Masterson marvelous once again, Tribe thumps Orioles
April 16, 2011While We’re Waiting… Buckeye Spring Practice, an early MLB Draft look, and the Browns’ top draft bust
April 17, 2011As the NBA Draft board has expanded and contracted in recent weeks, it has become clear that there will be a few international selection in the lottery picks. With Jared Sullinger, Perry Jones, and potentially Harrison Barnes all returning to school, the top of the draft board has taken a significant hit, and somewhat previously unknown players have moved up the list.
The three prospects I’m going to focus on here are Jan Vesely, Donatas Motiejunas, and Jonas Valanciunas. All three are projected by mock draft site NBADraft.net to be selected in the Top 8, and all fall directly in the line of fire for the Cavaliers’ own selection or the Clippers’ selection should things not work out in the lottery.
Let me start by saying that I’m not necessarily endorsing the Cavaliers taking one of these guys with either pick. What I do hope to convey is that there are some tough decisions to make and these guys should not be automatically passed over due to not playing in major college basketball and the fact that most of us have heard little about them. Many teams have kicked themselves for passing on Dirk Nowitzki, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, and Pau Gasol among others.
Let’s start with Motiejunas (pictured above), who is from Kaunas, Lithuania. Does that ring any bells? At 7’0″ and 224 lbs, the 20-year old Donatas is a left-handed power forward who can step up and consistently hit jumpers. But, unlike other tall and skinny international prospects, word is that he can block shots and play well inside as well as outside. Drawbacks appear to be his strength and experience. NBADraft.net compares him to Andrea Bargnani.
As for Valanciunas, the other Lithuanian in the mix, he stands at 6’11” and 240 lbs and is not yet 19 years old (May 6th). Compared to Nenad Krstic and Primoz Brezec, Valanciunas is a bit broader built with less shooting range than Motiejunas. He does, however, run the floor well, has good hands, and good basketball IQ. His drawbacks are strength and the need to improve his post move arsenal. NBADraft.net currently has the Cavaliers taking him with the 8th overall pick (Los Angeles’s pick).
The two Lithuanians call to mind, of course, the Cavaliers’ own selection, Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Z was selected 20th overall in the 1996 NBA Draft after the Cavaliers chose “The Ukraine Train” Vitaly Potapenko with their first choice at number 12. You know the rest of the story with Big Z, as he endured early and repeat crippling injuries to his feet to become a 2-time All-Star and a Cavalier legend. Z is currently in his 13th NBA season despite the fact that his foot injuries have rendered him virtually unable to jump for the last half of his career. That’s a testament to Z’s rebounding, size, and shot-making ability that cemented his longevity.
Now, for Vesely, I’ve been following the mock drafts for months now, and his name has consistently been in the Top 10 and as high as third. The 6’11”, 230 lb. forward is from the Czech Republic and turns 21 next weekend. Vesely is more perimeter oriented with an ability to get to the basket and finish. He is explosive at both ends and has an ability to defend on the perimeter despite his size. Some of the knocks against Jan are consistent outside shooting and rebounding ability. He is similar to Andrei Kirilenko and Mike Dunleavy Jr.
The result in the last ten drafts for international players in the lottery are mixed. For every Yao Ming, Andrea Bargnani, and Nene, there is a Fran Vazques, Yaroslav Korolev, or Saer Sene that concerns you. My rebuttal to that is that the NBA Draft is a crapshoot at times, and not every major college player sticks either.
I’d be lying if I didn’t think it was absolutely critical to the success of this NBA Draft for the Cavaliers that they land one of the top two picks. But, with the lower pick, it may benefit the Cavaliers to go with a high-potential international player, bring him over immediately, and allow him to see immediate extended minutes. The product may not look great at first, but remember, we’re trying to build for the long term. Just look at how far Christian Eyenga (the 30th selection in 2009 NBA Draft) has come in less than a season of extended minutes for the Cavaliers. Going international may mean another long season while acquiring more assets. It’s a tough call to make because I think that with two high-profile college players, this team could make the playoffs next season.
It’s still a long way off, and the NBA Draft lottery will have a huge role in how it all shakes out, but hope is back for the Cavaliers, and one of these guys may be a part of it.
18 Comments
How about Enes Kanter? I would think hes right up there with these guys and may be more physical down low.
their NBA comparisons don’t inspire confidence
I like Kanter, but he could go at 3 or 4. If the worst-case scenario happens and the Cavs are drafting at 5 and 8, they would probably miss out on Kanter in addition to losing out on Irving and Williams. That would really mess things up for the Cavs.
@Lyon: I know. Nenad Krstic? Primoz Brezec?? Not what I was hoping for haha.
If Kanter is available, I think he’s a better option than any of the three mentioned in this article. Of course, what we think isn’t always reality..
I like Vesely’s game a lot. Granted, YouTube is no way to scout a player, but does go end to end very quickly, can finish strong, and defend the perimeter. IF (big if) he developed an outside shot, he’d be a much quicker version of Hedo Turkoglu, which would cause hellacious matchup problems…as we all remember from 2009.
Motiejunas pic= Russell Crowe in Gladiator?
The Indians have returned to Glory. Thanks to the delayed start I was able to go down and enjoy the game. Holy crap were they hitting the ball hard.
That sliding catch by the Oriole in the bottom 7th was one of the nicest outfielder catches I’ve ever seen live. Backhanded, sliding half-on-grass-half-on-dirt, going into the wall, in the wind.
I saw one mock that had Cavs at the 2nd pick getting Williams then at 8 them pickin up Kanter… Could happen right?… right?..
Thanks for the great response, guys. I really appreciate it.
In response to not including Kanter, I debated it, and I decided that Kanter was supposed to be a Kentucky Wildcat and for all intents and purposes was (except for that, you know, not playing part).
What I mean by that was he decided to come to the US and play major college basketball. These three didn’t, and people are more open to Kanter than these three simply because Kentucky wanted him, at least in my mind.
For the record, I would definitely go with Kanter over any of these three.
My hope was to foster some debate and bring up some other names for the later pick that we have.
Thanks again.
Nice Article. Its refreshing to see one on some prospects not named Kyrie Irving or Derrick Williams. Plus I didn’t know much about these guys. I think our first pick will choose how other teams will decide which will set up our second pick.
I can’t think of anything less exciting on draft day than to take one of these three guys. That doesn’t mean that they won’t pan out, but all of them feel like projects to some degree. The knock on Europeans is that they lack toughness when they come into the NBA, and from what I have seen it’s certainly true. Sometimes they end up building it, like Nowitzki and Gasol and the other Gasol, etc, but it seems to take several years. Remember that Ilgauskas, who I love, was an absolute doormat for the first 7 or so years that he was in the league. He never became a great defender, but he improved gradually over time. If the Cavs end up getting either Irving or Derrick Williams with their first pick, then I hope they grab Kenny Faried with their second pick. That guy has an incredible motor and is a rebounding machine and a defensive presence down low. I’m tired of seeing Ryan Hollins throw up 2-3 rebounds per game as a starting 7’0″ center. Watching Faried in the NCAA tournament was a revelation… he couldn’t shoot a lick, but the kid was fighting for every single rebound and you start to easily see why he led the NCAA ranks in rebounding. I think he’ll do the same at the next level. I mean don’t we already have a tall European who looked promising overseas on our team? His name is Semih Erden.
Pat, I like your idea of Faried, but I think it’s too high. If they acquire another pick or trade down, I would be interested in Faried in the 15-20 range.
That’s the thing I was trying to get over with this article. The “Oh, another dang Euro player, not again!”. If Grant and company do their homework and think one of these guys is the best fit for the team, then I trust them. I’m not saying they are, but I wanted to do some research and give them some thought.
There’s plenty of big-time college players that bust too. It’s just there is such a smaller number of international players so the misses seem more profound somehow.
i still see the cavs as taking harrison barnes assuming he comes out… then brandon knight or definitely kemba if hes there
@9kirk — kanter is totally foreign (i mean he played pro ball in turkey, thus the NCAA ban), so deserved to be included in this. no biggie.
also to you kirk… when i see 6-11/7-0 and 230-240 pounds, i dont need to read any further. we’ve had enough centers who could be muscled (dominated) at the low post. kanter at 6-11/270 at least shows a frame for a prototype big man. with athletes like hickson and eyenga (and tawn and AV), we need an immovable force who knows his role down low. hell, i’d look at dallas lauderdale with the 2nd pick; even at 6-8, that’s an NBA body that will deliver 10 rebs a night.
@8bobby — do that espn lottery thing enough and we could come up with 1 and 2. that scenario raises some questions. i think you must take williams if you have a chance in that you might be passing on a jordan or durant. then i think you must take a center (kanter). i can rationalize waiting one more year to draft a PG with boomdizzle on the roster.
the time to get a PG was last year… why didnt take run at collison at the deadline remains a mystery.
Another guy not mentioned here: Bismack Biyombo. He might only be 6’9, but his wingspan is 7’7 guys! He can totally play the pivot
Biyombo is certainly another candidate. He came on really strong in the last week or so, and I’m looking to find out more about him myself.
Jim, I understand your concern about the post players not having a good enough frame. As I mentioned previously, I prefer Kanter to the three I talked about, but I’ve heard a lot more about Kanter than these three guys, and I wanted to share some of what is known about these guys with the readers.
I don’t see Lauderdale being drafted, but I do see him finding his way onto an NBA roster at some point.
@Kirk, I am late with this response, but I wasn’t trying to dog Euro picks. I’m just saying that they are almost all “project” picks… you don’t see the benefits until at least 3-4 years down the line, and sometimes it takes longer than that. I can’t think of too many Euro picks who had an immediately positive impact for their team offensively AND didn’t kill their team on defense. I know it’s a stereotype, but it sure seems to fit.
Vesely will be a great player when it’s all said and done. He’s young athletic, has played pro for a few years in one of the biggest powerhouse in Europe (patrizan belgrade) so he has played in big games, and was fabulous last year at the Euroleague’s final four.
As for adaptation, you never know… Tony Parker was the youngest starting point guard EVER. Then you have some players like Nowitzki who needed time. But Vesely would be a great pick.
Motiejunas is a good player, but I think he needs to play a little bit more and gain some weight (which is possible given his age). The same for Valanciunas. But they have a really good technical package.
By the way the cavs have a great player coming: sasha kaun. He was injured for a long time this season, but really took a step forward this year and was considered as a major part of the CSKA Moscow team. So I think the cavs could make him come for next season (if there is a sason)