Rambis scouting several prospects overseas

[cpfsf]

http://www.startribune.com/sports/wolves/blogs/95464669.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUsZ

Before he was Timberwolves coach Kurt Rambis, he was Kyriakos Rambidis, power forward on 1980 Greek Cup champion AEK Athens. So when the Wolves’ coach tours Europe these days, it’s difficult for him to remain incognito.

Several European newspapers have spotted Rambis in basketball arenas in Madrid and Malaga, Spain; Athens, Greece; and Kragujevac, Serbia, providing a stop-by-stop update on his scouting trip with president of basketball operations David Kahn.

According to Spanish paper Noticias de Alava, for instance, Rambis attended a Spanish League semifinal game in Madrid, and “paid special attention” to Croatian center Ante Tomic, drafted two years ago by Utah. The next night, he was in Malaga, watching last year's No. 5 draftee, point guard Ricky Rubio, score four points and hand out two assists in Barcelona’s 71-58 victory in the other semifinal series.

The Greeks spotted Rambis on Sunday, with Athens paper Kathimerini reporting that the coach scouted center Nikola Pekovic, the Serbian center drafted by the Wolves in 2008. Pekovic, a 6-foot-11 24-year-old who has told the Wolves he wants to play in the NBA next season, scored 22 points on 9-for-12 shooting but had only one rebound in Panathinaikos’ loss in the Greek championship series. Their opponent in the Finals, Olympiakos, features NBA veteran forwards Linus Kleiza and Josh Childress.

By Wednesday, Rambis and Kahn had moved on to Serbia to visit center Darko Milicic, whom the Wolves hope to re-sign this summer. While there, according to thehoopsmarket.com, Serbian newspaper Sportske noted that Ramis attended a Serbian League game to scout Nemanja Bjelicka, a 6-10 forward expected to be taken in the second round of next month’s draft.

Rambis and Kahn are expected back in Minnesota by the end of the week to resume preparations for the June 24 draft. The Wolves own the fourth, 16th and 23rd picks in the first round, plus two second-round selections.

Summary...
Ante Tomic
Ricky Rubio
Nikola Pekovic (he played against Childress and Kleiza)
Nemanja Bjelicka
-visited Darko Milicic

[shangrila]

This might seem like a stupid question, but was he really Kyriakos Rambidis before the NBA?

Anyway, this doesn't seem surprising. Rubio and Pekovic were the whole reason he went over and it's nice to see Rubio played the game of his life. Bjelica could be a nice 2nd round pick and the Tomic thing sounds made up, but I wish they'd have interviewed him or something. Just hearing that he's been there without hearing what he thinks of them is liking seeing a cake but not being allowed to eat it.

[re49gb_2gho32fp]

Nemanja Bjelica

Im a redstar fan and i believe this guy has what i takes to become one of the most prominent players of europe for years to come. Commentators compare him to Kukoc but i wouldnt get that far...yet.

potential steal of the draft.

Pekovic is a beast in europe and i firmly believe he would do solid at the very least in the nba.
Tomic has great skills and movement for a centre. Lacks heavily defensively.

[Calinks]

Rambis can scout my ass! That goggle wearing son a of a %@#$%!

[Tirion]

This might seem like a stupid question, but was he really Kyriakos Rambidis before the NBA?

yeah, he was. back then non-greeks were not allowed to play in national league games, so AEK had to cheat a little by giving him "fake" greek name. but he is of greek ancestry obviously.

[Tirion]

by the way the most beloved greek basketball player ever: Nikos Galis, was born in US too. his born name is Nick Galis, he grew up in Jersey and played college ball in Seton Hall.

[cpfsf]

Maybe Rambis is considering Childress and Kleiza. I hope it wasn't a coincidence when he attended that game.

[Krapinsky]

Maybe Rambis is considering Childress and Kleiza. I hope it wasn't a coincidence when he attended that game.

Read it again. It doesn't say he saw them play. It says Pekovic will play them.

[Klomp]

The name I'm most intrigued by is Ante Tomic. I could easily see a swap of Pekovic for Tomic and a pick. I'm not sure Tomic is ready to play next year. Pekovic is. Utah is in win now mode, we're not. And I think Pekovic would fit well in Utah, while Tomic sounds like a good triangle big with his size and skill package.

What makes Tomic desirable beside his sheer size is his extremely intriguing offensive package. Coach Jusup mostly uses him in the mid and high post, unlike last season when he got more opportunities to play with his back to the basket. Ante can shoot, pass or even put the ball on the floor from 15 feet in. He has good footwork and a pair of terrifically soft hands. Jump-hooks, spin-moves, up-and-unders, turnaround jumpers –they are all part of his rather impressive repertoire. He feels more comfortable playing facing the basket, as he loses his effectiveness when matched up physically in the post.

Tomic has very good shooting mechanics and great touch from mid-range. He’s been hitting perimeter jumpers with great consistency this season, and his range extends to about 20 feet. Ante is also adept at putting the ball on the floor and driving to the rim. He has even shown somewhat of a pull-up jumper, which is rare when talking about a player of his size.

Tomic is also a great passer. He recognizes cutters intelligently, and has good court vision, but is prone to making flashy play over the simple ones, leading to a high turnover rate. While he is able to be a very good finisher around the basket (59.5% FG) thanks to the great touch he has, Tomic very rarely dunks the ball.

You can't teach 7'2".

[Ricky Business]

This might seem like a stupid question, but was he really Kyriakos Rambidis before the NBA?

In Greece you are automatically a natural born citizen by birth right if one of your parents are Greek. Both Galis and Rambis had Greek parents. Galis' parents moved from Rhodes, Greece just 2 weeks before he was born.

So they are natural born Greek citizens by law. So are Nick Calathes, Pat Calathes, Sofoklis Schortsanitis, Kosta Koufos, Michael Bramos, etc.

It's the same exact thing and law as the United States. John McCain was born in Panama and is considered a US citizen by birth, even allowed to be President. It's basically exactly the same law in Greece as the US where anyone born to parents that are citizens is a natural born citizen.

Most European countries have similar laws. Just like an American born on a US military base in Germany, etc.

If Rambis played in Greece today, he would not count as an American player, but as a Greek player, simply because he has Greek citizenship by birth right.

It's the same way with Spanish players. If Rubio moves to the US and has a kid born in the US, that kid is a natural born Spaniard and can play for Spain's national team if he wants. My grandparents were born in Spain and my dad got citizenship because of that. Or like how Yao Ming's child was born in the US, but still automatically has a right to be a Chinese citizen because of the parents being from China.

So yes, that is the Greek language version of Rambis' name.

[Ricky Business]

by the way the most beloved greek basketball player ever: Nikos Galis, was born in US too. his born name is Nick Galis, he grew up in Jersey and played college ball in Seton Hall.

His birth name was actually Nikos Georgallis. In America it became "Nick Galis" and they also changed the pronunciation. In Europe they just took his American name of "Nick Galis" and changed it to Nikos (Greek form of Nick) Galis.

His real name is Nikos Georgallis. It's sort of like how Yao Ming's name is backwards for how Americans would understand it. As Yao is actually his last name and Ming is his first name. Lots of foreign players get their names changed in the US.

The funniest one is Peja Stojakovic. His name is actually Predrag Stojakovic, but Americans could not pronounce his name correctly, so it was changed to "Peja" so that Americans could pronounce it. So a lot of players get their names changed that way.

[Devilzsidewalk]

fyi, Predrag means "before dressing up like a woman" in Serbian

[re49gb_2gho32fp]

The funniest one is Peja Stojakovic. His name is actually Predrag Stojakovic, but Americans could not pronounce his name correctly, so it was changed to "Peja" so that Americans could pronounce it. So a lot of players get their names changed that way.

I beg to differ.
Pedja is a common nickname for a serbian male name named Predrag. Stojakovic was no exception.

edited.

[KariTakko]

It's great that Rambis and Kahn are scouting Euros. Even though it sounds like the trip was to catch up with Pek and Rubio, if they're looking for talent overseas, it means they're doing whatever it takes to make this team better. Kahn's work ethic is a much better sign than Mchale's fishing.

I'd love to see us sign Kleiza. I think he'd bring some toughness to the team that we're sorely lacking.

[Devilzsidewalk]

The funniest one is Peja Stojakovic. His name is actually Predrag Stojakovic, but Americans could not pronounce his name correctly, so it was changed to "Peja" so that Americans could pronounce it. So a lot of players get their names changed that way.

I beg to differ.
Pedja is a common nickname for a serbian male name named Predrag. Stojakovic was no exception.

edited.

crap of course its serbian, Ok let me change mine quick

[shangrila]

The name I'm most intrigued by is Ante Tomic. I could easily see a swap of Pekovic for Tomic and a pick. I'm not sure Tomic is ready to play next year. Pekovic is. Utah is in win now mode, we're not. And I think Pekovic would fit well in Utah, while Tomic sounds like a good triangle big with his size and skill package.

What makes Tomic desirable beside his sheer size is his extremely intriguing offensive package. Coach Jusup mostly uses him in the mid and high post, unlike last season when he got more opportunities to play with his back to the basket. Ante can shoot, pass or even put the ball on the floor from 15 feet in. He has good footwork and a pair of terrifically soft hands. Jump-hooks, spin-moves, up-and-unders, turnaround jumpers –they are all part of his rather impressive repertoire. He feels more comfortable playing facing the basket, as he loses his effectiveness when matched up physically in the post.

Tomic has very good shooting mechanics and great touch from mid-range. He’s been hitting perimeter jumpers with great consistency this season, and his range extends to about 20 feet. Ante is also adept at putting the ball on the floor and driving to the rim. He has even shown somewhat of a pull-up jumper, which is rare when talking about a player of his size.

Tomic is also a great passer. He recognizes cutters intelligently, and has good court vision, but is prone to making flashy play over the simple ones, leading to a high turnover rate. While he is able to be a very good finisher around the basket (59.5% FG) thanks to the great touch he has, Tomic very rarely dunks the ball.

You can't teach 7'2".

So he's basically Darko?

[re49gb_2gho32fp]

The name I'm most intrigued by is Ante Tomic. I could easily see a swap of Pekovic for Tomic and a pick. I'm not sure Tomic is ready to play next year. Pekovic is. Utah is in win now mode, we're not. And I think Pekovic would fit well in Utah, while Tomic sounds like a good triangle big with his size and skill package.

What makes Tomic desirable beside his sheer size is his extremely intriguing offensive package. Coach Jusup mostly uses him in the mid and high post, unlike last season when he got more opportunities to play with his back to the basket. Ante can shoot, pass or even put the ball on the floor from 15 feet in. He has good footwork and a pair of terrifically soft hands. Jump-hooks, spin-moves, up-and-unders, turnaround jumpers –they are all part of his rather impressive repertoire. He feels more comfortable playing facing the basket, as he loses his effectiveness when matched up physically in the post.

Tomic has very good shooting mechanics and great touch from mid-range. He’s been hitting perimeter jumpers with great consistency this season, and his range extends to about 20 feet. Ante is also adept at putting the ball on the floor and driving to the rim. He has even shown somewhat of a pull-up jumper, which is rare when talking about a player of his size.

Tomic is also a great passer. He recognizes cutters intelligently, and has good court vision, but is prone to making flashy play over the simple ones, leading to a high turnover rate. While he is able to be a very good finisher around the basket (59.5% FG) thanks to the great touch he has, Tomic very rarely dunks the ball.

You can't teach 7'2".

So he's basically Darko?

Absolutely not. If you allow, I would compare Tomic with a younger and taller Pau Gasol. He has remarkably smooth solutions around the rim. Dunks seldom though and as mentioned, a liability on defense.

[Ricky Business]

The name I'm most intrigued by is Ante Tomic. I could easily see a swap of Pekovic for Tomic and a pick. I'm not sure Tomic is ready to play next year. Pekovic is. Utah is in win now mode, we're not. And I think Pekovic would fit well in Utah, while Tomic sounds like a good triangle big with his size and skill package.

What makes Tomic desirable beside his sheer size is his extremely intriguing offensive package. Coach Jusup mostly uses him in the mid and high post, unlike last season when he got more opportunities to play with his back to the basket. Ante can shoot, pass or even put the ball on the floor from 15 feet in. He has good footwork and a pair of terrifically soft hands. Jump-hooks, spin-moves, up-and-unders, turnaround jumpers –they are all part of his rather impressive repertoire. He feels more comfortable playing facing the basket, as he loses his effectiveness when matched up physically in the post.

Tomic has very good shooting mechanics and great touch from mid-range. He’s been hitting perimeter jumpers with great consistency this season, and his range extends to about 20 feet. Ante is also adept at putting the ball on the floor and driving to the rim. He has even shown somewhat of a pull-up jumper, which is rare when talking about a player of his size.

Tomic is also a great passer. He recognizes cutters intelligently, and has good court vision, but is prone to making flashy play over the simple ones, leading to a high turnover rate. While he is able to be a very good finisher around the basket (59.5% FG) thanks to the great touch he has, Tomic very rarely dunks the ball.

You can't teach 7'2".

So he's basically Darko?

Tomic = 7-1 or 7-2 version of Yao. For me he is a much better prospect than Splitter or Pekovic. He is one of the two most talented centers in Europe along with Bourousis. The Jazz are very stupid if they trade his rights.

[Foye]

Absolutely not. If you allow, I would compare Tomic with a younger and taller Pau Gasol. He has remarkably smooth solutions around the rim. Dunks seldom though and as mentioned, a liability on defense.

So basically not what we need.

[Ricky Business]

Absolutely not. If you allow, I would compare Tomic with a younger and taller Pau Gasol. He has remarkably smooth solutions around the rim. Dunks seldom though and as mentioned, a liability on defense.

So basically not what we need.

He is not completely a liability on defense. He is very big and he clogs the lane and the paint area. He has great length which causes problems for post players. He may be a liability in defense ability, but his presence clogs the paint and the rim area.

So his defensive impact is far greater than players like Love, Pekovic, Jefferson.