Continued...........
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Erazem Lorbek, PF, Slovenia
You may remember Lorbek from the one year he spent at Michigan State. Lorbek and his family were unhappy there and he decided to bolt school and sign a lucrative contract with Skipper Bologna in Italy.
Lorbek was aggressive on both ends of the floor on both Thursday and Friday. He ended his game with 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds, both camp highs on Thursday. Lorbek doesn't have great athleticism or height for his position (power forward in the pros), but he has a much more refined court sense than almost anyone here.
Lorbek attacked the basket, put the ball on the floor and hit a number of jumpers, including a pair of international 3s. He's in the draft right now, but chances are he'll pull out again this year. His agent is looking for a first-round guarantee. While Lorbek certainly proved his maturity here, I doubt he propelled himself all the way into the first round.
Still, down the road scouts are going to have to consider him. He measured 6-foot-11½ in camp, had a 7-foot-1 inch wingspan and a decent 30-inch vertical. If he were a better athlete with quicker feet, he'd be a top prospect. Still, I think he could be an Austin Croshere-type player in the league someday.
Drago Pasalic, PF, Croatia
Pasalic is another prospect who's gotten little attention so far in the draft. He plays on the same team in Croatia with Roko Ukic and has established himself as a solid player in the Croatian league.
Pasalic stands at 6-foot-11, 236 pounds, but does almost all of his damage from the perimeter. He's got a very solid 3-point shot and also does really well in the mid-range game. Think a poor man's Austin Croshere.
Pasalic showed those skills in the 5-on-5s on Thursday. He ran the floor pretty well, hit a number of jumpers from all over the floor and generally played well. However, at his size, he's got to be more active in the paint to make it in the NBA. Pasalic, for the most part, stayed away from post play and never really crashed the boards. He's got the potential to be a very nice player in Europe, but he doesn't look like a great fit in the NBA.
Pavel Mroz, C, Poland
He wasn't that impressive in the big man camp, but has turned things up a notch at the Eurocamp. He stands at a legit 7-foot-1, weighs 240 pounds and is fairly mobile. If he stays in the draft, someone could take a chance on him in the second round.
Marko Tomas, SG, Croatia
Tomas is an explosive point guard prospect from Croatia who many NBA scouts were excited to see in Trevisio. In the early workouts he showed off a much-improved jumper and his trademark aggressiveness. However, he injured his ankle early in 5-on-5 play and won't be able to play the rest of camp. That will probably hurt his draft stock. Most of the NBA folks I talked to felt they hadn't seen enough of him to make a full assessment.
The future
This year's draft prospects weren't the only players on display. A number of top draft prospects for the 2005 and 2006 NBA Draft were on display in Trevisio this week. Here's a look at who scouts were paying attention to.
Nemanja Aleksandrov, SF, Serbia
The 17-year-old, 7-foot forward has been projected all year as a contender for the No. 1 pick in 2005. Aleksandrov's coming-out party happened at the Reebok Eurocamp last year in Trevisio where he dominated.
He's obviously one of the most skilled big men you'll ever find at his age. He has a very good 3-point shot, good athleticism (though just a 24-inch vertical), a great handle and great feet in the paint. During the 5-on-5 tournament he put several moves on in the paint that were reminiscent of Kevin Garnett. He's quick and a real matchup problem on offense.
The issue with Aleksandrov is his effort. He often coasts in games, doesn't always defend and will disappear for large chunks of the game. He seems to be able to turn it on and off at will, but that's a scary attribute (reminiscent of Dwight Howard actually) in a top pick like this. His talent makes him a serious candidate for No. 1 next year. But after watching him again in Treviso on Thursday and Friday, I still believe that his heart is a big question mark.
Vasily Zavoruev, SG, Russia
Many scouts believe that Zavoruev is the best young prospect in Russia. He's 17-year-old, stands at 6-foot-6 and may be the best pure shooter in the camp. He runs the floor, handles the ball, and isn't afraid to take the ball inside. He was the best player on the floor in both of his 5-on-5 games on Thursday and impressed again on Friday. He still needs to get stronger, but from the looks of his frame he has plenty of room to grow. In two years, he could be a top draft prospect.
Vladimir Veremeenko, F, Belarus
Veremeenko has been on NBA scouts' radar screens for the past two years. He's definitely more polished than most of the players here, but there was a pretty big split among scouts about his future in the league. Some thought he was a tweener who wasn't big enough to play the four and not quick enough or skilled enough on the perimeter to play the three. He measured 6-foot-11 in shoes at the camp, which quieted some of the critics. I thought he played pretty well over the past week, but I can't say that I'm blown away either.
Mirza Teletovic, PF, Bosnia
He's already picked up the label as the Ron Artest of Europe. The 6-foot-9, 248-pound bruiser is the son of a boxer and looks the part. He's the most aggressive player in the camp and attacks relentlessly on both offense and defense. He rebounds, blocks shots and on offense he finds ways to worm his way into the basket.
In shooting drills he's also showed a decent touch. Though he's just 18, he leads the Bosnia professional league in scoring. He's an impressive player, but I'm not sure exactly how his game will translate in the pros. He's probably a small forward in the NBA, but he needs to get a better handle and move his feet quicker to make it there.
Alexsander Ugrinoski, PG, Croatia
At 16, he's considered the top prospect in Croatia. He already starts for his junior national team and it showed here. He's got great size, at 6-foot-4, for a point guard and an unusual feel for the game for someone that size. He's played well in both of his games and will be a legit NBA prospect in the next couple of years.
Saer Sena, C, Senegal
This 7-footer from Senegal is very raw. But he owns an amazing 7-foot-7½ wing span (the only guy in the NBA with a longer one is Jamaal Magliore), is bouncy and showed some aggressiveness in the first few games. He only began playing basketball two years ago, so he's obviously a project, but he got everyone's attention here.
Oleksiy Percherov and Yevhen Sachava, PF's, Ukraine
These pair of Ukrainian power forwards were among the most impressive in the camp. Percherov is skinny but very skilled on the perimeter. Sachava is a good athlete who did a great job attacking the basket. They're both 7-footers with long arms and nice vertical. Their aggressiveness really stood out. They, along with Roman Gumenyuk (whom we wrote about on Wednesday) should all be prospects in the next few years. Danilo Gallinari, G, Italy
Gallinari is the hope of Italy. At the age of 15, he was the youngest player in the camp. His dad was a former player in Italy and his skills for a 15-year-old were amazing. He already stands at 6-foot-8, 190 and has the handle to play the point. He's also a dead eye from long range. The NBA coaches here all raved about him. It's awfully early to project a prospect like this, but he looked eerily reminiscent of a young Toni Kukoc.
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Erazem Lorbek, PF, Slovenia
You may remember Lorbek from the one year he spent at Michigan State. Lorbek and his family were unhappy there and he decided to bolt school and sign a lucrative contract with Skipper Bologna in Italy.
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[font=verdana, arial, geneva]Former Michigan State player Erazem Lorbek was one of the standouts in 5-on-5 drills.[/font]Skipper is one of the top teams in Europe, and Lorbek received only moderate playing time there. Still, he's much more experienced than most of the prospects here and it really showed in the 5-on-5 part of the camp. He's looked like the best player here for the first few days of camp. Lorbek was aggressive on both ends of the floor on both Thursday and Friday. He ended his game with 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds, both camp highs on Thursday. Lorbek doesn't have great athleticism or height for his position (power forward in the pros), but he has a much more refined court sense than almost anyone here.
Lorbek attacked the basket, put the ball on the floor and hit a number of jumpers, including a pair of international 3s. He's in the draft right now, but chances are he'll pull out again this year. His agent is looking for a first-round guarantee. While Lorbek certainly proved his maturity here, I doubt he propelled himself all the way into the first round.
Still, down the road scouts are going to have to consider him. He measured 6-foot-11½ in camp, had a 7-foot-1 inch wingspan and a decent 30-inch vertical. If he were a better athlete with quicker feet, he'd be a top prospect. Still, I think he could be an Austin Croshere-type player in the league someday.
Drago Pasalic, PF, Croatia
Pasalic is another prospect who's gotten little attention so far in the draft. He plays on the same team in Croatia with Roko Ukic and has established himself as a solid player in the Croatian league.
Pasalic stands at 6-foot-11, 236 pounds, but does almost all of his damage from the perimeter. He's got a very solid 3-point shot and also does really well in the mid-range game. Think a poor man's Austin Croshere.
Pasalic showed those skills in the 5-on-5s on Thursday. He ran the floor pretty well, hit a number of jumpers from all over the floor and generally played well. However, at his size, he's got to be more active in the paint to make it in the NBA. Pasalic, for the most part, stayed away from post play and never really crashed the boards. He's got the potential to be a very nice player in Europe, but he doesn't look like a great fit in the NBA.
Pavel Mroz, C, Poland
He wasn't that impressive in the big man camp, but has turned things up a notch at the Eurocamp. He stands at a legit 7-foot-1, weighs 240 pounds and is fairly mobile. If he stays in the draft, someone could take a chance on him in the second round.
Marko Tomas, SG, Croatia
Tomas is an explosive point guard prospect from Croatia who many NBA scouts were excited to see in Trevisio. In the early workouts he showed off a much-improved jumper and his trademark aggressiveness. However, he injured his ankle early in 5-on-5 play and won't be able to play the rest of camp. That will probably hurt his draft stock. Most of the NBA folks I talked to felt they hadn't seen enough of him to make a full assessment.
The future
This year's draft prospects weren't the only players on display. A number of top draft prospects for the 2005 and 2006 NBA Draft were on display in Trevisio this week. Here's a look at who scouts were paying attention to.
Nemanja Aleksandrov, SF, Serbia
The 17-year-old, 7-foot forward has been projected all year as a contender for the No. 1 pick in 2005. Aleksandrov's coming-out party happened at the Reebok Eurocamp last year in Trevisio where he dominated.
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[font=verdana, arial, geneva]Serbia's Nemanja Aleksandrov has a shot at being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft.[/font]He's since put on impressive performances at several camps, but struggled quite a bit at a Euroleague junior tournament in Israel. He played to mixed reviews in Treviso on Thursday and Friday. He's obviously one of the most skilled big men you'll ever find at his age. He has a very good 3-point shot, good athleticism (though just a 24-inch vertical), a great handle and great feet in the paint. During the 5-on-5 tournament he put several moves on in the paint that were reminiscent of Kevin Garnett. He's quick and a real matchup problem on offense.
The issue with Aleksandrov is his effort. He often coasts in games, doesn't always defend and will disappear for large chunks of the game. He seems to be able to turn it on and off at will, but that's a scary attribute (reminiscent of Dwight Howard actually) in a top pick like this. His talent makes him a serious candidate for No. 1 next year. But after watching him again in Treviso on Thursday and Friday, I still believe that his heart is a big question mark.
Vasily Zavoruev, SG, Russia
Many scouts believe that Zavoruev is the best young prospect in Russia. He's 17-year-old, stands at 6-foot-6 and may be the best pure shooter in the camp. He runs the floor, handles the ball, and isn't afraid to take the ball inside. He was the best player on the floor in both of his 5-on-5 games on Thursday and impressed again on Friday. He still needs to get stronger, but from the looks of his frame he has plenty of room to grow. In two years, he could be a top draft prospect.
Vladimir Veremeenko, F, Belarus
Veremeenko has been on NBA scouts' radar screens for the past two years. He's definitely more polished than most of the players here, but there was a pretty big split among scouts about his future in the league. Some thought he was a tweener who wasn't big enough to play the four and not quick enough or skilled enough on the perimeter to play the three. He measured 6-foot-11 in shoes at the camp, which quieted some of the critics. I thought he played pretty well over the past week, but I can't say that I'm blown away either.
Mirza Teletovic, PF, Bosnia
He's already picked up the label as the Ron Artest of Europe. The 6-foot-9, 248-pound bruiser is the son of a boxer and looks the part. He's the most aggressive player in the camp and attacks relentlessly on both offense and defense. He rebounds, blocks shots and on offense he finds ways to worm his way into the basket.
In shooting drills he's also showed a decent touch. Though he's just 18, he leads the Bosnia professional league in scoring. He's an impressive player, but I'm not sure exactly how his game will translate in the pros. He's probably a small forward in the NBA, but he needs to get a better handle and move his feet quicker to make it there.
Alexsander Ugrinoski, PG, Croatia
At 16, he's considered the top prospect in Croatia. He already starts for his junior national team and it showed here. He's got great size, at 6-foot-4, for a point guard and an unusual feel for the game for someone that size. He's played well in both of his games and will be a legit NBA prospect in the next couple of years.
Saer Sena, C, Senegal
This 7-footer from Senegal is very raw. But he owns an amazing 7-foot-7½ wing span (the only guy in the NBA with a longer one is Jamaal Magliore), is bouncy and showed some aggressiveness in the first few games. He only began playing basketball two years ago, so he's obviously a project, but he got everyone's attention here.
Oleksiy Percherov and Yevhen Sachava, PF's, Ukraine
These pair of Ukrainian power forwards were among the most impressive in the camp. Percherov is skinny but very skilled on the perimeter. Sachava is a good athlete who did a great job attacking the basket. They're both 7-footers with long arms and nice vertical. Their aggressiveness really stood out. They, along with Roman Gumenyuk (whom we wrote about on Wednesday) should all be prospects in the next few years. Danilo Gallinari, G, Italy
Gallinari is the hope of Italy. At the age of 15, he was the youngest player in the camp. His dad was a former player in Italy and his skills for a 15-year-old were amazing. He already stands at 6-foot-8, 190 and has the handle to play the point. He's also a dead eye from long range. The NBA coaches here all raved about him. It's awfully early to project a prospect like this, but he looked eerily reminiscent of a young Toni Kukoc.
