NBA Powerless Rankings: When the trades just don’t work out

5. The Detroit Pistons trading away Boban

I feel like I’ve already expressed my thoughts on the absence of Boban enough times.

Essentially, picture that tweet except the exact opposite.

Before I knew stuff and was innocent, one of the best parts of the Pistons’ championship season was the presence of Darko Milicic. He was just a young guy and rarely playable, but when you saw his jersey on the floor you knew the Pistons were going to win. His presence meant joy. It was easy to confuse the idea that his presence was the thing that brought the joy, but that’s okay. I decided to do exactly that.

It’s over ten years later, and I decide to do the same thing whenever possible. In many ways, Boban was my evolutionary Darko. He was on the Pistons, and he rarely played, but sometimes a bit of the hope related to Boban paid off! He was so efficient! And so large! And so Eastern European! He was efficient, Eastern European, and large! What more could you ask for?

Well, some defense probably, and that’s probably why he didn’t play. But when he did, the two primary joys in my life (finding silly things to entertain myself with and hope for basketball future) coalesced into a large, efficient, Eastern European titan.

And now he’s gone. He’s in Los Angeles having better moments for a different team. He’s Eastern European. How can he be on the west coast? It makes no sense.