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i think barkley just forgot about dirk and tried to cover it up.
I don't know if it was posted, but Barkley and Kenny Smith were discussing last night on who is best foreign player of all time.
Kenny Smith picks Dirk, Charles picks Manu.
IMHO neither is the best of all time. Manu is such a great compe or, his lacks on offense are compensated by his effort and will to win which are probably what makes him so great. Every night he amaze me even more on how badly he wants to win. I don't know where the he learned to played like that.
He might be the most complete player in the NBA, the most versatile in terms of being useful to a team but I don't know if he qualifies as the best of all time. Maybe he does, and Im wrong. Certainly he deserves the discussion though. But if there's anything he's the best at is the effort to win.
Dirk is just a great offensive player but he's won nothing and he's D-less.
i think barkley just forgot about dirk and tried to cover it up.
IMHO Opinion...
Tim Duncan!
But Manu is a close 2nd. Like Tim, he plays both sides of the court.
Why Tim Duncan? Since the NBA has him officially listed as an International Player, then I can say Tim. When Tim first decided to play for the USA Senior National Men's Team in 1996, there wasn't a USVI National Men's team at the time. FIBA Rules are such that once you play for a Senior National Team, you cannot switch. When 2004 came around and the US Olympic Team was scheduled to play the USVI, Tim sat that one out.
Most think Drazen was the best.
Calling Tim an international player is like calling Kobe one.
I don't think anyone who attended 4 years of college in the US and is a citizen of the US should be considered an international player.
no sabonis?
Actually most remember Drazen as being one of the first, and most certainly, the first to make an impact. Then of course Detlef Schrempf.
The Suns brought in the first Eastern Bloc Euro player in Georgi Glouchkov in 1985-1986. He was Bulgarian and I used to hear stories about him chain smoking right up until warm-ups, light up at half-time, and then light up again once the game was over. He didn't do much for Phoenix, but he was the 1st.
Sabonis is likely better than both. He just showed up in the NBA too late.
Tough argument.
Ginobilis got the hardware to back his case.
You can't change your nationality or place of birth on a whim. You are who you are.
The US Virgin Islands, like Puerto Rico are part of the US but given their own special consideration. There is a Puerto Rican National Team. If Carlos Arroyo is considered an International then why can't Tim Duncan be considered the same?
Remember, Arroyo spent 4 years at an American University. So, me calling Tim an International is DIFFERENT because the NBA defined the criteria.
http://www.nba.com/news/2010-11-inte...ers/index.html
U.S. Virgin Islands Raja Bell Jazz
U.S. Virgin Islands Tim Duncan Spurs
sabonis and drazen are both big what ifs.. neither had the chance to showcase in there prime what they could do, one was taken too early the other was here too late. they had potential to be the greatest ones though. but as for dirk or manu, thats a good argument either way imo.
but yea drazen was a scoring and highlight machine and sabas was un real in his prime the ultimate big man and player, even as a old fart he did some amazing things
He had a chance to be great, except for his reckless style of play which greatly shortened his career, Sarunas Marciulionis was Manu before Manu minus the El Latigo Dribble Move and the passing vision.
Here's a decent list of Euros who were good in the NBA.
http://live.drjays.com/index.php/201...st-generation/
Did anybody see this guy in his prime?
Mercy!
Probably Hakeem was the best, but every one of those guys brought something different to the table in different times.
I saw Sabas play.
Here's an old article for what Mike Fratello saw of him from some time back.
http://articles.latimes.com/1986-08-..._1_nba-players
Hakeem Olajuwon....wow. I still got Tim at #1 but The Dream is 1-a, Ginobili is 1-b.
I'd take Manu over Drazen and Dirk. You can't statistically track Manu's value and honestly most afro american NBA players don't want to credit being outplayed, outsmarted and just not as good as Manu is. Most don't want to acknowledge how good he REALLY is but I'd take him starting a team any day.
Charles is the best, love the TNT coverage. When Ernie called out Hakeem as probably a better foreign player to Charles, he switched his question to "the best European..." ... LOL!!!
Go Argentina!!!
LOL!!!
:-D
1 hard to tell how good Sabonis was b/c he never plated vs NBA comp until late oblige when he didn't impress; can't just assume his physical gifts would translate;
2 Drazen was a great jump shooter like a young Peja but Manu is much, much more
3 Detlef was a marginally good player but no Manu
4 Dirk is every bit as good as Manu and probably better, but never had a TD or a TP
If you're counting Timmy as American then it's Olajuwon. I'd put Manu and Dirk next.
Drazen might have been the best scorer, but his defense was lacking.
Manu has never had to play in the NBA without Duncan as a teammate. That obviously contributes to his success.
I would pick Hakeem no contest- unless by international you mean players who did not go to college in the US, as well.
Hakeem Abdul
I didnt watch vid, but i think CB also thought that Duncan and Hakeem don't count since they played for team USA.
Drazen Petrovic is the greatest european player to ever play the game of basketball ... he didnt have the greatest career cuz it was cut short .... but he was a better player than dirk or manu ... he was droppin 40+ pts on jordan, dumars and pippen .... all who were considered the best defenders of their time ... I doubt Manu could drop 40+ vs Lebron or Kobe and Dirk can't drop 40+ pts vs Duncan or Garnett .... maybe they could but not as consistently as Drazen could
hakeem went to college in the US and played for the US national team ... he doesn't deserve to be in this conversation
What's you issue with afro-american players? I don't see what that has to do with the discussion of greatest international player of all time.
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