NBA teams not only look for draft prospects at the Spanish Kings Cup. There are many past draft investments, mostly second-round bets, still playing and developing in the ACB League, while its also one of the best international markets to acquire quality free-agent veterans to help a team out right away.
Actually, with lights and shadows, successes and failures, this is a growing trend that opens new alternatives for the NBA squads to strengthen their rosters during the summer market. Considering only last year's edition of the King's Cup, we see the likes of Jorge Garbajosa, Walter Herrmann and Shammond Williams as free-agents currently on a NBA roster. On the other hand, its a trend that is hurting European basketball, and the success of a player like Garbajosa (not your prototypical NBA prospect) and the Toronto Raptors (stacked with guys who matured playing the Euroleague) might invite other teams to fish in the already damaged European pool.
With the superstars-to-be already leaving before making a big impact in the Old Continent (Bargnani is the last example, and he did last longer in Europe than your usual top prospect), these less glamorous leaders such as Garbajosa (until he left this past summer), Theo Papaloukas (recently honoured as the FIBA Player of the Year) or Nikola Vujcic (early frontrunner for Euroleague MVP this season), among others, form the European star system. It's not that attractive for wide audiences, but still effective enough to build a quality competition with a solid fan base. Without them, the general crisis will only get worse.
Anyway, there werent that many interesting free agents to look for in the Cup. One of them, Jordi Trías, came up with the MVP award.
Hes a 6-9, hard-working power forward with nice athleticism and limited skills. Despite somehow being a veteran born in 1980, hes a player that has made great strides lately and might keep developing in the near future, so hes a name to keep under the radar. For the moment, well get into details with Felipe Reyes and former draft phenom Nikoloz Tskitishvili.
There was much more to bite on the drafted-players side, with a nice bunch of guys who are maturing in the ACB League. Lets start with them first:
DRAFTED PLAYERS
Juan Carlos Navarro (Washington Wizards)
Winterthur F.C.Barcelona, SG, 1980, 6-4
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He didnt come up with eye-popping stats this time, and the MVP award went to his teammate Jordi Trías, but still Navarro managed to emerge as one of the top performers in this Cup, if not the best. He was again a lethal offensive weapon that sprung to action any time F.C.Barcelona needed him, for example taking the scoring load in the dangerous third quarter in the quarterfinal against Unicaja Malaga (Barcelona has a history this season of dreadful third quarters), or building a definitive lead early in the final against Real Madrid. Navarro scored 14 points in each of the three games, which reflects on his consistency in this tournament over the years.
We could see the usual repertoire, including terrific off the ball play, impressive first moves after receiving the ball to anticipate his opponent's reaction, the ability to create his own shot attacking his rival and generating separation for a shot, his creativity finishing near the basket with high-arched runners, or his impressive shooting range that goes beyond the NBA three-point line. Still Navarro didnt abuse his abilities (his moderate stats are a good proof) and played within the flow of the offense, making good decisions, sharing the ball and creating opportunities for his teammates, particularly the big men, dishing out 8 assists in the span of the tourney.
Nevertheless, the biggest news came on the defensive end, where Juan Carlos emerged as a very reliable defender, even in very complicated match-ups against the likes of Rudy Fernandez or Louis Bullock. This is a department where Navarro is steadily improving, showing better intensity and taking advantage of his quickness to stay in front of his man (hes likely answering the demands of his very tough coach Dusko Ivanovic). Obviously hes still a bit undersized and not the strongest guy around if we talk about dealing with very physically gifted shooting guards, but Navarro has reached a level of playing and maturity on court that should enable him to eventually succeed at the NBA level--meaning to establish himself as a useful player there. Still buyout complications (he has a 10-million escape clause) picture an unlikely scenario to happen unless he reaches some kind of agreement with F.C.Barcelona. Navarro wants to play in the NBA, though,and there is a sentiment that Barcelona might be willing to work with him on achieving that goal if it makes sense for them.
Winterthur F.C.Barcelona, SG, 1980, 6-4
He didnt come up with eye-popping stats this time, and the MVP award went to his teammate Jordi Trías, but still Navarro managed to emerge as one of the top performers in this Cup, if not the best. He was again a lethal offensive weapon that sprung to action any time F.C.Barcelona needed him, for example taking the scoring load in the dangerous third quarter in the quarterfinal against Unicaja Malaga (Barcelona has a history this season of dreadful third quarters), or building a definitive lead early in the final against Real Madrid. Navarro scored 14 points in each of the three games, which reflects on his consistency in this tournament over the years.
We could see the usual repertoire, including terrific off the ball play, impressive first moves after receiving the ball to anticipate his opponent's reaction, the ability to create his own shot attacking his rival and generating separation for a shot, his creativity finishing near the basket with high-arched runners, or his impressive shooting range that goes beyond the NBA three-point line. Still Navarro didnt abuse his abilities (his moderate stats are a good proof) and played within the flow of the offense, making good decisions, sharing the ball and creating opportunities for his teammates, particularly the big men, dishing out 8 assists in the span of the tourney.
Nevertheless, the biggest news came on the defensive end, where Juan Carlos emerged as a very reliable defender, even in very complicated match-ups against the likes of Rudy Fernandez or Louis Bullock. This is a department where Navarro is steadily improving, showing better intensity and taking advantage of his quickness to stay in front of his man (hes likely answering the demands of his very tough coach Dusko Ivanovic). Obviously hes still a bit undersized and not the strongest guy around if we talk about dealing with very physically gifted shooting guards, but Navarro has reached a level of playing and maturity on court that should enable him to eventually succeed at the NBA level--meaning to establish himself as a useful player there. Still buyout complications (he has a 10-million escape clause) picture an unlikely scenario to happen unless he reaches some kind of agreement with F.C.Barcelona. Navarro wants to play in the NBA, though,and there is a sentiment that Barcelona might be willing to work with him on achieving that goal if it makes sense for them.