Drazen, Slavko, and a whole 'lotta beards

[TheGayKid]

For every Drazen(R.I.P) and Vlade, there are atleast 10 Pavel Podkolzins, Slavko Vranes(Don't worry Slavko, I still love you even when no one else does <3 ) and other NBA failures. The sheer amount of european prospects coming into the NBA while being hailed as the "Next great thing" is staggering. Sure there are some Rasho Nesterovics and Marko Jarics, but it seems as though a few become usable and the majority turn to shit. Call it unusual, but I have always taken great interest in the european market of players. Drafting a european now has about as much risk as a billion dollar hedge fund. The purpose of this thread is to discuss what Europeans recently added to the NBA will be great, the many who won't and also just to talk about those guys from times past. Also, Do you think Primoz was a success, a failure, or something else, and please explain your reasoning!

[Chef]

For every Drazen(R.I.P) and Vlade, there are atleast 10 Pavel Podkolzins, Slavko Vranes(Don't worry Slavko, I still love you even when no one else does <3 ) and other NBA failures. The sheer amount of european prospects coming into the NBA while being hailed as the "Next great thing" is staggering. Sure there are some Rasho Nesterovics and Marko Jarics, but it seems as though a few become usable and the majority turn to shit. Call it unusual, but I have always taken great interest in the european market of players. Drafting a european now has about as much risk as a billion dollar hedge fund. The purpose of this thread is to discuss what Europeans recently added to the NBA will be great, the many who won't and also just to talk about those guys from times past. Also, Do you think Primoz was a success, a failure, or something else, and please explain your reasoning!

makes you feel really good about taking a euro/foreigner #7 in a weak draft doesn't it?

[TheGayKid]

Yeah, I think the African market of players is becoming more like the European market in terms of risk. The only difference I usually see is that african basketball players are hailed more for their raw athleticism, while many european players are hailed for their raw height. Pavel Podkolzin was 7'5" at 19, and Slavko was a good 7'6". One thing I see in Bismack that I don't see in some european players is that he appears to be quite intelligent and capable of changing and learning new skills.

[TheGayKid]

They say you can't teach height, but just as much so you can't teach a 7'7" wingspan and freakish athleticism

[Toocool]

It seems the EUROs cant adapt to the more physical and isolation style of the NBA. NBA is a lot of isolation, one on one I find. Much less emphasis on the mid-range jumper, more on slashing to the basket and highlight reel dunks. A lot of physically also in the post where most big men are expected to play. A lot of the Euro big men can't seem to handle it since they come in somewhat 'soft' like Diaw's love fats and prefer shooting jumpers to posting up and banging in the paint. The physically level really shifts for these guys and some of them don't thrive on the contact like DH12 or the recently retired Shaq.