Jimcs50
12-02-2004, 09:50 AM
Buck Harvey: The next Ginobili? Foreign intelligence
Web Posted: 12/02/2004 12:00 AM CST
San Antonio Express-News
Some in the Spurs' organization think Beno Udrih is the best passer on the best passing team in franchise history.
Better than Manu Ginobili?
"Beno's passes," said one, "always make sense."
Ginobili smiled at that, as did Udrih. "I'm a rookie," Udrih said. "My passes have to make sense."
Then they left the locker room together, the last two out Wednesday, a symbolic combination. The Spurs were ahead of the pack when they drafted Tony Parker, and the pack wasn't even within view when they took Ginobili. Now comes the latest, someone who combines Parker's Euro background at point guard with Ginobili's left-handed dare.
How did the International House of Spurs do it this time?
The Sixers have to wonder. Udrih came in for Parker with a little more than four minutes left in the first quarter and Philadelphia had a 17-12 lead. Then Udrih snapped a pass to Devin Brown for a 3-pointer, followed with a drive and then threw in an 18-footer to end the quarter.
That tied the score. When Parker later replaced Udrih, Tim Duncan was himself and the Spurs were up by nine. The night before, in Dallas, Udrih had a similar impact.
He didn't come from nowhere. Udrih played against Parker when the two were teens in Europe, and he played against Ginobili, too. When European power Maccabi Tel Aviv signed Udrih two years ago, it was a sign of his future. Few 20-year-old point guards start for such a team.
But this is when the cracks began to form, and only those who paid attention understood. In Tel Aviv the press and fans preferred a young, local talent. The Maccabi coach insisted Udrih someday could play in the NBA, but, according to a journalist there, "Nobody took him seriously."
Udrih tightened and was slowed by a twisted ankle. When he went to a small Russian club the next season, his value fell further. Udrih, injured again, left the team and then drifted. He ended up with a team in Milan at the end of last season, but only in a pre-draft camp in Chicago were NBA execs impressed.
Though he ranked as one of the best there, scouts saw Udrih as they did Parker a few years ago. Sure, he looked good, but how accurate was the measurement?
From there Udrih went on a series of individual workouts, including one in San Antonio. As far as he could tell, the Spurs had no more interest in him than anyone else did.
Little did he know. The Spurs went to Chicago, for example, primarily to see Udrih.
They already had done their background checks, and this was about more than a few phone calls. This was about how they work the world.
Gregg Popovich, with language skills in both Russian and Serbo-Croatian, has opened doors for the Spurs. In the summer of 2003, before driving to Slovenia to recruit Rasho Nesterovic, Popovich attended a coaches' conference in Serbia. He was the only U.S. coach there — out of maybe 1,000. :smokin
R.C. Buford and his staff follow behind, scouting, doing research, making connections. An example came in training camp this fall, when the Spurs hosted a dozen Serbian coaches.
Give. And take, naturally. What the Spurs seek is the inside skinny. They don't believe in individual workouts as much as they do a trusted source who can accurately tell them what the player is about.
Udrih, they were told, could see the floor. He's a better player than his numbers. He passes ahead to the right spot, and the game seems more organized when he's in it. He feeds the post well, and his size allows him to be an adequate defender.
As for his shooting: He looks like a modern-day Gail Goodrich, with a quick left-hand stroke.
What they heard about his personality meant more. At first glance, Udrih seems too passive, a stereotype of his countrymen. When Udrih failed in Israel, some wondered if he had the moxie.
That's where inside information helped. Udrih, they were told, is unassuming, but there's also fire beneath the surface.
It has come out already. And when he fits in the locker room, or surprises with his poise, or makes a remarkable pass?
He's just the latest.
Web Posted: 12/02/2004 12:00 AM CST
San Antonio Express-News
Some in the Spurs' organization think Beno Udrih is the best passer on the best passing team in franchise history.
Better than Manu Ginobili?
"Beno's passes," said one, "always make sense."
Ginobili smiled at that, as did Udrih. "I'm a rookie," Udrih said. "My passes have to make sense."
Then they left the locker room together, the last two out Wednesday, a symbolic combination. The Spurs were ahead of the pack when they drafted Tony Parker, and the pack wasn't even within view when they took Ginobili. Now comes the latest, someone who combines Parker's Euro background at point guard with Ginobili's left-handed dare.
How did the International House of Spurs do it this time?
The Sixers have to wonder. Udrih came in for Parker with a little more than four minutes left in the first quarter and Philadelphia had a 17-12 lead. Then Udrih snapped a pass to Devin Brown for a 3-pointer, followed with a drive and then threw in an 18-footer to end the quarter.
That tied the score. When Parker later replaced Udrih, Tim Duncan was himself and the Spurs were up by nine. The night before, in Dallas, Udrih had a similar impact.
He didn't come from nowhere. Udrih played against Parker when the two were teens in Europe, and he played against Ginobili, too. When European power Maccabi Tel Aviv signed Udrih two years ago, it was a sign of his future. Few 20-year-old point guards start for such a team.
But this is when the cracks began to form, and only those who paid attention understood. In Tel Aviv the press and fans preferred a young, local talent. The Maccabi coach insisted Udrih someday could play in the NBA, but, according to a journalist there, "Nobody took him seriously."
Udrih tightened and was slowed by a twisted ankle. When he went to a small Russian club the next season, his value fell further. Udrih, injured again, left the team and then drifted. He ended up with a team in Milan at the end of last season, but only in a pre-draft camp in Chicago were NBA execs impressed.
Though he ranked as one of the best there, scouts saw Udrih as they did Parker a few years ago. Sure, he looked good, but how accurate was the measurement?
From there Udrih went on a series of individual workouts, including one in San Antonio. As far as he could tell, the Spurs had no more interest in him than anyone else did.
Little did he know. The Spurs went to Chicago, for example, primarily to see Udrih.
They already had done their background checks, and this was about more than a few phone calls. This was about how they work the world.
Gregg Popovich, with language skills in both Russian and Serbo-Croatian, has opened doors for the Spurs. In the summer of 2003, before driving to Slovenia to recruit Rasho Nesterovic, Popovich attended a coaches' conference in Serbia. He was the only U.S. coach there — out of maybe 1,000. :smokin
R.C. Buford and his staff follow behind, scouting, doing research, making connections. An example came in training camp this fall, when the Spurs hosted a dozen Serbian coaches.
Give. And take, naturally. What the Spurs seek is the inside skinny. They don't believe in individual workouts as much as they do a trusted source who can accurately tell them what the player is about.
Udrih, they were told, could see the floor. He's a better player than his numbers. He passes ahead to the right spot, and the game seems more organized when he's in it. He feeds the post well, and his size allows him to be an adequate defender.
As for his shooting: He looks like a modern-day Gail Goodrich, with a quick left-hand stroke.
What they heard about his personality meant more. At first glance, Udrih seems too passive, a stereotype of his countrymen. When Udrih failed in Israel, some wondered if he had the moxie.
That's where inside information helped. Udrih, they were told, is unassuming, but there's also fire beneath the surface.
It has come out already. And when he fits in the locker room, or surprises with his poise, or makes a remarkable pass?
He's just the latest.