People Used to Throw Bats at Darko

Darko Milicic, at the tender age of 21, is already considered one of the greatest draft busts in League history. The funny thing is that he's actually a pretty good player when given the chance to show what he's got. He's long; he can defend; he can hold his own in the post; and he's got a bit of a mean streak to him.

That mean streak was on display after his Orlando Magic's game 1 loss to the Pistons. The press asked him why he thinks the Pistons fans always boo him, and he did not mince words when answering:

"I don't really care," Milicic said. "Back home fans used to throw the baseball (bats) and stuff at me -- everything. They tried to kill me back home. That's why I don't really give a (expletive) about it."

I'm sorry, but that's freaking awesome. You need to have that kind of tough attitude if you're going to survive in this League. And survive Darko has. It's not just anyone who could've withstood getting brow-beaten by Larry Brown for two years, physical punishment from Big Ben, 'Sheed and everyone else on Detroit's frontline during practice, and being the punchline to many sports jokes over the last few years.

My favorite line from the "Serbian Gangster" was when a reporter asked him if he ever got hit by any of the objects the fans back home threw: