RealGM

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.

cpfsf wrote:Nemanja Bjelica

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

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

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.

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

Tirion wrote: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.

Ricky Business wrote:
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.

shaolin wrote:

Ricky Business wrote:
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.

Klomp wrote: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".

shangrila wrote:

Klomp wrote: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?

shangrila wrote:

Klomp wrote: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?

shaolin wrote: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.

Foye wrote:

shaolin wrote: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.