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NBA Draft Preview - Get To Know The Euros

With the NBA draft coming up later this week it's time to start looking at some of the draft prospects. Every blog in the world is talking about Kyrie Irving, Derrick Williams, Enes Kanter and Brandon Knight. And even though most of those guys have played 1 year of college or less, we're fairly familiar with them. The European prospects are a different matter, though. Most of us couldn't tell Donatas Montiejunas from a place on a map or ingredients in a Slovakian dish.

Have no fear. Jesus is here to help you put a face to the names, so when your favorite team picks one of these guys you're not sitting on your couch thinking, "Who the fuck is that guy?!"

*Note - I left out guys like Enes Kanter and Nikola Vucevic who played (or were supposed to play) at American colleges. This list is European players who I expect will go in the first round (based on what I've read).

JAN VESELY (Czech Republic), SF - Not that Chad Ford is the be all - end all of NBA scouting, but he has Vesely at #9 on his list of Top 100 Prospects. If this were an American player with this skill set I'm confident we'd be talking about him as a #1 overall candidate. Some have comapred him to Andre Kirilenko, but last I checked Kirilenko wasn't driving the lane and tomahawking on people, nor catching alley-oop passes and flushing dunks with his head at the rim. Combined with his outside shooting ability and his all-around versatile game some team is going to be very happy to get their hands on Vesely.

Scouting Report:

PROS - NBA ready. Good size and length (sorry, Captain). Great leaping ability. 3-point range. Good ball handler for size.

CONS - (Same tired old Cons scouts give to every Euorpean player) Needs to add strength. Doesn't have a back to the basket game. (Who does these days?) Didn't they say all these things about Nowitzki when he entered the Association? Yes. Yes, they did.


Oh. And his nickname is "The Dunking Ninja"


Prediction: Washington, #6 overall.



JONAS VALANCIUNAS (Lithuania), C - If you like your Centers to play around the rim, rebound and challenge shots then Valanciunas is your guy. The Lithuanian big man is listed at 7'0" and 245, so size isn't an issue. He has been both the Under-16 Euro MVP and the Under-18 MVP twice, so his talents are not unrecognized on the opposite continent. However, most scouts still view him as a project not ready to help a team next season.

PROS - Soft touch around the rim. Good rebounder. Challenges shots. Intelligent basketball player. Large wingspan.

CONS - Not NBA ready. Needs to improve perimeter game. (Why do we need every guy to shoot jumpers and play in the paint?) Needs to improve strength.

Something about this dude just doesn't look right. But Scouts have him rated very highly. Check it out for yourself.

And if you're wondering why he's touching the ball when it's inside the rim, that isn't considered goaltending in Euro leagues.

Prediction: Detroit, #8 overall



BISMACK BIYOMBO (Spain) Spain?!, PF - Not the type of name that comes to mind when I think Spain, but hey what are you gonna do? (He was born in The Congo) This guy is reportedly a raw, athletic defender. Think Serge Ibaka before he developed his game.

PROS - Long, rangy defender with a great wingspan. Tenacious rebounder and shot-blocker. High energy.

CONS - Very raw. Needs lots of work on offense. Lacks experience.

He sounds like Dikembe!


Prediction: Golden State, #11 overall


NIKOLA MIROTIC (Serbia), SF - Mirotic, named Euroleague's 2011 Rising Star, is a sharp shooting small-forward with the kind of size that NBA scouts love. Many think he can play both forward spots in the NBA and Chad Ford calls him a "craft forward." He's got some versatility in his game, thought judging from the limited video evidence I've seen he'll have trouble defending the more athletic SF in the NBA.

PROS - Size and length. Can handle the ball and drive to the basket. Great shooter with range. Good passer from the forward position. Intelligent and aggressive player.

CONS - Not very athletic. Not a great rebounder. Has some contract issues that might keep him from NBA in the very near future.



Prediction: Denver, #22 overall. (draft and stash)


DONATAS MOTIEJUNAS (Lithuania), PF - Montiejunas is an athletic big man who runs the floor, finishes around the rim and has a nice mid-range game. Sounds pretty good to me. He's also 7' tall, which is nice.

PROS - Quite athletic for his size. Can put the ball on the floor and drive. Excellent passer. Smart player. Great quickness.

CONS - Needs to add strength. Needs to become more consistent from the perimeter. Lacks experience.



Prediction: San Antonio, #29 overall (draft and stash)


DAVIS BERTANS (Latvia), SF - Bertans is another small forward with deep shooting range. He's also capable of getting to the rim off the dribble and is listed at 6'9".

PROS - Great shooter. Also a great passer. Good size. Fairly athletic. Lightning quick release on jumper.

CONS - At times can display poor shot selection. Still very young, and needs to fill out his frame more.



Prediction: Chicago, #30 overall (draft and stash)

Kevin Love To Lakers?

There is a rumor going around today that the Lakers have offered Pau Gasol (Poopface) to the Timberwolvers for the no. 2 overall pick and Kevin Love. I can't see any reason why the Timberwolves would do this, but some rumors think it's just a starting point, and it could be Pau straight up for Love. That really still doesn't make a lot of sense to me from the perspective of the Timberwolves. Kevin Love is just 22 years old and averaged 20 points and 15 boards a game, and you are going to trade that for the 30 year old Poopface?

I still think someway, somehow Dwight Howard will end up in a Lakers uniform. It just feel right to me. Then again, the Lakers pulled off a silly trade to get Poopface in the first place, so maybe the can make the Timberwolves make a Kevin Garnett-like trade again.

Celtics Thinking Big, Really Big

We have been talking for awhile now that the Celtics will most likely be looking at big men in the upcoming draft. I don't think any of us were thinking this big...

"The Boston Celtics held their first round on pre-draft workouts on Wednesday in anticipation of the 2011 NBA Draft and apparently replaced Butler's Matt Howard with Matthew O'Donnell, a 6-foot-11 big man from Queen's University in Canada (ridiculousupside.com)."

O'Donnell hasn't played basketball since high school, and has been up in Canada playing football after he was drafted 15 overall in the CFL draft. There are some people that think he is just waiting to get the call from the NFL, which is probably true, but the Celtics thought he was worth a look.

"We don't leave a stone unturned. We cover all the bases," Ainge told A. Sherrod Blakely after Wednesday's workout. "He was definitely the surprise of the workout. He's big. Really big."

It's a 1 in a million chance that this kid would be anything, but it is interesting. With the loss of Shaq (for now), Perkins, and most likely Big Baby the Celtics need a banger. Apparently this kid's athletic testing numbers were impressive enough for the Celtics to be interested, and if they could convince him to get away from football I would totally take a chance on him with a late 2nd round pick. Why not? It's better then drafting from scrawny European that we'll never see. I would also use the first round pick on a big man as well. Because all they have right now is KG and Jermaine O'Neal (who has stated he is coming back) for "big men" on the roster.

Once again, I very much doubt this kid will be anything, but it's certainly is interesting.

Celtics' Options In NBA Draft

The mock drafts are starting to go around, and even though I think this is a pretty weak draft I thought it might be interesting to see who the Celtics could target in the draft. Before we start I want you to know where my heads at in terms of what will happen this offseason.

- Jeff Green will be back
- Big Baby will be gone
- Jermaine O'Neal will be back (too much money)
- Shaq will be back (because he's Shaq)
- Ray Allen will pick up his option (obviously)

We will obviously do more of these lists as the draft gets closer, but here is a couple guys to keep an eye on.

Nikola Vucevic, C USC

Even if Shaq and Jermaine comeback the Celtics have to address their issues at center. That's why you will mostly see big men that I think the Celtics will go after. Vucevic is currently who Chard Ford has the Celtics taking, and I think it would be a steal. He is huge (7 feet and a 7-5 wing span), and he really played well in his last year at USC (17.1 ppg 10.3 rebs). The negatives is that he isn't all that quick, but I think his length and post moves make him worth this pick.

Markieff Morris, C/PF Kansas

I don't think he will fall, but Celticblog pointed him out, so I figured I'd add him to the list. The guy rebounds well (13.6 rebs), and is known as a great defender. He could be a great fill in for Big Baby off the bench. He does lack size (6-9), but like I said he would basically take Big Baby's spot.

Jordan Williams, PF Maryland

He is only 6-9, but he was extremely productive at Maryland last year (16.9 ppg, 11.8 Rebs). He has had conditioning issues in the past, but if motivated could be a beast underneath. He is not a great shooter, but the Celtics could use a banger underneath, since KG for the most part refuses to.

NBA Lottery Tonight

Never liked the NBA lottery system. I get that it kind of stops team from just tanking seasons, but I also feel like there is always rumblings of "fixes". I doubt they are true, but we still have to hear it every year.

This lottery is probably one of the least interesting. This is one of the weakest drafts I can remember, but here is a look at the odds for get the 1st pick for the 14 teams in the lottery.

1. Timberwolves: 25%
2. Cavaliers: 19.9%
3. Raptors: 15.6%
4. Wizards: 11.9%
5. Kings: 7.6%
6. Jazz: 7.5%
7. Pistons: 4.3%
8. Cavaliers (2nd pick): 2.8%
9. Bobcats: 1.7%
10. Bucks: 1.1%
11. Warriors: .8%
12. Jazz (2nd pick): .07%
13. Suns: .06%
14. Rockets: .05%

Breaking News: FUCK!!!!

Freshman Terrence Jones, Brandon Knicht and Junior DeAndre Liggins are declaring for the draft. With all the people returning I assumed at least 2 out of the 3 of these guys were going to stay. All they have left over is Doron Lamb. Good thing they have the number 1 recruiting class.

Harrison Barnes Going Back To UNC

Harrison Barnes announced via a press release on Monday that he will return to North Carolina for his sophomore year and bypass the 2011 NBA draft.

I constantly pound players going pro, but this is kind of awesome. With Barnes/ Perry Jones and Jared Sullinger and some of the Kentucky guys coming back that means I'll actually be interested in college bball next year. Also, that means that the Clippers 2012 pick is going to be super valuable because there will be that much more of an opportunity to draft one of these guys.

Barnes could have gone 1st, same could be said about Sullinger, or Jones so with that included in the 2012 draft, that means someone should be around in the 10-15 area, where the Clippers are probably going to be.

With Barnes and Zeller coming back UNC is going to be a force to be reckoned with next year. This could be something that the NCAA really needs.

Derrick Williams To Enter Draft

Finally, at least one of these guys came to his senses. After the shocking news that Perry Jones is going back to Baylor, Tyler Zeller and maybe Harrison Barnes is headed back to UNC and that Jared Sullinger is headed back to Ohio State, Derrick Williams (who many consider a front runner for the number 1 pick) is headed to the NBA and hiring an agent.

Williams was a beast in the tournament and averaged about 20 points and 9 boards during his sophomore campaign at Arizona. Even though I'm a big fan of players leaving early all these people coming back is going to make college basketball very fun to watch next year. All I need is the Kentucky guys to come back.