We were wrong. We got it wrong. The team wasn't looking for a no-risk experiment. It wasn't looking for a defender. When Kahn called Darko "Mana from Heaven", he didn't mean Darko was taller than Jefferson, or faster than Jefferson, or a more natural center than Jefferson. Our list of "why" reasons went in the wrong direction: we were thinking of size, not skill. Of defense, not offense. Of roster, not system.
The Wolves weren't looking for a center who could traditionally rebound, block shots, and defend the paint. They were looking for a center who could facilitate. Because that's what a center needs to do in the Triangle. Not a Dwight Howard or Amare Stoudemire, but a Luc Longley.
That's why the team targeted Darko for trade. Why Kurt Rambis spent the last two months of the season killing himself....and his team's record....to convince Darko he had a place here. And why the team bid so high on a guy who started off determined to leave the NBA, and ended up with only one real suitor: the Wolves.
The number of 7 footers who can rebound and block shots? Endless. The number of 7 footers who can make a picture perfect behind-the-back bounce pass from the free throw line to a baseline cutter? You can practically count them on one hand. Darko has a very rare talent combination for a center: court vision, passing ability, and the basketball IQ to utilize it without micromanagement. That he can rebound, block shots, jam up a pick-and-roll, and has a sweet little hook shot is just bonus material.
I'm not going to play stupid pretend any of this changes anyone's mind. Some of you are going to be very upset that the Wolves traded Al Jefferson and passed on DeMarcus Cousins because of this. That we chose against the "next Hakeem" because of our system. I get that, I understand that. But it's over and done with. There are plenty of other articles for you all to complain about that in. Darko is our man, for better or worse. Fortunately this preseason, we're seeing a lot of the "better" aspect.
Darko's put up modest averages of 6.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.4 assists, playing just 20 minutes a game (and, of course, missing the second Indiana contest entirely). Yet he is a net +36 overall, and he is third among centers in assists per game (second in assists/48, behind only Joakim Noah. His total EFF is a +11.29
His presence was especially felt tonight against the Bucks....when Darko entered the game at the start of the fourth quarter, we were trailing 80-88. He proceeded to pile up 2 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists over the next 12 minutes as a pivitol reason the game went to overtime, then grabbed the final offensive board in OT to give Ridnour one last shot at a game winner.
His final line of 12 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, and just a single turnover in 30 minutes is exactly the kind of play the Wolves knew Darko was capable of. But more importantly, it displays the breadth of Darko's impact on our team. He has a significant hand in every aspect of what we do....scoring, rebounding, defending, and....especially important....facilitating.
That's what I mean by the "Darko Dimension". Not some freakish Twilight Zone of Milicics, but rather that do-it-all presence that makes everything else work. I was wrong too....Luke Ridnour is not initiating our offense. Michael Beasley is not the most important Timberwolf this season. We'll flourish with him, but can do without him; we can't do without Darko. He's the one who gets the ball and decides where it will go. That's his job in the Triangle offense. It all starts with him. When Darko plays well, we can run perhaps the most famous and successful system professional sports has seen. When he plays poorly, or not at all, everything falls apart.
That is why Darko, more than any other player this year, holds the success of our team in his hands.
http://www.canishoopus.com/2010/10/23/1 ... -dimension
