The liberation of Darko has begun.

The second overall pick in the 2003 draft has since become a byword for “lottery bust,” spending most of the past three years picking splinters and playing his rare moments on the court indifferently. Meanwhile, the three players picked after him in that draft, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade, have all become superstars. Several other players from that draft have also become elite performers, such as Chicago’s Kirk Hinrich, Dallas’s Josh Howard, and the Hornets’ David West.

But not Milicic. In his nearly three seasons as a Piston, he’s hardly seen the floor, playing only 96 games and averaged just 5.8 minutes per contest. Because of Detroit’s star-studded frontcourt, it was hard to find the playing time needed to develop the youngster (remember, he’s six months younger than LeBron James). However, it’s not as though Darko has earned more minutes, either. He shot 26.2% and 32.9% in his first two seasons, loafed on defense, and wore a perma-sulk that made Stephon Marbury seem like Kelly Ripa.

That situation didn’t seem likely to change anytime soon, so Pistons general manager Joe Dumars finally made the decision to free Darko, sending him and backup point guard Carlos Arroyo to the Magic for center Kelvin Cato and a 2007 first-round pick. (Quick side note: If you’re thinking the inclusion of Cato in this deal deep-sixes New York’s bid for Steve Francis, think again. Orlando still has Tony Battie’s expiring contract available to replace Cato’s in the deal, as well as a few others that could be lumped in if the Knicks wished.)

It’s a testament to how highly most NBA general managers still hold Milicic’s potential that the Pistons were able to get this much for him. The 2007 pick should be fairly high given the Magic’s current state, and is only protected through the first five picks. Thus, the Pistons essentially got themselves a second chance at righting the Milicic mistake. In addition, replacing the money owed to Milicic and Arroyo with Cato’s expiring contract will allow Detroit to sign Ben Wallace this summer and Chauncey Billups next summer without paying any luxury tax – offering yet another example of the strategic financial planning that makes Dumars such a contrast to former teammate Isiah Thomas.

So why dump Darko now? Here’s the logic. The Pistons figured his first two seasons were wasted largely because Larry Brown didn’t like rookies in general and Darko in particular (a sentiment with which Trevor Ariza and David Lee can probably sympathize). But when Flip Saunders took over this sea son, Detroit expected Milicic to emerge. He never did, even though Saunders had him in the rotation to start the season, and by midyear he was back on the end of the bench.

Dumars knew that by this summer he’d have to decide whether to give Milicic a contract extension or risk losing him as an unrestricted free agent a year from now. He obviously couldn’t give Milicic a contract based on his production to date, and he also knew he couldn’t win a bidding war for Darko a next year if he was also to keep Wallace and Billups. Thus, the decision was essentially made for him – he had to cut his losses now.

As for Orlando, by picking up Milicic at the trade deadline rather than over the summer, the organization gets 31 games to evaluate whether he’s worthy of an extension. The Magic also get a head start on their rebuilding program – they essentially used their 2007 first round pick on Milicic, but they get him 18 months earlier.

So what can we expect from the newly liberated Darko? It’s hard to say given how little we’ve seen of him, but that should change in Orlando. The Magic are already out of the playoff race and would like to know what they have in Milicic as soon as possible. Additionally, Milicic has to shake off the three years of rust he’s accumulated by not getting into competitive action. Expect Magic coach Brian Hill to be under strict orders to give Milicic his 30 minutes a night and let him play through his mistakes.

Despite his struggles in Detroit, Milicic provides an intriguing complement to man-child Dwight Howard. Though he stands 7-foot-1, Milicic is comfortable playing away from the basket and has a nice lefty shooting touch, which will clear room in the paint for Howard. Plus, despite appearing slow afoot, Milicic has also posted a phenomenal blocked shot rate in his few minutes, which means he and Howard could combine to make the middle a no-go zone for opposing offenses. Considering both players are only 20, the Magic must be optimistic about the possibility of having a dominant frontcourt in place for the next decade.

Unfortunately, Darko still has a lot of “Kwame” in his game, if you know what I mean. Much like the failed no. 1 overall pick from 2001, Milicic seems to fly off the rails as soon as he encounters the slightest bit of adversity. Thus, the test for Darko is not what he can do when he’s allowed 30 minutes a game, but rather how he’ll react the first time he’s benched, or slumps, or hits any of the other snags that come along when a young player is trying to find his way.

Incidentally, don’t count out the Arroyo half of the equation, because it sets up some intriguing possibilities for the Magic. With Francis, Arroyo, Keyon Dooling, Travis Diener, and Jameer Nelson all on the roster, Orlando is massively overstaffed at the point, so another trade seems almost certain. Francis has been on the block for weeks and could have a new team by the time you open up this paper, but Arroyo or Dooling also could be redeployed between now and the February 23 deadline.

But ultimately, this deal isn’t about Orlando’s backcourt – it’s about a talented young big man finally getting a chance to play. Maybe he’ll prove he really is a bust, or maybe he’ll prove he only needed a chance to play. One way or another, we’ll finally have an answer to the mystery that is Darko Milicic.

Mr. Hollinger is the author of the 2005-06 Pro Basketball Forecast. He can be reached at jhollinger@nysun.com.