Draft Rumors: In or Out of the NBA Draft?
By Chad Ford
NBA Insider
Updated: June 19
4:01 PM ET
Who's in the Green Room? Insider has the answer . . .
Update 3:30 p.m. It's been one crazy, wild ride for 7-foot-5, 300 pound Russian Pavel Podkolzine. One Thursday, Podkolzine ended that ride short by withdrawing his name from the NBA draft.
Podkolzine told Insider that he felt he just wasn't ready.
"I don't want to be a project," Podkolzine said. "I want to prove to NBA teams I am ready now. I will go back to Italy, work very, very hard and come back next year stronger, and more ready to contribute to the team that drafts me."
Podkolzine's decision will come as a shock to most NBA GMs. He was largely projected as a top 10 selection in the 2003 NBA Draft.
"There's no way he would've slipped out of the lottery," one NBA GM told Insider.
Podkolzine has overcome just about every obstacle imaginable for a young NBA draft prospect over the last six months. In the span of less than half a year, Podkolzine had risen from obscurity playing in Varese, Italy to a potential high lottery pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. In December, only one NBA team had even seen him play. A
But it wasn't until Podkolzine's surprising workout in front of more than 100 NBA scouts and GMs in Chicago that Podkolzine finally started to believe that his dream of playing in the NBA was going to come true. However a diagnosis of acromegaly (a growth hormone secreting pituitary adenoma) late last week -- pushed him to the edge.
Podkolzine spent the last week talking to doctors and flying from city to city for workouts. When doctors told him that his problem could be fixed with minor surgery everything seemed to be back on track.
But according to Podkolzine, the fact that a team wouldn't commit to him early bothered him.
"I didn't just want a team to settle for me," he said. "I wanted someone to believe."
Podkolzine's agent Justin Zanik worked the phones the last 48 hours looking for a team in the lottery that would commit. Several teams expressed strong interest, but no one would give them a firm commitment.
But it was Pavel who decided to pull the plug. "This is my decision," he said. "My agent would like me to stay in the draft. But I think I will try this again next year."
If the surgery on Podkolzine goes well, and he develops as expected in Italy next year, two separate NBA sources told Insider that they expected Podkolzine to be a Top 3 pick in the draft next year.
"He's got enormous upside," one GM told Insider. "Next year, if he keeps working and his health is O.K. he has a shot at going No. 1."
In or Out of the NBA Draft?
Update at 3:30: Big news. Pavel Podkolzine is pulling his name out of the draft his agent, Justin Zanik told Insider. Agent Marc Fleisher told Insider that Sofoklis Schortsanitis and Szymon Szewczyk will keep their names in the draft. Agent David Bauman told Insider that Alexsander Vujacic will withdraw from the draft. Agent Marc Cornstein told Insider that Slavko Vranes will keep his name in the draft.
Here's a look at where a number of other players stand on their deadline decision.
IN: Maciej Lampe, Mickael Pietrus, Jarvis Hayes, Boris Diaw, Leandrinho Barbosa, Sofoklis Schortsanitis, Carlos Delfino, Travis Outlaw, Zaur Pachulia, Kendrick Perkins, Zoran Planinic, Josh Powell, Szymon Szewczyk, Slavko Vranes
LIKELY IN: Mike Sweetney, Ndudi Ebi, Viktor Khryapa
OUT: Pavel Podkolzine, Chris Thomas, Jameer Nelson, Ezarem Lorbek, Marcus Moore, Anderson Varejao, Charlie Villanueva, Alexsander Vujacic, Aleksandar Djuric, Kresimir Loncar, Misan Nikagbatse, Jason Parker, Blagota Sekulic
ON THE FENCE: Maurice Williams, Malick Badiane, Andre Emmett
By Chad Ford
NBA Insider
Updated: June 19
4:01 PM ET
Who's in the Green Room? Insider has the answer . . .
Update 3:30 p.m. It's been one crazy, wild ride for 7-foot-5, 300 pound Russian Pavel Podkolzine. One Thursday, Podkolzine ended that ride short by withdrawing his name from the NBA draft.
Podkolzine told Insider that he felt he just wasn't ready.
"I don't want to be a project," Podkolzine said. "I want to prove to NBA teams I am ready now. I will go back to Italy, work very, very hard and come back next year stronger, and more ready to contribute to the team that drafts me."
Podkolzine's decision will come as a shock to most NBA GMs. He was largely projected as a top 10 selection in the 2003 NBA Draft.
"There's no way he would've slipped out of the lottery," one NBA GM told Insider.
Podkolzine has overcome just about every obstacle imaginable for a young NBA draft prospect over the last six months. In the span of less than half a year, Podkolzine had risen from obscurity playing in Varese, Italy to a potential high lottery pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. In December, only one NBA team had even seen him play. A
But it wasn't until Podkolzine's surprising workout in front of more than 100 NBA scouts and GMs in Chicago that Podkolzine finally started to believe that his dream of playing in the NBA was going to come true. However a diagnosis of acromegaly (a growth hormone secreting pituitary adenoma) late last week -- pushed him to the edge.
Podkolzine spent the last week talking to doctors and flying from city to city for workouts. When doctors told him that his problem could be fixed with minor surgery everything seemed to be back on track.
But according to Podkolzine, the fact that a team wouldn't commit to him early bothered him.
"I didn't just want a team to settle for me," he said. "I wanted someone to believe."
Podkolzine's agent Justin Zanik worked the phones the last 48 hours looking for a team in the lottery that would commit. Several teams expressed strong interest, but no one would give them a firm commitment.
But it was Pavel who decided to pull the plug. "This is my decision," he said. "My agent would like me to stay in the draft. But I think I will try this again next year."
If the surgery on Podkolzine goes well, and he develops as expected in Italy next year, two separate NBA sources told Insider that they expected Podkolzine to be a Top 3 pick in the draft next year.
"He's got enormous upside," one GM told Insider. "Next year, if he keeps working and his health is O.K. he has a shot at going No. 1."
In or Out of the NBA Draft?
Update at 3:30: Big news. Pavel Podkolzine is pulling his name out of the draft his agent, Justin Zanik told Insider. Agent Marc Fleisher told Insider that Sofoklis Schortsanitis and Szymon Szewczyk will keep their names in the draft. Agent David Bauman told Insider that Alexsander Vujacic will withdraw from the draft. Agent Marc Cornstein told Insider that Slavko Vranes will keep his name in the draft.
Here's a look at where a number of other players stand on their deadline decision.
IN: Maciej Lampe, Mickael Pietrus, Jarvis Hayes, Boris Diaw, Leandrinho Barbosa, Sofoklis Schortsanitis, Carlos Delfino, Travis Outlaw, Zaur Pachulia, Kendrick Perkins, Zoran Planinic, Josh Powell, Szymon Szewczyk, Slavko Vranes
LIKELY IN: Mike Sweetney, Ndudi Ebi, Viktor Khryapa
OUT: Pavel Podkolzine, Chris Thomas, Jameer Nelson, Ezarem Lorbek, Marcus Moore, Anderson Varejao, Charlie Villanueva, Alexsander Vujacic, Aleksandar Djuric, Kresimir Loncar, Misan Nikagbatse, Jason Parker, Blagota Sekulic
ON THE FENCE: Maurice Williams, Malick Badiane, Andre Emmett
