BasslineSpin.com

December 7, 2007 You can tell more about a player than you might think without ever having watched the player play. This is not my preference but in the case of many international players—I have no choice. I can’t fly to Spain to scout. So I scour statistics—preferably career numbers - and I check out highlights of a player to at least get a feel. One by one I am now dissecting whatever info I can dissect about the dozen or so international prospects that are being hyped. I use the various European websites to find the stats but it is usually upon me to use a calculator to total up the career numbers. I look at any and all legitimate statistical data. If a guy plays in the Nike Hoop Summit - I add those numbers to the totals. ...All that said - here is what I have found in the early stages of my research. ... Nikola Pekovic from Serbia and Montenegro. Pekovic, (21), is averaging 20 points and seven boards presently in the early going of the Euro League. A rarity - he is 6’11” but he is a good shooter at 81% from the line. He does have more turnovers than assists which tells me he isn’t a great passer. The video reveals a guy who is not very athletic by NBA standards. ...On the flip-side - the worst prospect I’ve run across in my early research is a dude named Milenko Tepic. Listed on most draft boards as a certain 2008 NBA Draft pick - he will free fall into the ‘After Party’ on my list. He just does not score enough. His .24 points per minute is not good enough at any level. ...My reaction to Danilo Gallinari and Alexey Shved is that they are both over hyped at this juncture. Gallinari reminds me on video of a poor man’s Tom Chambers.  ...I like Victor Claver, a 6’11” small forward from Spain.