The Darko Treatment

I am going to coin a brand new phrase that I know will not catch on but darn it, I am going to use it for all my future sports articles. After seeing Cam Newton once again deliver a powerful performance (and against the Packers to boot) I am sure everyone in Denver is pondering what could have happened if they had given Tim Tebow the same type of love. Not saying Tebow can provide these types of numbers (although he is more than capable of doing so), but what I am saying is that with time and care, he could have developed into a nice quarterback going into his second year. Instead, we have the hapless Broncos barely etch out a win over the Bengals (at home) while observe the most dangerous 0-2 team in the NFL, the Carolina Panthers, stand tall and mighty behind their brand new quarterback.

It’s a darn shame the Panthers don’t play the Broncos this season, which would have made for potentially excellent football. So while Kyle Orton continues his subpar-below .500 performance, New-in-Town has already thrown for over 800 yards in just a couple of games. Remember, the Panthers have been 2-16 in their last 18 regular season games yet they carry more momentum than the Broncos. But alas, Tebow is third-string. As long as he is in Denver, he might never have a chance to succeed. And that my friends, is the Darko Treatment.


The Darko Treatment is what happens when a young player with plenty of talent that succeeded in many levels during the college/minor league days isn’t given a chance when entering the big leagues for one reason or another. The Darko Treatment is when potentially great careers are tarnished, damaged, ruined because they didn’t get the proper help, care, and devotion once they hit professional ball. In all honesty, the best way to ensure that you unpolished talent shines like a nice diamond in the future is with time-----playing time. My new coined phrase is named after the very sad career of Darko Milicic.

Darko was selected 2nd in the NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons way back in 2003. Larry Brown had no plans to ever using him, as they already had a powerful lineup that took them to an NBA Title and constant rushes to the Eastern Conference Finals. The man was used only when the Pistons were winning by a couple touchdowns late in the game. He was averaging barely a half-dozen minutes per game. And this didn’t happen one season, it actually happened for three seasons in a row until the Orlando Magic finally got him. By that time, instead of becoming a star player or a well-developed sidekick, he was a benchman that was bouncing around from team to team. Last I checked he was playing for the Timberwolves.


Let’s compare him now to the #1 draft pick of that same season: LeBron James. While I hate the man now, back in his first year he practically was given an immeasurable amount of care, time, and devotion to make sure he truly developed into a star. He worked closely with Mike Brown, the underrated coach at the time for the Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron James was fresh out of high school, but had a thirst for basketball and a great amount of talent. He was a post-up game and attitude check away from being the next Kobe Bryant. Eventually, the Cavs would become a powerhouse franchise, constantly entering the playoffs and at one point had back-to-back 60-win seasons. Did they have a good team? No, what they did have was fully-developed talent (that didn’t even go to college) and a good coach backing him up. One can only wonder what would have happened if Larry Brown, another well-known defensive specialist, had worked with Darko’s potential. He was a 7-foot center that can shoot, move the ball, and defend. What more do you want?


Tebow and Darko aren’t the only examples of the Darko Treatment: J.J. Reddick is an outstanding example of this--and one that personally affects me being a Magic fan. He is a Duke legend, one that has broken nearly every scoring record for his school, and yet here he is still on the bench when for three years he was promised a starting role in the Magic rotation. He is hands-down one of the most popular players for the Magic, and this is despite not actually being a starter. Unlike some of the bums that give minimal effort towards anything in that lineup, J.J. gives his all continuously. He will never fully blossom because he spent so many years under the cellar. Stan Van Gundy has been a great coach for a mediocre team in the past years, but has dropped the ball with this man.


And let's compare this to a baseball team that has purposely has avoided the likes of the Darko Treatment in recent years, leading to surprising successful runs year after year after year. The Tampa Bay Rays actually throw their new talent in the thick of pennant races, start them off in very tough situations. David Price, Jeremy Hellickson, Desmond Jennings, and now Matt Moore are just prime examples of players that started out playing in the middle of a heated race with the Yankees and Red Sox. While some critics will say that this is no way to start off young talent, Joe Maddon and co. do this because it displays their trust in these upstart rookies. This type of trust ensures that these players are more than just pawns in an eternal chess match against the rivals--they are part of the future of the organization. And now, with one of the youngest (and cheapest) squads in the majors, the Rays are still in the Wild Card race against the heavy-hitters Boston Red Sox and California Angels.


So back to Tim Tebow, this man needs his chance to play. You can’t squander his youth years otherwise he can’t mature and develop when he becomes a full-time pro, if that ever actually happens. How does a man with two national championships under his belt (and in the inane SEC conference) still get lack of respect from the other Broncos peers? Kyle Orton is a miserable 12-18 with the Denver Broncos. What does it take for Tebow to head out there? A 0-16 season? The Broncos are ruining a great talent, and you all know that’s one of my pet peeves---wasted talent. That’s what LeBron is, but for very different reasons.

Broncos, you have wonderful talent on the bench. The SEC, despite being evil in every single way possible, can craft good wholesome quarterbacks. The Panthers saw this in Newton and used him as first-string immediately. And while the Panthers are 0-2, their confidence level is as high as it has been in years. They see a future. With the Broncos, they don’t see any future, just a muddled present.


Broncos, please stop the Darko Treatment; you are killing a career slowly but surely.