I have lost faith in european players.

[Doobie]

Considering there is a bunch of guys from europe in the NBA, you expect alot of them to be good. That isn't the case, trust me when I say I am not trying to offend anyone from Europe, but they play a different style of basketball over there and not everyone can transfer to a great player over here. Everyone who drafts a european big is going after the next Dirk or big Z. It's a risk that alot of teams take and sometimes it pays off. But more than anything there are alot of failed players from Europe who come to the NBA. In my eyes it's a dream alot of players want to achieve but is it really a smart move to help foward there careers?

Guys like Zaza pachulia, Dan Gadzuric, Sarunas Jacikevicus, Marko Jaric, Thabo Sefolosha, Darko Milicic, Andrea Bargnani, Johan Petro, Jose Garbajosa. There's probably many more, but these kind of players probably would've been better staying in Europe. Not all of them have had a chance to play but I don't see any of them fitting in a good NBA system. Alot of them have been labeled bust. You may add danilo gallinari to this list as well.

Obviously not ever player is bad like Jose Calderon,Tony Parker, Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, Zydrunas Igalskus, and there are probably some older players that were good to.

My point is that I think alot of international players can't make the transition to the NBA style of play, and I think a team taking a risk on a euroballer isn't something that should be done as often as it is.

[Drex]

It's basically the same with HS'ers.

[Doobie]

agreed with you right there too drex.

[benji]

It's basically the same with HS'ers.

And NCAA players.

You've stumbled onto the incredible secret of the NBA. Some players are good enough to become stars, while shockingly, others aren't.

[Doobie]

The thing with this is from an NCAA player you have a better chance of knowing what your going to get then a high school athelete or a foreign player. It's hit or miss with most players but my main question is "is it a smart move for a european player to come play in the NBA. I think this year I would've taken Joe Alexander ahead of Danilo Gallinari. I think Joe Alexander is more NBA ready then Danilo, and Danilo is a risky pick but from Alexander you pretty much know what your getting.

[benji]

I don't see any evidence that European players reach stardom at a lesser rate than any others.

[Erchamion]

my main question is "is it a smart move for a european player to come play in the NBA.

You mean is it a smart move for a team? Because for a player it's always a smart move. It depends what the team want a what kind of player a person is but i think somebody's nationality has nothing to with the question if a player is good or bad for a team. These days there are more and more teams with international players who are succesful so i don't understand this topic.

[Tupik]

Considering there is a bunch of guys from europe in the NBA, you expect alot of them to be good. That isn't the case, trust me when I say I am not trying to offend anyone from Europe, but they play a different style of basketball over there and not everyone can transfer to a great player over here. Everyone who drafts a european big is going after the next Dirk or big Z. It's a risk that alot of teams take and sometimes it pays off. But more than anything there are alot of failed players from Europe who come to the NBA. In my eyes it's a dream alot of players want to achieve but is it really a smart move to help foward there careers?

Guys like Zaza pachulia, Dan Gadzuric, Sarunas Jacikevicus, Marko Jaric, Thabo Sefolosha, Darko Milicic, Andrea Bargnani, Johan Petro, Jose Garbajosa. There's probably many more, but these kind of players probably would've been better staying in Europe. Not all of them have had a chance to play but I don't see any of them fitting in a good NBA system. Alot of them have been labeled bust. You may add danilo gallinari to this list as well.

Obviously not ever player is bad like Jose Calderon,Tony Parker, Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, Zydrunas Igalskus, and there are probably some older players that were good to.

My point is that I think alot of international players can't make the transition to the NBA style of play, and I think a team taking a risk on a euroballer isn't something that should be done as often as it is.

Good post, I was thinking this would be a basic anti-european player post, but what you're saying is true. The fact is, like you said, that the european players are not really "worse" than the NBA players, but they can't get accustomed to the NBA style of play (well except the stars you quoted).

So good post

[cyanide]

Well... if they have strengths adapted from International play that would help benefit them in the NBA, then they can utilize those strengths. For instance, say a seven foot European dude can shoot the lights out but can't play defense, a team still takes the risk, and improves his defense during the off-season and through playing experience. This player might end up like Nowitzki, or hopeless like Kwame Brown. It all depends on how motivated, intelligent, and adaptable a player is.

[Laxation]

It's basically the same with HS'ers.

And NCAA players.

You've stumbled onto the incredible secret of the NBA. Some players are good enough to become stars, while shockingly, others aren't.

This truly is an amazing revelation.

[Oskar]

Easily, you can say that about EVERYONE, no matter where they come from. I mean, there are tons of american players. True, that most players are from America, but there are good players, I'll say some young ones, starting from Kleiza, ending with Biedrins, both are young and promising ( from Baltic countries ). No surprise there's none from Estonia in NBA yet ( except Müürsepp, who didn't do as well as he could. I mean, drafted in '96 as the 25th pick is quite sick, but he wasn't successful. Sure, you name a lot of european players that have failed, but then again, start naming american players who do just the same, guys like Newble, Booth and many others, they've done nothing more than Bargnani or Sefolosha or someone.

[iounasas]

How do teams scout drafts? Milicic was 2nd pick in front of melo, wade, bosh..
How??
I know him. He is a good friend of my friend and they went to school and trained basketball together..

[Erchamion]

Sure, you name a lot of european players that have failed, but then again, start naming american players who do just the same, guys like Newble, Booth and many others, they've done nothing more than Bargnani or Sefolosha or someone.

The players he is talking about have not failed. They have normal NBA stats and some of them are solid players. Give some of them more playing minutes ad you will see their potential. Some of them have also gone to college(and succesful) so if they have problems with the american style all players from that college will have. You are right about the fact that there are hundreds of players from North America who have done nothing more than these european players. Where is the topic about those NA players. And if players really fail, how do we now as outsiders that it's because the style of play in the NBA? There are more reasons in basketball and in human life.

[Patr1ck]

Dan Gadzuric went to UCLA, and before that, a private school near Boston. He doesn't really count as a euroballer, imo.

[Oznogrd]

dont blame the players blame the hype. Players with potential are treated as if they're the second coming or redemption of a team's heyday when the truth is: they have as little or as good a chance as anyone else of being a star.

[Andrew]

The concept of drafting the Next Whomever doesn't pan out for a lot of teams, regardless of whether it's a high schooler, foreign born player or someone who has somehow found themselves being mentioned in the same breath as a current or future Hall of Famer. I think it's more a case of bad scouting and/or unreasonable expectations and the general infatuation with "potential" that comes back to haunt teams.

Then you've got players like Arvydas Macijauskas and Sarunas Jacikevicus who pout and blast the NBA because they're unhappy with their role, Macijauskas in particular. I guess we don't know what happened behind closed doors but considering how many players have to battle to win spots on rosters and gone on to really make something of themselves as NBA players, Macijauskas' comments and dismissal of the idea that maybe he hadn't earned a bigger role with the team comes off as incredibly egotistical and childish.

[The X]

I can understand why you would say that....I felt the exact same way about American players & their diminishing level of fundamentals....these days, I just accept it & enjoy both styles for what they bring to the game....

[BiGrEd819]

wow to this thread.. european players fail as much as college players do. its just that not many of them are selected in the first place. with the exception of recent drafts, there hasnt been that many top european picks in the draft.

if anything, european players have been known to be very under-rated. guys like manu, tony parker, jose calderon, boris diaw, etc.... most of these all-star caliber players were bottom or 2nd round picks. ofcourse when it comes to unusual physical specimens combined with skills, (yao, dirk, bargnani etc) whether they're european or not, its attractive for any team to take a risk at.

[NovU]

europeans players are solid but less exciting for me. ofc in exception of quite a few. but that don't justify busts like darko, bargnani. i for one think agents should do a better job scouting foreign talents. not only for europe but for asia as well. at least china players bring in millions of dollar value and rare commodity value to nba. so honestly i wouldn't care to see less european players in today's nba.

[shadowgrin]

when it comes to unusual physical specimens combined with skills, (yao, dirk, bargnani etc) whether they're european or not, its attractive for any team to take a risk at.

lol

[BiGrEd819]

so? im not a big fan of his or anything, but he has only played 2 years in the nba, averaging over 10 ppg only playing 25mins or less per game. he was drafted in a team where they already have a bunch of guys playing the same position if u've never seen him play its nearly impossible to contest his shot cuz he has the range of a gaurd, very good ball-handling skills, and he stands at 7ft. so..yea... i think he is pretty skilled unless u don't count shooting and ball-handling as a skill. oh yea.. and he's only 22

[bowdown]

I hope rudi fernandez doesnt disappoint. he played reallly well against NBA guys in the olympics. not hoping for an all star performance but a very productive one atleast

[shadowgrin]

its nearly impossible to contest his shot cuz he has the range of a gaurd, very good ball-handling skills, and he stands at 7ft.

lolers.
That's the same thing most people said about Nikoloz Tskitishvili. He was even seen as stronger and more NBA-ready than Nowitzki when he came into the league.
I wonder where he is now.

[kevC]

so? im not a big fan of his or anything, but he has only played 2 years in the nba, averaging over 10 ppg only playing 25mins or less per game. he was drafted in a team where they already have a bunch of guys playing the same position if u've never seen him play its nearly impossible to contest his shot cuz he has the range of a gaurd, very good ball-handling skills, and he stands at 7ft. so..yea... i think he is pretty skilled unless u don't count shooting and ball-handling as a skill. oh yea.. and he's only 22

Yeah, and he rebounds like a guard and is afraid to get in 10ft of the basket.

[Doobie]

Andrea is the perfect example of why european bigs are normally known as softees. I have seen a few Raptors games and honestly I have probably never seen him post up. He is 7 feet tall for gods sake, and since he can't rebound or intimidate for his life he is going to play SMALL FOWARD next year. I don't know if he can keep up with many fowards in the league, and I'm pretty sure he won't be guarding guys like Lebron or Pierce.

I'm not bashing european players, I'm just saying there style of play over there is completely different, and it is hard for many of them to get accustomed the NBA game.