International Players That Could Come Over This Year

[UcanUwill]

Davis Bertans is finally shooting that 3 consistently. 50% this year in the Euroleague, if he can sustain something similar to that,he could make it. Better Matt Bonner, just as ginger...

His teammate Adam Hanga is also good. Not a good shooter, but athletic defender. Spurs drafted him years back, I dont know who owns his rights now?

Mindaugas Kuzminskas is just not very good. I don't get why NBA teams are even interested.

Nando De Colo should absolutely come back to the league, no question about that. Guy is a solid combo guard

Georgios Printezis is good, but he is not coming over. Well, I believe Spurs owns his rights now, so maybe there is a chance, I mean who doesn't want to play for the Spurs?

Sergio Rodriguez is very skilled offensively. He peaked 2 years ago, declined since, but still good enough to play in rotation. He is not coming over tho.

Jan Vesely finally caught up to being a big. Made full transition to C position. But for a guy who has no offensive game (he does have that one handed Printezis-esque finisher, but thats very minor), he doesn't protect the rim as you would. Could easily end up being as useless in the NBA as he was initially.

Tomas Satoransky is overrated IMO. What exactly he excels at? Guy just looks at best average at anything. But I thought the same think about Beno Udrih for years, and that guy been in the league for years for some reason.

[MaxRider]

Llull never entered the draft. He was auto eligible because he was born in 1987, and was 22 at 2009. Those are NBA rules, you always take a gamble with a guy who never showed interest to even declare.

auto eligible? wow, so nba is the mess up one

[Johnny Firpo]

I would really love to see Davis Bertans coming over, but I don't think he will.

He would be be a wonderful addition to this Spurs team

Hanga is arguably even better this year and you guys have his rights too. He is an awesome defender.

[UcanUwill]

I would really love to see Davis Bertans coming over, but I don't think he will.

He would be be a wonderful addition to this Spurs team

Hanga is arguably even better this year and you guys have his rights too. He is an awesome defender.

Yeah, Hanga is one of my faves. He needs to improve his shot tho.

[Apollo64]

Llull should have been in the NBA years ago, very good all-around combo guard without notable weaknesses. He is likely a better player than Beverley, though apparently he doesn't like Houston that much.

Satoransky and Bourousis should be given a chance. I really like Satoransky, he's a smart player with size for the guard spot, not NBA fast though. Bourousis is a skilled center and a good rebounder, but slowfooted, so defense is going to be an issue.

Vesely looks ready to go back to the NBA, he's worth a shot if any team wants a somewhat undersized high-energy backup center.

[Riko]

Anyone know what ever happened to Jorge Garbagejosa (sp?)

He retired. After he left the NBA, he played for awhile in Europe, but he was very limited physically and had a completely destroyed leg. He could barely play to be honest about it. His leg was just really messed up. He finally retired like 3-4 years ago.

He is a candidate for FEB presidency (basically Silver's role in Spain).


To respond to the OP, probably Gentile take a try in NBA but depends on Italian national team summer (pre-Olympics), his personal performance and his healthy.

[Yoshun]

How could the NBA fine players with whom they have no legal agreement?

Probably can't. They need to figure something out though. It costs teams draft picks and it makes it harder to justify drafting international players in the future. I like having international players in the league, I don't want it to stop or slow down because guys are getting drafted, then deciding not to come over. It's also simply just frustrating for teams and fans. If we're talking about Sergio Lugo though, he went undrafted.

Maybe the solution is a 3rd round for non-US players whom have not decided to come over yet or who have not finished their contracts with their current teams? I really don't know to be honest.

Llull never entered the draft. He was auto eligible because he was born in 1987, and was 22 at 2009. Those are NBA rules, you always take a gamble with a guy who never showed interest to even declare.

Yea, I don't think anyone should be punished or anything, except whomever wasted the draft pick on a guy who never declared for the draft. I honestly don't think a guy should be punished even if he did declare for the draft. I do think something should be done just to prep for it. Maybe a 3rd round for these types of players or something. I don't know. It can be really frustrating for fans and teams.

[mixerball]

shved is a waste of space in the nba

on the other hand de colo could be a good addition after really blossoming in cska

Anyone know what ever happened to Jorge Garbagejosa (sp?)

retired, 38 yrs old

Anyone know what ever happened to Jorge Garbagejosa (sp?)

He retired. After he left the NBA, he played for awhile in Europe, but he was very limited physically and had a completely destroyed leg. He could barely play to be honest about it. His leg was just really messed up. He finally retired like 3-4 years ago.

He is a candidate for FEB presidency (basically Silver's role in Spain).


To respond to the OP, probably Gentile take a try in NBA but depends on Italian national team summer (pre-Olympics), his personal performance and his healthy.

gentile doesnt even want to play outside italy. i dont think he is coming.

[Novocaine]

Anthony Randolph, Michael Delaney, Errick McCollum, Sergio Lull, Nando De Colo and Davis Bertans, by this order.

Randolph is playing with so much more purpose and focus. He's good enough to be a starter in the NBA.

[Mirotic12]

Anthony Randolph, Michael Delaney, Errick McCollum, Sergio Lull, Nando De Colo and Davis Bertans, by this order.

Randolph is playing with so much more purpose and focus. He's good enough to be a starter in the NBA.

Do you mean Malcom Delaney?

Let's see...

Randolph - spends most of his time in Euroleague shooting 3 pointers and missing, and shooting ridiculous soft fade away floaters. He's softer than a baby's behind. He would not even make it in a big Euroleague club.

Delaney (I assume you mean Malcom) - he's a very good ball handler and scorer. He's very good at creating his own shot and finishing. So yeah, that's what the NBA likes. On the other hand, he's not a PG in even the slightest degree, not even 1/10 is he a PG. He's an enormously ball dominant, undersized shooting guard. And he plays absolutely no defense in an entire season.

I could see him as a guy that gets a good contract in the NBA, and a good role also, but he's only going to make any team he plays on worse.

McCollum - He's nothing but a gigantic ball hog and super volume scorer. He has incredible athletic ability, but that's about it. I mean, he can handle the ball, and he can shoot the 3, but his entire game is solely based on athleticism. He's a guy that literally can do nothing but jack up shots. He's been playing in Europe for years, and still has not gotten a Euroleague contract, despite looking for one every summer. And there is a reason for that. I actually like him as a player, just because he can really score, but there are so many better guards than him in Europe that it would just be in the same category of when the NBA signed guys like Beverley, Prigioni, and Huertas. It makes no sense.

Llull - According to Spanish media, he was already approached by the Rockets again recently about coming to the NBA this summer, and he supposedly already declined them again. He does not want to play in Houston and that's evident.

He's a very, very good player, and he is way better than any point guard the Rockets have. But also, he's way way overrated in US. Because the idea of him in the US is that he's some great player in Europe. He's not.

He's basically the ultimate streak shooter and a complete and total loose cannon of a player. He plays completely in open court and wild and without any discipline. He is the biggest chucker of all times in Euroleague, and he has many times in games in ACB and Euroleague had James Harden like tendencies. There was game in ACB where he went I believe 0 for 17 from 3 in one game.

He's a terrific defender against big shooting guards and swing men, but against point guards and combo guards he needs a help defender or a double team, or he will get lit up in a crazy fashion. Which means, he can't guard his position in the NBA.

He used to be really, really athletic. He's not now. He's one of those small athletic guards that aged really badly. Where around age 27-28 they start a steep athletic decline, and are almost done physically by age 30. Llull is 28 now and last season you could see a dramatic drop in his athletic ability. This season, he became basically a slightly below average athlete for the point guard position in Euroleague.

The point is, he's not interested in coming to the Rockets obviously, but even if he does, he waited too long. He's a guy that is very reliant on his athleticism, and he's almost lost it all already. In addition to that, he is perfect for a team like the Warriors, but in a team with Harden - he would never work.

De Colo - He recently said he will only come to the NBA if he has a major role in a good team, and implied it would be just as a starter. So I don't see it happening. Anyway, he's a very, very good player and scorer. But I don't think he is going to have any success in the NBA if teams use him like the Spurs and Raptors did. This guy is in no way a PG, and he is in no way a combo guard either. He's a pure 100% absolute all the way shooting guard, and he can't be used as anything other than a SG or a SF.

He is doing so well offensively in CSKA because he only plays SG and SF on offense. There is just no way possible he can have success in NBA, or in Euroleague as a PG. But in the NBA for some reason they tried to make him a PG.

So he would have to be used as a SG/SF (primarily as a SG) in the NBA on offense. As for defense though, the problem he has is he is really too slow to defend most shooting guards (he struggles huge with that in Euroleague), and his lateral speed really makes it where he needs to defend small forwards in Euroleague. But he is way too light and weak physically to defend the 3, even though he has OK height (6-6 in shoes) and length. CSKA tries all the time to move him to the 3 on defense so he won't give up so much dribble penetration, but then teams immediately start posting him up, or having big 3s shoot over him.

So he is basically locked into a role as a 6th man designated shooter/scorer off the bench guy that also can't defend anyone. That's the kind of role I think he would get in the NBA if teams used him right and did not make him play point guard. And I think he could be extremely effective on offense and score a lot of points. On defense, he's just a liability. So this basically is not the role, nor would it be the kind of money he would be seeking.

Bertans - He can have a role in any NBA or Euroleague team because he is 6-10, athletic, can run the floor, and he's got ridiculous shooting range. He's basically like a smarter, higher basketball IQ, but less talented and less skilled version of Teletovic. The main thing with Bertans is his body is made out of glass, and he has already had numerous severe injuries by age 23. He probably is going to age extremely badly and be totally physically done by age 30.

[Cipoteman]

According to this topic, the NBA should fine players that were automatically eligible and never put their name in the draft...

However this is said by some users that can't even Google his correct surname

[Mirotic12]

Llull should have been in the NBA years ago, very good all-around combo guard without notable weaknesses. He likely is a better player than Beverley, though apparently he doesn't like Houston that much.

Satoransky should be given a chance. I really like Satoransky, he's a smart player with size for the guard spot, not NBA fast though.

Vesely looks ready to go back to the NBA, he's worth a shot if any team wants a somewhat undersized high-energy backup center.

Llull - can't make it anymore obvious that he does not want to play in Houston. Which is no surprise considering how they have treated European players.

Satoransky - is like a more athletic, less skilled and not as good at defense version of Marko Jaric. He's not as good as Jaric was, but considering how much of an insane freak athlete he is, and how wide open the NBA is now with rules, reffing, and play style, he would probably be more effective than Jaric was in the NBA, and he was a starter for a long time.

Vesely - Yeah, he can come back to the NBA. Why not? But he is going to have to get some kind of absolute guarantee for a role and playing time. Otherwise there is zero chance he goes back to the NBA. He is better physically now (stronger) and he finally has a clearly defined position on offence (center), but he is still a tweener with no real position on defense (he isn't strong enough to guard centers in Euroleague in the post, and he's not a good match up for small ball fours, which are now prevalent in Euroleague and NBA). Before he could only make dunks. He got better in that now he can make shots from 5 feet.

But that's still all he can do with scoring. His scoring ability is from the rim to 5 feet. Also, he still can't hit a free throw if his life depended on it probably. He's still a major liability on offense at crucial moments of games, and you still have to bench him because he can't hit a free throw. So because of all of these issues, he's going to have to get an NBA team that would promise to play him regardless of that. Like now he plays in Fener, and the coach just accepts that he will get no offense from past 5 feet, almost nothing in scoring other than a dunk or a layup and that he can't make a free throw. The coach chooses to accept it, rather than look for a guy with skills at that playing time. Unless he gets a similar situation if he went to the NBA, then he will be stuck in the same roles he had with the Wizards and Nuggets. And there is no reason for him to take that, when he gets to play in Fener, despite having no offensive skills other than dunks and layups.

Georgios Printezis is good, but he is not coming over. Well, I believe Spurs owns his rights now, so maybe there is a chance, I mean who doesn't want to play for the Spurs?

Bourousis should be given a chance. Bourousis is a skilled center and a good rebounder, but slowfooted, so defense is going to an issue.

Bourousis and Printezis and also Spanoulis and Mantzaris - It's no secret that the Spurs have been scouting really hard on Printezis, Bourousis, and Spanoulis in recent years. It's been said many times they have all been offered contracts by the Spurs and are very interested in playing with the Spurs. The problem is that in all 3 cases it always is said that the Spurs say they have to quit playing for Greece's national team if they want a contract. It's also quite well known that they really just are interested in the Spurs, especially in the cases of Printezis and Spanoulis, with supposedly they won't even consider a different NBA team.

I would guess that the only way any of these 3 end up with the Spurs, is if FIBA keeps Greece's national team banned. Then I would say it is likely both Bourousis and Spanoulis play with the Spurs, since these rumors about them planning to do it together, along with their families, have been out there for a long time. Printezis is unlikely because he's a life long Olympiacos and he's the player icon of that club (like Navarro with Barca), since he was playing there since he was 15. He's also not a free agent, so I think he is very unlikely, even though the Spurs want him.

The Pistons and Grizzlies have also been scouting the whole season on Spanoulis and another guard on his team (Olympiacos) Vangelis Mantzaris. But every time I hear about anything with Spanoulis, it is that he will probably only deal with the Spurs. As far as Mantzaris goes, I don't think he would get any playing time in the NBA. He's too slow and he has no offensive game other than shooting wide open 3 pointers. The only reason he plays so much in Olympiacos is because he's a good fit next to Spanoulis chemistry wise. In Greece's national team, he never gets playing time. Plus, he's not a free agent either. So a couple NBA teams have been looking at Mantzaris, but I don't think it makes any sense.

[Blame Rasho]

Enough with your circle jerk obsession with the Greek players and the Spurs. It is pathetic and sad. You make up crap and want people to believe you? Jeez.. what is your end game seriously?

[Blame Rasho]

Spanoulis is a little mama's bitch...He was crying all the time while in the NBA. He isn't cut out to be an NBA player.

[Mirotic12]

Enough with your circle jerk obsession with the Greek players and the Spurs. It is pathetic and sad. You make up crap and want people to believe you? Jeez.. what is your end game seriously?

Spanoulis is a little mama's bitch...He was crying all the time while in the NBA. He isn't cut out to be an NBA player.

The Spurs general manager seems to think he is a good player. Otherwise, why would he say they traded for him to keep him, and asked him to stay and hoped he would?

The Spurs' own general manager said it.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCuOksr0N-U[/youtube]

[Blame Rasho]

He isn't going to say... "yeah... he sucks" to a Greek journalist. He has some tact unlike me.

After playing sparingly last season, Spanoulis had already told the Rockets he wanted to return to Greece. The trade isn't expected to make him change his mind: Two weeks ago, his agent, Miodrag Raznatovic, said, "They could trade him to San Antonio and he could be the starting point guard, and he would say, 'No, I cannot.'"

So yeah... he is an idiot along with being delusional. The Rockets traded him to get anything back.

Spanoulis played in 31 games last season, averaging 2.7 points and .9 assists in 8.8 minutes per game. He made 31.9 percent of his shot, 17.2 percent of his 3-pointers.

Stuff of lengends...



Raznatovic said Spanoulis, who earned $1.8 million as a rookie last season, would repay the $350,000 buyout the Rockets paid Panathinaikos last season out of his next contract.

He said Spanoulis has told him he would not play for any team outside Greece again.

"They could try Miami, New York, L.A. — it would not matter," Raznatovic said. "Maybe he goes to Spain and (would) feel different, but we'll never know. He said, 'No, no, no. I cannot leave Greece.'

"He is looking for an escape. He calls me every day. His mother calls me crying, saying, 'Get my son back.' This is serious. If they want to send a message to all international players that if (they) come and cannot adjust, they cannot go back, that they have to stay there like a slave, that won't work. If he comes back, what can he do? Can he be a good player? Of course not. It could be a disaster."

Sounds like a real winner...


"It was very hard," Spanoulis said. "This life was very different. I expected it to be a lot different. I am very close with my family. I prefer to be with my family than to play in the United States. It is very difficult for me to make that step, to be away from them and live there.


A grown man crying for his mom... he is a man's man...

[baldur]

Anthony Randolph, Michael Delaney, Errick McCollum, Sergio Lull, Nando De Colo and Davis Bertans, by this order.

Randolph is playing with so much more purpose and focus. He's good enough to be a starter in the NBA.

Do you mean Malcom Delaney?

Let's see...

Randolph - spends most of his time in Euroleague shooting 3 pointers and missing, and shooting ridiculous soft fade away floaters. He's softer than a baby's behind. He would not even make it in a big Euroleague club.

What do you mean by big euroleague club?
His current team made the Euroleague Final-Four this season.

[Mirotic12]

He isn't going to say... "yeah... he sucks" to a Greek journalist. He has some tact unlike me.

After playing sparingly last season, Spanoulis had already told the Rockets he wanted to return to Greece. The trade isn't expected to make him change his mind: Two weeks ago, his agent, Miodrag Raznatovic, said, "They could trade him to San Antonio and he could be the starting point guard, and he would say, 'No, I cannot.'"

So yeah... he is an idiot along with being delusional. The Rockets traded him to get anything back.

Spanoulis played in 31 games last season, averaging 2.7 points and .9 assists in 8.8 minutes per game. He made 31.9 percent of his shot, 17.2 percent of his 3-pointers.

Stuff of lengends...



Raznatovic said Spanoulis, who earned $1.8 million as a rookie last season, would repay the $350,000 buyout the Rockets paid Panathinaikos last season out of his next contract.

He said Spanoulis has told him he would not play for any team outside Greece again.

"They could try Miami, New York, L.A. — it would not matter," Raznatovic said. "Maybe he goes to Spain and (would) feel different, but we'll never know. He said, 'No, no, no. I cannot leave Greece.'

"He is looking for an escape. He calls me every day. His mother calls me crying, saying, 'Get my son back.' This is serious. If they want to send a message to all international players that if (they) come and cannot adjust, they cannot go back, that they have to stay there like a slave, that won't work. If he comes back, what can he do? Can he be a good player? Of course not. It could be a disaster."

Sounds like a real winner...


"It was very hard," Spanoulis said. "This life was very different. I expected it to be a lot different. I am very close with my family. I prefer to be with my family than to play in the United States. It is very difficult for me to make that step, to be away from them and live there.


A grown man crying for his mom... he is a man's man...

The Spur's general manager holds more credence than the personal opinions on realgm.com, sports writers for the Houston Rockets, or a European basketball agent.

Anthony Randolph, Michael Delaney, Errick McCollum, Sergio Lull, Nando De Colo and Davis Bertans, by this order.

Randolph is playing with so much more purpose and focus. He's good enough to be a starter in the NBA.

Do you mean Malcom Delaney?

Let's see...

Randolph - spends most of his time in Euroleague shooting 3 pointers and missing, and shooting ridiculous soft fade away floaters. He's softer than a baby's behind. He would not even make it in a big Euroleague club.

What do you mean by big euroleague club?
His current team made the Euroleague Final-Four this season.

Playing in the final four has absolutely nothing to do with being a big Euroleague team. Especially since it is a round robin format. That will change next season when it goes to a full league system though.

The team Randolph plays on is a middle level club. It played in Eurocup (level below Euroleague) last season, and it will be playing in the 2nd tier Eurocup next season, for example. If it was a big Euroleague club, it would not have played in Eurocup last season, and also next season.

Big Euroleague clubs are the clubs with the power, tradition, history, the fans, the big arenas, and the deep rosters, and the biggest budgets. And deep rosters as in 10-11 really good players in each team. And 13-15 players that can play in each team. Not a team with a 7-8 man depth, and a couple of extra guys that are warm bodies for fouls and spot duty, which is what Randolph's team is.

These consist of 100%:

CSKA Moscow
Barca
Real Madrid
Panathinaikos
Olympiacos

Then you have the clubs that used to be big Euroleague clubs, but have fallen out of that criteria. They are no longer big Euroleague clubs, but they are borderline.

Maccabi
Efes
Milano

Then you have the clubs that have not yet reached the status of a big Euroleague club, but they are rapidly heading in that direction, and might get there within some time

Fenerbahce

Then you have the clubs that have never really been big Euroleague clubs, but they have been right around the borderline of that for many years. That would be teams like,

Malaga
Baskonia

Another category is Euroleague teams that used to be important and are now basically irrelevant (some more irrelevant than others) for the most part. But that's a long list.

Virtus Bologna
AEK Athens
Cantu
Varese
Limoges
Siena
Aris
Cibona
Treviso
Split

etc., etc., etc.

Randolph's team, Lokomotiv, has played in the Euroleague twice in it's entire history. And it does not have the potential to be a big Euroleague team. At least not without moving to a bigger city and a bigger arena.

As far as playing the final four goes, Partizan made the final four once some years back, having the lowest budget in the Euroleague. Within a couple years the club was in debt by many millions of euros. I believe Partizan was the team with the lowest budget in the Eurocup (level below Euroleague) last year. This year I don't think they even played Eurocup.

Randolph's team has plenty of money, so that's not an issue for them, but the point is playing a final four (particularly from a round robin tournament) certainly is not anything remotely related to making you a big Euroleague team.

Siena and Baskonia played many final fours, and they never took on becoming what a big Euroleague team is.

There are reports that Randolph already agreed to terms with Real Madrid. I don't know if they are true or not. Anyway, this is very similar to how Trey Thompkins was playing in Nizhny last season in Euroleague. He could do whatever he wanted there and just stat pad no matter what.

He got signed by Real Madrid and was a huge bust, and basically spent the last half of the season with never even getting in a game. If these reports are true, Real Madrid is trying another similar experiment with Randoph. That's the difference between a big Euroleague club and other Euroleague clubs. Just getting established in the team's rotation in a big Euroleague team is much harder than being a star in another Euroleague team.

I know, it's something that people that don't follow European basketball don't understand. But that's how it is. Generally for example, in Europe, the club you play on is much more indicative of your level as a player than the league you play in.

The 10th-11th man of a big Euroleague club is basically usually going to be the best player in a small Euroleague club, and a top 1-4 player even in the middle tier Euroleague clubs. It's not in any way remotely similar to how things work in the NBA, with every team having 1, 2, 3 option, and so forth. It does not work that way in Euroleague.

[Greek]

Bouroussis and Printezis could have a role in NBA, both are having career year, but they are old, i dont see them coming over.

VSpan had all the talent of the world, but not the mentality. Having 3-4 kids and being 33, is done. He is having a horrible year too

Bertans is not a good basketball player. Tall who can shoot the 3, and thats about it.

[Riko]

To respond to the OP, probably Gentile take a try in NBA but depends on Italian national team summer (pre-Olympics), his personal performance and his healthy.

gentile doesnt even want to play outside italy. i dont think he is coming.

It is possible, but in two years the NBA's salary will be so high that he can't refuse to try.
Now he make 1.2-1.3 milion euros after tax, in a couple years 1.2 milion will be the NBA's minimum salary...