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NBA 15/03/2017, 17.15

Milicic: "As a 2nd pick coming from Europe I thought I was sent by God. Now I'm working at my farm"

Darko Milicic with a long and

NBA
Darko Milicic had a long interview with Serbian portal B92 about his experience in the NBA and his present in his farm.
The interview was translated on Reddit.

On being drafted and playing for the Detroit Pistons
I'd do a lot of things differently now. It's true that I ended up on a team that was trying to win a ring, which rarely happens to a #2 pick, but in the end, we're all looking for alibis. I could say i didn't get a proper chance. However, that's simply an alibi; it's up to a young player to prove himself, work hard and wait for his chance. My approach was completely different, as a #2 pick coming from Europe I thought I was sent by God. So I got into fights, got drunk before practices, spiting everyone, while in the end, I was spiting myself.
I had issues with everyone, and that was caused by me playing just for myself. My goal wasn't to silence the critics, it was to silence my ego. Tonight I want to feed my ego, so I'll play a great game against Duncan or Gasol. Tomorrow, we have a totally irrelevant game against a center that's 10 times weaker so I'll put up another great game and become a consistent player because that's what they want from me. But I simply couldn't, I wasn't ready or willing to put in the work...
So yeah, I was the problem. That initial dissatisfaction probably led to me starting to hate and not enjoy playing. There were some situations where I've already scored 20 points, but in my head I'm thinking: "When will this game finally end, come on, let's pack it up and go home." I just had to feed my ego, I couldn't care less what's going to happen the following week. My whole approach since coming to the US was just wrong. I could say I was too young back then, but I chose to go there myself and I obviously wasn't prepared for what the league would require from me.

On trades to Orlando and Memphis
I really enjoyed it there since Day 1. Physically I was fresh since I haven't really played for 3 years. Unfortunately, the coach just didn't see me and Dwight playing together although I thought it could easily work out. He'd stuff the paint, I'd be a threat from outside, it would've been great. I had some nice games in a year and a half there, so I was expecting some nice offers. No offers came though, since everyone was thinking I had mental issues and was a risk. That's where I got disappointed even more. The only thing I told my manager was I'll go anywhere but Memphis, just don't send me to Memphis.
Of course I went to Memphis, where I went through 2 years of classic depression. I was just crossing the dates off the calendar because I couldn't function anymore. Physically you're there, but mentally you aren't. Whatever you do, there's no chance of being successful. It was really hard. Mentally, I was completely worn out. Everyone has bad periods in their careers, but it was harder for me since my whole experience was negative and that wasn't what I expected.
If you want to play in the NBA, you need to be consistent. You can bring 15 points and 10 rebounds to the table, but you have to bring it every day. I was playing when I felt like it, otherwise it was tough to find any motivation.

On NY and Minnesota days
After that I went to New York, where I continued doing stupid stuff. The coach finally got fed up, so I was doing pushups and situps during games and drinking milshakes in the gym. So I decided to go back to Europe, I was young enough and could still get back on track. However, NY wanted to trade me to Minnesota. I met with David Kahn and told him: "Don't trade for me for the love of God, I don't want to play in the NBA anymore, I'll ruin your team. I'll fuck up the team chemistry, do not trade for me. When it's not working it's not working." He told me to join them for 2 weeks, and if I'm not feeling it I'm free to leave. My first year there actually went great.
My experience in the NBA was a catastrophe because I'm a born winner, I don't like losing even in card games. That's the Darko that came to the US, but after Detroit I spent time on teams that were classic gangs going from city to city and losing games, and sadly you kinda get used to that. Minny wasn't bad, but we were dead last in the standings. Other than a couple of good games, there's nothing positive in that. The coach eventually got fired and Rick Adelman came. I wasn't a part of the big picture anymore; I was starting at first but after the first minor injury I fell out of the rotation.
I don't even want to talk about Boston. I didn't want to go there and I told my manager what's going to happen. The people in the US are obsessed with stats as a nation. They simply look at the stats and that's it, although I think they have the full right to do so. The guy looks at my stats and sees me as a role player who's happy to get his chance, but that's not who I am. I run away from that; for my whole life I'm going to be the #2 pick who didn't live up to the expectations, but I am what I am. I'm different from other busts, they wanted to but they couldn't, and I could when I wanted to. That's the issue in my head, but no one wants to dig deeply into it. They just look at the stats and tell me I've done nothing.

On his NBA experience as a whole
Only my wife knows how many times I've wanted to pack my things and go home. Playing in the NBA is a dream come true for majority of basketball players, and everyone should strive to achieve that. But if you can't get used to the atmosphere you're living in, you'll have a bad time, both as a person and as a player. The lifestyle didn't suit me at all, I'm a very social guy and I like to hang out. There's none of that in the US, it's simply go to work and go home. See you at the practice, see you in the plane, see you in the bus, see you at the gym and that's it. You live game by game, hotel by hotel.

Current whereabouts
I've gained 90 pounds since I stopped playing, I'm at 350 right now. I'm working at my farm and enjoying that kind of production. I take walks through my fields and watch the process, which makes me really happy. I'm still pretty inexperienced at this so I like to learn, seek guidance, go to seminars. I've created my own peace of mind and I'm enjoying it. There's always problems like in any other field of work, but I'd rather do this than build skyscrapers in the city because I'd end up shooting myself. I think this is the most positive story of them all, food production and food in general is the future in every sense.
E. Carchia

E. Carchia

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