Originally posted by Timberwolves.com (nba.com)Wolves Acquire Darko Milicic from New York
The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has acquired 7-0 center Darko Milicic and cash considerations from the New York Knicks in exchange for forward Brian Cardinal.
Milicic, 24, has appeared in eight games for the Knicks this season, averaging 2.0 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. The second overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft by Detroit, Milicic is in his seventh NBA season and owns career averages of 5.4 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. His best statistical season came in 2006-07 when he averaged 8.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 80 games with Orlando.
Cardinal, a 10-year NBA veteran, was averaging 1.7 points in 27 games during his second season with the Wolves. Cardinal was originally acquired in a draft-day trade with Memphis during the summer of 2008 and appeared in 91 games during his tenure in Minnesota.
I liked ol' Cardinal, but this is......well, it's something else entirely.
Visit the page for a hilarious interview with David Kahn where he explains that he has just about no idea why they did this deal and looks forward to Milicic going back to Europe (and not returning) at the end of the season, and for an encore looks forward to welcoming Cardinal back to the Wolves in 30 days. Maybe they'll BOTH get waived? There's one day of baffling decision making to go!
Originally posted by the New York Daily News (nydailynews.com)February 17, 2010 7:35 PM
Knicks to move Darko
By Frank Isola
Darko Milicic's agent confirmed that his client is being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Brian Cardinal. As part of the deal, the Knicks will release Cardinal in order to open up a roster spot for the proposed Nate Robinson trade with the Boston Celtics.
The one potential snag is that there is no guarantee that Milicic will report to Minnesota. As recently as Tuesday, the veteran center was hopeful that the Knicks would release him so he could return to his native Serbia. Instead, he is headed to NBA Siberia.
“It's a disappointment,” Marc Cornstein said. “This is the final chapter of a bad story for him in New York.”
The 7-foot Milicic, taken second overall behind LeBron James in the 2003 NBA Draft, appeared in only eight games and hadn't played since Nov. 13.
I had a feeling when I saw the headline, and the person who posted the thread, that there would be a punchline. Nicely done.
Poor T'Wolves; the two most notable transactions they've done in their history have resulted in the loss of several first-round picks due to an illegal contract signing, and the 17th championship for the Boston Celtics.
"You're about as much fun as a divorce-- which is not a bad idea." "I want custody of me."
--Michael Knight and KITT, Knight Rider
Fan of the Indianapolis Colts (Super Bowl XLI Champions), Indiana Pacers and Washington Nationals
Certified RFMC Member-- Ask To See My Credentials!
Co-Winner of Time's Person of the Year Award, 2006
And let's not forget how bad they crapped the bed in the draft this year. They turned could have had Rubio and Curry, and instead got Flynn and likely not Rubio. Things are looking up!
Darko suited up tonight and saw his first minutes. This line is insane:
Bench Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts D. Milicic 19:05 4-7 0-0 0-2 +35 4 8 2 1 0 1 1 2 8
Plus thirty-frickin'-five?!
To give you an idea of how awesome the (ha) starters were against the Thunder tonight, the game started with the Wolves scoring the first two points, then promptly shutting down and falling behind 13-2. Al Jefferson finished at -37 and starting center Ryan Hollins was -22. Darko set some very nice screens and, while not an OUTSTANDING presence underneath, was a heck of a lot better than most everybody else for the Wolves who has been pretending. The fans took to him pretty quickly, although the "we want Darko" chants may have as much to do with the current level of frustration with our starters, who seem to check out for at least 10-12 minutes out of every game. Still, after coming back from 17 down to lead 88-86 in the 4th felt pretty good - except for the 11-0 run by the Thunder immediately following it. The chants were answered with Darko coming back in - and yeah, it's probably coincidental but the Wolves almost *immediately* cut that lead in half. They ended up losing 109-107, but it wasn't that close - Brewer hit prayer treys to end BOTH halves tonight. (What's with Brewer, anyway? It's like he wants to play JUST well enough to remind us that his contract is coming up. VERY annoying.) EDIT: I misremembered - Johnny Flynn had the game-ending trey.
Anyway, Darko. I am definitely a fan. I hope he can be talked into staying but even if not, I'll enjoy him for the rest of this season - what else have Wolves fans got to root for? ( The return of Brian Cardinal? (nba.com) YEAH!)
Tonight was the "interactive" game, so the #twolves hash tag was in full effect on the Twitter - morbidly interesting to see everyone simultaneously commiserating (tonight may have completed my attitudinal conversion to "Sports fan in Minnesota") followed by the spontaneous invention of the new hash tag #Darkogasm. ;-)
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