DENVER – Warning: The following sentence contains five words most NBA insiders, analysts and fans never imagined they’d hear, considering how the top five picks from the 2003 NBA draft panned out.
These days, Darko is winning.
At last check, the former No. 2 overall pick, better known for being one of the biggest lottery busts in NBA history, is working on a farm in his native Serbia. As homecomings go, Darko Milicic is free from all of the stress, mess and relentless NBA drama currently dogging the vaunted crop of superstars that immediately surrounded him in that class 14 years ago.
Darko, who had a brief stint with the Grizzlies during his five-team, underwhelming 10-year NBA career, is preparing for a fresh fruit harvest just as LeBron James reaps the backlash of his latest clash with Cleveland’s management and his latest crash with Hall of Famer-turned-pundit Charles Barkley. It all comes as the Cavaliers emerge from their worst month since King James returned in 2014.
All things considered, LeBron’s issues may be the most benign of all the turmoil swarming around the crew at the moment. Six years after forcing his way out of Denver to play for his hometown Knicks, Carmelo Anthony has already worn out his welcome in a franchise run (amuck, perhaps) by Phil Jackson to the point where the Big Apple might be better off it both departed.
February is also expected to officially bring closure to Chris Bosh’s bittersweet run in Miami, where the highs featured two championship seasons alongside LeBron and Dwyane Wade. But then came the lows that saw the versatile power forward’s career halted the past two years by recurring battles with blood clots and a nasty dispute with team president Pat Riley and Heat management. Next week marks the one-year anniversary of the last game Bosh played, and the Heat will be cleared to release him under a league medical provision that removes Bosh’s final two years and $50 million from their salary cap.
And speaking of Wade, who had his own bitter breakup with the Heat last summer after 13 years in Miami, the welcome from his hometown Chicago Bulls hasn’t exactly been warm in the Windy City. Even though many across the league rightfully questioned the basketball fit in Chicago, Wade’s addition was supposed to help stabilize a volatile locker room and buy the front office a couple of years of patience to retool the roster. But the Bulls seem to have a bigger mess on their hands than before Wade arrived. There are recent reports of private bickering with disgruntled point guard Rajon Rondo and a locker room divided between younger players who apparently have grown sick of entitlements afforded Wade.
LeBron was picked first by Cleveland in that 2003 draft, followed by Detroit’s disastrous decision to select Darko second. Carmelo was picked third, Bosh fourth and Wade fifth.
In recent weeks, the four that thrived in the league have all been controversially picked apart one way or another. Yet, at the same time, this month also marks the first time in a decade they weren’t all picked collectively to participate in All-Star Weekend.
As the old adage goes, home is where the heart is. But at least one thing this rough patch has proved for LeBron, Carmelo and D-Wade is that heartache resides there, too.
Meanwhile, Darko is back home somewhere literally cherry-picking.
Grind City’s NBA Power Index
Golden State Warriors
San Antonio Spurs
Houston Rockets
Cleveland Cavaliers
Boston Celtics
Los Angeles Clippers
Memphis Grizzlies
Toronto Raptors
Utah Jazz
Washington Wizards
Talent has pushed the Warriors to the NBA’s best record, but their teamwork and comfort level with roles continue to be a work in progress, especially late in those rare close games.
Russell Westbrook and James Harden. are putting up monstrous numbers this season, but Kawhi Leonard has put the Spurs on his back and has kept them lock-step with Golden State.
After fizzling out in his last two coaching stops, Mike D’Antoni has caught fire in Houston and is the midseason favorite for Coach of the Year for his development of Harden’s supporting cast.
LeBron’s frustrations mounted during a lackluster January for the defending champs, but J.R. Smith’s return to the lineup should help restore order. And who would’ve thought that?
Danny Ainge is one trade away from pushing the Celtics into serious contention to challenge the Cavaliers in the East. For now, Boston is gaining steam with the NBA’s best bargain in Isaiah Thomas.
Chris Paul is already back on the practice court doing work two weeks after thumb surgery, but the combination of a favorable schedule and Blake Griffin’s return should keep the Clippers afloat.
Marc Gasol, Mike Conley and Zach Randolph are finally finding a rhythm together, the Grizzlies are finally healthy and, as a result, they’re finally starting to show some consistency. Finally.
Take a top five scorer in the league out of anyone’s lineup and they’re likely to stumble the way the Raptors have without DeMar DeRozan, who is expected back soon from an ankle injury.
Rudy Gobert insists he’s the NBA’s best center. That boldness is serving the Jazz well this season as they solidify themselves as a legit playoff contender with a veteran supporting cast and elite defense.
A 15-game home win streak and the emergence of forward Otto Porter Jr. have pushed the Wizards into a top-four spot in the East. Maybe John Wall can get the national love he’s long deserved.
The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Memphis Grizzlies. All opinions expressed by Michael Wallace are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Memphis Grizzlies or its Basketball Operations staff, owners, parent companies, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Memphis Grizzlies and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.