN The Magazine and Sports Illustrated. He later questioned whether the Pistons should have drafted him.[3] In the 96 games he played as a Piston, he only scored 152 points and averaged 1.6 points a game.[4]

Orlando Magic (2006–2007)

On February 15, 2006, just prior to the NBA's All-Star break, Miličić was traded, along with point guard Carlos Arroyo, to the Orlando Magic for Kelvin Cato and a first-round pick in the 2007 NBA Draft (Rodney Stuckey).[5]

During a game against the New York Knicks he played 32 minutes and finished with 13 points and 7 rebounds. The 13 points and 32 minutes were season highs, and he led the Magic in minutes for that game. Miličić averaged 2.4 blocks per game in his first 20 games as a member of the Magic. In the 2006–07 playoffs, he increased his scoring by 4 points per game to 12.3 on 58.8% shooting.[6] When his rookie contract expired offseason, Orlando GM Otis Smith did not sign the matching offer on the table, and so he became an unrestricted free agent.

Memphis Grizzlies (2007–2009)

On July 12, 2007, the first day of free agency, Miličić was signed by the Memphis Grizzlies to a three-year, $21 million contract.[7] Miličić hurt his Achilles tendon practicing with the Serbian national team in the 2008 offseason but was available to start at the beginning of the season. Miličić began the 2008–09 season starting at power forward but, due to poor play, was moved to the bench. Miličić regained his starting job as his play steadily improved in early December 2008. Miličić's progress was set back by an injury on December 26, 2008 against the Indiana Pacers when he broke a knuckle on his right hand during the game.[8]

He was eventually replaced by Marc Gasol as a starter.

New York Knicks (2009–2010)

On June 25, 2009, Miličić was traded to the New York Knicks for Quentin Richardson and cash considerations.[9] On December 17, 2009 Miličić said that he planned to leave the NBA and return to playing basketball in Europe the following season.[10]

Minnesota Timberwolves (2010–2012)

On February 17, 2010, Miličić was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves along with cash considerations for Brian Cardinal.[11] The Timberwolves agreed to re-sign Milicic for 4 years and $20 million on July 1, 2010. During the 2010-11 Minnesota campaign, he averaged 8.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game, finishing the season 5th in the league in blocks per game.

On July 12, 2012, Miličić was waived by the Timberwolves under the league's amnesty clause.[12]

Boston Celtics (2012)

In September 2012, Miličić signed with the Boston Celtics.[13] On November 21, 2012, the Celtics released Miličić at his request, so that he could attend to personal matters.[14]

International career

Miličić played for the FR Yugoslavia U16 national team at the 2001 U16 Eurobasket and won a gold medal.

In 2006, Miličić led Serbia and Montenegro at the 2006 FIBA World Championship. Serbia and Montenegro had decided to replace their aging superstars, who had led the team to a gold medal finish in the previous 2002 FIBA World Championship, with young blood. Miličić led the team in rebounds (56) and blocked shots (17) and was second on the team in scoring (16.2 ppg) and assists (11) through six games. In Serbia and Montenegro's sixth and final game against Spain, Miličić matched up against NBA All-Star Pau Gasol and finished with a very respectable 18 points, 15 rebounds, and 3 blocks.

After a 68–67 overtime loss to Greece in the EuroBasket 2007 Miličić made vulgar remarks in his native language about the referees and their families in front of Serbian media.[15][16] He received a $13,770 fine by FIBA and his outburst was heavily criticized by Memphis Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace and head coach Marc Iavaroni.[17] Miličić was left off the Serbia national team in the following five national team campaigns: the EuroBasket 2009 qualification, EuroBasket 2009, tht 2010 FIBA World Championship, EuroBasket 2011, and the EuroBasket 2013 qualification.

Personal life

Miličić has stated that after his NBA career ends he will fulfill his obligation to military service in his native Serbia.[18] His parents are Milorad and Zora. His sister Tijana is a volleyball player.[19]

On May 23, 2009, he married his girlfriend of 3 years, Zorana Markuš.[20] The two had a son in the summer of 2009.[21]

In 2010, Miličić offered to pay for a trip and treatment in China for five children with Batten disease.[22]

NBA career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2003–04 Detroit 34 0 4.7 .262 .000 .583 1.3 .2 .2 .4 1.4
2004–05 Detroit 37 2 6.9 .329 .000 .708 1.2 .2 .1 .5 1.8
2005–06 Detroit 25 0 5.6 .515 .000 .375 1.1 .4 .1 .6 1.5
2005–06 Orlando 30 1 20.9 .507 .000 .595 4.1 1.1 .4 2.1 7.6
2006–07 Orlando 80 16 23.9 .454 .000 .613 5.5 1.1 .6 1.8 8.0
2007–08 Memphis 70 64 23.8 .438 .000 .554 6.1 .8 .5 1.6 7.2
2008–09 Memphis 61 15 17.0 .515 .000 .562 4.3 .6 .4 .8 5.5
2009–10 New York 8 0 8.9 .471 .000 .000 2.3 .5 .5 .1 2.0
2009–10 Minnesota 24 18 25.6 .492 .000 .536 5.5 1.8 .8 1.4 8.3
2010–11 Minnesota 69 69 24.4 .469 .000 .557 5.2 1.5 .8 2.0 8.8
2011–12 Minnesota 29 23 16.3 .454 .000 .432 3.3 .6 .3 .9 4.6
2012–13 Boston 1 0 5.0 .000 .000 .000 1.0 .0 .0 .0 .0
Career 468 208 18.5 .460 .000 .574 4.2 .9 .4 1.3 6.0

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2004 Detroit 8 0 1.8 .000 .000 .250 .4 .1 .1 .0 .1
2005 Detroit 9 0 2.3 .286 .000 1.000 .4 .1 .0 .1 .6
2007 Orlando 4 0 28.8 .588 .000 .529 4.5 1.0 .2 1.0 12.3
Career 21 0 7.1 .489 .000 .500 1.2 .3 .1 .2 2.6

References

  1. ^ Darko Milicic biography. NBA.com. Retrieved on October 30, 2009.
  2. ^ Lage, Larry (2005-06-17). "Pistons' Milicic is still waiting, watching". Boston Globe.
  3. ^ "Darko Milicic says Pistons wasted their pick on him". The Detroit News. January 9, 2010.[dead link]
  4. ^ Pistons statistics
  5. ^ Press, Associated (2006-02-22). "Pistons get Cato, first-round pick for Darko, Arroyo". ESPN.
  6. ^ NBA.com Darko Milicic career stats
  7. ^ Milicic, Grizzlies agree on three-year deal July 11, 2007
  8. ^ Milicic out 4–6 weeks
  9. ^ "Knicks Trade For Former No. 2 Overall Pick Milicic". NBA.com. 2009-06-25. Retrieved 2009-06-28.
  10. ^ Berman, Marc (2009-1217-25). "Darko plans European return as he can't get off Knicks bench". New York Post. Retrieved 2009-12-17. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ "Wolves Acquire Darko Milicic from New York". NBA.com. 2010-02-17. Retrieved 2010-02-18.
  12. ^ "Wolves Waive Darko Milicic". NBA.com. 2012-07-12. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
  13. ^ Celtics Sign Milicic
  14. ^ Celtics Waive Milicic
  15. ^ Darko Milicic angry and vulgar outburst video (English subtitle) at Metacafe
  16. ^ Miličić' angry comments after Serbia-Greece (Serbian language) on YouTube
  17. ^ Milicic fined $14K by FIBA, reprimanded by Grizzlies for tirade
  18. ^ Schmitz, Brian (2006-12-19). "Driven to succeed". Orlando Sentinel.
  19. ^ DuPree, David (April 2, 2003). "Serbian teen lost in King James' shadow". USA Today. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  20. ^ http://www.blic.rs/zabava.php?id=94066
  21. ^ Brian Mahoney. "Pairing of Knicks and Darko Milicic could give both what they need". Baltimore Sun. October 1, 2009.
  22. ^ http://www.zvezdana.rs/LP.htm

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Darko Miličić.

Template:Persondata

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Darko_Miličić&oldid=540265192"