R.I.P. Drazen Petrovic

[N8N]

Drazen was the one player I remember who wasn't scared of Jordan without being crazy (e.g., Vernon Maxwell). He wanted to play against the best and it was sad to see his career short-lived. I agree that if he had gone to a good team and played for a decade or so, we might have seen the best player to have come from overseas.

Rest in peace.

[SportsGuy8]

I don't think most people realize just how hard it must have been for Petrovic, as during that time, almost everyone in the NBA thought that Europeans just aren't good enough to make it in the NBA, especially the back-court players (tall Euros, on the other hand, we already considered somewhat useful, since you can't teach height).

Also, imagine being an American player in the NBA, then there comes a Euro who tries to take your spot ... During that time such a player wouldn't hear the end of it from his friends, it was probably almost as if they were about to lose a spot to a girl. In Portland, Drexler obviously had the SG spot locked up, then at PG, there was Terry Porter, and we have reports that Porter even continued playing when he was ill and/or injured, because he didn't want to give Petrovic the chance, because it could lead to him taking over his spot, or at least heavily cut into his minutes. Then when Drazen was on the Nets, we have reports that his teammates thought he shot too much, which is ridiculous considering that he shot over 50 FG% and 45% 3PG, making him madly efficient for a SG.

In the last season before he died, he averaged 22.3 PPG, while having 51.8 FG% and 45 3PG%, overall having a TS% of 60.5. Do you realize how sick that is for a SG? He could easily score over 25 PPG while still having a superb efficiency, and he could EASILY score over 30 PPG if he was allowed to chuck like Iverson or McGrady (who played what, 15 seasons, and only ONCE had a TS% above league average; and Iverson wasn't much better).

Do note that under the same theoretical scenario (in which you can shoot as many FGs as you want, with the only condition being that you still beat Iverson's or T-Mac's efficiency) Jordan would easily average over 40 PPG. Jordan is in a league of his own, but after him, I really think Petrovic would end up being in the tier 2 of all-time great SGs (with Kobe & Jerry West). He was THAT good.

Ask anyone who was following both Euro-basketball and NBA very closely during 80s and early 90s ... Petrovic was at least on Dirk's level, and I absolutely LOVE Dirk. You can make a very strong case for anyone of Dirk, Petrovic or Sabonis being the best European player in history (maybe you can also put Galis in that category), with most euro-experts not even putting Dirk on the same tier, but just below them.

[SOA]

In the last season before he died, he averaged 22.3 PPG, while having 51.8 FG% and 45 3PG%, overall having a TS% of 60.5. Do you realize how sick that is for a SG? He could easily score over 25 PPG while still having a superb efficiency, and he could EASILY score over 30 PPG if he was allowed to chuck like Iverson or McGrady (who played what, 15 seasons, and only ONCE had a TS% above league average; and Iverson wasn't much better).

And in the playoffs that year he averaged 16/2/2 shooting 46%. Drazen (like Sabonis) just gets mythified. He was a great shooter. He was a a borderline all-sttar in the NBA. And he was never going to be anything more than that.

[Kova]

A good read, nice article..

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/93457 ... ing-legacy

[SportsGuy8]

In the last season before he died, he averaged 22.3 PPG, while having 51.8 FG% and 45 3PG%, overall having a TS% of 60.5. Do you realize how sick that is for a SG? He could easily score over 25 PPG while still having a superb efficiency, and he could EASILY score over 30 PPG if he was allowed to chuck like Iverson or McGrady (who played what, 15 seasons, and only ONCE had a TS% above league average; and Iverson wasn't much better).

And in the playoffs that year he averaged 16/2/2 shooting 46%. Drazen (like Sabonis) just gets mythified. He was a great shooter. He was a a borderline all-sttar in the NBA. And he was never going to be anything more than that.

Sample size!

You really cannot form any real conclusions based on 1 series. Even more-so when he averaged 24.3 in the playoffs just the year before (shooting 54%!). Why ignore that?

[SportsGuy8]

Oh, one more thing. There's a high chance that we were all robbed of a great Knicks-Bulls rivalry during the 90s. When Petrovic died, he had several offers, among them an offer from Pat Riley, who saw Petrovic as the final piece of the puzzle. That Knicks team was already very good (55-60 wins team) and with Petrovic added, it would put them in the 60s territory, making them a real threat to the Bulls.

Just thinking about that makes me sad. It was already truly amazing watching MJ and the Bulls ... I drool at the thought of Petrovic and the Knicks playing against them, year after year.

P.s.: Petrovic also had other offers (staying with Nets, Panathinaikos, supposedly also Rockets - another very interesting scenario), but Pat Riley's charm does wonders.

[SOA]

You really cannot form any real conclusions based on 1 series. Even more-so when he averaged 24.3 in the playoffs just the year before (shooting 54%!). Why ignore that?

Not ignoring it. Like I said he was a great shooter. But he was not going to be a premier option 1 25-30 PPG guy. (And nothing from his scoring in Europe would dispute that. Europe back then was just terrible. He was the equivalent of a college player playing amongst junior high boys. The competition around him was just that pathetic.

His death has made him some sort of limitless potential guy when in reality everyone already saw what he was..... he was at his peak at his death.

[cloudXXI]

His death has made him some sort of limitless potential guy when in reality everyone already saw what he was..... he was at his peak at his death.

No. He was already considered the best All-Time in Europe, with Sabonis, while he lived.

20 years after, Drazen dead and Sabonis alive, most of people think the same.

[Sothron]

Is there any way we can stop the comparison talk in a thread that is literally only about remembering and celebrating the life and career of Petrovic? I said this before and I'll repeat it again: if you aren't old enough to remember the universally held opinion among American players, coaches and fans was that NO Euro player could ever be that good in the NBA esp. as a guard. The impact Drazen had in shattering that racist stereotype and showing that skill and talent can come from anywhere in the world and be just as good as anywhere in the world is his legacy.

Not his TS percentage, not his Nets teams, not his comparisons with other Euro players. No one shattered that stereotype like Drazen did and EVERY fan of the game of basketball the world over should know that and thank him for what he did.

[The Skyhook]

If you haven't seen the 30 For 30 "Once Brothers", please take an hour to watch it this weekend if you have Netflix. You don't need to even be a basketball fan to enjoy the documentary (told through the eyes of Vlade Divac). It gives you the whole story of Petrovic and the problems in Serbia/Croatia. Very heart felt...extremely well done too.

One of the best sports doc I've seen.

RIP.

Truer words have never been spoken

[SportsGuy8]

Not ignoring it. Like I said he was a great shooter. But he was not going to be a premier option 1 25-30 PPG guy. (And nothing from his scoring in Europe would dispute that. Europe back then was just terrible. He was the equivalent of a college player playing amongst junior high boys. The competition around him was just that pathetic.

The quality of play really wasn't that much different. European basketball being that much worse at that time is just a general misconception among general American public. The original 1992 Dream Team really didn't influence it THAT much, even though American basketball commentators keep bringing it up time and time again. And since that notion was repeated again and again and again, people started accepting it as truth, go figure.

American public would have a much different opinion about European basketball if there were full Yugoslav & Soviet teams playing at the Barcelona Olympics, instead we saw broken up teams who also lacked depth (because they were from tiny new countries - Croatia, Lithuania).

Those Yugoslav & Soviet teams were very good, especially Yugoslavia. They would put up a much better fight vs. the Dream Team, compared to just Croatia. That Yugoslav team would have had much more depth, not to mention that they were a well oiled machine with lots of practice together (compared to Croatia, who was a new team). Besides, coach Ivkovic was the most important person on that Yugoslav team, while Divac was arguably the most important player, more than Petrovic & Kukoc (since he gave them a much needed inside presence).

If anything, you can make a strong case that basketball actually lost in popularity in Europe, and is arguably less popular now than it was BEFORE 1992 Olympics. Basketball was an extremely popular sport in both Yugoslavia & Soviet Union, now it's nowhere near as popular (that's especially true for ex-Yu countries) and it keeps getting worse and worse, similar in Italy. And these 3 countries were main European basketball powerhouses back in the day, along Greece.

Today's Adriatic league (teams from all ex-Yu countries) is nowhere near the level it was 20 years ago, same for Italian league (which was very strong back in the day). Basketball only really significantly gained popularity in countries where it was almost non-existent 20 years ago.

[BAMartian]

Ok guys, thank you for a great discussion, I'm gonna comment some things being said..

Reggie Miller: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EUo5p6D990
Lebron: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKxsBgK6pck

For those who say Dirk is the best international player ever, I see where you're coming from and I can't argue with that.. Dirk has had far more better career and accomplishments, but I just have one important argument.. It was 1989.. Drazen was one of the first int players ever to come to NBA.. He gave the path to the others.. Do you think Dirk would succeed in 1989? He would get killed by Bird, Barkley and other PFs and Cs in the league.. I don't think he would last 2 years in the NBA back then..

And finally, the documentary you are all talking about: Once brothers..
The documentary is fine, but it is too political and americanized.. By that, I mean that they made Vlade look like a victim, and you kind of feel sorry for him, but at the end he is the good guy and gets his happy end. Classic american production..

I repeat, nothing is wrong with it facts wise, but its too political.. Nobody knows what was going on here in Croatia during the war except us, and it can never be filmed properly..
The doc was focused on their friendship and how it fell apart because of the war, basketball is just a sporadic topic and circumstance. It shouldn't be that way..
If you want to see real story about Drazen and a thing he loved the most in the world - basketball, then you should look for other documentaries about his life, or clips where he scored 42 against Houston, 34 on Jordan etc..

Did the American producers create the scene where the bronze medal Croatian team walked off the podium like sore losers while Yugoslavia was being awarded the gold? Was that special effects or did they actually act like sore losers?

I'm not from that region and I appreciate the documentaries like this don't always tell the whole story but to be honest I think this particular film did a good job trying to be fair. You have a serbian-born player that was shunned by his former croatian teammates admitting that he made a horrible mistake when he disrespected the flag. Not only that but despite all the bad blood he didn't say a single negative thing about your country. This entire movie is really about how an amazing croatian player died at a young age and how the war impacted both sides. If you want to see a truly biased documentary try watching some about the middle east.

[Cro_Ruption]

biggest thing about petro, he wasn't afraid of anything. Not even Jordan.

[BO55]

That documentary on ESPN about Drazen and the rest of the squad is a must watch.

[Honey Bear]

RIP Petrovic.

And I agree with everyone else, that was one of the best sports Docs ever. It's one of my favorite 30 for 30's along with Two Escobars and a couple of others.

[JES12]

Check out the dude's FG% if you wanna be impressed.

****, I had no idea.

I remember at that age I was just getting into basketball and I knew of him, but never watched him (wasn't an East coast fan and before the days of League Pass). After watching him some, he reminded me a lot of Reggie Miller and then I looked (age 28, his last year vs. Reggie age 28)....wow! Almost identical per 36 and usage ratings.
http://www.basketball-reference.com/pla ... 01&y2=1994

[JES12]

If you haven't seen the 30 For 30 "Once Brothers", please take an hour to watch it this weekend if you have Netflix. You don't need to even be a basketball fan to enjoy the documentary (told through the eyes of Vlade Divac). It gives you the whole story of Petrovic and the problems in Serbia/Croatia. Very heart felt...extremely well done too.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Thanks,

Just watched it on youtube.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zanji1I7Yd4[/youtube]

[Kova]

Ok guys, thank you for a great discussion, I'm gonna comment some things being said..

Reggie Miller: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EUo5p6D990
Lebron: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKxsBgK6pck

For those who say Dirk is the best international player ever, I see where you're coming from and I can't argue with that.. Dirk has had far more better career and accomplishments, but I just have one important argument.. It was 1989.. Drazen was one of the first int players ever to come to NBA.. He gave the path to the others.. Do you think Dirk would succeed in 1989? He would get killed by Bird, Barkley and other PFs and Cs in the league.. I don't think he would last 2 years in the NBA back then..

And finally, the documentary you are all talking about: Once brothers..
The documentary is fine, but it is too political and americanized.. By that, I mean that they made Vlade look like a victim, and you kind of feel sorry for him, but at the end he is the good guy and gets his happy end. Classic american production..

I repeat, nothing is wrong with it facts wise, but its too political.. Nobody knows what was going on here in Croatia during the war except us, and it can never be filmed properly..
The doc was focused on their friendship and how it fell apart because of the war, basketball is just a sporadic topic and circumstance. It shouldn't be that way..
If you want to see real story about Drazen and a thing he loved the most in the world - basketball, then you should look for other documentaries about his life, or clips where he scored 42 against Houston, 34 on Jordan etc..

Did the American producers create the scene where the bronze medal Croatian team walked off the podium like sore losers while Yugoslavia was being awarded the gold? Was that special effects or did they actually act like sore losers?

I'm not from that region and I appreciate the documentaries like this don't always tell the whole story but to be honest I think this particular film did a good job trying to be fair. You have a serbian-born player that was shunned by his former croatian teammates admitting that he made a horrible mistake when he disrespected the flag. Not only that but despite all the bad blood he didn't say a single negative thing about your country. This entire movie is really about how an amazing croatian player died at a young age and how the war impacted both sides. If you want to see a truly biased documentary try watching some about the middle east.

You are an a**hole.. That's what I can say to you really..
If you even read my post, I said that documentary is correct about everything FACT wise, but it shouldn't have been about politics and war, but about Drazen's (and Vlade's) basketball life. They wanted to make it more dramatic and they built it around the war.. - which is not something that croats and serbs want to rembember these days..
It might be fun to you, but stepping down from the podium is nothing compared to their political aggression and starting the war in our country, attacking us, burning our homes, killing civilians and whatever happened at that time.. That was the reason behind that act, not the fact that they disrespected their basketball team.

I specifically said that this thread should be about Drazen and basketball, and you are now making it war discussion..
Now if you wanna be a prick again, be my guest..

[JES12]

but it shouldn't have been about politics and war, but about Drazen's (and Vlade's) basketball life. They wanted to make it more dramatic and they built it around the war..

Were we even watching the same thing? The documentary was not menat to be about Petrovic's basketball career. It was on their frienship (or as the title says, "once brothers") and how the friendship was lost and how Vlade never was given a chance to come to terms with Petrovic. The reason that happened was the flag incident. If they left the politics part out, everyone would think Petrovic was a complete ass hole for turning his back on his best friend. The sad part of the story was his death and inablity for them to make a mends (like Kobe and Shaq were afforded).

The fact that things OTHER than basketball exists in that story is paramount to the story. It was well balanced and a very good production.

Could there be some inaccuracies? Sure. For instance, maybe Vlade really did have something about the Coatians that pissed Petrovic off. Or maybe Petrovic was just jelous that he was the alpha dog in Europe and Vlade was the guy in the U.S. making commercials with Magic an getting playing time. At the end, Petrovic mom even says he was not happy with Vlade's sucess verus his inability to get playing time. Once could easily spin this about how self centered Drazen was and can easily make him out to be a complete jerk. But this documentary did NOT do that.

[mixerball]

Today's Adriatic league (teams from all ex-Yu countries) is nowhere near the level it was 20 years ago, same for Italian league (which was very strong back in the day). Basketball only really significantly gained popularity in countries where it was almost non-existent 20 years ago.

thats because players could not leave the country like now. every super talent is now playing abroad at very young age.