FIBA Basketball
SCG - Divac blazed a trail for other Europeans to follow
NEW YORK (NBA) - Vlade Divac often is credited as one of the international pioneers who changed the face of the NBA forever, making it a truly global league with outstanding players hailing from every corner of
NEW YORK (NBA) - Vlade Divac often is credited as one of the international pioneers who changed the face of the NBA forever, making it a truly global league with outstanding players hailing from every corner of the globe.
The Serbo-Montenegrin, Lithuania's Sarunas Marciulionis and the late Drazen Petrovic of Croatia all debuted in the NBA in 1989, and the influx of talented international players continues to change the NBA in ways big and small.
A lesser well-known fact about Divac is that he was a pioneer in another important way.
Divac came into the NBA through the early entry process, applying to be eligible for the draft in 1989, one year sooner than he would have become automatically eligible for the draft as a 22-year-old international player under the rules at the time.
His early entry largely went unnoticed because it did not start an avalanche of international early entry candidates. In fact, over the next six years, only three more international players applied for early entry into the NBA draft.
But beginning in 1996, young international players testing the draft waters through the early entry process became more and more prevalent, and today early entry applicants from countries outside the United States constitute about one-third of all early entry candidates.
This year, 31 international players applied for early entry. If tradition holds, only about 10 to 12 of those players will keep their names eligible for the draft by the withdrawal deadline of June 18. The rest will withdraw and be eligible for a future NBA draft.
Since international early entry candidates often are less well-known than their counterparts from colleges in the US, we have attempted an educated guess at which of these candidates might stay in the draft and become 2006 picks.
:: Andrea Bargnani, Benetton Treviso (Italy), 6ft 11, 240 pounds:
Bargnani is expected to remain in the draft and be picked in the top 10. Some observers think the sweet-shooting big man could even go in the top five. Unlike many of the international players being considered, Bargnani plays a big role for his current team. Benetton Treviso (24-8) are one of the top teams in Italy and a perennial factor in the Euroleague.
Bargnani has the height and frame to eventually play power forward in the NBA, but right now his game and body are those of a small forward. He can pull up and hit the perimeter shot but is even more adept at putting the ball on the floor and slashing to the basket.
Bargnani has loads of offensive potential and could be a big scorer in the NBA a few years down the road. The biggest criticism aimed at Benetton coach David Blatt's prized pupil is his lack of consistency. Expect Bargnani to play at the FIBA World Championship for Italy, and he will discover how ready he is for the NBA when he takes on Team USA.
:: Tiago Splitter, Tau Ceramica (Spain), 6ft 11in, 240 pounds:
Splitter has been on the radar of teams for years, and his playing time and importance to Tau has increased quite a bit this year. When he left Tau's Euroleague semi-final against Maccabi Tel Aviv in the first half with a shoulder injury, it was a fatal blow to their chances of victory and they were blown out.
Although in many games last year Splitter was almost exclusively used as a rebounder and defender, this year he is being given a larger role in the offense and has responded by averaging around 10 points per game.
Splitter has a reliable hook shot, but he also scores opportunity baskets around the hoop by dunking in offensive rebounds and capitalizing on passes from penetrating teammates.
He has good hands and is a good athlete. The only drawback for NBA teams is that Splitter has no buyout language in his contract, which reportedly has two more seasons to go. Still, if Splitter remains in the draft, look for an NBA team to grab him in the first round. He, too, will get a chance to show his true value at the FIBA World Championship in Japan.
:: Saer Sene, Verviers-Pepinster (Belgium), 7f, 240 pounds:
Sene is a physical specimen who only recently turned 20 years old. He is raw, having played organised basketball for only a couple of seasons after leaving his native Senegal.
Sene has the type of athletic ability and wingspan that teams covet. He is a project, averaging only 3.5 points and 4.7 rebounds in Belgium. But talent evaluators who have seen him say Sene is more than worth the gamble of a late first-round pick.
:: Rudy Fernandez, DKV Joventut (Spain), 6ft 5in, 190 pounds:
Fernandez is a rangy, athletic but thin guard who has proven himself in the ACB, Spain's highest league and the best in Europe, and the EuroCup. Fernandez was the MVP of DKV's triumphant EuroCup campaign, in fact.
A complementary scorer in previous years, Fernandez is now Joventut's top threat, averaging close to 15 points per game. While Fernandez does have an accurate mid-range shot, it is his relentless drives to the basket and leaping ability that make him such a tough cover and piques the interest of teams.
:: Lior Eliyahu, Hapoel Galil Elyon (Israel), 6ft 9in, 200 pounds:
Eliyahu is thin and will have to gain weight and strength if he wants to play in the NBA. But he has exploded this year, averaging 16.5 points in Israel and he was also a EuroCup all-star.
A star of junior competitions whose progress has carefully monitored for the past three years, Eliyahu will test the waters for the next few weeks and see if an NBA team is willing to make a commitment to him in the first round. If not, he becomes automatically eligible to be drafted in 2007.
As the most promising young Israeli player in years, Eliyahu is a certain NBA draft pick, either this year or next.
:: Sergio Rodriguez, Adecco Estudiantes (Spain), 6ft 3in, 180 pounds:
A member of Spain's squad at last summer's EuroBasket but one who rarely played, Rodriguez is a precocious talent who amazes onlookers with sometimes spectacular passes. His coaches might rather he make the safe pass, but he is a fan favorite for his flashy game.
Rodriguez turns 20 in June, and he will have to decide whether this is his year for the draft. While he would certainly be chosen, it might be better for him to return to Spain and solidify his status with a bit more growth in his game before coming to the NBA.
:: Brad Newley, Townsville (Australia), 6t 7in, 190 pounds:
Newley was a revelation in the NBL, Australia's top professional league, when he was 2005 Rookie of the Year. He played for his country at the FIBA U21 World Championship in Argentina and is expected to play for the Boomers at the FIBA World Championship in Japan.
Newley is very quick off the dribble and loves to drive and use his size to finish at the rim. He also is a dangerous three-point shooter who has an innate feel for game situations - probably from watching his father, who also was a professional player in Australia.
Newley is expected to come to the US and work out for teams. The impressions left by those workouts will tell whether Newley stays and is drafted this year or withdraws and is drafted next year.
:: Renaldas Seibutis, Olympiacos (Greece), 6ft 5in, 180 pounds:
There is a big buzz all over Europe about this young Lithuanian. He is a speedy, energetic player who has already made an impact for Olympiacos in his first season in Greece.
Seibutis can create his own shot, pass off the dribble and shoot the European three-pointer. He does not have the strength to compete in the NBA right now, but several NBA teams are watching him closely for a possible draft selection either this year or next.
Expect him to play at the FIBA World Championship in Japan as well.
PA Sport
The Serbo-Montenegrin, Lithuania's Sarunas Marciulionis and the late Drazen Petrovic of Croatia all debuted in the NBA in 1989, and the influx of talented international players continues to change the NBA in ways big and small.
A lesser well-known fact about Divac is that he was a pioneer in another important way.
Divac came into the NBA through the early entry process, applying to be eligible for the draft in 1989, one year sooner than he would have become automatically eligible for the draft as a 22-year-old international player under the rules at the time.
His early entry largely went unnoticed because it did not start an avalanche of international early entry candidates. In fact, over the next six years, only three more international players applied for early entry into the NBA draft.
But beginning in 1996, young international players testing the draft waters through the early entry process became more and more prevalent, and today early entry applicants from countries outside the United States constitute about one-third of all early entry candidates.
This year, 31 international players applied for early entry. If tradition holds, only about 10 to 12 of those players will keep their names eligible for the draft by the withdrawal deadline of June 18. The rest will withdraw and be eligible for a future NBA draft.
Since international early entry candidates often are less well-known than their counterparts from colleges in the US, we have attempted an educated guess at which of these candidates might stay in the draft and become 2006 picks.
:: Andrea Bargnani, Benetton Treviso (Italy), 6ft 11, 240 pounds:
Bargnani is expected to remain in the draft and be picked in the top 10. Some observers think the sweet-shooting big man could even go in the top five. Unlike many of the international players being considered, Bargnani plays a big role for his current team. Benetton Treviso (24-8) are one of the top teams in Italy and a perennial factor in the Euroleague.
Bargnani has the height and frame to eventually play power forward in the NBA, but right now his game and body are those of a small forward. He can pull up and hit the perimeter shot but is even more adept at putting the ball on the floor and slashing to the basket.
Bargnani has loads of offensive potential and could be a big scorer in the NBA a few years down the road. The biggest criticism aimed at Benetton coach David Blatt's prized pupil is his lack of consistency. Expect Bargnani to play at the FIBA World Championship for Italy, and he will discover how ready he is for the NBA when he takes on Team USA.
:: Tiago Splitter, Tau Ceramica (Spain), 6ft 11in, 240 pounds:
Splitter has been on the radar of teams for years, and his playing time and importance to Tau has increased quite a bit this year. When he left Tau's Euroleague semi-final against Maccabi Tel Aviv in the first half with a shoulder injury, it was a fatal blow to their chances of victory and they were blown out.
Although in many games last year Splitter was almost exclusively used as a rebounder and defender, this year he is being given a larger role in the offense and has responded by averaging around 10 points per game.
Splitter has a reliable hook shot, but he also scores opportunity baskets around the hoop by dunking in offensive rebounds and capitalizing on passes from penetrating teammates.
He has good hands and is a good athlete. The only drawback for NBA teams is that Splitter has no buyout language in his contract, which reportedly has two more seasons to go. Still, if Splitter remains in the draft, look for an NBA team to grab him in the first round. He, too, will get a chance to show his true value at the FIBA World Championship in Japan.
:: Saer Sene, Verviers-Pepinster (Belgium), 7f, 240 pounds:
Sene is a physical specimen who only recently turned 20 years old. He is raw, having played organised basketball for only a couple of seasons after leaving his native Senegal.
Sene has the type of athletic ability and wingspan that teams covet. He is a project, averaging only 3.5 points and 4.7 rebounds in Belgium. But talent evaluators who have seen him say Sene is more than worth the gamble of a late first-round pick.
:: Rudy Fernandez, DKV Joventut (Spain), 6ft 5in, 190 pounds:
Fernandez is a rangy, athletic but thin guard who has proven himself in the ACB, Spain's highest league and the best in Europe, and the EuroCup. Fernandez was the MVP of DKV's triumphant EuroCup campaign, in fact.
A complementary scorer in previous years, Fernandez is now Joventut's top threat, averaging close to 15 points per game. While Fernandez does have an accurate mid-range shot, it is his relentless drives to the basket and leaping ability that make him such a tough cover and piques the interest of teams.
:: Lior Eliyahu, Hapoel Galil Elyon (Israel), 6ft 9in, 200 pounds:
Eliyahu is thin and will have to gain weight and strength if he wants to play in the NBA. But he has exploded this year, averaging 16.5 points in Israel and he was also a EuroCup all-star.
A star of junior competitions whose progress has carefully monitored for the past three years, Eliyahu will test the waters for the next few weeks and see if an NBA team is willing to make a commitment to him in the first round. If not, he becomes automatically eligible to be drafted in 2007.
As the most promising young Israeli player in years, Eliyahu is a certain NBA draft pick, either this year or next.
:: Sergio Rodriguez, Adecco Estudiantes (Spain), 6ft 3in, 180 pounds:
A member of Spain's squad at last summer's EuroBasket but one who rarely played, Rodriguez is a precocious talent who amazes onlookers with sometimes spectacular passes. His coaches might rather he make the safe pass, but he is a fan favorite for his flashy game.
Rodriguez turns 20 in June, and he will have to decide whether this is his year for the draft. While he would certainly be chosen, it might be better for him to return to Spain and solidify his status with a bit more growth in his game before coming to the NBA.
:: Brad Newley, Townsville (Australia), 6t 7in, 190 pounds:
Newley was a revelation in the NBL, Australia's top professional league, when he was 2005 Rookie of the Year. He played for his country at the FIBA U21 World Championship in Argentina and is expected to play for the Boomers at the FIBA World Championship in Japan.
Newley is very quick off the dribble and loves to drive and use his size to finish at the rim. He also is a dangerous three-point shooter who has an innate feel for game situations - probably from watching his father, who also was a professional player in Australia.
Newley is expected to come to the US and work out for teams. The impressions left by those workouts will tell whether Newley stays and is drafted this year or withdraws and is drafted next year.
:: Renaldas Seibutis, Olympiacos (Greece), 6ft 5in, 180 pounds:
There is a big buzz all over Europe about this young Lithuanian. He is a speedy, energetic player who has already made an impact for Olympiacos in his first season in Greece.
Seibutis can create his own shot, pass off the dribble and shoot the European three-pointer. He does not have the strength to compete in the NBA right now, but several NBA teams are watching him closely for a possible draft selection either this year or next.
Expect him to play at the FIBA World Championship in Japan as well.
PA Sport