Skinny Euros

I doubt the Jazz will draft draft Mr. Montiejunas. Why? Because he is a skinny, soft, Euro big man and we already have one of those. No, not Kosta (he's not European), not Fesenko (he's not soft), and not Memo (not skinny). I mean, Ante Tomic!

Remember the 2008 draft? Along with my elation at picking Kosta Kofous, the Jazz also provided some laughs by drafting two Europeans in the second round. Here is what the taller of the continent's prospects has been up to lately.



Actually, people are taking notice of Tomic. He's still skinnier and paler than anything Utah County ever produced, but he has some real basketball skills. Whether those are NBA-level skills is another question.

European Vacation

There are a lot of Europeans on the Jazz. Kirilenko, Okur, Fesenko. Hell, even the Jazz players that aren't officially on the team are European: Suton, Tomic, Serbian dude. So, with Eurobasket in full swing, you'd expect that all these Euros would be working off the summer 15, right? Wrong. In fact the only Jazzman getting run in Eurobasket was born and bred in exotic Canton, Ohio.

Let's take a look at who isn't playing:

Fesenko: Fesenko's national team experience this summer has been well-documented. But his pouting didn't keep him from Eurobasket, since Ukraine didn't qualify.

Okur: Turkey and their "12 Giant Men" look like one of the top teams this year after beating Lithuania and Bulgaria. But our man Memo will not be joining Hedo in seeking European domination. Okur was dismissed from the Turkish team for "intransigence." Translation: he's fat and out of shape, because it's summertime.

Kirilenko: Andrei, who usually dominates this tournament, has decided to sit this one out so that he can "rest for the summer." In other words, he and Masha are shopping at high end boutiques in Paris and playing lots of simcity.

Now, it's probably a good thing that those three aren't playing this year. We will need them to be fresh for the regular season. And, as the Spurs know, only bad things can happen by playing summer ball. But what about the non-Jazz Jazzmen? We aren't bringing them to America any time soon, so it might be good for them to get some world class competition.

Unfortunately, they aren't good enough to make their national top 12.

Ante "Auntie" Tomic: The Croatian stick figure didn't make the final Croat roster. And you can hardly blame him when the team is stacked with NBA no-names like Roko Ukic and Zoran Planicic. The positive spin here is that Tomic was the last man cut, is still relatively young (22), and whiter than anything the Jazz have ever seen.

Tadija Dragicevic: The Serbs were the hot team in Eurobasket after dismantling defending champion Spain, and then got beat by lightweight Slovenia the next night. That would seem to be excellent preparation for playing on the Jazz in April, but unfortunately Tadija didn't make the Serbian roster. In fact, I can't find any mention of him even getting a try out. As you can tell, I'm really high on the Serbian Matt Harpring. On the plus side, he does seem to be playing well for his club team, Crvena Zvezda (pronounced as you would expect). Here's the poetic press release from his latest game:

KK Crvena Zvezda Beograd made won in fist friendly match in pre season. Guest from Philippines, Talk N Text Tropang Texters, lost friendly match against domestic players 92-60. From the beginning of the match, KK Crvena Zvezda Beograd made huge advantage, without chance for the guests to the end of the game. .... Captain Tadija Dragicevic scored 13 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists.

If he can put up those numbers against the Talk N Text Tropang Texters, imagine what he'd do to the Bucks!

Kosta Koufos: Finally, our hero. Kosta, who our readers will recall was born and raised in Canton, OH, made the Greek national team. He's also been Greece's most consistent player, putting up 10 points in both of the team's first two victories - including a defeat of Andrei's homeland. Greece has a couple of NBAish guards, in Nick Calethes and Vassilis Spanoulis, but Kosta will really carry this team. And if anyone challenges his Greekness, just show them your dueling passports and remind them that you are Greek too, bitch.

Foreign Flavor

Who are these guys? The Jazz are getting back to drafting the foreign players again. In the past, the Jazz have drafted Martin Muursepp, Kirilenko, Raul Lopez, Sasha Pavlovic, and Pavel Podkolzine. We've had a decent track record of drafting overseas (certainly, Muursepp and Podkolzine shouldn't count, since we got rid of them before they could even say "Salt Lake City"). Kirilenko though, has been the one diamond discovery. And I believe Raul Lopez could have been "something special" if it weren't for his constant knee problems.

As each day passes from this draft season, I feel more and more excited about the possiblities of our draft picks.

Kosta Koufos - 7'1" 265 C The Ohio State University

Even though Koufos' heritage comes from Greece, he couldn't be more American (he's got dual citizenship). He played high school ball in Canton, Ohio and went to Ohio State for a season. In addition, Koufos was a McDonald's All-American! How much more American can you get? Koufos's game couldn't be more European though. Koufos loves the outside jumper. He can shoot it well. But sometimes, he spends too much time out there. Crazy thing is, he has the body to be a big-time post presence. He's big, has length and is a good athlete. I guess this gives me hope that he'll be able to transition (or at least, develop) into a strong post player. My hope is that he overcomes his "Charmin Soft" reputation as he grows older and gains experience. So, what was the Jazz number that he happened to choose? #41... Dirk Nowitzki! I guess we should get used to seeing Koufos spending alot of time at the 3-point line afterall. At pick #23, you can't go wrong with a big center who has the skillset that Koufos possesses. I'm confident he won't become Luther Wright, Curtis Borchardt, or Eric Leckner. He's just too skilled.

Ante Tomic - 7'2" 225 C Croatia

To say that I know anything about Tomic would be an absolute, utter lie. From hearsay and others, it sounds like he's quite a talent, but too skinny and weak to battle in the paint. I really enjoyed this commentary on Tomic, thanks to DraftExpress:

"Ante Tomic likely enjoys the most potential among the second round guys. He really resembles Pau Gasol, minus the body. The length, the low post skills, the mid-range jumper, the court vision, even his ability to put the ball on the floor, but also his softness on defense. Still the guy is just too skinny and his body doesn’t always allow him to display his game as he would like, although he’s faring every year better in the Adriatic League. Anyway, his physical development is taking some serious time, and it will take him several years to be ready for the NBA; if he ever makes it. Still, that’s what the second round is about, and Tomic looks like a very intriguing investment. The question is, will he ever make it considering his contract situation."

If the talent is truly there, I'll personnally fly to Croatia for a "Bulk-Up Antic Tomic" campaign. It would consist of me and "Auntie" chowing down on burgers, slirping down chocolate shakes and hitting the weight room. His comparision is Pau Gasol? Are you kidding me? If he's anything close to Pau, let's get him over here! Pronto! Suffice to say...he must be a promising talent. Hopefully, he's able to beef up.

Tadija Dragicevic - 6'9" 222 F Serbia

Now, I don't think Tadija's bio is quite as glowing, even though he puts up impressive numbers in the Adriatic League (18.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.1 apg). It sounds like he can shoot the ball but doesn't provide much else for his team. DraftExpress provides their insight on Dragicevic (at the bottom of the page).

My Draft Grade: B +

We got great value in the first round with Kosta Koufos. He's a player who could develop into a solid NBA center down the road. Unfortunately, he doesn't quite meet what we need in terms of defense, toughness and aggression. At 23, however, we're not gonna find much better. There were other players available who could have been really intriguing...Chalmers, Arthur, Jordan, Batum and Greene. Yet I realize we were going for a center, and from the centers that were available, Koufos was the most skilled and talented. He was expected to go as high as Indiana at #11 and Golden State at #14. We got a solid pick at #23. I think our hope though (from all of the centers on our roster), may be that Fesenko becomes the intimidator and defensive specialist for us, since I don't think Koufos will provide it.

I think we all knew that we'd perform the "Draft and Stash" in the 2nd Round (either that, or get rid of the picks). Our roster just doesn't have the space to accommodate more players. Thus, it was good to go foreign. Tomic, in particular, is a great get at #44. Here's to the investment to he bulks up 25 pounds! I believe it was worth the risk. Tadija, on the other hand, probably won't be worth it. Who knows if he has the talent to make the League? Though, how often do players selected at #53 actually make the roster anyway? We shall see how these foreign players work out for the future.

From the Former Yugoslavia with Love

The second round isn't worth watching on TV because it lacks (A) a smug David Stern, (B) eight button suits, and (C) pronounceable names. But it looks like the Jazz got a couple of real winners in the second round.

Ante Tomic, C, Croatia: According to scouts, this guy is a 7"2' giant (2.18 metres for TCG's european fans) with long arms. That is a good sign. He also "has serious problems matching up with even subpar European level post players." That is a bad sign. Apparently Ante (pronounced "Auntie" until I'm instructed otherwise) is not "only skinny, but extremely weak." So weak in fact, that it's doubtful whether he has the ability to put on much muscle. He is not a good shot-blocker (but what 7''2' player is?) and he prefers layups over dunks, finding the latter unbecoming, apparently. And the best part is, his NBA comparison is Gregor Fucka, a man who never actually made it to the NBA. I could make some off-color jokes about Mother Fucka being so proud of the comparison to her son, but I'll refrain. If Tomic can toughen up (a huge if) he has good skills for the NBA.

Tadija Dragicevic, PF, Serbia: On NBA.com's list of draftees, Tadija is one of only two players with no link accompanying his name. What does that mean? No one at NBA.com thought he would be drafted. Chad "CTR" Ford has never heard of him either, but does note that he's put up great numbers in the ULEB. From what I can gather, this guy is an unathletic scorer who struggles to rebound, play defense, and is not much of a hustler. Basically, it looks like he's a 6''9' mid-range standstill jump shooter. Draftexpress estimates his chance of making an NBA lineup as "close to nonexistent." He's already 22 so his upside is quite limited. Looks like a real coup for the Jazz so late in the draft. Hopefully Kevin O'Connor has secret scouts that know something that no one else does.

If you ever see these guys on the streets of Salt Lake, Belgrade, or Zagreb, give them a warm embrace. Welcome to the Jazz family, Ante and Mr. Dragicevic!!