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martin
Posts: 68680
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Joined: 7/24/2001
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USA
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Could Tskitishvili be better than Nowitzki?
by Chad Ford
TREVISO, Italy -- On second thought, maybe Nickoloz Tskitishvili doesn't want to declare for the NBA draft this season.
Let's get this out the way right now. He can play.
But after spending the day in the beautiful town of Treviso, Italy, with Tskitishvili and his coach, former Nuggets skipper Mike D'Antoni, I can tell you he has no idea what he's getting into. The prospect of being shipped to the cold and dreary world of Cleveland should be downright scary.
"Do you understand you may be sent to Cleveland?" I ask him.
"I do not know Cleveland," he responds. Tskitishvili has never been to the U.S.
"Do you know Siberia?"
He nods his head, looking a bit befuddled.
No idea.
There is no NBA town like Treviso, with is sleepy markets, beautiful canals, children playing in the streets and passionate "basket" fans.
Tskitishvili isn't your average 19-year-old NBA draft prospect. He doesn't have any handlers yet, doesn't drive an Escalade, doesn't have an expensive shoe contract, and (here's the kicker) has no noticeable holes in his game fundamentally.
None.
The comparisons to Dirk Nowitzki are scary. Though he's not as polished in the low block as the Deutsch Marksman, he's quicker and more athletic.
He stands 7 feet in bare feet. He can handle, shoot from anywhere on the court and jump out of the gym. I know. I stood there in Treviso and watched him sink jumper after jumper after jumper. I saw his crossover, his fadeaway, his incredible leaping ability . . . and a certain grace that you rarely see with a big man.
When he isn't practicing jumpers he's pirouetting at mid court to the delight of his teammates.
Pirouetting.
But perhaps his greatest asset is that he carries the team luggage when he goes on road trips. He's spent most of his basketball career playing against professionals, players who are stronger and more mature. He thinks pass first, refusing to play the "me first one-on-one game" that scourges the NBA like the plague.
He does not think he's the answer. Are you listening Larry Brown?
Like I said, he's not your typical 19 year old in the NBA draft.
Tskitishvili, until the age of 15, was a classically trained ballet dancer in Georgia (the country in Eastern Europe). Apparently, he was a pretty good one until he began to grow so rapidly that his instructor could no longer find a partner for him. That explains the pirouettes.
So he started concentrating on basketball. It's a good thing. Coach D'Antoni estimates that over the past few months, representatives from all 29 NBA teams have made the pilgrimage to Treviso to watch him practice.
It's really the only way anyone will see him play. Italian league rules allow for only 10-man rosters. Tskitishvili didn't join the team until midway through the season. His age, chemistry and the fact that Benetton was in the midst of a title race, meant he had lots of time to sit and watch.
But let me state this again. He can play.
"Fundamentally, he's all the way there," coach D'Antoni told Insider. "He's very fluid for a big man. And he's just a great kid. He's very polite and respectful. He works very, very hard. What he needs in more experience and an NBA weight training program. He just needs to get stronger so he can post up."
Tskitishvili's teammate, former Suns guard Charlie Bell, practices with him every day.
"No doubt about it, he has what it takes," Bell told Insider. "He's got the athleticism, the ability to jump out of the gym, and the shooting touch. The NBA drafts on potential and he's got a lot of it."
There has been talk that the lithe 7-footer may be a two guard in the pros with his long-range shooting, ball handling and ability to get to the basket. But D'Antonio thinks eventually he'll play down low once he puts on the weight.
"He's going to be a devastating four in a few years."
How can NBA teams pass on that? D'Antoni told me that Benetton won't stop him from going to the NBA this season if that's what Tskitishvili wants. In other words, it seems like the one potential roadblock, his availability, is now gone.
One league executive told Insider that after seeing him play last week in Treviso, Tskitishvili could be a top-five pick in the draft.
"On potential alone, I like him better than Kwame Brown. He's already more advanced fundamentally and I think he has the athleticism to compete with the elite players in the NBA. It's always scary to make a leap like this on limited information, but he's further along than any of the high school kids that have been drafted and his upside is still huge. I think, in five years, he could be better than Nowitzki because of his athleticism. Seven-footers like this just don't come along very often. Someone will take the chance."
At the very least, Tskitishvili won't slip past No. 13, where the Bucks pick. GM Ernie Grunfeld spent three days in Treviso before the Euroleague Final Four and one source told Insider that he was sold.
There's a good chance, he'll be long gone by then. The word is that the Nuggets and Rockets both came away impressed.
For Tskitishvili's sake, lets hope Cleveland isn't thinking the same thing . . .
(Note: Check back on Monday for my full feature on Tskitishvili, D'Antoni and the impact of Europeans in the draft when ESPN.com launches it full NBA draft package).
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5/8/2002 1:05 PM