But had the Pistons selected Anthony, it could have been a disaster that wrecked the team.

Anthony had much publicized problems with coach Larry Brown at the Olympics in 2004. There would have been considerable pressure on the Pistons to play the youngster, and Anthony showed considerable immaturity at the time with refusals to enter games, battles with coaches and outside embarrassing incidents with drugs and questionable characters. It also may have precluded the Pistons from using Tayshaun Prince, quiet and less glamorous, but an excellent defender who made crucial plays that were pivotal in the Pistons' championship run. Anthony still remains a weak and indifferent defender.

It was a gamble for the Pistons. It was a free pick from a five-year-old trade. Why not take a shot at a big kid who has a chance to be something?

It doesn't appear Milicic ever will be quite what was envisioned, or at least hoped, for him. He plays too much on the perimeter and doesn't appear to have the desire to be a dominant player. Things went badly in Detroit with Brown and Milicic was spending too much time behind Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace. Perhaps patience, with Ben now gone to the Bulls, would have made a difference. But the Pistons were again in a championship run in 2005-06 and there still was no place for Milicic. Their run through the start of the 21st Century has been impressive, and they're not done quite yet.

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Big men often are the biggest risk because they can be the biggest reward, though less so these days the way the game is changing.

The draft mantra in the NBA always has been, "If you make a mistake, make it big."

It does have other meanings.

The idea has been take a shot at a big guy and see if it works. Portland did in 1984 and Detroit did in 2003. So did the Wizards with Kwame Brown in 2001, the Clippers with Michael Olowokandi in 1998, the Kings with Pervis Ellison in 1989, the Warriors with Joe Barry Carroll in 1980, the Bucks with Kent Benson in 1977 and the Blazers with LaRue Martin in 1972. They all were No. 1 overall selections.

Darko's a common risk who'll be a decent NBA player. Gamblers don't always win, which is how Las Vegas stays in business. But you can't win if you don't try.