Scouting the Final Four
As stated previously, most of the top NBA prospects on the Final Four teams weren't expected to play here this weekend.

We were all pleasantly surprised.

# CSKA Moscow's Victor Khryapa probably helped himself the most. Khryapa spent most of Friday's game guarding Dejan Bodiroga. It was a great chance for scouts to see what Khryapa can do defensively against the Euroleague's third-leading scorer. After Bodiroga had some early success, Khryapa clamped down in the fourth quarter and had a couple of key blocks that helped keep CSKA with striking distance of Barcelona.

Khryapa, a 6-foot-9 small forward who many compare to the Jazz's Andrei Kirilenko, has had an up-and-down season. He's spent most of the year sharing minutes with Sergei Monya, another top Russian prospect. On Friday, Monya got in quick foul trouble, meaning that Khryapa had to play major minutes.

His length and athleticism for someone his size is impressive. He proved to be a very good rebounder, especially on the offensive glass. He didn't take a lot of shots, but it was pretty clear he could shoot the ball. He ended the game with six points and 12 rebounds. Saturday, Khryapa had five points, seven rebounds and three assists.

Khryapa's numbers this year haven't been impressive, but they are deceiving. Moscow coach Dusan Ivkovic deliberately has been keeping Khryapa's minutes down to keep his head from swelling. Kirilenko told Insider in February that he was concerned Khryapa had become so obsessed with the NBA that his game was suffering.

But his big-time performance against Barcelona proved a couple of things. One, the kid has great poise under pressure. Two, Ivkovic believed in him enough to play him major minutes down the stretch.

While it's too early to estimate what the performance will do to his draft stock (agent Marc Fleisher told me he put Khryapa's name in the draft on Friday), it was clear from talking with scouts that they were impressed and believed Khryapa could contribute defensively right away in the NBA.

They may have to wait. CSKA Moscow has told Fleisher that they'd like to keep him at least one more year. That's fine with Fleisher, given that his buyout gets much lower next year. It shouldn't scare of NBA teams. A handful of teams in the mid to late first round are specifically targeting Euros who are willing to spend the next year or two over in Europe. It allows the better teams to keep a young prospect off the books who won't play anyway, while giving the kid plenty of playing time overseas.

# Barcelona's Anderson Varejao also got some key minutes during Barcelona's title run. Varejao is very active defensively and on the boards, but it's still painfully evident that he doesn't have much of an offensive game.

He's got a nice body and runs the floor well, but his lack of a perimeter or post game on offense will be troubling to a lot of teams in the lottery. There may be an explanation behind all of this. Barcelona doesn't run any plays for Varejao. It's a top-tier Euroleague team and is stacked at his position. In the minutes he does play, he's usually out there looking to do the little things to impress his coach. I'm told in Brazil he was a much better scorer.

Before we get too hard on him though, remember this. Coach Svetislav Pesic, the Pat Riley of European coaches, doesn't like to play young players. Nevertheless, Pesic played Varejao in key minutes during both of Barcelona's victories. That means something.

I know one lottery team absolutely loves him, but most think he's probably going to slip in the draft. His inability (because of Barcelona's schedule) to hold private workouts will really hurt. Given that he has a $1 million buyout on his contract, it's possible he could pull his name from the draft (he, too, entered it on Friday) before the June 19 deadline.

# Speaking of young players, the two most impressive draft prospects were the two kids who won't be in this year's draft.

Benetton's Manuchar Markoishvili and CSKA Moscow's Sergei Monya are both going to be NBA players.

Markoishvili, who just turned 17 years old, played important minutes for Benetton in both games. That's remarkable when you consider his age. Markoishvili, an explosive 6-foot-6 two-guard with a great outside shot and the ability to take it to the hole, was impressive in both games. He has a great handle, can create his own shot and has a nice stroke.

One source told Insider that on a recent European scouting trip, the Grizzlies' Jerry West walked away raving about only one kid, Markoishvili. Based on what I saw him do in practice and on videotape, he has the potential to be a high-lottery pick next year.

Monya isn't quite there yet, but he's very good. He's not quite as versatile as Khryapa, but he's a better shooter, a bit more athletic and projects to be a solid small forward in the NBA. Several teams told Insider he'd be a late-first-rounder if he declared this year. Word is he'll wait another year. If he keeps up the learning curve, he could easily move into the mid-first round.