European playes signings 2007

[msoler001]

Hi, I'm new here and this is my first post. I was wondering which european based players do you think will sign for a NBA next year (as Garbajosa, Parker, Greer, Shammond Williams,... did last year)?
I'm talking about the already drafted players or players not drafted at all and that are out of age to enter this year's draft..
Personally, I think that this is the year that players like Juan Carlos Navarro o Luis Scola finally sign with a team.

[coachjon]

i know that oleksiy pecherov is going to be brought over by the wizards and the sonics want to bring over yotam halperin for next season.

[wombat6802]

cenk akyol to atlanta this year? anybody know? the kid looked good at the wbc.

[Hitster]

Teams will be looking around at established European players given that Toronto managed to get a couple of NBA starters for around $4 million per season. Navarro would be a great coup if Washington could bring him over also I'd like to see Theodoros Papaloukas in the NBA.

[kuchini1]

i know that oleksiy pecherov is going to be brought over by the wizards and the sonics want to bring over yotam halperin for next season.
Are you kidding?he is playing horrible this year,he didnt proved he can play good in Euroleague.If the Sonics gonna bring him it will be another example for NBA GM's stupidity(especially the Sonics GM after Sene's pick).

If were already talked about Israelis,any sources or information in the states about Rockets intentions for Lior Eliahu after his great season?

[coachjon]

heard detroit may look to bring over alex acker next year

[wombat6802]

That is a great move on their part... Especially if they get some PG minutes out of him.

But again, does anyone know the status of Cenk Akyol?

[11player]

Acker, David Andersen, Papaloukas, Scola, Navarro, Pecherov, Javtokas, Samb, Gortat, Cabezas, D. Green, Batiste, Lavrinovic, Penn, Eliahu, among others, are all names that could show up in the NBA next season.

[wombat6802]

Yet nobody knows anything about Akyol... I don't understand what's so great about Javtokas, especially if San Antonio has Elson, Oberto, Mahimni, and Scola in the blocks... He brings energy, but he'd be a 12th man/injury list stalwart. They could trade his rights to a team that needs an energy 5, though (Utah maybe? Aruajo is still garbage)

Navarro is going to hit the ground running, but I think Eliyahu may be the most scintillating out of the bunch. He could develop into a very solid NBA player during the course of a season.

[KristianH]

Regarding Cenk Akyol, he is very nice young talent, but i don`t think he has neccesary athletic gifts to survive at the NBA level. Maybe later in a career when he rounds out his game a bit more. Now he would be NBDL bound, so i don`t see a point of brining him in, when he is facing better competition in Europe.

[coachjon]

for the guys that have been talked about so far on this thread i could see:

alex acker as a nice versatile athlete that can score with his midrange game and provide some defense for the pistons.

luis scola could provide some nice offense with his midrange jumper and a guy that is athletic and will play and run the floor hard for the spurs.

oleksiy pecherov can provide some rebounding and a bigman that can hit the midrange jumper for the wizards.

yotam halperin can provide a shooter for the sonics.

chiek samb can run the floor, provide athleticsm, defense (block some shots), and rebounding for the pistons.

scoonie penn can bring a scoring pg with a high basketball IQ that will play hard to an NBA team.

[11player]

........... I don't understand what's so great about Javtokas, especially if San Antonio has Elson, Oberto, Mahimni, and Scola in the blocks... He brings energy, but he'd be a 12th man/injury list stalwart. They could trade his rights to a team that needs an energy 5, though (Utah maybe? Aruajo is still garbage)
..............................................

Nothing great about Javtokas, on the contrary, he's had a poor season, but his rights belong to the Spurs so something might happen and he might end up in the NBA. IMO he picks up his option and stays in Greece.

That list is just names that are linked to NBA teams or are playing good enough to atract attention to themselves. There are others though.

[ecuhus]

oleksiy pecherov can provide some rebounding and a bigman that can hit the midrange jumper for the wizards.

In the future, either he or Andray Blatche will need to play some C. I have heard that Pecherov is a good rebounder, but can he guard centers? Isn't he 6'11, 230, sorta like Blatche?

[coachjon]

i have seen his listings wide ranging from 6'10 235lbs to 7'0 210lbs. his official nba.com page has him listed by the wizards at 7'0 235lbs. right now i don't know if he can guard anyone good in the nba his defense is what he needs to work on. he is not that physical so he will struggle with the banging in the paint so i would say as of right now he can't guard centers. his body seems to be filled out too so the potential to be a banger in the future due to added weight doesn't seem that likely either.

[wombat6802]

Both Pecherov and Blatche are combo-post men, though out of the two I'd say that Pecherov is more suited for the 5, if necessary. I'd say that they could probably play together and be relatively successful (better than Haywood, but Thomas is probably more effective in the center right now). However, these guys are definitely the Wizards' post lineup of the future.

[nextstar1019]

yeah, blatche is a SF and there is no way that he wiould guard a center, but percherov could maybe do it but neither of them are real centers

[Sed]

Axel Hervelle
Can shoot, pass, and has a decent frama with good athletic ability

Felipe Reyes
Rebounder, energy, leader!

Milan Gurovic
Scorer, bruiser, tough and athletic

Darijus Lavrinovic
Athlete, massive strenght, good rebounder

Antonis Fotsis
Failed miserably last time, but that was different era.

Nikola Vujcic
MTA probably wont let him go. But he's been mentioned the last couple of years.

I also like players like Matjaz Smodis and Jordi Trias.

[coachjon]

Alxel Hervell I am up in the air about I think he could have success in the NBA but I also think he could end up being a better player for overseas. He is a guy that could come over to the Nuggets and provide hustle and rebounding.

Matjaz Smodis could bring a nice shooting bigman to a team and has drawn NBA interest before.

[coachjon]

read today that the wizards are at least going to bring over vladimir veremeenko for summer league and then gauge on whether they want to bring him over for next year or not and again saw that they are for sure bringing over pecherov.

also read a darkhorse for the raptors job maybe ettore messina the coach of cska moscow if mitchell is not retained which many think the raptors will low ball him and he will take another job.

[CV3bandwagon]

Yes it has been thrown around the Raptors rumor bin lately. Many think that maybe Colangelo will do what he did with Mike James and offer him less then he's worth just to justify to the media letting him go. Many specualte Ivanori, or Messina as the two canidates, and in that order.

However I just think it's all speculation. The whole team still belives in Sam, especially Bosh, and I think you want to keep what stability the Raptors have fianlly found with their coachign situation.

[coachjon]

yea i personally would keep sam mitchell he is the reigning coach of the year and brought the raptors to the playoffs a lot sooner than people thought. i knew raptors were on the upswing this summer, but i didn't think they would make a playoff run this year i thought it was another year or two away.

[coachjon]

heard the jazz have interest in maybe signing 27 year old PG Carlos Cabezas the starting PG for Unicaja.

[Matiz]

With Garbajosa, Parker, Calderon succes many teams will try to bring over an established euro players. What they don't understand is not that Raptors were lucky picking them instead of Šaras, Macas or some others, but that it takes a different system and approach to make those players fully usefull.

I seriously believe more US players should get in touch with euro school, as D'Antoni did, to make that happen though...

[Hitster]

This signing would make sense as it could give Utah another backcourt player who has readymade experience and maybe give them the option to move on say Fisher or Giricek to create some more salary space long term.

[Sed]

Dimitris Diamantidis
I'd sign him over Carlos Cabezas.

[TOULIS]

Dimitris Diamantidis
I'd sign him over Carlos Cabezas.

Obviously,but Dimitris has said many times that he is not interested in N.B.A

[Sed]

Obviously,but Dimitris has said many times that he is not interested in N.B.A

What would you say if you were playing with Pana as a fan favourite, with thousands of hardcore fans 'loving' you, and you still had to go there into that stadium every week. Love can turn into hate quickly (see Papaloukas).

I wouldn't be so keen to say that i might be interested in leaving that team for an NBA future..

[Matiz]

What would you say if you were playing with Pana as a fan favourite, with thousands of hardcore fans 'loving' you, and you still had to go there into that stadium every week. Love can turn into hate quickly (see Papaloukas).

I wouldn't be so keen to say that i might be interested in leaving that team for an NBA future..
I know I'd definately say the same things as Diama did, but in case I'd consider NBA as an option for the future, I wouldn't sign a new 3 year deal without a NBA option clause for example...
He also claimed that he doesn't sees himself in NBA from the game point of view... i think Diama has made just about enough statements about NBA to make it clear he isn't going there. Just as Vujčič did.

[Sed]

Ok, clear, great response!
I didn't know he had a contract without an NBA-clause. That surely makes things a bit more difficult, his buy-out would be a monster.
I don't know if his game translates to an NBA team. In the current Raptors team he could surely play.

Looking at a guy like Vassilis Spanoulis, I think it's ridiculous that he didn't get more gametime! Again an example of NBA scouting that doesn't really communicate with their coach.

[Matiz]

Exactly, that's JVG...
Nachbar said JVG decided the way he should play, that specific role didn't suit him at all since JVG clearly wanted a completely different type of player... and yet it took Houston a year and a half to finally trade him.
I think loads of good players are trapped in NBA like that...

[coachjon]

read today that raptors are looking to bring over roko leni ukic next year.

[uhg80]

I don't see Ukic getting much playing time behind Ford and Calderon. He's a great ballhandler and slasher, but his playmaking abilities still need work.

Throwing in some names not mentioned yet:

- Are the Warriors planning to bring Kosta Perovic over this summer? Personally, I'm not very high on him as he doesn't seem to have really improved over the past couple of years (It shouldn't be too hard to be an upgrade on Foyle though^^)

- Lazaros Papadopoulos: Arguably the best scoring center in europe. Strong, with a wide array of post skills, although athletism and defense are questionable. I have no information on his contract status with Dynamo Moscow, but I guess there are several NBA teams in need of big man who knows how to score.

- Romain Sato: Putting up big numbers for Siena, a very deep squad that is the number one seed in the upcoming Italian league playoffs. The Spurs still hold his rights, I think.

[CV3bandwagon]

read today that raptors are looking to bring over roko leni ukic next year.
The Godfather is working on his buyout now.

The Calderon countdown has begun. He will be dealt! Roko has said befor that he would not come over until he is in a situation to recieve signifcant minutes, and Ford is BYC player. It just makes sense.

[TOULIS]

I don't see Ukic getting much playing time behind Ford and Calderon. He's a great ballhandler and slasher, but his playmaking abilities still need work.

Throwing in some names not mentioned yet:

- Are the Warriors planning to bring Kosta Perovic over this summer? Personally, I'm not very high on him as he doesn't seem to have really improved over the past couple of years (It shouldn't be too hard to be an upgrade on Foyle though^^)

- Lazaros Papadopoulos: Arguably the best scoring center in europe. Strong, with a wide array of post skills, although athletism and defense are questionable. I have no information on his contract status with Dynamo Moscow, but I guess there are several NBA teams in need of big man who knows how to score.

- Romain Sato: Putting up big numbers for Siena, a very deep squad that is the number one seed in the upcoming Italian league playoffs. The Spurs still hold his rights, I think.
Papadopoulos will be free

[Matiz]

yes he will be free, but we can expect both Olympiakos and Panathinaikos wasting almost limitless money to get him... maybee some other club would go after him as well, so MLE might proove too little to get him...

[11player]

I think Papadopoulos would better stay in Europe, he will not fit well in the NBA, not more than a bench player, IMO.

I think Vujcic has a better chance to be productive in the NBA.

[coachjon]

read today that rick apodaca is going to be trying out for six different nba teams this summer. the article didn't say what teams they would be.

[Srle]

Actually Kosta Perovic improved this season. He had very nice season in Euroleague. I wouldn't be surprise if he gets in rotation with Wariors.

[coachjon]

two notes read on here that David Bluthenthal will be trying out for the Spurs this summer he is an American born combo forward, but has been playing overseas.

also on the Perovic front read that GS will not be looking to bring him over because he is slow and doesn't rebound well two things that don't fit into their system. their bigmen have to be quick at getting up the floor and willing to play hard and do the dirty work or have the ability to hit the jumper if not both.

[DonMonte]

two notes read on here that David Bluthenthal will be trying out for the Spurs this summer he is an American born combo forward, but has been playing overseas.

also on the Perovic front read that GS will not be looking to bring him over because he is slow and doesn't rebound well two things that don't fit into their system. their bigmen have to be quick at getting up the floor and willing to play hard and do the dirty work or have the ability to hit the jumper if not both.

That is a very good news about Perovic. Perhaps he can play in the NBA one day, but not in a system of the warriors or other teams which play such fast basketball like the suns, too. I hope he will sign for a good european club this year. Partizan will not be able to hold him so i would like to see him in the ACB.

But where did you get this information coachjon?

[coachjon]

on the golden state market watch article on this website.

"The Warriors also hold the rights to Kosta Perovic, and though he had a solid season overseas he doesn’t seem to be the type of player that Golden State has a use for. The 7’2” Center is somewhat slow and methodical and doesn’t hit the glass particularly hard-something the Warriors desperately need. It’s doubtful that anything substantial comes of his contract rights."

[coachjon]

Atlanta may be looking to bring in PG Theodoros Papaloukas this summer.

[ecuhus]

So, Claxton, Johnson, Lue and Ivey aren't enough. Let's add more of a logjam to the roster! That's almost as good an idea as bringing in a couple of SF free agents.

[Hitster]

Atlanta are looking for a starter quality PG, Claxton was brought in to do this role but due to injury hasn't had a full crack at it yet. There is a huge difference to having players in a position and starter quality in that position. Seattle have a lot of young C's on their books but if they get a shot at say Hibbert this summer they are likely to pass him. Signing free agent players is another way to fill a spot apart from the draft and after the success of the likes of Anthony Parker and Jose Garbojsa at the Raptors last year, GM's will look abroad if needed.

Atlanta may have a lot of SF's but if they get a shot at say Durrant are they going to pass up on him if they couldn't pull a deal to trade up and get Oden.

Talking of PG's the lack of stand outs in last year's draft makes the likes of Conley Jnr this year very valuable as the draft is so frontcourt dominated and any team looking for back court players will either have to wait or try and get into a position to draft or take best available regardless of position. On the flipside next year's draft will make a top big man very valuable.

[ecuhus]

PGs of the 2006 draft class will undoubtedly be minimalized in retrospect, due to what projects to be two all-time great PG classes, 2005 and 2007. Of course, from '05 you have the Big Three of Paul, Williams and Felton. But there's also Monta Ellis, and solid contributors like Head, Robinson and Jack. As for 2007, how do Rose, Mayo, Collison, Reynolds, Lawson, Sessions, Weaver, Curry and Maynor strick your fancy? Oh, and Steele should be 100%, and I see a monster senior year headed his way.

Will '05 or '07 outshine the touted 1999 class, with Francis, Davis, Miller and Terry? Who knows, but 2006 shouldn't be dogged before it has a chance. Lowry, Farmar, Rodriguez, Williams and Rondo all have brighter futures ahead.

[Sed]

Don't take your eye off of Leon Rodgers, played with Eiffel Towers in Holland the last couple of years.
Great shooter, slasher, could use some work on his speed.
Defensively didn't have to work very hard in Holland.
Clutch player, decisive scorer!

Could be a decent role player.

Has stated on national television that he has been approached by 9 NBA clubs to try out.

Season
http://www.basketballsite.nl/febstats/gamebygame.asp?sz=0607&playerid=11_Rodgers_Leon

Uleb Cup
http://www.ulebcup.com/ulebcup/home/on-court/players/showplayer?pcode=KHA
Played a couple of good games against the two final four teams Unics Kazan and Real Madrid (won the trophy), plus overall great stats.

http://www.ulebcup.com/ulebcup/competition/statistics/individual/average?lang=en&tabid=202
High up there on the leader boards.

[coachjon]

heard sergio sanchez will be playing on boston's summer league team.

[planaria]

Looks like Hervelle had a really nice exibition in tonight game. It seems like the Nuggets FO has hopes he´ll be able to help the team in the next season and they´re planning to play him in the Summer Leagues. People thinks he could be a Eduardo Najera with 3 point (or near) range.

What do you think this guy could bring for the Nuggets right now?

[Sed]

Looks like Hervelle had a really nice exibition in tonight game. It seems like the Nuggets FO has hopes he´ll be able to help the team in the next season and they´re planning to play him in the Summer Leagues. People thinks he could be a Eduardo Najera with 3 point (or near) range.

What do you think this guy could bring for the Nuggets right now?

I've liked Hervelle ever since he was still playng in Belgium. The guy is agile and a real teamplayer. He doesn't need 20 shots to be effective in a game. he grabs rebounds, can play physical, broad shoulders, long arms. He can also shoot the 3-ball. He's imposing on defense because he can move and he has those long arms to scare away slashing scorers.
He's not great at anything, just a really good guy with good fundamentals and a winning character!

[coachjon]

Albert Miralles is going to be playing on Boston's summer league team, Marcin Gortat is likely to play in Orlando's summer league again and make their roster next year

[11player]

There are some news around Europe about the Heat offering a 2 year/10 million deal to Papaloukas.

[coachjon]

yotam halperin declined the sonics offer to play on their summer league basically meaning he won't be coming over for next year.

[uhg80]

I just read that Papaloukas has signed a new 3-year-contract with CSKA Moscow that will pay him 3 million € net each year.

[Hitster]

Looks like that's the end of him ever coming to the NBA as 3 million Euros net would mean he'd have to have a gross NBA contract of over $5.5 million per year to equal it and if he's happy at Moscow then why uproot himself. An NBA team would have to realistically have offered him $6 to $8 million per year to try and get him over if he can command that much in Europe and few teams would risk that much on a guy who is unproven in the NBA. It's a pity as it would have been nice to see him playing in the biggest league in basketball.

I still raise the point that the NBA should raise the amount that teams can spend on buy-outs but count this against the length of the player's contract for Salary Cap purposes. Lets take say Scola who would probably command $4 to $5 million a season if he came over and Tau said his buy-out was $3 million but at the moment the Spurs can only put up $500k and Scola has to find the rest. If Scola was offered a 3 year $12 million contract and his buy out was paid by the Spurs or whoever they traded his rights to then for salary cap purposes Scola would count as $5 million per season on the Spurs or any other team's salary cap. The NBA team gets their player and the European Team gets good money to find a replacement so everyone wins.

[sirfreshness]

Yea if the NBA wants to continue getting the best in the world they have to work on the buyout issues

[Aton]

I think that the European players are actually the group in the worse situation. Often, they lose money to go to the NBA in the first place. Then, they lose more money so they can pay the buyout. And when they do come to the NBA, they often struggle with a system that doesn't do a good job of making the most out of their strenghts and hideing their weaknesses.

Regarding Papaloukas situation, he was in the best scenario, as he was a free agent both in Europe (so he had no buyout) and in the NBA (was undrafted so he could neogotiate with any team). It really tells us that the transitition from NBA to Europe is by no means a no-brainer.