# When are we going to get a great international prospect?



## ATLien (Jun 18, 2002)

From the last five first rounds:

2007 - Yi, Belinelli, Fernandez, Splitter
2006 - Bargnani, Sene, Thabo, Pecherov, Rodriguez, Freeland
2005 - Vazquez, Korolev, Petro, Mahinmi
2004 - Biedrins, Pavel, Khryapa, Monia, Vujacic, Udrih
2003 - Darko, Pietrus, Zarko, Pavlovic, Diaw, Zoran, Delfino, Barbosa


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## Geaux Tigers (Apr 26, 2004)

I'm kind of glad though. I'm tired of all these players getting called out on draft day and I have no clue who they are. The NBA should only be allowed to draft players I'm familiar with!


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## croco (Feb 14, 2005)

You mean prospects on the level of Lebron, Duncan, Oden, Durant and so on ? I don't know, but at some time it will happen.


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## ATLien (Jun 18, 2002)

An all-star?


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## bball2223 (Jul 21, 2006)

LOL at you listing Luke Ridnour as an international prospect


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## croco (Feb 14, 2005)

TheATLien said:


> An all-star?


I think Gallinari has the potential to become one down the road, I wouldn't put money on it though.


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## Kaas (Apr 8, 2003)

At the very least, the first rounders have a very good retention rate in the league, based on the players you listed.

It's a little surprising that Zarko busted out of the league. He was a decent bench player early in his career.


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## Jayps15 (Jul 21, 2007)

If Fernandez had waited a year and come out in this draft instead of last year the hype surrounding the kid would be there. He's dominated his Spanish league as well as numerous tournaments and he's got the game to be effective in the NBA.

As far as Gallinari goes this year his skill set is unique, but not overly impressive, and his athleticism is definitely lacking from what I've seen. He's never really dominated his competition but I guess the potential is there for him to become something more.


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## Geaux Tigers (Apr 26, 2004)

bball2223 said:


> LOL at you listing Luke Ridnour as an international prospect


:lol: ATLien is a noob...


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## ATLien (Jun 18, 2002)

Oops.


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## LameR (Jan 4, 2004)

Fernandez has been tearing up the 2nd best league in the world. Take that for what it's worth.


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

You know all those comments about International players taking the spots of American players in the NBA really hit home to a lot coaches on the AAU level. They began putting that in kids heads and the kids have worked harder. Seeing some of the kids that are coming up, I don't see future superstars at all. I know I wouldn't draft a jumpshooting big man out of Europe in the top 5 though, unless I was 100% sure he could turn into Dirk. 

Bargnani stinks.


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## rocketeer (Oct 7, 2002)

TheATLien said:


> From the last five first rounds:
> 
> 2007 - Yi, Belinelli, Fernandez, Splitter
> 2006 - Bargnani, Sene, Thabo, Pecherov, Rodriguez, Freeland
> ...


2002 - yao ming

there is your answer.


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## Ghost (Jun 21, 2002)

Rickey Rubino ?


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## ATLien (Jun 18, 2002)

rocketeer said:


> 2002 - yao ming
> 
> there is your answer.


Yeah and Gasol was drafted in 2001, I would like to see more players of that level of talent coming to the NBA from other countries.


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## Diable (Apr 26, 2005)

I'd be absolutely disgusted if my favorite team had won the lottery and wound up with Bargnani.He seems to lack the mental and physical toughness required to really succeed in the NBA.He had a PER of 12.8 as a rookie and it dropped to 10.6 this season.You look at Kwame Brown his rookie PER at 19 was 11.2 and it went up to 13.6 in his second year.You're not doing great when you cause me to look up Kwame and the Kandiman's numbers to compare to yours.


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## Jayps15 (Jul 21, 2007)

Ghost said:


> Rickey Rubino ?


I assume you mean Ricky Rubio, and it's possible he could be seriously hyped going into next years draft. But we've yet to see him play against top competition without Fernandez there as the #1 option on the team, if Rudy leaves for Portland this summer and Ricky has trouble adjusting it could be bad for his draft stock.


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## compsciguy78 (Dec 16, 2002)

Have you guys seen the footage of Batum? He is #8 on draft lottery board for nbadraft.net


He looks really good.


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## Wade County (Jun 22, 2003)

They are becoming fewer and far between. However, there are a lot of all star calibre international players in the L right now, and borderline ones (Turkoglu and Bogut) coming through. They do take a little longer to get settled, typically.

This is a big offseason for Bargnani though, he was terrible this year.


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## NewAgeBaller (Jan 8, 2007)

I'd hate Bargnani like crazy if my team wasted a #1 pick on him.. Wow that guys a disappointment.

I guess the next international star points to being Ricky Rubio? Or Rudy Fernandez some reckon but I don't know if he'll ever really be a star here..


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## croco (Feb 14, 2005)

Rubio is still so raw, I don't know if he will ever live up to the hype.


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## luther (Nov 2, 2007)

I don't think there's any shortage of good European players. With America having been the best basketball country on Earth since the game's inception, and remaining so today, it isn't a surprise that most of the best players still come from here. And with the best league in America, it should (but obviously doesn't...) go without saying that it's a harder transition for people in other countries to make it in the NBA than it is for Americans (and it's already hard for Americans).

That said, think of how many real superstars America has produced in that same time frame. LeBron, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, and a handful of others--but it's not like we're busting at the seams with overwhelming talent, either. The third pick in this year's draft could easily be someone like Jeryd Bayless, a fine player, but, please... no better than Barbosa (one of your examples of non-stardom), in my opinion. And maybe not as good.

Superstars from anywhere are hard to come by. Europe produces a lot of good players, and will continue to do so. There will be another superstar from there before long. Until then, it's not like a lot of the guys you named are chopped liver. Most of them are quality players, just not stars.


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

You are saying superstars, but I think we should not loop it to something so difficult to define, because it's not like there are many superstars period. 

I prefer to look at it as all-star caliber players. Josh Smith, Dwight Howard, Kevin Martin, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Josh Howard, Lebron James, Chris Bosh, Brandon Roy, Carmelo Anthony, Al Jefferson, Monta Ellis, LaMarcus Aldridge, Dwyane Wade, Andre Iguodala, Ben Gordon.

In that time period, these guys have either been all-star caliber for years or had seasons where they were close. The Internationals in that same time haven't even been close to producing this kind of talent into the NBA.


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## Boris (Jun 30, 2005)

when they stop running for money and for nba, and put their bb development infront off evryithing. for sample darko has talent to be star player but he is to stupid to maximize his potential. when I see that unproven players like Bargnani are drafted as nummber one I start to think how high today Kukoc, Drazen, Sabonis and other legends would be drafted. I meen when they got drafted they were already established superstars in europ unlike Bargnani or Darko who were not even starters in average teams. For sample what would happen if Toni or Drazen, like Darko went to NBA as 18 year old kids? stacked on bench? would they be that good? before they went to nba they won many mvp trophys, medals and titles. not to mention how much more Kukoc or Sabonis had that so caled "potential" compared to Bargnani or Podkolozine. Unfortnly they are more produtcs of good menager then of good couching.


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## Toxicity (Jul 21, 2004)

Jayps15 said:


> As far as Gallinari goes this year his skill set is unique, but not overly impressive, and his athleticism is definitely lacking from what I've seen. He's never really dominated his competition but I guess the potential is there for him to become something more.


I respect your opinion but saying "he's never really dominated his competition" is not right since he finished 1st overall in efficiency in the Italian League and was voted MVP of the competition. Moreover he won the Rising Star Trophy in the Euroleague... all at just 19 years old. 3 years younger than Rudy Fernandez... he may not be the greatest athlete around but his weapons are others, BB IQ mainly.


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## Toxicity (Jul 21, 2004)

Boris said:


> when they stop running for money and for nba, and put their bb development infront off evryithing. for sample darko has talent to be star player but he is to stupid to maximize his potential. when I see that unproven players like Bargnani are drafted as nummber one I start to think how high today Kukoc, Drazen, Sabonis and other legends would be drafted. I meen when they got drafted they were already established superstars in europ unlike *Bargnani* or Darko who were not even starters in average teams. For sample what would happen if Toni or Drazen, like Darko went to NBA as 18 year old kids? stacked on bench? would they be that good? before they went to nba they won many mvp trophys, medals and titles. not to mention how much more Kukoc or Sabonis had that so caled "potential" compared to Bargnani or Podkolozine. Unfortnly they are more produtcs of good menager then of good couching.


Don't forget that Bargnani became a starter in the Italian and Euroleague Playoffs for Benetton Treviso (and won the Italian Championship) resulting the 2nd best player in the team just after the current Euroleague MVP, Ramunas Siskauskas... so you may be right about Darko but Andrea proved something before being drafted.

Yeah, he wasn't that kind of player/star like Sabonis, Petrovic, Kukoc, etc... he was (and is still, despite the bad season) a promising player, not totally a project but obviously not a finished product either. But, please, don't compare him to Podkolzine since he has showed more than something also at NBA level (especially in his rookie year)...


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## Rule_By_His_Own_Hand (Jun 20, 2006)

LameR said:


> Fernandez has been tearing up the 2nd best league in the world. Take that for what it's worth.


1. NBA
2. Euroleague (where he didn't play one game this year)
3. Spanish League (where he did play this year)
4. Greek League/ULEB Cup (where he did play this year in ULEB Cup)

I don't believe he dominated the 2nd best league in the world this year because he never played in it this year.


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## Rule_By_His_Own_Hand (Jun 20, 2006)

Toxicity said:


> I respect your opinion but saying "he's never really dominated his competition" is not right since he finished 1st overall in efficiency in the Italian League and was voted MVP of the competition. Moreover he won the Rising Star Trophy in the Euroleague... all at just 19 years old. 3 years younger than Rudy Fernandez... he may not be the greatest athlete around but his weapons are others, BB IQ mainly.


I have to say IMHO that Rising Star Award was a freaking absolute JOKE. The best player 22 or under in Euroleague was a guy named Nikola Pekovic. I am 100% being honest with you. Pekovic was robbed so bad it's not even funny. Gallinari was NOT the best player in Euroleague 22 and under it was Pekovic.


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## Chef (Nov 24, 2002)

Well we have the same problem over here in Europe 

The level of the average american player playing overseas has been subpar


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## Toxicity (Jul 21, 2004)

Rule_By_His_Own_Hand said:


> I have to say IMHO that Rising Star Award was a freaking absolute JOKE. The best player 22 or under in Euroleague was a guy named Nikola Pekovic. I am 100% being honest with you. Pekovic was robbed so bad it's not even funny. Gallinari was NOT the best player in Euroleague 22 and under it was Pekovic.


I agree Pekovic should have won it but the fact that Euroleague coaches picked Danilo over Nikola shows a lot about him imo... he's 2 years younger and was a rookie in the competition, perhaps they considered that also. And i think, while Pekovic is somewhat a finished product, Gallinari has much more upside... but, again, it's just an opinion.


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