bender235 wrote:Rotten Apple wrote:Beffiosa wrote:
No one is arguing. What are these basketball skills that these international players have that far exceeds that of NBA players?
This is the part I think your referring toFor example some guys in the NBA are strictly there because they are athletic enough to hang but their skills aren't close to the the international players who can't play in the NBA because they aren't athletic enough to keep up.
I'm referring to fringe NBA players who are in the league because their athleticism helps them vs a highly skilled european player who doesn't have the foot speed or explosiveness to thrive in the NBA style.
So? You also have international players that are only in the league mainly for their size and/or athleticism (of the top of my head: Mickael Pietrus, Serge Ibaka, Rudy Fernandez, Mario Henzonja, Nikola Vucevic, ...), just like you have fringe NBA players who made an NBA roster despite below-average athleticism but due to their skill set (of the top of my head: Mike Dunleavy, Kyle Korver, Kirk Hinrich, Matt Bonner, ...).
No one is saying that these players don't exist. It's just that it isn't a strictly "international vs. NBA" thing.
Okay, not that I even disagree with your point necessarily but I strongly disagree with the examples you listed. Pietrus was a 3 and D player who while being decently athletic was not particularly big or an athletic freak. Fernandez, again despite being a decent athlete was in the league mostly because of his shooting stroke. Serge is also known for being a floor spacer in addition to shot blocker. Vucevic? He's one of the most skilled post-players in the game, and isn't even particularly athletic. Hezonja is probably the best example that you mentioned, but he is also known for having a good shooting stroke.