# Martynus Andriuskevicius is in the draft



## Sigma (Apr 26, 2003)

According to ESPN Insider

I hope he stays 1-2 years in Europe because i don't think he is ready yet.


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## jdg (Jun 13, 2003)

Yeah, I wish he would actually wait at least another year before coming out. I believe this kid will turn out to be a really good player one day, but should definitely wait.


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## MJG (Jun 29, 2003)

Wow, that's a surprise. He was in the mid lottery pick in a lot of mock drafts before word got out that he was waiting until next year, so this could possibly bump some players back a slot. From what I've read he definitely sounds like someone who won't be contributing much for a team next season though.


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## Quasi-Quasar (Jul 18, 2002)

Well if he is in (I don't see anything mentioning him having declared, do you have a link?), Toronto or Phoenix or Atlanta will get a very good player. The big question is though, how does this affect the other centers? There are reports from Orlando that they will take Padkolzine or Livingston or Gordon if they drop past 3, so it seems Padkolzine is still at the top of the list of C prospects. So now the draft's center rankings look like this IMO:
Pavel Padkolzine - despite a recent hand injury, he's still high on many teams lists, and there isn't a chance he falls past Utah at #14, and it's likely Phoenix takes a long look at him at #7 if they keep their pick.
Martynas Andriuskevicius - Weak performances lately drop him out of top 5 status, but good workouts could get him back up there. Charlotte may give him a look and after that several mid-lotto teams should be interested.
Kosta Perovic/Peter Ramos - This depends on the team picking, GS likes Perovic at #11, while some others prefer Ramos.
Pedja Samardziski - Lots of skill little experience, and big issues with Vlade (Divac).
Rafael Araujo - He's the type of pro that every winning team would like to add. He does the little things, but shotblocking and mobility are major concerns with him.
Mile Ilic - A guy that a lot of GMs like. He could find himself in the mix in the late teens.
David Harrison - He's a headcase, we all know it, but that doesn't change the fact that he's a strong rebounder and good shotblocker and has a few nice post moves.
Ha Seung-Jin - He may not have made as much progress, training, as hoped, but you still can't teach 7-3 and a moderate understanding of the game.
Robert Swift - He's a shotblocker, and he has his few post moves. He's a big time project, and he reminds me a bit of Samuel Dalembert, although he's obviously not as fast or athletic.
Drago Pasalic - Well skilled PF/C, but he's fleet-footed.
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Cleiton Sebastio - He sounds like a bull, but he's old for a draftee, and it's hard to judge whether or not he's worth investing time. Also his shotblocking ability doesn't appear to be even average for a 6-10 guy.
Martin Iti - Shotblcoker and rebounder, almost exclusively. He's this year's Jamal Sampson.
Nigel Dixon - Let the Oliver Miller comparisons rain down.
Nate Williams - skinny and long, but does he know you're supposed to grab the ball and not slap it on rebounds?
Chris Garnett
Mo Ke

I've heard so little of Ales Chan (is this the same guy, as Alex Khan, who is a Czech guy that I had heard a bit about?) that I won't include him, though.


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## Kmurph (May 7, 2003)

A good point was brought up on a radio program by a POR scout. How many centers outside of the top 6 picks have become good (ie better than a journeyman player) NBA players? and how long, on average did it take for them to develop into even a journeyman center?

This is something to keep in mind when discussing Podkolzine (if he goes high lotto it will be a joke...err...BIG mistake for the team that gambled on him), Samardizski, Perovic, Ramos, Harrison, Araujo, Jinn, Swift....


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

Jamaal Magloire, Brad Miller, Sam Dalembert, Vlade Divac, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Theo Ratliff, Erick Dampier

Quality centers can be found outside of the top 6 picks.


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## lw32 (May 24, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Hong Kong Fooey</b>!
> Jamaal Magloire, Brad Miller, Sam Dalembert, Vlade Divac, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Theo Ratliff, Erick Dampier
> 
> Quality centers can be found outside of the top 6 picks.


Might be a bit early to consider Dalembert a quality-center, but I'm sure he will be. Just to add to the list: Ben Wallace, Dirk Nowitzki (whether you consider him a Center or not), Nesterovic, Antonio Davis, Kurt Thomas.
They were all considered centers according to ESPN.


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

How about I ammend it to quality big people can be found? It all depends on scouting and player development with Big Men. You can't make them put on too much weight and need to refine their post moves.

Even guys like Mehmet Okur, Zejlko Rebraca and Dan Gadzuric are serviceable.


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## Quasi-Quasar (Jul 18, 2002)

And it's a bit early to include him, but Lampe sure seems like he'll be pretty solid. Zaza Pachuila and Sofoklis Schortsanitis were 2nd rounders last year, and Zaza looked good at times for the Magic and we'll see about Sofo this year. Kenny Thomas is another quality bigman, and how about the Collins twins (who are both decent pros).

There are quality bigmen to be had after the top 6 picks. Where's BigAmare when you need him...how about Amare at #9. Kelvin Cato can be a decent bigman, if he works on expanding his O a little...If you look hard enough, there are quality guys taken at any point in the draft, it's a matter of circumstance and environment that determines if a player develops to his full potential, but teams like Utah get every drop of potential out of their players on a regular basis.

Andriuskevicius would be a perfect, heady, partner for Chris Bosh or Amare IMO. And those who keep putting Padkolzine down are running off the hype machine. The scouts like him, the GMs like him, and like Kosta Perovic, a broken hand isn't going to stop a team from taking him high.


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

Jake Voskuhl is another quality big men. Amazing that the Bulls get rid of a bunch of players and they all find roles on another team. That team is cursed.


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## Zalgirinis (Feb 18, 2003)

Back to Andriuskevicius guys. As it is explained in Lithuanian press Andriuskevicius is entering the draft with two conditions. The first is that hes taken in Top5 according to one paper and Top10 according to other. And second condition is that the team which will draft him would let him stay in Europe and more exact in his club Zalgiris for at least one more year. If those two conditions arent assured he will withdraw from the draft as he said 2 months ago.


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## Quasi-Quasar (Jul 18, 2002)

I'm sure he could get a guarantee from Phoenix to stay in Europe, if anything Phoenix might prefer that. It's unlikely though that Atlanta or Toronto would give him similar commitments, although Cleveland might and Charlotte or the Clippers could take him in the top 5.


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## cheezdoodle (May 25, 2003)

Other then the height and the wingspan, there really isn't that much more of a reason for any team to be excited enough about him to draft him in the top10 and let him develop in Europe. 

Let's say he had shown that he can dominate players his own age that are 6 inches shorter then him, then sure. But he can barely hold his place in the paint against the better 6-9 guys his age. Yes he can run the floor, but are you really going to burn a top10 pick on someone because of that? 

Unlike Pavel, defensively he isn't showing anything either. 

If his agents were at ALL serious about him being a lottery pick this year, they wouldn't have yanked everyone around by saying he isn't going to be in the draft this year (essentially telling teams that they can hold off scouting him till next year) and then slipping his name in the draft at the last second. 

I doubt the hype will last long enough until June 24th...

NBA teams are starting to wise up to these kinds of tricks I hope. Chad Ford can **** all over him for all I care, I know people who have following him for the past 2 years and they are telling me that people in the States are dramatically overrating him and that he won't be ready to come off the bench for at least 3 years. I think I'm going to trust those guys a lot more. Ford says he "wasn't great" in Tel Aviv two weeks ago. Call that the understatement of the year. He was dominated and looked completely lost. 

The madness needs to end. 

[/rant]


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## Nimreitz (May 13, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>cheezdoodle</b>!
> Chad Ford can **** all over him for all I care


That's the kind of ranting I like; I'm a big fan of cheezdoodle right now. Yeah, Ford gets excited about players a little too much at times and then completely craps over guys when they fail, as if to say "I knew all along this guy couldn't cut it."


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## Rodzilla (Mar 11, 2003)

In regards to Chad Ford overhyping players, he overhyped Sebastio sooo much in his recent article. I've seen him play here in Cleveland. He's not that good at all. He's right on Omerhodzic though. He's a very, very good athlete for his size, and he can really stroke it. He's raw, but I think he has star potential written all over him.


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## JNice (Jul 13, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>TheGoods</b>!
> I'm sure he could get a guarantee from Phoenix to stay in Europe, if anything Phoenix might prefer that. It's unlikely though that Atlanta or Toronto would give him similar commitments, although Cleveland might and Charlotte or the Clippers could take him in the top 5.


I'd be extremely surprised if someone agreed to take him that high and allow him to stay overseas. Only team I could see doing that would be Charlotte because no one expects anything from them the first year.


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## MemphisX (Sep 11, 2002)

Well some big guys develop slower than others and if his only deficiency at 18 is strength then I would take him and let Arvidis develop him in Europe. I mean is it likely that *ANY* team in the top 10 will be challenging for the title in the next 3 years? So why not let him stay over there for a year.

Heck if I am Orlando, I am giddy. I would trade T Mac to Phoenix for Shawn Marion, Joe Johnson and their draft pick. Take Okafor at #1, Martynas at #7. Then in 2005 I would take Chris Paul or Raymond Felton to run the show.


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## GNG (Aug 17, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>MemphisX</b>!
> Well some big guys develop slower than others and if his only deficiency at 18 is strength then I would take him and let Arvidis develop him in Europe. I mean is it likely that *ANY* team in the top 10 will be challenging for the title in the next 3 years? So why not let him stay over there for a year.
> 
> Heck if I am Orlando, I am giddy. I would trade T Mac to Phoenix for Shawn Marion, Joe Johnson and their draft pick. Take Okafor at #1, Martynas at #7. Then in 2005 I would take Chris Paul or Raymond Felton to run the show.


I don't pretend to know a whole heck of a lot about Andriuskevicius, except that I _can_ spell his name with no problems, but that Orlando Magic team is freakishly good. Even with Hill's contract burdening them for the next few years, I think they'd be able to even resign all four of those guys (save Marion) with relative ease once their rookie contracts run out.


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## butr (Mar 23, 2004)

Wow. How can he make such demands? Why not just stay over there until the 2005 draft? What sense does it make. If he is taken 7th say by Phx, he does not get paid until he comes over. Why not just wait and probably go top 3 next year? 

No one will allow such a high pick to make such requests. Teams that high want relatively immediate impact on their roster.


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## Amareca (Oct 21, 2002)

Who says Phoenix would give up Marion AND Johnson AND the top7 pick for McGrady? I think that's too much for McGrady and it is already way more than anyone else probably offers.

Nbadraft.net said something that Andriuskevicius has probably gotten a promise from Phoenix that's why he is in the draft.


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## Kmurph (May 7, 2003)

That is not too much at all...McGrady is a top 5 player...Not to mention it allows Phoenix the cap room to pursue Kobe Bryant. Of course this requires two things in order to happen 1) that T-Mac actually WANTS to leave ORL, not a given & 2) That PHX feels they can lure Kobe away from the Lakers, not a given either.

That is the problem with dealing for T-Mac, ORL is going to demand a hefty price tag in exchange for him, as they should. The only way they don't get a deal like that is if T-Mac forces their hand by publically demanding a trade, and I don't think he will do that. My guess is that ORL dangles their #1 pick and Gooden to acquire veteran players to build AROUND T-Mac. The playoffs in the EC are easier to reach than the WC, and this way they can show Tracy they are commited to building a winner around him. I know if I had T-Mac I wouldn't trade him...no way.

Bryant - McGrady - Amare... Um that is worth Marion, Johnson and the #7...don't get greedy Phoenix fans.


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## RP McMurphy (Jul 17, 2003)

Kobe and T-Mac on the same team would be one of the biggest disasters in NBA history. There's no way each one of those guys would get enough shots to keep both of them happy, and Amare would get no shots at all. He would be destroyed as a player. As an NBA fan I really don't want to have to watch that circus.

You don't need two all-star wing scorers on the same team. It will never work.

If Kobe is coming to Phoenix then the Suns should forget about the guy from Orlando with the big ego, and keep Marion as a defensive and rebounding role player, and keep the #7.


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## butr (Mar 23, 2004)

> Originally posted by <b>ArtestFan</b>!
> 
> If Kobe is coming to Phoenix then the Suns should forget about the guy from Orlando with the big ego, and keep Marion as a defensive and rebounding role player, and keep the #7.


:yes:


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