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| Thursday, August 29 Foreign faces to watch in Indianapolis By Chad Ford ESPN.com |
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INDIANAPOLIS -- Dirk Nowitzki might have a way to go to catch up to the Shaquille O'Neals and Kobe Bryants of the NBA. But when it comes to international play, for the first time in a long time, the best player out there probably won't be an American. The best U.S. players in the world didn't bother showing up, but we will see the best international hoopsters at the World Championships.
Germany's Nowitzki, the only player in the tournament who was named to either the NBA first- or second-team last season, isn't the only talented international player in Indy. Vlade Divac is the best center here. Even Spain's Pau Gasol would likely be picked ahead of either Antonio Davis or Raef LaFrentz. Peja Stojakovic will battle Reggie Miller as the best shooter in the tournament. And let's not forget a few other young international NBA studs: Hedo Turkoglu, Predrag Drobnjak, Andrei Kirilenko, Vladimir Radmanovic and Oscar Torres. And those are just the players you know. For many U.S. hoops fans, the Worlds will be their first introduction to several future international stars in the NBA. When you consider that such top prospects as Nikoloz Tskitishvili, Nene Hilario, Bostjan Nachbar, Jiri Welsch, and Raul Lopez aren't even here, the international talent pool is staggering. Give them a few years and they'll be giving USA Basketball nightmares.
China Position: Center. NBA team: Rockets. The Skinny: Yao might be a bigger draw than Team USA and the rest of the NBA international players combined. The China-U.S. exhibition game was nice, but we want to see Yao in a real game. Sure, he played against the United States in the 2000 Olympics, but he was just 19 years old then. Yao's first game is against Germany. We were looking forward to a stellar Shawn Bradley-Yao matchup, but with Bradley off the team, look for Yao and Nowitzki to mix it up in the middle. But the big date is Saturday when China meets Team USA.
Yugoslavia Position: Point guard. NBA team: Clippers. The Skinny: Many consider Jaric to be the top point guard in Europe. He's tall (6-foot-7), has an old-school, pass-first mentality and loves to push the ball. The Clippers just signed him to a three-year, $6 million deal. However, with Andre Miller now in the fold, Jaric will have to learn the NBA ropes as his backup off the bench. Look for a nice matchup Friday when Jaric goes against another hyper point guard, Spain's Juan Carlos Navarro.
Position: Guard. NBA team: Timberwolves. The Skinny: His high-flying antics in Yugoslavia have earned him the nickname "White Jordan." Judging from his performance at Shaw's Summer Pro League in Boston, that may be a little much. It's his ability to play both backcourt positions, not his dunking prowess, that has the Wolves considering Rakocevic for their thin backcourt. "He is more typical of an American player," Divac said. "He jumps very high, looks to score and has a lot of heart. He has a lot of moves, like Jason Williams. He is a little one, but he likes to dunk with two hands. He doesn't hesitate to drive in the middle of big people and put up shots."
Position: Point guard. NBA team: Knicks. The Skinny: The 6-4 Vujanic, the Knicks' second-round pick in June, might be the team's point guard of the future. Vujanic will play this season with his Yugoslavian team, but the Knicks plan to have him participate in summer-league ball next July and their 2003 training camp. "The kid was good enough that (selecting another point guard) wasn't really a concern," Knicks assistant GM Jeff Nix said. "We had targeted him from last summer. We felt he's the second-best point guard in Europe (behind Jaric). He pushes the ball, throws it ahead to the open player and works to defend."
Position: Shooting guard. NBA team: Spurs. The Skinny: How confident are the Spurs in Ginobili? They went ahead and shipped off Antonio Daniels to make sure that Ginobili, a former Euroleague MVP, gets plenty of minutes. Ginobili is off to a red-hot start in exhibition play. He led Argentina to a 3-0 record in the Pistons International Classic last weekend, averaging 20 points on 24-of-31 shooting for the tournament and grabbing MVP honors. Argentina doesn't meet the United States in Round 1, but they should meet sometime in Round 2. Argentina is considered, along with Yugoslavia, to have the best chance at medaling behind Team USA.
Position: Power forward. NBA team: Spurs. The Skinny: He's a true low-post bruiser and might eventually be part of the answer for the Spurs when David Robinson retires next season. He'll likely play one more season in Spain before joining the Spurs, and he figures to be a force for Argentina during the tournament. His toughness in the paint and on the boards reminds some scouts of Elton Brand.
Position: Center. NBA team: None. The Skinny: NBA scouts are beginning to rave about this tough, active center with great athleticism. He's past draft age, and several teams have considered giving him a free agent offer. However, a contract problem won't allow him to come over here until next season. If he plays well, he could collect a big paycheck in the NBA next season.
Turkey Position: Power forward. NBA team: Pistons. The Skinny: The Pistons stole him in the second round in the 2000 draft and now Okur, a 6-11 bruiser with a sweet outside shot, is ready to play in the NBA. The Pistons just signed him to a two-year contract, and they expect big things out of him right away. The team got a nice taste of what he can do at the Pistons International Classic. Last Saturday, Okur scored 33 points and had 11 rebounds, four blocks and four steals against a team of U.S. free agents. "He is going to be a terrific player," Scott Roth, an assistant with the Memphis Grizzlies said. "It's just a matter of his learning curve and how quickly he picks up on the terminology and the defensive concepts of the NBA game. Offensively, he is good enough to play right away."
Position: Forward. NBA team: None. The Skinny: The former first-round pick of the Rockets never really got it together in his three-plus years in the NBA. After two miserable seasons in Houston and a brief stint in New York, Turkan returned to Europe to work on his game. The improvement, according to scouts, is dramatic. Turkan took home Euroleague MVP honors last season and may be just a year away from trying his hand at the NBA again. He's a solid outside shooter and always plays hard.
Spain Position: Guard. NBA team: Wizards. The Skinny: Navarro is a quick combo guard and an explosive scorer. His game is penetration; he can take just about anyone off the dribble in Spain. He's usually overshadowed a bit by Raul Lopez, but with Lopez out, he'll run the show for Spain. The Wizards really liked his hustle and his defense and figure to bring him over next summer once Chris Whitney and Tyronn Lue come off the books.
Position: Forward. NBA team: None. The Skinny: He's too old for the draft, but at 25, Garbajosa might find his way to the NBA. Like Gasol, he can play multiple positions. He's a great ball-handler for his size and creates matchup problems wherever he plays on the floor. Garbajosa was the player that kept lottery pick Tskitishivili off the floor most nights while playing for Benetton Treviso in Italy. He averaged 11.7 points and 5.9 rebounds for Treviso last season.
Brazil Position: Forward. NBA team: None (yet). The Skinny: Varejo put his name into the draft this spring as an early entry, but he pulled it out at the last minute after he couldn't get a first-round guarantee. That won't be a problem this year, as several scouts have the 6-10 forward projected as a late lottery pick. Varejo will have plenty of opportunities to strut his stuff with Nene Hilario sitting out the Worlds with a pulled groin muscle. Varejo can score, rebound, block shots and play three positions. Despite his size, he has the athleticism of a guard. The only knock on Varejo right now is his weight. He needs to add another 20 pounds of muscle to play inside in the NBA.
Lebanon Position: Guard. NBA team: None. The Skinny: After Yao Ming, he's considered the best prospect in Asia. He's a scoring machine. He's great going one-on-one and has a sweet outside jumper. If El Katib can lead the underdog Lebanese to an upset, NBA scouts will take notice. "He's an exciting player," one scout said. "He can really light it up. He already has an NBA-type game -- the kid likes to play above the rim. If he plays well against the tougher competition, you may hear his name in the NBA." Chad Ford writes the daily NBA Insider column for ESPN Insider. To get a free 30-day trial, click here. |
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