howard2
12-18-2005, 06:13 PM
The Times-Picayune
By John Reid
Dec 18, 2005
Link: Times-Picayune (http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/113489296489430.xml)
Spurs have had success with foreign talent
Other teams have followed S.A.'s lead
OKLAHOMA CITY -- After the San Antonio Spurs won their third NBA championship in seven years last June, Coach Gregg Popovich mentioned the factors that made it possible.
Not only did the Spurs have forward Tim Duncan, who gave a strong performance to clinch a decisive Game 7 against the Detroit Pistons, but Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili had emerged as stars.
Popovich had the insight several years ago to push the franchise's scouting department to take a chance on a number of international players. In 1999, the Spurs drafted Ginobili, from Argentina, in the second round with the 57th pick. Before signing him, they waited three seasons for Ginobili to develop in the Italian Professional League.
Since joining the team in 2002, Ginobili has emerged as a quick, penetrating shooting guard. In the finals, he displayed his ability, often scoring the second-most points on the team, behind Duncan, who averaged 18.7 points.
Like Ginobili, Parker did not receive a lot of attention from scouts during the 2001 draft. But Popovich did his homework, took a chance and selected the prospect from France as the 28th pick in the first round. Since then, he has not spent a day regretting the decision. Parker has been the starting point guard on two championship teams since 2003.
"No matter what I say, a large part of this is good fortune," said Popovich, whose team faces the Hornets today. "We were impressed with Manu when I first saw him in Puerto Rico, a few years back. Ginobili practiced with his national team twice a day during championship tournaments for 2 ½ hours and doesn't blink, and runs into the wall for people. You take chances on somebody like that at 50 something (in the draft) or Tony at 28."
A number of NBA teams, including the Hornets, are trying to follow the Spurs' example, upgrading their international scouting with hopes of landing an emerging star. For the first time in franchise history, the Hornets have three international players on their active roster -- last summer's free-agent signee Arvydas Macijauskas of Lithuania, and Bostjan Nachbar of Slovenia and center Maciej Lampe from Poland, both of whom were acquired through trades last season.
Although Macijauskas and Lampe are developing slowly, Nachbar was the Hornets' starting small forward until a sprained right knee on Nov. 28 forced him out of the lineup.
"European players have upgraded their skills so much that there are more of them now in the league," Hornets general manager Jeff Bower said. "In the 2002 draft, we were looking very hard at Nachbar and Jiri Welsch. We spent a lot of time on them and went over there (Europe) to watch them play."
But under the direction of former general manager Bob Bass, the Hornets traded their 17th pick in the first round to the Washington Wizards to obtain veteran guard Courtney Alexander.
Nachbar was selected by the Houston Rockets as the 15th pick. After playing 2 ½ seasons with the franchise, he was obtained by the Hornets in exchange for guard David Wesley.
"The year I got drafted, there probably wasn't one game without a scout in the stands when I played in Italy," said Nachbar, who also played professionally in Slovenia. "In big games, there would be four or five scouts. It's amazing how global basketball has become in the last 10 years."
Based on figures from the NBA, there were a record 82 international players from 36 countries and territories who were on opening day rosters in November. Twenty-four of the league's 30 teams had at least one international player.
The Spurs have the most with six. Besides Ginobili and Parker, Rasho Nesterovic and Beno Udrih are from Slovenia; Fabricio Oberto is from Argentina; and Duncan, who played at Wake Forest, was born and grew up in the Virgin Islands.
The NBA continues to push its presence beyond the United States. Starting next season, the Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns and the Spurs will conduct their training camps in Europe and will compete against top European professional basketball teams in seven European cities in five countries. This year, the Spurs held their training camp in the Virgin Islands.
"I think every year the number is going to increase with more European players in the NBA," said Macijauskas, who played on the Lithuanian Olympic team at the 2004 Athens Games.
"Basketball is getting bigger in Europe with better players. But the talent in the NBA is unbelievable. You can practice every day, but you'll never be like Shaq."
The influx of European players to the NBA didn't start until the 1989-90 season when Yugoslavia's Vlade Divac, Drazen Petrovic, Zarko Paspalj and Lithuania's Sarunas Marciulionis joined the league.
"When I first came into the league, I don't remember any," said Hornets coach Byron Scott, who was a first-round pick by the San Diego Clippers in 1983. "Obviously as the years went on, there was Vlade. But you could count them all on one hand. Now there are two or three on some teams.
"I think once you have a team with a few guys from overseas and they have some success, they tend to be a little more aggressive and pay attention to the teams over there (in Europe)."
Bower is paying attention. He plans to make at least one or two trips to Europe before the draft in June, and one of the Hornets' scouts will take up to four trips.
"From our standpoint, it's no different than scouting the Big East or the Big Ten conferences," Bower said. "It's another league, another group of players that needs to be monitored. We're following their schedules."
By John Reid
Dec 18, 2005
Link: Times-Picayune (http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/113489296489430.xml)
Spurs have had success with foreign talent
Other teams have followed S.A.'s lead
OKLAHOMA CITY -- After the San Antonio Spurs won their third NBA championship in seven years last June, Coach Gregg Popovich mentioned the factors that made it possible.
Not only did the Spurs have forward Tim Duncan, who gave a strong performance to clinch a decisive Game 7 against the Detroit Pistons, but Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili had emerged as stars.
Popovich had the insight several years ago to push the franchise's scouting department to take a chance on a number of international players. In 1999, the Spurs drafted Ginobili, from Argentina, in the second round with the 57th pick. Before signing him, they waited three seasons for Ginobili to develop in the Italian Professional League.
Since joining the team in 2002, Ginobili has emerged as a quick, penetrating shooting guard. In the finals, he displayed his ability, often scoring the second-most points on the team, behind Duncan, who averaged 18.7 points.
Like Ginobili, Parker did not receive a lot of attention from scouts during the 2001 draft. But Popovich did his homework, took a chance and selected the prospect from France as the 28th pick in the first round. Since then, he has not spent a day regretting the decision. Parker has been the starting point guard on two championship teams since 2003.
"No matter what I say, a large part of this is good fortune," said Popovich, whose team faces the Hornets today. "We were impressed with Manu when I first saw him in Puerto Rico, a few years back. Ginobili practiced with his national team twice a day during championship tournaments for 2 ½ hours and doesn't blink, and runs into the wall for people. You take chances on somebody like that at 50 something (in the draft) or Tony at 28."
A number of NBA teams, including the Hornets, are trying to follow the Spurs' example, upgrading their international scouting with hopes of landing an emerging star. For the first time in franchise history, the Hornets have three international players on their active roster -- last summer's free-agent signee Arvydas Macijauskas of Lithuania, and Bostjan Nachbar of Slovenia and center Maciej Lampe from Poland, both of whom were acquired through trades last season.
Although Macijauskas and Lampe are developing slowly, Nachbar was the Hornets' starting small forward until a sprained right knee on Nov. 28 forced him out of the lineup.
"European players have upgraded their skills so much that there are more of them now in the league," Hornets general manager Jeff Bower said. "In the 2002 draft, we were looking very hard at Nachbar and Jiri Welsch. We spent a lot of time on them and went over there (Europe) to watch them play."
But under the direction of former general manager Bob Bass, the Hornets traded their 17th pick in the first round to the Washington Wizards to obtain veteran guard Courtney Alexander.
Nachbar was selected by the Houston Rockets as the 15th pick. After playing 2 ½ seasons with the franchise, he was obtained by the Hornets in exchange for guard David Wesley.
"The year I got drafted, there probably wasn't one game without a scout in the stands when I played in Italy," said Nachbar, who also played professionally in Slovenia. "In big games, there would be four or five scouts. It's amazing how global basketball has become in the last 10 years."
Based on figures from the NBA, there were a record 82 international players from 36 countries and territories who were on opening day rosters in November. Twenty-four of the league's 30 teams had at least one international player.
The Spurs have the most with six. Besides Ginobili and Parker, Rasho Nesterovic and Beno Udrih are from Slovenia; Fabricio Oberto is from Argentina; and Duncan, who played at Wake Forest, was born and grew up in the Virgin Islands.
The NBA continues to push its presence beyond the United States. Starting next season, the Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns and the Spurs will conduct their training camps in Europe and will compete against top European professional basketball teams in seven European cities in five countries. This year, the Spurs held their training camp in the Virgin Islands.
"I think every year the number is going to increase with more European players in the NBA," said Macijauskas, who played on the Lithuanian Olympic team at the 2004 Athens Games.
"Basketball is getting bigger in Europe with better players. But the talent in the NBA is unbelievable. You can practice every day, but you'll never be like Shaq."
The influx of European players to the NBA didn't start until the 1989-90 season when Yugoslavia's Vlade Divac, Drazen Petrovic, Zarko Paspalj and Lithuania's Sarunas Marciulionis joined the league.
"When I first came into the league, I don't remember any," said Hornets coach Byron Scott, who was a first-round pick by the San Diego Clippers in 1983. "Obviously as the years went on, there was Vlade. But you could count them all on one hand. Now there are two or three on some teams.
"I think once you have a team with a few guys from overseas and they have some success, they tend to be a little more aggressive and pay attention to the teams over there (in Europe)."
Bower is paying attention. He plans to make at least one or two trips to Europe before the draft in June, and one of the Hornets' scouts will take up to four trips.
"From our standpoint, it's no different than scouting the Big East or the Big Ten conferences," Bower said. "It's another league, another group of players that needs to be monitored. We're following their schedules."