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Darko Milicic, the second overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, took responsibility for his failures as a member of the Pistons earlier in his career.

"I didn't handle it well in Detroit," Milicic said. "I was kind of frustrated because I didn't play. I didn't work as hard as I could. In this league, it takes a lot to become a good player.

"I did do a little bit, but not enough."


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While D'Antoni used mostly backups in the fourth, Minnesota had three starters on the floor to conclude the game, including Ridnour and former Knick Darko Milicic. Beforehand, Milicic ventured toward the Knicks' bench and made peace with D'Antoni. Milicic accepted responsibility for not working hard enough once he fell out of favor with the team last season and apologized to D'Antoni and his brother, assistant coach Dan D'Antoni.

"I said 'It didn't work out,'" Milicic said. "I wished it worked out. I loved New York. I thought it was going to work out but when I got there and saw how it was going to be it wasn't for me. For me, last year I needed a lot of playing time to get my confidence back. Here it's different, this year I came in shape"

Milicic: I enjoy it a lot more. In the past, I kind of stepped away from basketball in the summer and I didn't play much. I didn't worry about basketball. I thought it worked but it wasn't even close. I've learned a lot of things. I came to Minneapolis for four weeks and I was working with [strength and conditioning coach] Dave Vitel and [assistant coach] Dave Wohl and we worked on balance and shooting and everything. Then after that, [assistant coach] Bill Laimbeer came all the way to Serbia for two weeks and then [assistant] Reggie Theus came for two weeks. We worked on everything -- footwork, shooting, everything.

Milicic has lost 10 pounds since last season, when he reported to the Wolves after a February trade very much out of shape.

shangrila wrote:I take it you mean "guts", but I'm not that surprised after what Detroit did to him. It must have been tough being in a situation like that, especially at 19 and in a new country.

Klomp wrote:

shangrila wrote:I take it you mean "guts", but I'm not that surprised after what Detroit did to him. It must have been tough being in a situation like that, especially at 19 and in a new country.

It takes nuts too.

pumunga wrote:I dont take this as a good thing. Sounds alot like Randy Moss to me. He didn't get playing time as a 19 year old foreign kid on a championship caliber NBA team, so he doesnt work hard? thats bogus-- he should have been working twice as hard to play, not half as hard .

pumunga wrote:I dont take this as a good thing.

horaceworthy wrote:

pumunga wrote:I dont take this as a good thing. Sounds alot like Randy Moss to me. He didn't get playing time as a 19 year old foreign kid on a championship caliber NBA team, so he doesnt work hard? thats bogus-- he should have been working twice as hard to play, not half as hard .

Acknowledging his past mistakes isn't exactly a Moss-ian trait. It's fairly well known that Darko didn't handle the situation in Detroit well. It's better that he acknowledges that than if he were to be delusional about it.

shangrila wrote:I take it you mean "guts", but I'm not that surprised after what Detroit did to him. It must have been tough being in a situation like that, especially at 19 and in a new country.

Darko Milicic didn't arrive in New York from Serbia till last weekend, missing the entire series of pre-camp workouts. It was the first time Milicic had met Mike D'Antoni and Knick officials since the Draft Night trade in June.

On the surface, it was illustrative of Milicic's lack of dedication to his work – something he's been accused of during his underachieving career that began as the No. 2 pick in the draft by Detroit.

Yes, Mike D'Antoni wished the 7-foot Milicic had come early to join most of his mates. But he's given him a pass.

D'Antoni - "Gallinari showing signs of Darko"

When asked if he was surprised Milicic had reversed his career, D'Antoni remained defiant. "Nothing's reversed yet except he signed a contract," he said. "You can bust my chops later, but not yet."

"They go to him a lot, which is good," said Knicks' coach Mike D'Antoni, who excluded Milicic from the New York's rotation last season. "He went through a tough stretch early and got through that.

"Darko is a talented basketball player," D'Antoni continued. "No doubt about it. I'm happy for him. He's playing a lot better, and he needs to. It's good for him."