From the Detroit Free Press and Mitch Albom. This is not the whole article
Earlier in the day, the Pistons had worked out a young man named Darko Milicic. From Serbia. He is not yet 18. He is 7-feet. He was so impressive during the workout that several Pistons players, having finished their shoot-around, hung out and peeked as he went through his drills. What did they think? Put it this way. They didn't believe he was 17. More like 25.
You ask Dumars about Darko -- as he refers to him -- and you see his eyes light up. He talks about a big man who is still growing, who has all the fundamentals, who can post up, who can shoot, who is mature beyond his years, and who already has played several seasons of professional ball in Europe, which means, as Dumars says, "he's done road trips, he's been to other countries, he doesn't have to learn all that."
Although LeBron James, the high school phenom, will be the No. 1 pick -- heck, he'd just signed a $90-million endorsement deal -- there are some who believe that Darko, with his height, could be every bit as much a franchise cornerstone.
Dumars wouldn't come out and say it publicly, but he'd grab this kid in a heartbeat. Heck, if he had the No. 1 pick, it might be a toss-up between James and Darko.
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