Earlier this week I chronicled how the big Turkish prospect Enes Kanter would be playing his high school basketball at Findlay Prep. Now, we’ve got another European coming to America, and he answers to the name Nimrod Tishman. The 6′6″ Israeli point guard will be playing for Billy Donovan’s Florida Gators, presumably filling the void left by Panathinaikos’ new toy, Nick Calathes.
It’s been said that Brandon Jennings and Jeremy Tyler might be starting a trend of American exodus, but what about the other way around? More and more, European prospects are turning down thousands if not millions of dollars in professional contracts in Europe to come over and play high school or college basketball in America with the hopes of making it to the NBA. I’ve never been a top European prospect, and it doesn’t look like that’s changing anytime soon; however, if I were, this would be my thought process:
European prospects passing up playing professionally in Europe for high school or college in America
Pros: 1. The safety net provided by a college degree
2. The chance to familiarize yourself with American culture
3. Exposure to NBA decision makers
Cons: 1. Money, money, money
2. Losing out on years of professional experience
3. Leaving the comfort of your native land
4. Money, money, money
Tishman averaged 18. 3 points and 2.3 assists for Israel in Under-18 European Championships, so one would expect him to be at least moderately successful. Even if he’s not, his journey warrants attention, and you can’t fault the guy for trying something different. Plus, it’s just fun as hell to say Nimrod Tishman.
Group D Preview – Panathinaikos, Real Madrid, Armani Jeans Milano, Asseco Prokom, BC Khimki Moscow Region, EWE Baskets Oldenburg
By: Slam
Panathinaikos looks to repeat as Euroleague Champions
Best Team – Panathinaikos: The Triple Crown Winner (Greek Regular Season, Greek Champions, Euroleague Champions) is primed for another run at the title. The Greens infused some young talent into their veteran team with the likes of Nick Calathes and Milenko Tepic joining the fold. Both Calathes and Tepic are very young players who look to have very bright futures ahead of them as they are very skilled passers and scorers. Panathinaikos still has their devastating 1-2 combo on the inside in Nikola Pekovic and Mike Batiste who can both score on anyone. The strength of this team though is in their guards as Vissilis Spanoulis, Dimitris Diamantidis, Drew Nicholas, Stratos Perperoglou, Calathes, and Tepic are all highly talented players. Panathinaikos has too much depth for any other team in this group to keep up with.
Khimki Moscow is looking to make a great first impression in the Euroleague
Surprise Team – BC Khimki Moscow: While I have said throughout these previews that buyer beware of these new teams to the Euroleague, Khimki is different. They have been attracting a lot of talent to their team this offseason with the signing of point guards Carlos Cabezas and Raul Lopez to run their offense. Khimki has two superb scorers in Carlos Delfino and Jorge Garbajosa who can both shoot lights out. Look for Khimki to play an exciting brand of basketball and score a lot of points this season.
Nikola Pekovic is an animal at attacking the basket
Best Player – Nikola Pekovic, Panathinaikos: Itwas very hard to pick the best player in the group with the likes of Spanoulis, Diamantidis, Felipe Reyes, Mike Hall, and Carlos Delfino; but when it came down to it Pekovic is the most dominating player in the group. There is barely anyone in the Euroleague that can guard him because of how strong and assertive he is on the offensive end. His only problem is his Continue Reading…
While 60 young men were celebrating the realization of their NBA dreams, the world was mourning the loss of Michael Jackson. So, to recap the 14 players plucked from European squads on draft night, we will borrow some songs from the greatest entertainer of our generation:
Ricky Rubio (#5-Timberwolves): “You Are Not Alone”. Congratulations, Ricky! You’re our starting point guard and the face of the franchise! But…uh…we’re going to draft three more point guards, just in case.
Brandon Jennings (#10-Bucks):“Wanna Be Startin’ Something” . Brandon Jennings has been known to stir things up and talk out of turn. Bucks coach Scott Skiles doesn’t particularly go for that sort of thing. We may have an 82-round brawl on our hands.
Victor Claver (#22-Trailblazers):“Black or White”. White men can’t jump. But don’t tell that to Woody Harrelson. Or Victor Claver. Dude has hops.
Omri Casspi (#23-Kings): “We’re Almost There”. While he may stay overseas another year, he’s very close to contributing to Sacramento’s re-building efforts.
Rodrigue Beaubois (#25-Thunder):“I Just Can’t Stop Loving You”. Despite erratic play, poor shot selection and questions about his durability, Beaubois’s sporadic outbursts of athleticism kept him close to the hearts of scouts worldwide.
Christian Eyenga (#30-Cavaliers):“Smooth Criminal”. Eyenga snuck into the back end of the first round despite an unimpressive body of work, and could be stealing Cleveland’s money.
10:38 – Dante Cunningham is going to be a solid NBA Player. He plays well above his talent level and never quits. He has a nice runner in the lane and will play the 3 or 4 in the pro’s.
Jonas where are you hiding?
10:41 –Jonas Jerebko where are you? This draft has been so crazy weird but we can’t have you drop too much farther Jonas. Sweden needs you to get drafted.
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