# ford article on pavel



## havoc (Jul 16, 2003)

Anyone else read Ford's insider article today on Pavel?
I really like Pavel's attitude and in a draft like this with so many unknowns how can you turn down a guy who is 7'5"? At the absolute worst I would see him being a slightly better Bradley.
Here's hoping the Wiz either take him or Livingston.
:gopray: :gopray:


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## Kmurph (May 7, 2003)

> how can you turn down a guy who is 7'5"?


Easy.....<insert team name here> we pass

Seriously, Chad Ford is WAY overhyping this kid. I wouldn't take him NEAR the lottery, in the twenties? Yeah maybe you take a flyer on him. 

You know, I am used to the insane levels of hype that goes around draft time, but this year it is bordering on ridiculous, and Pavel is case #1...You know why he pulled out last year? B\c he couldn't get a team to guarantee to take him in the lottery....and he hasn't done ANYTHING this year to change that status, no matter what guys like Chad Ford say.


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## rebelsun (Nov 25, 2003)

Nice to see Pavel getting some more love.

Here's some notes: 

- Pavel was winded very easily, but NBA trainers can cure that.

- Perhaps most important was the "energy" that he brought. The article said the entire room lit up when he walked in and that guys were feeding off his energy. I think he has leadership potential, which is a very scary thought for the league. Also, the article said that he maintained his aggressive play at the camp.

- The article said that after what they saw, 20 out of 25 GMs interviewed claimed he would be a top-5 pick. Three scouts said he'd take him 3rd overall. One respected scout and one NBA executive said they'd take him 1st overall. Take from that what you will.

- During a 3pt drill for big men, Pavel sank 18-25 from the international 3pt line.

- At Treviso, Pavel measured 7'5, 300 (they declined to say if that was w/ shoes or w/o; likely w/o because 7'5 w/ no shoes would be over 7'6 w/ shoes)

- Pavel suprised w/ his ability to handle the ball and pass in the open court. Several times, Pavel decided to play "point center" and was "surprisingly adept" at running the offense. He often got into showboating w/ the ball, making no-look passes and doing crossovers. Scouts told him to quit clowning around, but privately the scouts said they'd never seen anyone that size do something like that.

- Pavel also won fans over w/ his court demeanor. He constantly was cheering on his teammates on the court, was translating Russian to the players, and many times offered advice to younger players. This shows a great deal of maturity and leadership ability, which again is scary for a guy w/ his potential.

Bottom line, I am beginning daily prayers that Pavel falls to PHX at #7.

BTW, the supposed object of PHX's affection, Andriuskevicius, showed a disappointing post game and had a great deal of trouble gaining position on the blocks, not a good sign for a C.

However, after the drills were finished, and went to 5-5, Martynas shined. As only big men were playing, they let some C play the point, and Marty played great. According to the article, Martynas stunned scouts w/ ball-handling and passing that rivaled Dirk Nowitzki. He had great court vision, and seemed to know when and how to make the right play.

Insider says that the only way he can be classified as a C is by height. He apparently is much more of a 4 or even a 3 than a C skill-wise. Marty is not the next Sabonis; more like a Dirk or Pau Gasol type...at 7'3.

Regardless, Martynas will likely not be in this draft as his agent wants a top-5 guarantee. He will likely end up withdrawing and challenging Nemanja Aleksandrov for the #1 overall next year.

ESPN Insider


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## Amareca (Oct 21, 2002)

There were several bad things about Pavel as well.

The writing on Marty Vicious sounded a lot more impressive because I would rather take the guy who is brilliant in game situations than drills.

Besides that Ford made a point that Marty Vicius is not a center. He is a 7'3 Dirk Nowitzki with better passing and ball-handling.

I am going to be so happy on draft day when Pavel shakes hands with Stern and was NOT drafted by the Suns. That would be a disaster.


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## Nevus (Jun 3, 2003)

> - The article said that after what they saw, 20 out of 25 GMs interviewed claimed he would be a top-5 pick. Three scouts said he'd take him 3rd overall. One respected scout and one NBA executive said they'd take him 1st overall. Take from that what you will.


You could take from that that they want somebody else to take him.


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## rebelsun (Nov 25, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>BigAmare</b>!
> I am going to be so happy on draft day when Pavel shakes hands with Stern and was NOT drafted by the Suns. That would be a disaster.


What is Marty is not in the draft and Pavel is available? Would you take someone else, BA?


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## Amareca (Oct 21, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>RebelSun</b>!
> 
> 
> - Pavel suprised w/ his ability to handle the ball and pass in the open court. Several times, Pavel decided to play "point center" and was "surprisingly adept" at running the offense. He often got into showboating w/ the ball, making no-look passes and doing crossovers. Scouts told him to quit clowning around, but privately the scouts said they'd never seen anyone that size do something like that.
> ...


More like he surprised because he tried that.

The bottom line still was that Pavel tried to do too many things that he is not good at.

Over the last year he's been on medication to stop a pituitary adenoma from producing any more growth hormone and he will need surgery after the summer league.

He usually got very tired after 5 minute drills. It doesn't say NBA trainers can cure that.
Look at Yao. He is more agile than Pavel and still gets tired easily.


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## Amareca (Oct 21, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>RebelSun</b>!
> 
> 
> What is Marty is not in the draft and Pavel is available? Would you take someone else, BA?


Umm yeah I take Josh Smith, Iggy, Gordon and Livingston over Pavel anyday.

Drafting the best player available is usually the best thing to do.

I also think that the Suns are rather likely to trade Marion.

Also the highest vertical during the camp was 29". And the only draft prospect for this year was Pavel unless Marty gets a top 5 guarantee.


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## OwnTheBlocks (Jun 10, 2003)

Didn't he already have the surgery after pulling out last year?


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## rebelsun (Nov 25, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>BigAmare</b>!
> Over the last year he's been on medication to stop a pituitary adenoma from producing any more growth hormone and he will need surgery after the summer league.


The article also said that the recovery time for this surgery is only 2 weeks.

It also said that only one team interviewed was overly concerned about his condition. NBA doctors have looked him over, and deemed him a "mild-to-moderate" health risk, which is unsual for teams to pass on.


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## Ryoga (Aug 31, 2002)

Pavel showed what people already knew about him, the good and the bad.


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## jokeaward (May 22, 2003)

Trouble in the post? The passing of Nowitzki? I'd be passing on that.

PHX fans, you have Lampe.


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## jdg (Jun 13, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>OwnTheBlocks</b>!
> Didn't he already have the surgery after pulling out last year?


That is what I had thought as well, but recently heard he was taking the medication route. I don't really understand this decision since the surgery is relatively easy to recover from, whereas the medication is an ongoing thing...


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## havoc (Jul 16, 2003)

He dropped out last year when he was diagnosed with the growth hormone problem. He began medication then & is going to have the surgery now.

Sure he's a project but I don't think theres a guy in the draft that you could say is guaranteed to come in and light it up. At least with Pavel you have something almost no other team in the East has, size. I'm willing to take a gamble and get Bradley 2.0 if he turns out to be a bust.
*disclaimer* I am in no way saying Pavel is or ever will be a superstar in the league, just that he has the potential to be a solid contributor at a very hard to fill position.


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## KB21 (Jun 20, 2003)

Pavel does not have the coordination to play in the NBA, and I say that because I have never seen a person with acromegaly who had the coordination to play professional sports. He's nowhere near the athlete Yao is, and I wouldn't say Yao is the swiftest player that is on the court.

This is a guy that has a lot of hype due to his size. Right now, if you are over 7 feet tall and can walk and chew gum at the same time, you are going to get hyped up. 

Chad Ford has no credibility with anything he reports, because he is notorious for making stuff up just to push his agenda.

Anyone that drafts this guy over Rafael Araujo or David Harrison deserve exactly what they will get. A big, uncoordinated oaf.


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## JNice (Jul 13, 2002)

I have a feeling there are going to be a lot of people around here eating their words about Pavel in a couple of years.


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## Kmurph (May 7, 2003)

I don't

:nah:


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## MongolianDeathCloud (Feb 27, 2004)

> Originally posted by <b>JNice</b>!
> I have a feeling there are going to be a lot of people around here eating their words about Pavel in a couple of years.


I agree. He had rave reviews at workouts last season, and then concern arose about his health problems. Dunno why this season everyone went back to square one with the he has no skills or potential for developing them mindset, and the belief that he is some sort of dumb oaf seems to contradict alot of what I've heard..

P.S. The dude is young. No one ever seems to mention this when looking at his flaws, while it is usually the first thing mentioned when looking at any of the other young players in this draft's flaws.

Don't get me wrong, he's not going to be some wildly athletic 7'5" guy, but he wouldn't have to if he could be a 7'5" Vlade Divac..


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## #1BucksFan (Apr 14, 2003)

I hope he falls to my Bucks at #47.
A man can dream, can't he?


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## Knicksbiggestfan (Apr 29, 2003)

Pavel is agile and quick, the thing with him is that he's not very strong and gets really winded, the only big guy in the draft to not do this though is Ha.

anyway



> Of the top prospects tested, Dwyane Wade finished 14th, Kirk Hinrich 20th,
> Josh Howard 22nd, Carmelo Anthony 38th, Darko Milicic 41st, T.J. Ford 44th,
> Chris Kaman 45th, Chris Bosh 51st, Nick Collison 54th, David West 61st, Luke
> Ridnour 63rd, Brian Cook 68th, Mike Sweetney 70th and Pavel Podkolzine 76th.


That was last year though.

Anyway I hope he works out for Phoenix, that in my mind is the best scouting agency and you can tell a lot from what they do.



> Rumors that Pavel Podkolzine's workout on Friday was well choreographed to
> hide the player's lack of speed couldn't be further from the truth. Someone
> is talking the player down in hopes he slips in the draft. Pavel got off the
> plane from Italy on Thursday afternoon and arrived at Gold Coast Multiplex
> ...


Heh.


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## JNice (Jul 13, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>KB21</b>!
> Pavel does not have the coordination to play in the NBA, and I say that because I have never seen a person with acromegaly who had the coordination to play professional sports. He's nowhere near the athlete Yao is, and I wouldn't say Yao is the swiftest player that is on the court.



I would disagree. Pretty much every single report i've read on him since he appeared last year, the first thing they point out is how people are impressed by his coordination and athleticism for his size. And that is from many different sources, not just one.


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## Cusematt23 (Apr 15, 2004)

> Originally posted by <b>MongolianDeathCloud</b>!
> 
> 
> I agree. He had rave reviews at workouts last season, and then concern arose about his health problems. Dunno why this season everyone went back to square one with the he has no skills or potential for developing them mindset, and the belief that he is some sort of dumb oaf seems to contradict alot of what I've heard..
> ...


Yes, but keep in mind that Divac is one of the most skilled and smartest centers in the world. His basketball IQ is off the charts. If he had an once of natural athletic ability, he'd be the #2 center in the world right now imo. Pavel, who started playing, what, 3-5 years ago, has a long way to go to be as good as a Divac.


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## prerak (Oct 22, 2003)

Our recap of the event by Marco Fracasso:

http://www.draftcity.com/articles/0033.htm

Pavel was good, but Ford appears to have glazed over a few of his flaws.


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## rebelsun (Nov 25, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>JNice</b>!
> I have a feeling there are going to be a lot of people around here eating their words about Pavel in a couple of years.


That could very well be. Pavel does have risk w/ his raw skills, stamina (or lack thereof), and game inexperience. 

However, I am also realistic, and recognize the chance that this aggressive, vocal, coordinated, athletic, 7'5 kid might actually reach his potential some day. However slim that chance may be, I think you still have to respect that chance.

If Pavel becomes a huge bust, I will have no apprehension about saying so.


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## aircanada (May 17, 2004)

chad Ford has been known to just over hype players and this is no exception. Although Pavel has a good attitude how can u draft a player that has been playing organized ball for like 4 years and plays 2 min a game for his Italian team despite being 7-5. I don't see pavel succeeding.


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## JNice (Jul 13, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>aircanada</b>!
> chad Ford has been known to just over hype players and this is no exception. Although Pavel has a good attitude how can u draft a player that has been playing organized ball for like 4 years and plays 2 min a game for his Italian team despite being 7-5. I don't see pavel succeeding.


A couple things from Insider -

Insider got to sit in on a discussion of ranking picks in this draft, but the requirement was that they could not name the names of the people in the discussion.

"Insider was granted a seat at the back of the room in exchange for agreeing not to name the 16 participants. Most were NBA front-office personnel, who didn't want to tip their employer's hand by being identified, and a handful were international scouts for NBA teams. Suffice it to say many of the names would be recognizable to NBA fans."

They picked Pavel 3rd on the rankings, behind only Okafor and Howard and just ahead of Livingston.

Also - a quote on Pavel from an international scout considered the Jerry West of Europe (Benetton GM Maurizio Gherardini) -

"I've known him since he arrived in Italy two years ago. He has obviously improved quite a bit. He has many qualities that are unusual for a 7-foot-5 player. He has great hands for a big guy. He's a very good ball handler for someone that size. His body is very good, and he's not afraid to be aggressive in the post. I think he will be a success in the NBA. The question with him is just how good he'll get. He could be good, or he could be great."

I have a hard time arguing against all these people who know a hell of a lot more than we do.


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## KB21 (Jun 20, 2003)

All I have to say is that I have to see this so called athleticism and coordination to beleive it.

I'm in the medical field, and in all of the cases that I've read about this particular type of pituitary adenoma, one of the main things that come about due to the rapid, abnormal growth of the bones is a level of uncoordinated movements. I've just not seen anyone have that type of bone growth and not lose coordination.


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## Cusematt23 (Apr 15, 2004)

The fact that they're talking about his ball-handling and three-point shooting also makes me a doubter. Why would a 7-5 guy take threes or play point guard anyway?


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## Sigma (Apr 26, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Cusematt23</b>!
> The fact that they're talking about his ball-handling and three-point shooting also makes me a doubter. Why would a 7-5 guy take threes


When you can do that then it draws defence out of the post.


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## Knicksbiggestfan (Apr 29, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Cusematt23</b>!
> The fact that they're talking about his ball-handling and three-point shooting also makes me a doubter. Why would a 7-5 guy take threes or play point guard anyway?


European Basketball. That's probably what they've been asking him to do, or at least training him in practice.


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## Sigma (Apr 26, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Knicksbiggestfan</b>!
> European Basketball. That's probably what they've been asking him to do, or at least training him in practice.


And that is a bad thing?

And what is bad about european basketball and the way they teach their players?


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## guilherme.rcf (Mar 4, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Cusematt23</b>!
> The fact that they're talking about his ball-handling and three-point shooting also makes me a doubter. Why would a 7-5 guy take threes or play point guard anyway?


Isnt that obvious? If he can hit threes, he can score from any place inside the line. Thing that most centers in the league can't do.


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## Kmurph (May 7, 2003)

Chad Ford is crazy, Pavel will be lucky to get drafted in the lottery IMO. He is just way too raw and way too risky.

Here is a more realistic observation. I swear, you would think Ford is getting paid by Podkolzine's agent.



> The market is incredibly speculative, more so than ever. The West Coast NBA executive points to Pavel Podkolzine, a 19-year-old Russian — listed anywhere from 7-3 to 7-4 and 260 to 305 pounds — as an example.
> Podkolzine is projected in a pair of mock drafts as the player who will be taken by Portland with the 13th pick. Other experts think he could go in the top five. But he was not a major factor for his Italian pro team this season.
> “What did he average — 10, 12 minutes a game?” asks the unidentified executive, who watched Podkolzine play this season. “He was maybe the eighth man on his team. He is intriguing. He runs the court well for a big guy, though his lateral speed is suspect. You see him warm up and he looks like he has some shooting range, *but until you see him in a game.... if you are going to gamble on him with a lottery pick, I don’t know. I would be a little nervous*


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## Knicksbiggestfan (Apr 29, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Sigma</b>!
> 
> And that is a bad thing?
> 
> And what is bad about european basketball and the way they teach their players?


OMG SPAZz AARARARARARAR!


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## Sigma (Apr 26, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Knicksbiggestfan</b>!
> OMG SPAZz AARARARARARAR!


?


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## Knicksbiggestfan (Apr 29, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Sigma</b>!
> 
> ?


You assumed way to much in the post. 

Nobody said anything about the quality or the pro's and cons of european basketball.

So stop defending the argument and attack that exists only in your mind.


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## Sigma (Apr 26, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Knicksbiggestfan</b>!
> 
> 
> You assumed way to much in the post.
> ...


OK. Fair.


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## Cusematt23 (Apr 15, 2004)

> Originally posted by <b>guilherme.rcf</b>!
> 
> 
> Isnt that obvious? If he can hit threes, he can score from any place inside the line. Thing that most centers in the league can't do.


LOL, yeah, making 3s with no one guarding you makes you a good offensive center. It proves nothing. I can hit 18 out of 25 threes with no one guarding me, doesn't mean I'll do it in a game.


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## rainman (Jul 15, 2002)

i say he goes 3rd or 5th, remember who you heard it from.


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