On The Road Again
NBA Insider Chad Ford has hopped across the pond once more for an up-close look at some of the top European prospects in the 2003 NBA Draft. Follow Ford's trip in his daily journal:
Monday: Beyond Darko
Tuesday: Pavel Podkolzin
Next: Maciej Lampe
Pavel Podkolzin believes this too, and his is one of those good stories.
Eighteen months ago Podkolzin was a big oaf stumbling through the frozen tundra of Siberia in shoes three sizes too small, squeezing basketballs like grapefruits, seemingly destined to waste his young life in a small, nothing town in the middle of nowhere.
Now he stands in a parking lot in the beautiful town of Varese, Italy. He's 18 years old and dancing to hip-hop, wearing a Lakers warm-up and a Pistons cap, and his shoes are state-of-the-art Adidas high tops, size 21.
His agent has just delivered the paperwork. Within a few days, Pavel will be on the official list of underclassmen declaring for the 2003 NBA Draft. He talks on his cell phone, waves to well-wishers strolling the streets of Varese and asks incessantly about the NBA.
And then, karma knocks us to the floor.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spy a small throng of people just 100 feet from Pavel. As I move closer, the scene causes my jaw to drop. Pavel sees and wanders over.
A surreal scene in Varese had Pavel Podkolzin (7-foot-4) meeting Jerry (2-foot-6).
It's times like these I'm glad we finally splurged for that digital camera.
Pavel (7-foot-4 and 300 pounds) walks up to Jerry (2-foot-6 and 74 pounds).
A giant and a dwarf, in a parking lot in the sleepy town of Varese, Italy.
Holding hands.
Staring into each other's eyes.
Waiting for karma to take them for another spin.
The solemnity of the moment isn't lost on anyone. We have a better chance of seeing Bigfoot and the Yeti out on a blind date than of encountering this scene again ... anywhere ... anytime.
I'm not making this up, folks. You can't make this up.
But that's the way things have been going for Pavel these days. In ancient times Goliath always eventually got the stone between his eyes. It was the Davids, the Kirk Hinriches of the world, that somehow always seemed to get ahead.
Perhaps this is the year the big guys finally win. Yao Ming started the shift in karma last year by proving that all 7-foot-6 guys don't have to play like Shawn Bradley or Manute Bol.
Pavel Podkolzin might finally slam the door on the myth that the really big guys should stick to pro wrestling.
* * *
Eighteen months ago, Varese GM Gianni Chipparo and future Clippers scout Fabricio Besnati stumbled upon Podkolzin in Siberia. At the time, Pavel was 16 years old, stood 6-foot-11 and weighed somewhere in the neighborhood of 240 pounds.
By all accounts, Pavel was a project. He had received little formal coaching in Russia, didn't speak a word of Italian and was in terrible shape. But after an audition in Italy (yes, they made him audition) Chipparo and Besnati became convinced that Pavel was worth the risk.
For the next year, Pavel toiled in relative obscurity. He worked on his jumper, athleticism, conditioning and strength. He learned basketball plays. He hired a tutor to teach him Italian and English. And he grew. And grew. And grew.
And then fate knocked on his door once again.
The date was Dec. 19, 2002, and Tony Ronzone and I were just finishing up a scouting trip to Yugoslavia to see Darko Milicic and another giant, 7-foot-6 Slavko Vranes.
That night Ronzone and I were talking with several NBA scouts, swapping strange stories -- urban legends about finding the proverbial diamond in the rough.
Bensati just happened to be at the bar that night, and he told of his Siberian discovery.
Before he worked for the Clippers, Besnati was the general manager of a team in St. Petersburg, Russia. On one scouting trip, Besnati ran across a 7-foot kid in the middle of Nowhere, Siberia. Besnati was intrigued and eventually arranged for him to go to a small club in Italy to work on his game.
Podkolzin
The thinking was that in a couple of years, Besnati would pull him out and he'd have a nice player. Shortly thereafter, Besnati left the St. Petersburg team and joined the Clippers' scouting staff. Upon his return to Varese, Italy, Besnati was shocked to find that his kid had grown -- four inches and more than 60 pounds. The kid, Pavel Podkolzin, now stands 7-foot-4 and weighs more than 300 pounds. According to Besnati, the kid isn't just big, he can play. "He's been practicing every day for over a year, and the development has been better than you can imagine. He can shoot the 3, is a great ball handler and has a great feel for the game."
Of course, because he's tucked away, no NBA scouts have seen him play. Besnati swears that if he were scouted like Darko has been, he's an easy top-10 pick in next year's draft. "I'm serious about this. He's that good. He makes Slavko Vranes look like a toothpick."
I'm skeptical. Besnati invites Ronzone and I to visit him in Italy. He says we'll need 10 minutes to make up our minds. We laugh the whole thing off. But Besnati is clearly intent on proving the existence of such a kid. He gets on the Uleb Cup Web site and pulls up the team site. Podkolzin's name is nowhere to be found, and Besnati gets upset.
"I know he's here somewhere." A minute later he begins laughing and directs us back to the Web site. He's pulled up a copy of this year's team picture. Standing in the back row, in the middle, is the biggest guy I've seen since Shaq. He's standing two players away from former NBA center Shawnelle Scott. This kid makes the 6-foot-11, 270-pound Scott look like Kerry Kittles.
As Ronzone and I will find out, seeing Pavel play isn't an everyday occurance. He has played only sparingly this year. Catching him on a day when he's healthy and his coach is in the mood to play him is a hit-or-miss proposition. Chipparo estimates that nearly half the clubs that have made the trek haven't seen Pavel do anything but practice.
Several NBA teams were hoping to catch Pavel in action in a playoff game in Milan on Tuesday night. No such luck. His coach, not surprisingly, left Pavel off the playoff roster.
The move is a blow to Pavel's draft chances. NBA teams can pretty much forget about seeing him in action before the draft. Pavel is upset and embarrassed by the situation. He knows how odd it is to have NBA types clamoring over a guy who can't get minutes for a ULEB team in Italy. Last year Nikoloz Tskitishvili was in the same boat. But he was on a Euroleague team and playing behind another top NBA draft prospect, Bostjan Nachbar.
Pavel seems equally embarrassed by a national TV station in Italy that shows up to do a feature on him -- the guy left off the team.
"I didn't ask for all of this attention, but I'm glad I'm getting it. I want to be a better player someday and I think that going to the NBA can make that happen."
That isn't the way it used to be. The NBA used to draft good players. Now they draft kids who have the physical tools to be great players ... some day.
* * *
Pavel fits that description to a T. He's a physical specimen unlike anyone I've seen since Shaq. He has a strong, well proportioned body. His arms and calves are huge, and his waist is thin (OK, so not exactly like Shaq).
At 7-foot-4, Podkolzin has size and mobility, but he lacks game experience.
On the court he looks equally impressive ... in practice. He begins his workout by nailing two 3-pointers from NBA range. Then he takes the ball, crosses over, dribbles between his legs, spins on a dime and rattles the rim with a monster dunk.
He hits floaters, 15-footers from the wings. He takes a low screen on the baseline and makes another athletic move to the basket.
After every basket, he looks over at me and Ronzone and smiles. It's not the cocky type of smile you'd see from an American kid. It's the, "Am I doing OK?" smile I've seen from more than one international player in the last year. The humility is refreshing, even if the practice simulations do get a little old.
There's no way to judge Pavel's defense or his ability to score in the post. Several team officials claim he still has a long way to go. On defense, he still is learning the game and doesn't always follow the ball, limiting his shot-block opportunities. On offense, he has the tendency to gravitate toward the perimeter.
During breaks, Pavel jokes around with his teammates. He's a riot. His personality is infectious . Unlike many of the more drab Europeans who have made their way to the NBA, Pavel is sure to be a hit with fans. Like Yao, he has a subtle way of finding humor in everything.
I ask pavel's teammate, and former Bulls and Jazz guard, Rusty LaRue about Pavel, and all LaRue can do is shake his head at all of the attention Pavel is getting.
When I press LaRue for a scouting report, he flips the question. "You've seen about as much of him as I have, he doesn't really play. Practice is not a game. He's so young, I'm not sure if he really knows how to play."
If LaRue sounds a little bitter, he should be. He's a four-year NBA veteran playing on a ULEB club team. He's married with a wife and three children who've never adapted to living overseas. He's everything Pavel is not -- a proven commodity in college and the pros. He's a steady 6-foot-3 guard with great fundamentals and a wealth of experience. But in a league where size seems to trump all else, LaRue comes up about a foot short.
While the chances of an NBA return for LaRue wane by the day, Pavel's stock seems to rise whether he actually plays or not. Another crossover move has Ronzone raving about the kid's handle.
LaRue still isn't impressed. "He gets that from watching too much NBA. He needs to learn how to play like he's 7-foot-4 before he tries to play like he's 6-foot-4."
LaRue's probably right, but that old-school thinking is on the outs in the NBA. The attraction that European big men bring to the table is their versatility. Teams will draft Pavel hoping he'll be kryptonite to Shaq's mojo. But if he hits a few 3s now and then, what's the harm in that?
Plenty if you're over in Europe. "I don't shoot 3s in the game," Pavel says sheepishly. "My coach doesn't like it. I don't want to get the bench."
It's hard to explain why exactly -- his outside shooting touch is silky smooth. One turnaround jumper in the lane causes the spirit to move in Tony.
"I've seen enough," he says feigning like he's walking for the door. He'll be back. It's impossible to take your eyes off of the 7-foot-4 kid running the floor like a gazelle.
* * *
After practice, Pavel runs over to me on the sidelines. I'm on the phone, but that doesn't stop him from wrapping his sweaty arms around my neck.
"What do you think?" he asks.
"Where did you learn to dribble like that?"
"NBA Live 2003."
"PlayStation 2?"
"No, I play it on the computer."
Now comes the important stuff. "Who do you like to play when on the game?" I ask.
"Ben Wallace. I like really strong NBA players who play tough defense."
Bingo. Pavel just earned 100 bonus points.
Nothing gets past Pavel. His sources have been telling him he's a likely lottery pick. He goes one-by-one through the teams that might draft him. When he gets to the Clippers, he pauses.
"What the hell is going on there?" he asks.
? Oh man, he'd kill me. But right now, that's the only way I can get better. When these guys hit me, they go flying off. When Wallace hits you, you go down. I need that. ?
? Pavel Podkolzin, on the prospect of facing Ben Wallace
Add another 100 points.
When we get to the Pistons, I ask if he's ready to face Big Ben in practice every day.
"Oh man, he'd kill me. But right now, that's the only way I can get better. When these guys hit me, they go flying off. When Wallace hits you, you go down. I need that."
Just when you think things are too good to be true, on cue, David pulls out the rock and starts swinging it over his head. Pavel reaches down and begins rubbing his ankle. I ask him if it hurts, and he nods.
"It always hurts," he said. "I always hurt it. If I step on someone's foot, or if I trip, it kills me."
Varese sports director Mario Oioli confirms the worst. "His ankles have been bothering him all year," Oioli said. "They are very weak. If anything happens to his ankle he's down ... for a while."
That's just the appetizer, folks.
Later, several sources in Italy warn that an obstacle much bigger than his shaky ankles is on the horizon. Pavel isn't the only one reading his press. Team Varese knows the NBA is after its star pupil and is looking to cash in. Rumors here say the team wants a $10 million buyout from Pavel, and it wants him to stay with the club another year or two.
Oioli denies there's any firm number but concedes they have not reached a buyout and the club will be looking for serious compensation. Given that NBA teams can contribute only $350,000 to such a buyout, Pavel might be better off waiting two years for his Varese contract to expire.
If he stays in the draft, he could be an NBA team's worst nightmare. While teams don't normally shy away from drafting a kid in the late first round and leaving him in Europe for a season, it's unheard of to do it with a lottery pick.
Pavel already is a gamble, buyout or no buyout. The possibility of not being able to bring him over for a couple of years could end up crippling his stock come draft day. Surely, a team late in the first round will be willing to take the risk, but Pavel's dreams of going in the lottery are on the verge of being stoned.
When the rather staggering turn of events is relayed to him, Pavel doesn't let the mood dampen. He's working on his second pizza, ham and olive, and doesn't want anything interfering with a good meal.
"It's OK," he said. "My life is so much better, and now I have the chance to play in the NBA. My dream is not to be rich or drive a nice car," which is a good thing since he doesn't have a driver's license.
"My dream is to play in the NBA. I already know how to make sacrifices. A little more can't hurt."
From obscurity. To hope. To fame. To sacrifice. Fate has just hit Pavel Podkolzin's spin cycle again.
_____
http://www.nbadraft.net/profiles/pavelpodkolzin.htm
NBAdraft.net has him as the 14th ranked player in the draft
Do we take a chance on him if he falls to us?
Could he be Big Jake all over again?
But i gotta admit that it would be nice to have 2 bigass 7ft centers on the roster(if FJ actually played them)
NBA Insider Chad Ford has hopped across the pond once more for an up-close look at some of the top European prospects in the 2003 NBA Draft. Follow Ford's trip in his daily journal:
Monday: Beyond Darko
Tuesday: Pavel Podkolzin
Next: Maciej Lampe
Pavel Podkolzin believes this too, and his is one of those good stories.
Eighteen months ago Podkolzin was a big oaf stumbling through the frozen tundra of Siberia in shoes three sizes too small, squeezing basketballs like grapefruits, seemingly destined to waste his young life in a small, nothing town in the middle of nowhere.
Now he stands in a parking lot in the beautiful town of Varese, Italy. He's 18 years old and dancing to hip-hop, wearing a Lakers warm-up and a Pistons cap, and his shoes are state-of-the-art Adidas high tops, size 21.
His agent has just delivered the paperwork. Within a few days, Pavel will be on the official list of underclassmen declaring for the 2003 NBA Draft. He talks on his cell phone, waves to well-wishers strolling the streets of Varese and asks incessantly about the NBA.
And then, karma knocks us to the floor.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spy a small throng of people just 100 feet from Pavel. As I move closer, the scene causes my jaw to drop. Pavel sees and wanders over.
A surreal scene in Varese had Pavel Podkolzin (7-foot-4) meeting Jerry (2-foot-6).
It's times like these I'm glad we finally splurged for that digital camera.
Pavel (7-foot-4 and 300 pounds) walks up to Jerry (2-foot-6 and 74 pounds).
A giant and a dwarf, in a parking lot in the sleepy town of Varese, Italy.
Holding hands.
Staring into each other's eyes.
Waiting for karma to take them for another spin.
The solemnity of the moment isn't lost on anyone. We have a better chance of seeing Bigfoot and the Yeti out on a blind date than of encountering this scene again ... anywhere ... anytime.
I'm not making this up, folks. You can't make this up.
But that's the way things have been going for Pavel these days. In ancient times Goliath always eventually got the stone between his eyes. It was the Davids, the Kirk Hinriches of the world, that somehow always seemed to get ahead.
Perhaps this is the year the big guys finally win. Yao Ming started the shift in karma last year by proving that all 7-foot-6 guys don't have to play like Shawn Bradley or Manute Bol.
Pavel Podkolzin might finally slam the door on the myth that the really big guys should stick to pro wrestling.
* * *
Eighteen months ago, Varese GM Gianni Chipparo and future Clippers scout Fabricio Besnati stumbled upon Podkolzin in Siberia. At the time, Pavel was 16 years old, stood 6-foot-11 and weighed somewhere in the neighborhood of 240 pounds.
By all accounts, Pavel was a project. He had received little formal coaching in Russia, didn't speak a word of Italian and was in terrible shape. But after an audition in Italy (yes, they made him audition) Chipparo and Besnati became convinced that Pavel was worth the risk.
For the next year, Pavel toiled in relative obscurity. He worked on his jumper, athleticism, conditioning and strength. He learned basketball plays. He hired a tutor to teach him Italian and English. And he grew. And grew. And grew.
And then fate knocked on his door once again.
The date was Dec. 19, 2002, and Tony Ronzone and I were just finishing up a scouting trip to Yugoslavia to see Darko Milicic and another giant, 7-foot-6 Slavko Vranes.
That night Ronzone and I were talking with several NBA scouts, swapping strange stories -- urban legends about finding the proverbial diamond in the rough.
Bensati just happened to be at the bar that night, and he told of his Siberian discovery.
Before he worked for the Clippers, Besnati was the general manager of a team in St. Petersburg, Russia. On one scouting trip, Besnati ran across a 7-foot kid in the middle of Nowhere, Siberia. Besnati was intrigued and eventually arranged for him to go to a small club in Italy to work on his game.
Podkolzin
The thinking was that in a couple of years, Besnati would pull him out and he'd have a nice player. Shortly thereafter, Besnati left the St. Petersburg team and joined the Clippers' scouting staff. Upon his return to Varese, Italy, Besnati was shocked to find that his kid had grown -- four inches and more than 60 pounds. The kid, Pavel Podkolzin, now stands 7-foot-4 and weighs more than 300 pounds. According to Besnati, the kid isn't just big, he can play. "He's been practicing every day for over a year, and the development has been better than you can imagine. He can shoot the 3, is a great ball handler and has a great feel for the game."
Of course, because he's tucked away, no NBA scouts have seen him play. Besnati swears that if he were scouted like Darko has been, he's an easy top-10 pick in next year's draft. "I'm serious about this. He's that good. He makes Slavko Vranes look like a toothpick."
I'm skeptical. Besnati invites Ronzone and I to visit him in Italy. He says we'll need 10 minutes to make up our minds. We laugh the whole thing off. But Besnati is clearly intent on proving the existence of such a kid. He gets on the Uleb Cup Web site and pulls up the team site. Podkolzin's name is nowhere to be found, and Besnati gets upset.
"I know he's here somewhere." A minute later he begins laughing and directs us back to the Web site. He's pulled up a copy of this year's team picture. Standing in the back row, in the middle, is the biggest guy I've seen since Shaq. He's standing two players away from former NBA center Shawnelle Scott. This kid makes the 6-foot-11, 270-pound Scott look like Kerry Kittles.
As Ronzone and I will find out, seeing Pavel play isn't an everyday occurance. He has played only sparingly this year. Catching him on a day when he's healthy and his coach is in the mood to play him is a hit-or-miss proposition. Chipparo estimates that nearly half the clubs that have made the trek haven't seen Pavel do anything but practice.
Several NBA teams were hoping to catch Pavel in action in a playoff game in Milan on Tuesday night. No such luck. His coach, not surprisingly, left Pavel off the playoff roster.
The move is a blow to Pavel's draft chances. NBA teams can pretty much forget about seeing him in action before the draft. Pavel is upset and embarrassed by the situation. He knows how odd it is to have NBA types clamoring over a guy who can't get minutes for a ULEB team in Italy. Last year Nikoloz Tskitishvili was in the same boat. But he was on a Euroleague team and playing behind another top NBA draft prospect, Bostjan Nachbar.
Pavel seems equally embarrassed by a national TV station in Italy that shows up to do a feature on him -- the guy left off the team.
"I didn't ask for all of this attention, but I'm glad I'm getting it. I want to be a better player someday and I think that going to the NBA can make that happen."
That isn't the way it used to be. The NBA used to draft good players. Now they draft kids who have the physical tools to be great players ... some day.
* * *
Pavel fits that description to a T. He's a physical specimen unlike anyone I've seen since Shaq. He has a strong, well proportioned body. His arms and calves are huge, and his waist is thin (OK, so not exactly like Shaq).
At 7-foot-4, Podkolzin has size and mobility, but he lacks game experience.
On the court he looks equally impressive ... in practice. He begins his workout by nailing two 3-pointers from NBA range. Then he takes the ball, crosses over, dribbles between his legs, spins on a dime and rattles the rim with a monster dunk.
He hits floaters, 15-footers from the wings. He takes a low screen on the baseline and makes another athletic move to the basket.
After every basket, he looks over at me and Ronzone and smiles. It's not the cocky type of smile you'd see from an American kid. It's the, "Am I doing OK?" smile I've seen from more than one international player in the last year. The humility is refreshing, even if the practice simulations do get a little old.
There's no way to judge Pavel's defense or his ability to score in the post. Several team officials claim he still has a long way to go. On defense, he still is learning the game and doesn't always follow the ball, limiting his shot-block opportunities. On offense, he has the tendency to gravitate toward the perimeter.
During breaks, Pavel jokes around with his teammates. He's a riot. His personality is infectious . Unlike many of the more drab Europeans who have made their way to the NBA, Pavel is sure to be a hit with fans. Like Yao, he has a subtle way of finding humor in everything.
I ask pavel's teammate, and former Bulls and Jazz guard, Rusty LaRue about Pavel, and all LaRue can do is shake his head at all of the attention Pavel is getting.
When I press LaRue for a scouting report, he flips the question. "You've seen about as much of him as I have, he doesn't really play. Practice is not a game. He's so young, I'm not sure if he really knows how to play."
If LaRue sounds a little bitter, he should be. He's a four-year NBA veteran playing on a ULEB club team. He's married with a wife and three children who've never adapted to living overseas. He's everything Pavel is not -- a proven commodity in college and the pros. He's a steady 6-foot-3 guard with great fundamentals and a wealth of experience. But in a league where size seems to trump all else, LaRue comes up about a foot short.
While the chances of an NBA return for LaRue wane by the day, Pavel's stock seems to rise whether he actually plays or not. Another crossover move has Ronzone raving about the kid's handle.
LaRue still isn't impressed. "He gets that from watching too much NBA. He needs to learn how to play like he's 7-foot-4 before he tries to play like he's 6-foot-4."
LaRue's probably right, but that old-school thinking is on the outs in the NBA. The attraction that European big men bring to the table is their versatility. Teams will draft Pavel hoping he'll be kryptonite to Shaq's mojo. But if he hits a few 3s now and then, what's the harm in that?
Plenty if you're over in Europe. "I don't shoot 3s in the game," Pavel says sheepishly. "My coach doesn't like it. I don't want to get the bench."
It's hard to explain why exactly -- his outside shooting touch is silky smooth. One turnaround jumper in the lane causes the spirit to move in Tony.
"I've seen enough," he says feigning like he's walking for the door. He'll be back. It's impossible to take your eyes off of the 7-foot-4 kid running the floor like a gazelle.
* * *
After practice, Pavel runs over to me on the sidelines. I'm on the phone, but that doesn't stop him from wrapping his sweaty arms around my neck.
"What do you think?" he asks.
"Where did you learn to dribble like that?"
"NBA Live 2003."
"PlayStation 2?"
"No, I play it on the computer."
Now comes the important stuff. "Who do you like to play when on the game?" I ask.
"Ben Wallace. I like really strong NBA players who play tough defense."
Bingo. Pavel just earned 100 bonus points.
Nothing gets past Pavel. His sources have been telling him he's a likely lottery pick. He goes one-by-one through the teams that might draft him. When he gets to the Clippers, he pauses.
"What the hell is going on there?" he asks.
? Oh man, he'd kill me. But right now, that's the only way I can get better. When these guys hit me, they go flying off. When Wallace hits you, you go down. I need that. ?
? Pavel Podkolzin, on the prospect of facing Ben Wallace
Add another 100 points.
When we get to the Pistons, I ask if he's ready to face Big Ben in practice every day.
"Oh man, he'd kill me. But right now, that's the only way I can get better. When these guys hit me, they go flying off. When Wallace hits you, you go down. I need that."
Just when you think things are too good to be true, on cue, David pulls out the rock and starts swinging it over his head. Pavel reaches down and begins rubbing his ankle. I ask him if it hurts, and he nods.
"It always hurts," he said. "I always hurt it. If I step on someone's foot, or if I trip, it kills me."
Varese sports director Mario Oioli confirms the worst. "His ankles have been bothering him all year," Oioli said. "They are very weak. If anything happens to his ankle he's down ... for a while."
That's just the appetizer, folks.
Later, several sources in Italy warn that an obstacle much bigger than his shaky ankles is on the horizon. Pavel isn't the only one reading his press. Team Varese knows the NBA is after its star pupil and is looking to cash in. Rumors here say the team wants a $10 million buyout from Pavel, and it wants him to stay with the club another year or two.
Oioli denies there's any firm number but concedes they have not reached a buyout and the club will be looking for serious compensation. Given that NBA teams can contribute only $350,000 to such a buyout, Pavel might be better off waiting two years for his Varese contract to expire.
If he stays in the draft, he could be an NBA team's worst nightmare. While teams don't normally shy away from drafting a kid in the late first round and leaving him in Europe for a season, it's unheard of to do it with a lottery pick.
Pavel already is a gamble, buyout or no buyout. The possibility of not being able to bring him over for a couple of years could end up crippling his stock come draft day. Surely, a team late in the first round will be willing to take the risk, but Pavel's dreams of going in the lottery are on the verge of being stoned.
When the rather staggering turn of events is relayed to him, Pavel doesn't let the mood dampen. He's working on his second pizza, ham and olive, and doesn't want anything interfering with a good meal.
"It's OK," he said. "My life is so much better, and now I have the chance to play in the NBA. My dream is not to be rich or drive a nice car," which is a good thing since he doesn't have a driver's license.
"My dream is to play in the NBA. I already know how to make sacrifices. A little more can't hurt."
From obscurity. To hope. To fame. To sacrifice. Fate has just hit Pavel Podkolzin's spin cycle again.
_____
http://www.nbadraft.net/profiles/pavelpodkolzin.htm
NBAdraft.net has him as the 14th ranked player in the draft
Do we take a chance on him if he falls to us?
Could he be Big Jake all over again?
But i gotta admit that it would be nice to have 2 bigass 7ft centers on the roster(if FJ actually played them)
