They are real
That's always been the knock on him.
To be even a good NBA player, your motivation has to come from within. If you don't have a passion for the game, you'll never be anything but a Darko.
It's always struck me as patently unfair that you have the Darkos of the world, and the Ajincas, drifting through the league and not doing much, and then you have the Blairs, working their asses of with limited physical tools, a big butt, and no knees, and he puts both of them to shame.
That's true, but Blair doesn't have lateral speed, can't even jump much, nor the wingspan of Darko, so he cant anchor the defense. The Spurs have to play with someone who anchors the defense when Diaw, Bonner, Blair are on the floor, or when they use Leonard or Jack at 4. The problem with Blair is that he doesn't have midrange game, so he can't be used with Splitter. And since he can't defend, he can't be used with Bonner.
With 3 shotblockers, the Spurs also can put 2 centers against certain teams, like the Lakers, and still have someone to anchor the defense when the bench kicks in.
When you're looking in the bargain bin for a defensive big, it is what it is.
Darko played well next to Love...He will never be great, but he is a decent big man that does one thing we desperately need....he changes shots in the lane, blocking some and altering others. If he can give us that, especially at a minimum salary, it is a win/win for us.
BTW, as desperate as we seem to be, I am surprised not one poster has mentioned Grandpa Oden. I know the mere mention of him would get one laughed off this forum, but he is a legit C......I honestly believe if he were to sit out this entire year and work on his rehab, he could find a new home next year, as an option off the bench and actually play significant minutes, about 15 a game.....and yes, that is significant minutes for him considering how little he has played since being drafted. IMHO, we will never even give him a thought, much less a second thought, but there will be a team that will be desperate enough for his kind of size to throw him a bone.
Darko is big and athletic enough to play a serviceable role for the Spurs.
He isn't going to be expected to do much, just play defense and hit the ocasional mid range jumper.
Marc Stein @ESPNSteinLine
NBA's 30 teams also notified that Darko Milcic has cleared waivers and is now an unrestricted free agent
You completely missed my point. I'm not saying Blair is the answer. He's physically limited in what he can do. What I am saying is that unlike lazy s like Darko and Ajinca, Blair has gotten about 95-100% out of what he can do physically. I doubt either of them has crossed 65% on their best days.
He's fine for the minimum, but I think he'll go somewhere that he can play.
I understand that, my point is that Darko has still averaged 2 bpg in some seasons.
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