NBA dips into European talent pool

View Brandon Jennings video interview
View Stephen Curry video interview
View Victor Claver video interview
View Omri Casspi video interview
View Jordi Villacampa video interview

LONDON [The Friday Eurovision] - The NBA Draft at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night gave all of us at FIBA.com some interesting food for thought.

Over the past several months, we've seen players like Spain’s Ricky Rubio and American guard Stephen Curry compete for their pro or college teams.

We knew that Curry and Brandon Jennings, who gave video interviews to FIBA.com back in November, would be lottery picks, but how many of us expected Victor Claver of Spain, Omri Casspi of Israel and Rodrigue Beaubois of France to be first-round picks?

Claver was selected by Portland, which in my opinion says a lot about the play of Rudy Fernandez and Nicolas Batum in 2008-09.

Spain's Fernandez and France's Batum more than held their own as rookies so the Blazers must have thought another young gun from Europe in Pamesa Valencia's Claver - like Rudy a high-flying dunk artist in the ACB - has every chance to be a solid addition to the team. That’s true if he goes this year, next or the year after.

Casspi represented Israel last summer and helped them qualify for this year’s EuroBasket in Poland, but he didn't receive much playing time at Maccabi Tel Aviv until Pini Gershon was appointed coach early in the campaign.

The 21-year-old hustles and plays good defense and may, if he impresses in the summer league, play next season with a Kings team that had the worst record in the league last year.

Then there is Beaubois, a player we covered in-depth at Cholet this season because he competed in the EuroChallenge and helped them reach the Final Four.

There is an incredible pool of talent in the French national team set-up. Beaubois has not even played for France yet, in fact.

His Cholet teammate, Nando de Colo, was taken in the second round - 53rd overall - by San Antonio.

De Colo is a France international and also a winner.

He was electric in the EuroChallenge Final at Virtus Bologna a couple of months ago and showed a full array of offensive skills. Did San Antonio superstar Tony Parker, his France international teammate, put in a good word for Nando?

He probably did. But San Antonio supremo Gregg Popovich also has a good eye for international talent. It all bodes well for De Colo.

Check out where Spain’s Sergio Llull of Real Madrid went. He was taken with the fourth pick in the second round by Denver and those rights were then traded to Houston.

The Rockets will love the fact that Llull plays in the ACB and now has Ettore Messina as his coach. What better way is there to develop than to play for Italian coaching great Messina?

The NBA could have another dunking Dutchman. Remember Rik Smits, the long-time Indiana Pacers' center?

Now there is Henk Norel, Rubio's teammate at DKV, a 21-year-old.

I went to see the 6ft 11in Norel play at DKV in December and he broke his nose. Minnesota drafted him, but they know he needs more European seasoning before crossing the Atlantic.

Others that FIBA has covered quite a bit include Sergio Gladyr of Ukraine (Atlanta, 49th pick), Emir Preldzic of Slovenia (57th overall, Phoenix), American-born Nick Calathes of Greece (Minnesota, 45th), Jonas Jerebko of Sweden (Detroit, 39th) and Bosnia and Herzegovina's Goran Suton (50th, Utah).

As for Rubio, the biggest winner may be Spanish basketball because their most exciting player is almost certain to remain at DKV for one or two more seasons due to his buyout clause.

Rubio and his advisors have tried everything imaginable to get DKV to lower the buyout but have failed with the Badalona president Jordi Villacampa holding firm.

The fact that he was selected fifth and not second by Memphis, third by Oklahoma City or fourth by Sacramento means he will earn less money on the rookie salary scale.

Maybe Rubio will be content to remain in Badalona a while longer instead of moving to the snowy climes of Minnesota.

His father, Esteve Rubio, said: "With this position, it's possible that he will play one or two years more in Europe.

"He could go now or he could stay in Europe, everything is open. But the likelihood is that he will stay in Europe for some time. We have to talk to the people of Minnesota and see what happens."

As for the non-Euros, I'm thrilled for big man Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina. He's one of the all-time college greats and after leading the Tar Heels to the NCAA title, it's nice to see him taken 13th overall by Indiana.

So much for the experts who said Hansbrough would fall to the lower end of the first round because he lacks athleticism. Larry Bird, not the most athletic of players, calls the shots in Indiana and obviously knows what it takes to be a winner.

Curry, it seemed, didn't want to leave Davidson College before he graduated but he did so knowing his draft stock would not be any higher next year. Everyone is high on the sharpshooter who was taken seventh by Golden State.

Here's hoping that Team USA have Curry, the son of former NBA star Dell Curry, in their future plans.

Then there is Brandon Jennings, who did and said all the right things while in Italy at Lottomatica Roma.

Jennings, who in April donated $50,000 to the relief effort following the earthquake in the Abruzzo region of Italy, was taken 10th overall by Milwaukee.

FIBA