Milicic Starts anew with Wolves | IXGAMES

Darko Milicic made his debut with the Minnesota Timberwolves Sunday evening, his first NBA game after being buried deep in the Knicks bench for more than three months. Though he considered himself in bad shape, he proved that he still has what made him the number 2 overall pick in the 2003 draft. Entering the game against Oklahoma in the first quarter, he played 19 minutes, earned eight points, eight rebounds, two assists, and was on the floor in the final three minutes. More importantly, the Wolves seem to move forward whenever he was on the court. Nonetheless, the player who is widely thought of as an underachiever after seven seasons in the NBA still thinks that the 26 games he has left with the Wolves will be his last. Milicic has declared his intention to end his career with the NBA and go back to Europe. “I went through a lot of bad experience in this league. The 26 games left might be a good experience for me, but if it’s a good experience, it’s only 26 games,” Milicic said. Milicic admits he was angered by the New York Knick’s decision to trade him to the Wolves as he was expecting the Knicks to buy out the remaining weeks of his $7.5 million contract. He wouldn’t have wanted to relocate to Washington D.C. from New York for seven weeks as this would be a hassle for his wife and 7-month old baby. Milicic playing for the Wolves The Wolves boss David Kahn traded veteran Brian Cardinal for Milicic, as the team thinks that the 7-foot center will fit the team’s needs. It appears that Milicic is making the most out of a frustrating situation. He calls the Wolves’ playing system good for big guys. Wolves coach Kurt Rambis expresses optimism on his new player. The coach claims that their new player seems to have “an extremely high basketball IQ.” Milicic seems to know what to do even without much direction. Rambis also enthuses that he can play opposite Al Jefferson, Kevin Love, or Ryan Hollins and with Ryan Gomes.  Milicic can easily fit with anybody. However, Milicic would have to deal with how he handles losing. He has admitted that he doesn’t like to lose and is “sick to be part of [a] losing team.” He wants to play for the playoffs.  It seems clear that for him to reconsider his decision and re-sign with the Wolves after this season, the Wolves would have to win with him and let him thrive with the team. Despite making such statements, he expresses that he intends to make the best of the situation, work hard, and try to get back in shape.