Brazil's new rising stars

[Bill Russell]

Well people...

The country I come from, Brazil, has 2 players on the NBA... Nenê Hilário (1st team All-Rookie last season) and now Leandro (Leandrinho) Barbosa, who will backup Stephon Marbury on Phoenix this coming season...

We got two more players who will wear NBA jerseys soon... And they are perhaps Brazil's best players on this international competition that it's goin' on these days...

Anderson Varejão is a easily recognized face due to his giant-ass afro... He's a PF/SF... He's even hitting some threes, and even dunk on Jermaine O'Neal's face this past week... He plays for Barcelona of Spain, and I would compare him to Dirk Nowitzky, dunno...

Tiago Splitter is only 18 years old, but he already has big-time international time... He's prolly gonna declare for the NBA Draft, and he's very agile and quick for a big man... Comparison: Pau Gasol.

Post here what you think/know/hope of these two guys,

[Vins15]

i read those two's profiles at nbadraft.net...and indeed they sound very promising and on the mock draft it sais predicting that Tiago Splitter to go third in next year's draft...and i saw Anderson Varejão dunking on Jermaine O'neal...and the two stars seems very promising....

[Stevan]

It's great that Brazil is producing some NBA calibre players recently, that says a lot about where Basketball in Brazil is going - in the right direction.
Unlike Australia which has gone down the shitter, with no NBA players, no current prospects, and a rather stale national competition.
It seems that countries who might not have the resources of America or Australia do produce better talent based on the resources they have in place. Maybe players from countries who are not as well off are making it because the battle to make it as a pro is also a form of survival...

Barbosa sounds promising. He is also a tall PG right? If memory serves me well he is 6'4? I dunno.

[Phantom]

Yeah, Leandro is 6'4", and he has some huge arms...

I believe Anderson is a very, and I mean very bad player. I really don't like his style or ability. He also doesn't know sh*t about defense. And I am a brazilian, so you can't even say I am dissing because of ignorance.

If he comes into the NBA, the only thing that will prevent him from being a complete bust is the fact that the talent level for big men in the NBA is already so low.

Tiago is slightly better, and could be something, someday. But the NBA is so full of guys that could be something that this is no longer a badge of honor. He could be the next Jonathan Bender instead of the next Pau Gasol.

[magius]

i still like argentina better, but yeah, brazil is picking it up

[Nick]

Nene will be an NBA star.

Actually Stevan, the Australian under 19s team has some very promising players in it. The team won some championship thing in Europe, i saw it on Sports Tonight, and NBA scouts are looking this guy, Andrew Bogans or something (can't remember his name). He won the competition MVP and he's like really really good. But even if he did get drafted into the NBA, he'd probably get picked like 55th and then never get signed or something.