3 Slovenian players Spurs should look at next summer

[Kamnik]

First of all please try to forget Beno is Slovenian before you read this.... :lol




Boštjan Nachbar aka Boki

Athletic long 3 anyone? He is an unrestricted FA next summer.

+
Good 3pt shooter and in the last year with NY he had some great dunking displays over opposing centers if you like a bit of excitment. ;) He loves to run and finish the fast break. Athletic player.

-
Very inconsistent. Not a very good defender. Some Bruce Bowen tutoring wouldnt hurt.....








Matjaž Smodiš aka Smoki

One of the best European power forwards. Plays with passion. He has helped his clubs win on the highest level in Europe. Won Euroleague as a starter with 2 diferent clubs.


What could he do for the Spurs?

He could play the Oberto role/backup. He defended Nowitzki very well in Spain.


+
Very good shooter and defender, great back to the basket game. Very tough and determined player... Anti-Rasho in this perspective.

-
Not the best rebounder and has chronical back problems. Has a family with 3 children and a big salary for European standards in CSKA Moscow so he maybe would not be easy to lure over to the NBA.








Goran Dragič

Young talented PG. 21 years old. He could become what Udrih should have. Only advantage Udrih has over him as far as i see it is shooting. Everywhere else, especially in defense, Dragic should be better. Some of you may seen him play a big role for Slovenian NT in Spain. He defended Parker and other PGs really well.

+
Good defender. Great ballhandling skill set. Can finish at the rim with both hands. Plays with great energy and isnt afraid to go for rebounds and loose balls. Decent size for a PG. Very quick... he kept pace with Parker in several games with France this summer.

-
Not a great shooter. Just got injured today in a game against France. (torn mussle in an upper part of the arm as far as i understood it) If he plays for Slovenian euroleague club Olimpija this year he could get drafted higher of where Spurs will stand in the draft.

[Kamnik]

Im adding a couple of links....

Photos and stat lines from the just finished Euro cup in Spain.
(Nachbar did not play for NT this summer)

Dragic:
http://www.eurobasket2007.org/en/cid_BqypGFJPHy-Nw4lwIAq,v3.teamID_2154.compID_qMRZdYCZI6EoANOrUf9 le2.season_2007.roundID_5169.playerID_46941.html

Smodiš:
http://www.eurobasket2007.org/en/cid_BqypGFJPHy-Nw4lwIAq,v3.teamID_2154.compID_qMRZdYCZI6EoANOrUf9 le2.season_2007.roundID_5169.playerID_21229.html

[angel_luv]

I would take Smodis in a heart beat.

Nachbar too. He has always been a favorite of mine.

I like Dragic as well.

Excellent nominations all. :)

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Anyone that's foreign(preferably European) and supposedly cute is always an excellent nomination for angel.

[Kamnik]

I would take Smodis in a heart beat.

Nachbar too. He has always been a favorite of mine.

I like Dragic as well.

Excellent nominations all. :)

These are my favourite Slovenian players at the moment.




And as i am replying to you i feel i have to say something good about Rasho.. :p:

I never liked him too much... too timid and undetermined for my taste. (couldnt stand watching him playing for NT last few years)
BUT he played his guts out for Slovenian NT this summer. Along with Smodis by far the best player we had. My respect goes out to him.... :clap

[Kamnik]

Anyone that's foreign(preferably European) and supposedly cute is always an excellent nomination for angel.

Naaaaaaah, where did you get this idea :lol

[T Park]

Anyone that's foreign(preferably European) and supposedly cute is always an excellent nomination for angel.

yeah shes pretty anti american in that sense.

Well not anti american, but, not very positive twords americans.

[angel_luv]

Anyone that's foreign(preferably European) and supposedly cute is always an excellent nomination for angel.


There is no supposedly when it comes to any of the Slovenians.

I don't know if it is the water, the fresh mountain air or what- but that country has some GOOD LOOKING people!


But not just that. I have been following team Slovenia for three years.
I saw nearly every game these guys played this tournament. They have some serious game.

[angel_luv]

These are my favourite Slovenian players at the moment.




And as i am replying to you i feel i have to say something good about Rasho.. :p:

I never liked him too much... too timid and undetermined for my taste. (couldnt stand watching him playing for NT last few years)
BUT he played his guts out for Slovenian NT this summer. Along with Smodis by far the best player we had. My respect goes out to him.... :clap


hvala lepa. :)

Since this seems like it might be the regular season Slovenia team thread, will you post links to the different teams the players are on overseas.
I want to keep up with them all this season. :)

[ploto]

Smodis could play in the NBA- for sure- if he wants to. That's an easy one. It really depends on the role he wants to play and how good of a team he wants to play on. I wonder how he never got drafted... How good was he when he was draft eligible??

You know my thoughts on Dragic-- this guy is a great defensive player and has great moves to the basket. His jump shot and FT's need work, but he is going to be in the NBA if he wants to be.

Boki- I have been calling for him since his first year in Houston. I think he may stay in New Jersey.

Rasho- he is welcome back anytime. :)

[angel_luv]

Rasho- he is welcome back anytime. :)

That would be so cool!

[J.T.]

yeah shes pretty anti american in that sense.

Well not anti american, but, not very positive twords americans.

Alert the feds we got a traitor. Patriot act that shit.

[angel_luv]

:lol

If you deport me, send me to Slovenia. :)

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

The only deportation areas available right now are Mexico and Madagascar. Sorry.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

You had me at Slovenian.

[velik_m]

Smodis will NEVER play in NBA. He can't go one season in Europe without injuring himself, no way he makes it through NBA season. He has a back of a 80 year old.

I've been saying Boki to spurs for a long time, but i belive he priced himself out of their range with his good season.

Dragic is an interesting player, but i belive his Tau property? - that could mean buyout issues.

[Admidave50]

Get real, Rasho played great in the tournament but he still sucks during the playoffs!

Stop the hype, I'm sure there are much better players in the tournament that the Spurs should look at.

[mathbzh]

This Dragic looks promising.

[Pero]

Smodis is now probably the best PF in Europe. And I would take him over Scola, if not for his injury problems (he wouldn't last an entire season in the nba) and usually being foul prone.
Dragic has nice potential, I'm sure his value went up in this Euro.

[Pero]

Oh and I hope the Spurs aren't interested in Boki, I think he would suck.

[Bruno]

After the failure of both Rasho and Beno, I think Spurs will be really careful about Slovenian players.

I don't like Nachbar at all, poor defender and poor rebounder.

Smodis could find a place in nba. He won't be able to play heavy minutes a whole nba season but he could be a valuable rotation player. The big knock on him is his poor rebounding. This poor rebounding makes him a bad fit with Spurs : Spurs don't have a strong perimeter rebounder, they need to have bigmen who can rebound.

I haven't seen a lot of Dragic but he looks like a quite good prospect. Some nba GMs have noticed his good eurobasket and what he will do this year will decide at what spot or if he will be drafted next year. I hope for him that his buyout situation isn't too complicate.

[sendman]

And here is a little something about those "no good Slovenians", coming from NBA scouts. I think they know basketball a little better then so called experts on this board.

Link:
http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/olybb/columns/story?columnist=sheridan_chris&page=EuroScoutingReport

They are chief scout Tony Ronzone of the Detroit Pistons and his assistants, Bill Branch of the Seattle Supersonics and Todd Quinter of the Phoenix Suns.

ESPN.com asked six questions of each of them. Here is what they had to say:

4. What player has jumped up on your radar during this tournament?

(Note: All three scouts are employed by NBA teams, and thus are not allowed to comment on draft-eligible players. So none of them would mention by name Slovenian point guard Goran Dragic, who is expected to be in the 2008 draft.)

Ronzone: I can't say his name, but the young kid from Slovenia I love. But I've also always liked Savrasenko from Russia -- I think he's a rotation guy [in the NBA].

The kid Kristof Lavrinovic, he's got some issues. [Ronzone was referring to a rape charge that was lodged against Lavrinovic several years ago, then withdrawn, though not before he and his identical twin brother, Darius, spent more than a year in prison awaiting trial. Darius later married the accuser.] But he's a guy that can be in a rotation in our league -- the guy shoots 3s, he's got a good stroke, a big body, and I think his brother could play in our league also.

And [Slovenian power forward] Matjaz Smodis, I've always loved. People have been talking about him for seven years, but he has not come over. If he was 23 years old, he'd probably be coming over now.

Quinter: [Lithuanian shooting guard] Siskauskas. He had an unbelievable game the other night, though tonight he was more average, and that tempers me a little. I'll have to watch a little more. The [Slovenian] kid is very, very good, and he's young. He's a nice player, as well.

Branch: We can't mention the names of the young guys, but Tony and I have had a three-day, going-back-and-forth lovefest about a particular point guard.

5. Who is the best non-NBA player here?

Ronzone: Probably Smodis. I basically think Smodis is off the chart. I like Savrasenko, [Dimitrios] Diamantidis to me -- everyone talks about [Theo] Papaloukas, but why not Diamantidis? I think he's phenomenal. In the pick-and-roll, you can't stop him, he can post up, shoot the 3, he's unselfish and he's won defensive player of the year three of the past four years. He's got Ginobili action because he's north-south, east-west.

You don't have to be the quickest guy, but because they're so good at going left-right and up and back, they find ways to get to the basket, and they use those big bodies to find their way to the rim on pick-and-rolls.

Quinter: Well, Papaloukas and Diamantidis both, in my mind, should be in our league. I think they are exceptional point guards.

Branch: Papaloukas. He loves coming off the bench, he really gets his team going. I'm surprised how crafty and clever he is with the ball, how he can get in the paint. You can tell he's a wily old veteran.

[ata]

Nachbar: he is great as long his shot falls in, otherwise he has not much to show (defense)
Smodiš: he will not go to NBA, he doesn't want to
Dragič: great prospect, however to suceed in the NBA he needs to work on his FG%. Otherwise great defender, probably best defender on pos. 1 and 2 in the current tournament.

[Pero]

LOL at not being allowed to say his name. Like it's that hard to figure out considering how many guards played for us.

[ploto]

After the failure of both Rasho and Beno, I think Spurs will be really careful about Slovenian players.

Nice to know you beleve in stereotyping an entire nation's players because you don't like two of them...

Guess you're bitter after losing to that nation twice in two weeks.

[ploto]

Stop the hype, I'm sure there are much better players in the tournament that the Spurs should look at.
Dragic has caught everyone's eye...

And Smodis is the best PF playing in Europe.

[Kamnik]

And here is a little something about those "no good Slovenians", coming from NBA scouts. I think they know basketball a little better then so called experts on this board.

Link:
http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/olybb/columns/story?columnist=sheridan_chris&page=EuroScoutingReport

They are chief scout Tony Ronzone of the Detroit Pistons and his assistants, Bill Branch of the Seattle Supersonics and Todd Quinter of the Phoenix Suns.

ESPN.com asked six questions of each of them. Here is what they had to say:

4. What player has jumped up on your radar during this tournament?

(Note: All three scouts are employed by NBA teams, and thus are not allowed to comment on draft-eligible players. So none of them would mention by name Slovenian point guard Goran Dragic, who is expected to be in the 2008 draft.)

Ronzone: I can't say his name, but the young kid from Slovenia I love. But I've also always liked Savrasenko from Russia -- I think he's a rotation guy [in the NBA].

The kid Kristof Lavrinovic, he's got some issues. [Ronzone was referring to a rape charge that was lodged against Lavrinovic several years ago, then withdrawn, though not before he and his identical twin brother, Darius, spent more than a year in prison awaiting trial. Darius later married the accuser.] But he's a guy that can be in a rotation in our league -- the guy shoots 3s, he's got a good stroke, a big body, and I think his brother could play in our league also.

And [Slovenian power forward] Matjaz Smodis, I've always loved. People have been talking about him for seven years, but he has not come over. If he was 23 years old, he'd probably be coming over now.

Quinter: [Lithuanian shooting guard] Siskauskas. He had an unbelievable game the other night, though tonight he was more average, and that tempers me a little. I'll have to watch a little more. The [Slovenian] kid is very, very good, and he's young. He's a nice player, as well.

Branch: We can't mention the names of the young guys, but Tony and I have had a three-day, going-back-and-forth lovefest about a particular point guard.

5. Who is the best non-NBA player here?

Ronzone: Probably Smodis. I basically think Smodis is off the chart. I like Savrasenko, [Dimitrios] Diamantidis to me -- everyone talks about [Theo] Papaloukas, but why not Diamantidis? I think he's phenomenal. In the pick-and-roll, you can't stop him, he can post up, shoot the 3, he's unselfish and he's won defensive player of the year three of the past four years. He's got Ginobili action because he's north-south, east-west.

You don't have to be the quickest guy, but because they're so good at going left-right and up and back, they find ways to get to the basket, and they use those big bodies to find their way to the rim on pick-and-rolls.

Quinter: Well, Papaloukas and Diamantidis both, in my mind, should be in our league. I think they are exceptional point guards.

Branch: Papaloukas. He loves coming off the bench, he really gets his team going. I'm surprised how crafty and clever he is with the ball, how he can get in the paint. You can tell he's a wily old veteran.

Nice find! Maybe i should be an NBA scout :lol

Well even a blind man could notice Dragic and Smodis but as i know the Spurs and i know the Slovenian players i just wanted to connect the dots betwen Spur needs and what some of our guys could offer.


And for fucks sake.... why all the drama queening in this thread already? Some of you could try to look at some of the player more objecitvely and not fight each other like a bunch of teenage girls with resentmens from some of the other threads.

YES Smodis has a bad back but noone would expect him to play 40 minutes a game.

Robert Horry is getting paid $3,630,000 this next year. (yeah too much... i know)

But Smodis could bring quite more to the table for 2 mil a year or something....


Nachbar would be a good fit for a quite few reasons...

2 good reasons are Ime Udoka and Bruce Bowen who can cower better oposing players and this way Nachbar would get of better.

Also EVERY PLAYER is always considered for the right price. And for Boki we all know that price should be quite lowered from what he could get elsewhere for the Spurs to consider him.


And people.... every person is very diferent, we dont need to mix Rasho and Beno into this thread. Dragic is not Beno and Smodis is not Rasho.

[Kamnik]

"Branch: We can't mention the names of the young guys, but Tony and I have had a three-day, going-back-and-forth lovefest about a particular point guard."

What does this mean?

This scout and TP were talking about him for a few days or what?

[Bruno]

"Branch: We can't mention the names of the young guys, but Tony and I have had a three-day, going-back-and-forth lovefest about a particular point guard."

What does this mean?

This scout and TP were talking about him for a few days or what?



They are chief scout Tony Ronzone of the Detroit Pistons and his assistants, Bill Branch of the Seattle Supersonics and Todd Quinter of the Phoenix Suns

[Kamnik]

Ahhhh... thanks. Stupid me...

[Bruno]

Nice to know you beleve in stereotyping an entire nation's players


When you look at facts, it's quite obvious that Spurs look at the success they have had with players from a country before signing a new one :
Spurs have drafted Mahinmi, a very young French player while they ahve ahd success with Parker.
Spurs have signed Oberto after Manu's magical year in 2005.
Spurs have drafted Beno after Rasho's good Spurs' rookie year in 2004.

While each player is different, players from the same country often have some common characteristic. And there are a lot of reasons for that.
When I look at French players, most of them have the same weakness/strength and I know why.



because you don't like two of them...

Rasho and Beno being bad when they were Spurs has nothing to do with my feeling towards them. BB isn't based on love or hate, it's based on playing good or playing bad.



Guess you're bitter after losing to that nation twice in two weeks.

:rolleyes
I was so bitter that I've root yesterday for a Slovenian win.

[Slomo]

:rolleyes
I was so bitter that I've root yesterday for a Slovenian win.Yeah, but for all the wrong reasons! :downspin:

[Pero]

Nachbar isn't a guard. And the Spurs already have Manu, Finley, Brent, Udoka, Bowen. I think all of them can play positions 2 & 3. Where do you think Nachbar would fit?

[Kamnik]

Nachbar isn't a guard. And the Spurs already have Manu, Finley, Brent, Udoka, Bowen. I think all of them can play positions 2 & 3. Where do you think Nachbar would fit?

Brent, Finley and Bowen finish their contracts this year and they will be like a ZILLION years old.

Even if all 3 resign (very unlikely in the first place) how much playing time do you think they can take?

And Udoka's and Manu's height is more for a 2 spot player where Nachbar is a pure 3 (4 only with small ball).



Spurs really need someone like Nachbar. If they dont go for a higher caliber player he could be a solid rotation player.

Or we can just sign TMac, Nocioni and trade for Gerald Wallace next year? :spin



p.s.

Look at 2008/09 :oops

http://www.hoopshype.com/salaries/san_antonio.htm

[ploto]

While each player is different, players from the same country often have some common characteristic.
Rasho and Beno could not be more different in their approaches to playing in the NBA. What makes Beno weak is the antithesis of Rasho's hard work and knowledge.

[Bruno]

Rasho and Beno could not be more different in their approaches to playing in the NBA. What makes Beno weak is the antithesis of Rasho's hard work and knowledge.

I'm not saying "Beno is lazy so all Slovenian players are lazy". It's just stupid and borderline racist.

It's just that you don't play the same basketball in all countries.
There are some countries with a BB based on a passing game, some countries with a BB based on the defense, some countries with a BB based on players athletic abilities, some countries were players plays more zone defense than 1 vs 1 defense, some countries were BB is more jump shooting oriented...

There are ton of factors to explain that from what young players work with their coach to what kind of BB is shown on TV... It's an endless subject.

[Scola Trade]

Can we trade Beno by any of these 3 prospect: :lol

[magic]

Smodis is better than Scola

[ploto]

I'm not saying "Beno is lazy so all Slovenian players are lazy". It's just stupid and borderline racist.

It's just that you don't play the same basketball in all countries.
There are some countries with a BB based on a passing game, some countries with a BB based on the defense, some countries with a BB based on players athletic abilities, some countries were players plays more zone defense than 1 vs 1 defense, some countries were BB is more jump shooting oriented...

There are ton of factors to explain that from what young players work with their coach to what kind of BB is shown on TV... It's an endless subject.
Well, if you watched Slovenia play in Eurobasket, their game seems pretty right for a team like the Spurs-- defense, team ball, good ball movement. If anything, these guys were praised for the way they play by people who appreciate basketball. They were not the most athletic group- noticeably- nor by most accounts the most talented- but the sum was greater than the parts. So what is it about them that you think would make them so inappropriate for the Spurs....

[Scola Trade]

Smodis is better than Scola
Scola > Bonner

[ducks]

Scola > Bonner
booner has proved he belongs in the nba
hopefully scola will not since he is not a member of the spurs

[Bruno]

Well, if you watched Slovenia play in Eurobasket, their game seems pretty right for a team like the Spurs-- defense, team ball, good ball movement. If anything, these guys were praised for the way they play by people who appreciate basketball. They were not the most athletic group- noticeably- nor by most accounts the most talented- but the sum was greater than the parts. So what is it about them that you think would make them so inappropriate for the Spurs....

Spurs being really careful about Slovenian players has nothing to do with Slovenian NT but with what Rasho and Beno have done in SA.

If a team draft two players from Duke and both are busts, this team will be more careful about Duke's players than a team that have drafted two studs from Duke.

It's the same thing for Spurs and Slovenia. The lack of success of Beno and Rasho with Spurs will be a factor if Spurs had to draft/sign another Slovenian player.

Spurs don't need another reason that the quite bad Rasho and Beno experiences to be careful with Slovenian players.
If you want something specific, I guess that one of their big concern will be the lack of athleticism and speed.

[ploto]

If you want something specific, I guess that one of their big concern will be the lack of athleticism and speed.
Because the success of the Spurs has been predicated on athleticism. :lol

All I know is I saw a lot of French players in EB with athleticism and speed who sucked at playing basektball. Guess the Spurs would prefer them to Dragic.

[Bruno]

Because the success of the Spurs has been predicated on athleticism. :lol

And Rasho wasn't a part of Spurs success mainly because he was slow and unathletic.
And Spurs lost against Dallas because of the lack of athleticism/speed.

Maybe you haven't followed Spurs since they traded Rasho but being more athletic has been a priority for Spurs since the loss against Dallas.



All I know is I saw a lot of French players in EB with athleticism and speed who sucked at playing basektball. Guess the Spurs would prefer them to Dragic.

:rolleyes
ploto trying some trash talk. It would be more effective if it were related to the discussion.

[Kamnik]

Well, if you watched Slovenia play in Eurobasket, their game seems pretty right for a team like the Spurs-- defense, team ball, good ball movement. If anything, these guys were praised for the way they play by people who appreciate basketball. They were not the most athletic group- noticeably- nor by most accounts the most talented- but the sum was greater than the parts. So what is it about them that you think would make them so inappropriate for the Spurs....

Nicely put ploto, i agree with this.


But on the other hand start doing the hurt feelings act or whatever this is... Bruno can have his own opinion and you know you surely wont change it.


I think that even if they are abit more careful about Slovenian players it is subconcious or counts maybe 0.01% at the end of the day.... But one way or another i dont see why there are 223245 posts needed to discuss it.



Dragic or Smodis to the Spurs would excite the shit out of me... I want some good young Slovene talent in the NBA seeing Beno blew his chance.

[Kamnik]

http://sportal.siol.net/default.asp?article_id=10041010709191132420

"Kolikor vem, potrebujemo za tekme ducat igralcev. Trenutno smo kar precej oddaljeni od te številke, zato je jasno, da nakupovanje še zdaleč ni končano. Trenutno je naša prednostna naloga Goran Dragič. S slednjim je že nekaj časa vse dogovorjeno. Tudi njegov zastopnik in Tau sta prikimala, torej čakamo le še na španski podpis pogodbe. V Tivoliju smo jo že podpisali. Tudi pod košem se bomo še dodatno okrepili. Ni pa skrivnost, da bomo potrebovali še košarkarja, ki lahko igra tako na položaju visokega branilca kot krila," napoveduje direktor kluba Janez Rajgelj.



Olimpija's GM Janez Ragelj tells that Dragic will play for them in the upcoming season.

This means Dragic will be a starting PG for an euroleague team and will have the best possible enviroment to grow as a player. :clap

[SlovenianGuy]

Bruno, the Spurs might consider to sign one of these 3 Slovenian players for one season only, because both, Rasho and Beno, had good first season with the Spurs :)

[Dario]

Smodis would never get anything close the amount of money and playing time he is getting now and isn't going to NBA ever.
Nachbar to spurs ain't going to happen soon because people in NJ like him.
Dragic is Tau property and they will sign him next season for big money if he does well in Olimpija and he would be stupid not to sign for them, so if he would really want it he could go to NBA, but not to spurs because of the same problems scola had. (buyout)

[Kamnik]

Smodis would never get anything close the amount of money and playing time he is getting now and isn't going to NBA ever.
Nachbar to spurs ain't going to happen soon because people in NJ like him.
Dragic is Tau property and they will sign him next season for big money if he does well in Olimpija and he would be stupid not to sign for them, so if he would really want it he could go to NBA, but not to spurs because of the same problems scola had. (buyout)
Sometime money is not a player's priority.

And spurs could match the NJ offer in anyways.

[ata]

Nachbar would be on Pop's doghouse before All-Star break!

[circ]

First of all please try to forget Beno is Slovenian before you read this.... :lol





NEVER! FOR SPARTA!....