Darko blames himself for NBA failures: 'I was the problem'

Darko Milicic will never wash his hands of the "bust" stain that attached itself to him almost from the moment the Detroit Pistons selected him second overall in a historically stacked 2003 draft, and, though the retired NBAer has apparently found more purpose and peace in his second career as a farmer, he can't help but look back ruefully on the choices he made as a young man dealing with expectations, emotion, ego, culture shock, and the demands of NBA life.

"It's up to a young player to prove himself, work hard, and wait for his chance. My approach was completely different," Milicic said last month in an interview with Serbian website B92, as translated by Reddit user Tyrone_Lue. "As a No. 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. ...

"So yeah, I was the problem. That initial dissatisfaction probably led to me starting to hate and not enjoy playing. ... My whole approach since coming to the U.S. 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."

Milicic went on to detail his particular points of dissatisfaction at each ensuing NBA stop, including differences of opinion with Orlando Magic coach Bob Hill, "two years of classic depression" and "just crossing dates off the calendar" with the Memphis Grizzlies, "doing pushups and situps during games and drinking milkshakes in the gym" with the New York Knicks, where he pondered a return to Europe before being approached by Minnesota Timberwolves general manager David Kahn.

Milicic explained: "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 two weeks, and if I'm not feeling it I'm free to leave. My first year there actually went great."

Milicic ended up getting a contract extension from the Timberwolves, but the team was lousy, so head coach Kurt Rambis was ousted, which ultimately derailed Milicic's relatively successful tenure in Minnesota.

"The coach eventually got fired and Rick Adelman came," he said. "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."

Milicic seems to be in a far better state of mind now that he's back home and living a less complicated life on the farm.

"I've created my own peace of mind," he said, "and I'm enjoying it."

- with h/t to Ben Rohrbach at Ball Don't Lie