NBA Talent Falters At European Tourney

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

For those of you who think the United States should never lose an international basketball game, I’ve got news for you: It doesn’t work that way.


The latest example of the seemingly random nature of international tournaments comes from this week’s European Championships, where Greece and Germany inexplicably met in the Finals while powerhouses with lots of NBA talent like Serbia-Montenegro and Russia were sent packing early.


The tournament highlighted two ongoing characteristics of international play: the difficulty of getting NBA stars on the same page in an international tournament, and the element of luck in the tournament’s single-elimination format.


People think of poor NBA chemistry as a uniquely American problem when it comes to national teams, but a quick look at some other squads in this tournament shows it’s a global phenomenon. Take Serbia-Montenegro, for instance, which is widely regarded as second only to America in terms of basketball talent. Not only did the squad boast a roster featuring NBA players Marko Jaric, Vladimir Radmanovic, Zeljko Rebraca, Darko Milicic, and the Nets’ Nenad Krstic, it also had homecourt advantage as tournament host. Nonetheless, it was beaten badly by Spain in pool play before losing to an unimposing French team in the elimination round.


Worse yet, the bad chemistry extended all the way to the locker room. The Serbs had not one but two fist fights between teammates after the loss to France, with Jaric and former T’wolves guard Igor Rakocevic going toe-to-toe, and Radmanovic and reserve big man Dejan Tomasevic also duking it out. Coach Zeljko Obradovic announced his resignation after the loss, saying that continuing would “lead me straight to a madhouse. I’m already ready for an asylum.” I have a feeling Larry Brown can relate.


It was a similar scene for Turkey, who figured NBA stars Mehmet Okur and Hedo Turkoglu could carry it into the medal round. Instead, both players proved hugely disappointing, as each shot just 33.3% for the tournament, and Okur got into a sideline screaming match with teammate (and one-time Knick) Mirsad Turkcan. Turkey’s lone win in the tournament was a five-point squeaker over lowly Bulgaria, and as a result it is unlikely to get an invite to the World Championships in Japan next August.


The other continuing trend was the NCAA Tournament-like surprises that kept cropping up. This year’s European champion was Greece, which lacked a single NBA player of note (former Memphis Grizzly Antonis Fotsis is their most “famous” player). Nevertheless, it eked out a series of narrow wins en route to the championship. The Greeks had lost by double digits to a mediocre Slovenia team in pool play, but got placed in an easy bracket and won three games by a combined 12 points to make the Finals. They subsequently blitzed an overmatched German team that had ridden Dirk Nowitzki’s brilliance to the championship, but couldn’t find another player to average more than eight points per game.


The top six teams from the tournament qualified for the Worlds next August. In addition to the Greeks and Germans, those were Spain, France, Lithuania, and Slovenia.


Individually, a number of NBA players disappointed – again, this trend isn’t limited to Americans in the Olympics. In addition to Okur, Turkoglu, Radmanovic, and Jaric, France’s Tony Parker and Slovenia’s Rasho Nesterovic and Bostjan Nachbar all had weak tournaments, owing perhaps to the adjustment to international rules (such as a shorter 3-point line, more contact allowed on the perimeter, and less perimeter around the basket). Meanwhile, Europe-based players like Spain’s Juan Carlos Navarro and Jorge Garbajosa, Lithuania’s Ramunas Siskauskas, and Slovenia’s Jaka Lakovic had to make fewer changes. As a result, they were far more productive than expected.


On a bright note, the tournament’s two NBA superstars delivered big time. Nowitzki was the tournament’s leading scorer and made every important shot for Germany, including the game-winner in a semifinal win over Spain. He even played defense (gasp!), blocking nearly two shots a game.


Russia’s Andrei Kirilenko, who spends his winters with the Utah Jazz, was just as good, if not better. He was the tournament’s third-leading scorer and led all players in rebounds, blocked shots, and steals. Unfortunately, he broke his nose in a quarterfinal loss to Greece, which meant Russia couldn’t hold off Lithuania in a qualification game for the World Championships. Russia shouldn’t despair, however, as there are four wildcard spots in the tournament, and it seems certain to secure one of them (the other three slots will likely to go to European squads as well, with Serbia-Montenegro, Croatia, and Italy the probable invitees).


As far as local players are concerned, the Nets’ Zoran Planinic and Nenad Krstic both competed, and neither did much to alter our perceptions of them. Planinic, as usual, was productive but turnover-prone. The Croatian shot 50% from the floor and averaged 18.4 points per 40 minutes, providing more evidence that he can be a source of points off the bench. But he also ranked fourth among all players with 3.6 turnovers per game – a difficult feat when one plays just 22 minutes per contest. Unfortunately, that’s consistent with Planinic’s NBA numbers – he sported one of the highest turnover rates among shooting guards last season – and it will drive Nets coach Lawrence Frank crazy if Planinic doesn’t cut it out. One other concern is that Planinic turned an ankle in Croatia’s final game, so he may not be ready when the Nets’ camp opens next week.


Krstic, meanwhile, constantly found himself in foul trouble – not an unusual occurrence in the international game, where players get only five fouls and refs are notoriously whistle-happy in the paint. That and a deep Serbia-Montenegro frontcourt limited Krstic to 17 minutes per game, but he played his usual high-percentage basketball when he stepped on the court. Krstic hit 50% from the floor and averaged 17.5 points per 40 minutes for the tournament, an indication to Nets fans that he can build on his strong rookie season.


So while the two Nets mostly performed as expected, the overall trend shown by the European Championships is a worrying one for the U.S. squad. The European tournament showed yet again that NBA talent provides no guarantee of success in international competition. The two European finalists had a combined total of one NBA player (Nowitzki), while seemingly more talented teams from Serbia-Montenegro, Russia, Croatia, and Turkey all struggled.


For Jerry Colangelo and the rest of the folks at USA Basketball, it’s an important trend to note. Simply imitating the European style of play isn’t a solution, as these countries struggled to integrate disparate NBA players just as the Americans do. Rather, the European champion Greeks showed it’s going to take teamwork, defense, and perhaps a little bit of luck. Next summer in Japan, we’ll find out if Jerry was paying attention.



Mr. Hollinger is the author of the 2005-06 Pro Basketball Forecast.


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