Darko Milicic Press Conference (transcript)
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July 17, 2007 - 3 p.m.
Darko Milicic was officially introduced to the Memphis media at a Tuesday press conference at FedExForum. Below are some of the quotes from his media availability:
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Introduction
General Manager and Vice President of Basketball
Operations Chris Wallace: We are very pleased that Darko is going to be joining the Memphis Grizzlies. He’s a player that I, and Tony (Barone), and all those in scouting have known for quite some time. He’s been one of the elite young big men in the world. The Detroit Pistons, an organization I think very highly of, and Joe Dumars, saw fit to select this young man with the number two pick in the 2003 draft.
He is a tremendous combination of physical athletic ability, skills, (the) ability to shoot from the perimeter, block shots, get the rebound, and whatnot. He is the versatile big man we need to go along with Pau Gasol on the Grizzlies’ front line. He also has the skill set to work very well in Marc Iavaroni’s system.
This was an unexpected boomerang in the free agency situation. With all of our planning, we figured he would probably be back with the Magic in Orlando. As it got closer to July 1 it became apparent that Orlando’s loss could become Memphis’ gain. We quickly shifted our efforts, full throttle, in Darko’s direction. We are very happy to add him to the team today. Without further ado I’ll let Marc discuss how he envisions Darko in a Grizzlies uniform.
Head Coach Marc Iavaroni: I just wanted to echo Chris’s sentiments. We are very excited to get the big man we thought would go very well with Pau and our young talent. We like versatility, not only in our lineups, as you saw in Phoenix, but we like versatility in our players. That’s true versatility.
We think we have great potential to play high/low basketball as you’ve seen in the past from some of the power teams like San Antonio and Houston. We also feel very comfortable with Darko playing the five in a smaller lineup, or Pau playing the five. We have all sorts of combinations to keep them on the court together, to showcase (each of) them as the prime big man, to use their skills facing the basket, both as passers, as spacing shooters, and guys who can facilitate our pick and roll game.
I think it is also important, and Darko knows (this), that we want to run. We want that capability, but it’s also important that when we have to set up, we have that firepower.
Darko Milicic: I’m happy to be here right now. Thank you to the people of Memphis for giving me a chance to be a part of this team. They’re a young team that wants to run and wants to win and I want to be a part of that. I’m really happy to be here right now.
Media Questions
What do you think about the situation with Orlando giving up your rights to sign Rashard Lewis and you ending up here in Memphis?
DM: I spent a year and a half in Orlando and it was good for me. They took me out of Detroit, where I never had a chance to play. They gave me some chances to play. I’m really thankful to them for that. I’m here and my career is going on and I don’t really want to talk about Orlando. They made a decision to sign Rashard Lewis and they know what is best for that team and I can’t really say much about it.
How well do you think your skills are going to fit into this system?
DM: We’re going to see when training camp starts and the games start. I’m just going to do the best that I can do, and do what coach asks me to do. All I want to do is make this team better and to win. Whatever coach asks me to do, I’m going to do it.
Do you feel like you have something to prove, that you haven’t reached your potential yet and this is the place that you’re going to do it?
DM: I have to. I didn’t have a chance to play in Detroit. Orlando gave me some chances. Now I have to. I want to be better every night, better and better. That’s what I have to try and do. It starts with practice. I have to work hard in practice and then play the best I can in games.
Did you talk to Pau during the process? There was a newspaper report where you were quoted, or misquoted, saying that Pau is soft. Have you spoken to him about it?
DM: We just talked about ten minutes ago. I told him that I never said that. I never said that to the newspaper. I want to win… (The Serbian national team) has a bunch of young guys. All I said was that we could win, that no team is unbeatable. I want to make my teammates think that they can win. I never said that Pau Gasol is soft. They made that up. I mean, I’ve said a lot of things to newspapers that I probably shouldn’t have said, but I didn’t say that. We just talked ten minutes ago and I told him that it’s not true.
What was Pau’s reaction?
DM: It was cool. He just said that he was working out in Spain. The first time I saw it (the quote) was today. I told him it wasn’t true and he said that it was fine. I told him that I can’t wait to start playing with him. I can’t wait for training camp and the games to start because I’m really excited.
You get to work with Marc Iavaroni, who is a noted big man coach. Is that part of the reason that you are here right now?
DM: It is. I know that Marc is a great coach for big guys. That’s one of the things that is important for me. I’m still a young player. I haven’t been able to show what I can do. I haven’t been able to play the game I’m supposed to play. Next year is going to be the year where I play the best basketball that I can. Coach is going to be a part of that and I’m going to try to work with him.
Do you think you can still live up to the expectations that were promised when you came out in the 2003 Draft?
DM: I’m going to try. All I can do it try, and to work hard to be an All-Star player. I can’t really put myself on the level of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, (or) Carmelo Anthony right now. I can’t really do it because they are the All-Star players right now. I never got a chance to play the first couple of years. I can’t say it’s my fault. I can’t say it’s anyone else’s fault. All I can do is play the best that I can, and one day, who knows what can happen.
What did you learn in your first four years in the league?
DM: I learned you have to have patience. You have to be tough. You have to learn from the players that are in the league. I learned from Ben Wallace and (Elden) Campbell and Rasheed (Wallace). Those players are All-Star players that have been in the league. I learned from them. When you come into the league you have to listen to them.
Can you tell us the reasoning behind the structure of the deal and what advantages it gives Darko and the Grizzlies?
Chris Wallace: The duration of the deal, which is three years, really works for both parties. Darko is 22 right now. He’ll be 25 at the end of this deal. He can get out in free agency three years down the line. With the deal being three years, we’ll have his Bird rights at that point. We can control the situation at that point, should we so desire, and pay him more than any other team in the NBA.
What do you envision Darko becoming in this system?
Marc Iavaroni: I’m not a big three-year plan, five-year plan guy. It didn’t work in the Soviet Union. I’m going to go with this year. The way I see it is that he is a very hungry individual. I think you become a hungry team when you bring hungry individuals together. That’s why I took this job. That’s why I’m excited about adding someone that is talented.
I think we all have something to prove, not to the outside world, but to ourselves. This is someone who expects me to listen. This is someone who will be fair, and who I’ll be fair to. This is someone who knows we have to take it just one day at a time, like today I learned about his corner three-pointer. Today when he was shooting with Rudy Gay you start seeing things. You can do the high pick and roll and find Darko in the corner to hit that J (jumper) to win the game.
That happens one day at a time. I don’t like to get ahead of myself too much. I like to see how the pieces come together, whether it’s in Vegas, or Memphis, or Malaga, or Madrid. You go back to the notes, and they show you things. I’m coming in with a few expectations and hopefully a lot of wonderful surprises.
How closely did you scout Darko when you were with the Celtics and are you surprised at his development?
Chris Wallace: We scouted him very closely. He didn’t come in for a workout for us. I went to Niesh, Serbia for the Serbian Cup. I don’t know if you’ve been to Niesh, Serbia but it takes a while to get there. It’s a little bit off the beaten path. When I went there practically the whole NBA was there beside me. It was clear that Darko was more skilled than any of the collegiate big men that we had in the United States at that time.
Fast forward four years later. I am surprised that we have Darko right now. I think this is going to work out to be very fortuitous for both parties. It’s going to be great for the Grizzlies and Darko too. Early on, he went to a championship team and there wasn’t much room in the rotation for him. I’ve been in that situation where you are trying to win every game and get as high on the playoff ladder as you can. Young players in those situations aren’t able to be fit into the rotation.
In Orlando, he got playing time and he developed, as evidenced by his showing in the playoffs against those very same Detroit Pistons. I’ve very excited where we have Darko in the timeline of his career. He’s 22, but he’s experienced much like Jermaine O’Neal was in Portland. He didn’t play a lot but he practiced against great players and saw what a championship organization is all about. He got some more playing time in Orlando and now he’s ready to explode.
We think this is the place for him and Marc Iavaroni’s system will take advantage of his considerable talents.
Can you tell us about Darko’s workout with Rudy Gay this morning?
Marc Iavaroni: It was good. It was competitive. They shot from different spots, mostly from the perimeter, the elbow, out wide, some three-pointers. It was great. They were really focused and learning about each other as basketball players and as guys. He did very well. We had two segments. Rudy came out on top in the field goal percentage game, and Darko came out on top in the free throw game.
Is there any comparison you can see between you and Dwight Howard?
DM: I have to get stronger. I used to work a lot on my shots. When I played with Dwight, it was great. He gets a lot of attention and double teams. It opened up a lot of space for me to get some open jumpers. It was great playing with him but we are totally different players. I enjoyed playing with him. I am excited to play with Pau Gasol. He’s a great player.
Are you going to beat Spain in the European Championships?
DM: (My team has) young players, and I just say that we have to go there with the mindset that we are going to win every game. If you go scared, you are not going to do anything. Before games, maybe the media heard me, because I like to yell, ‘Let’s go, let’s fight for a win.’ Maybe they heard me when I said that we are stronger than them. Maybe that’s the place where they heard me talking about Spain.
Do you like to yell in the locker room? Is that something you haven’t been able to do in the NBA? Would you like to emerge as a leader?
DM: I came to Detroit and a championship team. I could yell in my room at home. I could yell with Chancey Billups and Ben Wallace, that would be funny. The national team coach gave me a chance to be the first big guy. I am one of the youngest players but have a lot of experience and he asked me if I was ready to be a leader on the team. I am. I took the job to be a leader. I just wanted to make the team better and to win, it doesn’t matter how.