Lex has been delving into all things Darko lately.
In one post, he talked about how Darko got the nickname Serbian Gangster. It seems that the ubiquitous Rasheed Wallace made this comment after Darko was traded from the Pistons:
"Man, Darko is good," Wallace said. "We call him the Serbian Gangster because Darko ain't going to back down from nobody. When Mr. Hyde comes out, (you) don't want to mess with him."
"You better not dis Darko. I'm telling you, Darko is a Serbian gangster. Darko's got some bodies back there (in Serbia-Montenegro)."
Sheed played with Darko 3 seasons and saw him as an enforcer who very well could have some bodies hidden in the locker room. I've said several times that Darko's biggest problem was being drafted 2nd. He's never been given the chance to just be Darko. He's been expected at every stop to be the number 2 pick. I think he's finally found a place where he can just be Darko, and I think that is going to give him the freedom to finally realize some of that potential that has been dormant.
Now, back to the Serbian Gangster thing. In an
interview with CSNNE, Darko had this to say:
"I'm done trying to prove I'm the No. 2 pick and that [expletive] stuff," Milicic told CSNNE.com. "This year, it's all about Celtics, to show that I am a team player. It's not about me. It's about us as a team.
Milicic added: "I'll do whatever it takes, whatever I need to do to help this team. So now, if I have to go kill someone on the court, I'll kill someone on the court."
About those bodies Sheed was talking about... It seems some may have played against Darko in the past. Since Perk left, the Celtics haven't really had an enforcer. KG is intimidating, but he's not the guy who can go out there and knock players around and, well, put them down for the count. Darko may just be that enforcer that the Celtics have been missing.
Darko has put behind him the need to try to live up to the expectations of being the 2nd pick and that's a good thing for the Celtics. He sees the importance of playing the role that the team needs him to play. With the Serbian Gangster on the Celtics, willing to do whatever it takes to win, if I were Joey Crawford, Marc Davis, or Bennett Salvatore, I'd be afraid, very afraid.
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