Top NBA foreigners by position

[hegamboa]

I was thinking about this yesterday and realized we had 2 of the top foreign players in the league. And then it got me thinking about who the best players were, position by position; I hope I didn't forget anyone but here goes my list.

Best Foreign Point Guards
1) Steve Nash
2) Tony Parker
3) Carlos Arroyo
4) Raul Lopez

Best Foreign Shooting Guards
1) Peja Stojakovic
2) Emanuel Ginobili
3) Gordan Giricek

Best Foreign Small Forwards
1) Dirk Nowitzki
2) Peja Stojakovic
3) Eduardo Najera
4) Darius Songaila

Best Foreign Power Fowards
1) Pau Gasol
2) Dirk Nowitzki
3) Andrei Kirilenko

Best Foreign Centers
1) Yao Ming
2) Z. Ilgauskas
3) Radoslav Nesterovic
4) Vlade Divacs

[King Latifah]

I don't know if you count Tim Duncan as foreign (Virgin Islands) but it seems like the press does when they talk about San Antonio's 'foreign legion.'

[picnroll]

Stojakovic is a SF and with Boozer in town Kirilenko will be a SF too.
That said: starters/backup

PG - Nash/Parker
SG - Ginobili/?
SF - Kirilenko/Stojakovic
PF - Duncan (US VI, same situation as Arroyo)/Nowitzki
C - Yao/Z

Getting to the point where an International vs USA all-star game would be pretty interesting.

[Brodels]

Tim Duncan is an American. The press should not count him as a foreigner.

[hegamboa]

I agree that we should have an additional game during All-Star Weekend.

Rookies vs. Sop res
US vs. World
East vs. West

BTW is Wally Szcerbiak Spanish?

[IcemanCometh]

Wally was born in Spain but hes an American

[KoriEllis]

Tim Duncan is an American. The press should not count him as a foreigner.

The NBA does; that's why the press does.

[Brodels]

I'm not intending to make a big deal about it, but if the U.S. Virgin Islands is indeed a part of the United States, shouldn't they be considered Americans? They use American money, etc.

It just seems like the wrong call to me. I wonder what the people living there think? Any Virgin Islanders on the board?

[hegamboa]

Wally was born in Spain but hes an American

OK so now Wally should be on this list as well....

To paraphrase the le... Best NBA players not born in the States....

[KoriEllis]

I'm not intending to make a big deal about it, but if the U.S. Virgin Islands is indeed a part of the United States, shouldn't they be considered Americans? They use American money, etc.

It just seems like the wrong call to me. I wonder what the people living there think? Any Virgin Islanders on the board?

You are definitely right. They are Americans. But I was just explaining why the press does it. There's a list of foreign players by the NBA and they always put Duncan on it.

[Solid D]

Awaiting discourse by Whottt about Amerigo Vespucci.

(Off-season humorous jab inserted here and I expect retribution)

[SAmikeyp]

Nash
Manu
Peja
Dirk
Yao

I think Parker is a close second to Nash and could be number 1 after this season. I like Kirilenko as well but like Manu and Peja better. Peja, though, needs to show something in the playoffs.

[smeagol]

agree that we should have an additional game during All-Star Weekend.

Rookies vs. Sop res
US vs. World
East vs. West

Last year's Rookies vs. Sop res was a disgrace. If in the coming years it continues to be just compe ion to see which players makes the most flamboyant dunk (even Nene was trying to pull a "under his legs" dunk at the end of last year's game), playing no defense whatsoever, and basically boring the out of viewers, then it should be replaced by a US vs. the Rest of the World game.

[ShineOnYouCrazyManu]

Last year's Rookies vs. Sop res was a disgrace. If in the coming years it continues to be just compe ion to see which players makes the most flamboyant dunk (even Nene was trying to pull a "under his legs" dunk at the end of last year's game), playing no defense whatsoever, and basically boring the out of viewers, then it should be replaced by a US vs. the Rest of the World game.

Agree, I don't want to watch a Carmelo vs. Lebron dunk compe ion.

[exstatic]

I'm not intending to make a big deal about it, but if the U.S. Virgin Islands is indeed a part of the United States, shouldn't they be considered Americans? They use American money, etc.

So do Puerto Rico, Guam, and Samoa. PR has their own Olympic team, fer chrissakes.

[Medvedenko]

Hey, what about Slava....

[SickDSM]

Kobe spent quite a while in spain as a child. I mean christ, if your counting World as a foreign player you might as well count Tim/Kobe

World wouldn't stand a chance unless Tim gets to play for the world team. I've been all for that for years now. In fact it should replace the east-west game. It would be more exciting seeing rivalries develop instead of like this year now you have Francis/Tmac/Shaq/Boozer switching conferences.

[smeagol]

Yes, it would add a lot of excitement to a format that's becoming boring. Even the main attraction is not that hot anymore. Maybe it gets interesting the last quarter, but that's about it.

I think the only problem with a US vs. the Rest game would be the chances for injuries given that players would take this game very seriously (I know Manu would).

World wouldn't stand a chance unless Tim gets to play for the world team

You might be right, but I'm sure it would be much more compe ive than what it would've been ten years ago . . . even five years ago.

[E20]

Kobe spent most of his years in Italy you mean.

[hegamboa]

I think that the world team would have a chance... especially because all the starters, except for Yao, are shooters. Manu isn't quite a shooter either, but he does all the other things necessary for a team to win.

How do we lobby or push for the "US vs Rest of the World" game to replace the rookie game? On a Friday Night (that way the players would be well rested before Sunday's East vs West -- Which I may disagree with many in saying I actually enjoy that game)

BTW The comment I made earlier implied that the players were not BORN in the States (so Kobe living in Spain or Italy has nothing to do with being a foreigner)