I’m not sure why I keep thinking they are goIng to turn the corner. Individually Bama looks talented to me every year but as a whole they seem to fall short.
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People act like Darko was a reach by Dumars, but he was the consensus pick after LeBron at the time. Larry Brown unfortunately was probably the worst coach for his development.
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Serious slate of hoops tonight! I’m going to be rooting for Duke (probably alone among all you. . . Izzo admirers) but have to admit. . . MSU looks like it has the makings of a very, very good team this year.
It hurts to say so, but I begrudgingly admire Izzo as a coach. I absolutely root against MSU in conference and against Michigan, but why would I want an ACC team to beat a Big Ten team? I detest Duke and the ACC. I will be quietly hoping for an MSU victory because I think it is good for the Big Ten.
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Dont think there was any consensus that Darko was a better prospect than Melo.
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All very noble, I am sure. 
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I get the idea that an MSU win MIGHT be beneficial for us. But because its benefit may be negligible and it is not a measurable gain or loss for Michigan, in my conscience I will be rooting for Duke
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Disagree. Maybe not consensus, but the majority had him at #2 behind Lebron. A lot of the talk at that time was that Darko was a surefire #1 pick in any other year besides Lebron’s year. Melo had the shine fresh off of his NCAA tournament run, but I think in NBA circles most people had Darko higher on the board. The hype for Darko was enormous.
This article goes over many of the takes from that time:
Darko had so much potential that Marc Stein asked NBA executives whether he should be drafted over LeBron James. No one said yes, but they did agree that Darko was good enough to be No. 2:
He already has moves that remind me of (Hakeem) Olajuwon in the post. Once we get a hold of him, the sky’s the limit."
“Darko reminds me of a young Wilt Chamberlain. Wilt used to do a little of everything, and I haven’t seen a big man with so much skill since Wilt.”
Our guys were like, “Oh my God, look at this guy.” One dribble from the foul line, dunk. Lefty hook. Quick feet. He had great lateral quickness for a big. He had spin moves. It was unbelievable. He was a freak athlete at 17. He runs like a deer. He jumps. You were saying “wow.” You could check off everything on the list.
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I want to say that I’m conflicted, but I’m just not. Duke is evil. Transcendent evil. MSU by 40 tonight, please (and then they can feel free to lose the rest of their games.)
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Yep. Almost nobody was critical of Detroit picking Darko. Especially because the Pistons had nobody committed long term in the post at the time aside from Ben Wallace. Sheed wasn’t on the team yet.
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Comparing Darko to Wilt and Hakeem . . . man.
I guess it goes to show how much of being an elite athlete is mental. Darko had the raw physical ability, but not the drive. Whether Brown crushed his confidence or he just never actually had it, I guess we’ll never know.
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I feel like Tom Izzo’s pattern of turning a blind eye to his players’ sexual assaults is more of an evil than Duke buying players, being Duke, and stuff.
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In that context, you are correct. Was keeping it to basketball court/games themselves blanket. Perhaps I should have used “purely annoying players on the court and smug coach” versus “evil.”
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I will never root for Sparty in any sport. Never.
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I can’t root for MSU, either. There have been past games, especially in the tourney, where I thought I wanted them to win. But, every time, as soon as the game tipped, I wanted them to lose. I just can’t do it.
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Thank you for sharing your journey of self-discovery. It’s a path down which I myself have also traveled and learned.
(srsly, that exact same has happened to me, heh)
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Someone should post a poll between Duke and MSU. Seems pretty split on who the fanbase dislikes more.
Who do you want to win the Duke v MSU game?
- Duke
- MSU
- Cancel the game
0 voters
Cheer for Big Ten in every non-com game. It is good for us. Also Duke is the worst
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Duke is the 2nd worst… behind MSU. I would root for any other Big Ten team to destroy Duke, but have no interest in watching people fawn over MSU for beating Duke tonight.
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