Milicic's European team threatens legal action

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) -- Darko Milicic's European team intends to keep the 7-foot-1 star and threatens legal action against any NBA team attempting to sign him.
The 18-year-old center from Serbia and Montenegro plays for Hemofarm Vrsac. The Detroit Pistons are expected to choose him with the overall No. 2 pick in Thursday's NBA draft following Cleveland's selection of LeBron James.
Milicic is considered the best big man in the draft. He comes out of a pro league where most players are in their mid-20s.
A message left with the Pistons on Friday was not immediately returned.
Hemofarm said Thursday it plans to file a lawsuit in New York against Milicic's agent Marc Cornstein, contending he is interfering with the player's contract. Milicic has played for Hemofarm since 2000, and the club said it has Milicic under contract through 2009.
Open for negotiations
"We are open for negotiations on the issue," Miodrag Babic, president of Hemofarm Group, said in a statement. "The contracts in question are valid."
The team also plans to initiate arbitration proceedings against any NBA team that attempts to sign Milicic. That action would come before the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sports.
NBA teams are not prevented from drafting players under contract to foreign teams. League rules, however, stipulate an NBA team can pay no more than $350,000 toward buying out a player's contract.
Natasha Cornstein, the wife and spokeswoman of Milicic's agent, said Friday she was unaware of any legal proceedings. She said Hemofarm is trying to pressure Milicic.
Any litigation "will not impede Darko from realizing his NBA dream," she said.