
			Register Free	Lost Password

Forum Home Football Baseball NFL Draft Basketball Hockey Pro Wrestling Handicapping

College Trivia Hoop Trivia 3 Point Shootout

By Category By Publication Date

FFRS Daily Rankings

Player Updates Player Injuries Team Pages Player Pages

Standings Schedules Transactions Depth Charts

The Top-10 NBA players in Europe...

Coming or going?

Search NBA Articles for: Content Title Author

NBA Grumblings - Eur-Appeal

http://www.sportsgrumblings.com/basketball/articles/articles/181/1/NBA-Grumblings---Eur-Appeal/Page1.html

Fantasy Forecaster

FANTASY SPORTS SERVICES INC. is a sports editorial, statistical information and fantasy games company that specializes in interactive content and games for sports fans.

By Fantasy Forecaster

Published on 10/5/2007

Sarunas Jasikevicius - Fantasy Basketball

After two years in the NBA, Sarunas Jasikevicius is returning to Europe.

EUR-APPEAL!

Top 10 NBA players in Europe...

More and more European and international players are joining the NBA. Yet now the opposite is also happening: NBA players are increasingly leaving North America for Europe. Bigger money and a change of scenery has lured some notable name players across the pond lately. Who's leaving? A closer look...

1 Sarunas Jasikevicius, PG
2006-07 NBA teams: Pacers and Warriors
2006-07 stats: 6.1 ppg, 2.7 apg, 0.4 spg
New team: Panathinaikos (Greece)
The skinny: Now 31, Jasikevicius has spent most of his pro career as a star in Europe. Most NBA observers thought he would be a success in the NBA too, but a lack of defensive intensity really hurt him in his two NBA seasons. He probably could have excelled on a team that played more help defense, but it looks like he may be headed back to Europe for good. It's too bad, since he was very good in the limited minutes he saw in the NBA.

2 Vasilis Spanoulis, PG
2006-07 NBA team: Rockets
2006-07 stats: 2.7 ppg, 0.9 apg, 0.2 spg
New team: Panathinaikos (Greece)
The skinny: After his year of trying out NBA life, Spanoulis is headed back to Panathinaikos. He didn't get to play much at all for the Rockets in his one season, and he wasn't happy about it. That got him traded to the Spurs this summer, and they released him to return to Greece. Spanoulis is best known for leading Greece to their upset of Team USA in last year's world championships in Japan, but his huge performance there didn't translate into big opportunities in Houston. With Panathinaikos he should return to a much bigger role, but ironically he may have to compete for top point guard duties with another former NBA player, Jasikevicius.

3 Ersan Ilyasova, F
2006-07 NBA team: Bucks
2006-07 stats: 6.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 0.7 apg
New team: FC Barcelona (Spain)
The skinny: Still only 20 years old, Ilyasova was the 36th overall pick of the 2005 Draft. He really only got one season to show what he can do in the NBA, and in limited action he was very impressive. Ilyasova still has the goods to oneday be a star in the NBA and has a game and frame similar to that of a young Andrei Kirilenko. He just may not be back to the Association for awhile, especially if he gets a taste of regular minutes in Spain.

4 Allan Ray, G
2006-07 NBA team: Celtics
2006-07 stats: 6.1 ppg, 0.9 apg, 0.4 spg
New team: Virtus Roma (Italy)
The skinny: Ray was a college star at Villanova, but wasn't as successful in the NBA draft (where he was passed over). He enjoyed a few nice games for the Celts as a rookie last year, but didn't really fit into their huge rebuilding plan. He is talented enough to really excel in Europe, and if he does then Ray may round out his game and eventually return to the NBA (as Toronto's Anthony Parker did). Ray can certainly put the biscuit in the basket.

5 DerMarr Johnson, G/F
2006-07 NBA team: Nuggets
2006-07 stats: 3.4 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 0.4 apg
New team: Benetton Treviso (Italy)
The skinny: Now 27, Johnson should be in his prime as a ball-player. Instead he mostly lost playing time over three seasons in Denver, where he once was a starter. Johnson still has major talent (evidenced by his being picked No.6 overall in the 2000 Draft) but a broken neck in a car accident almost ended his career. He has the goods to be a star in Europe, where he will certainly get more playing time.

6 Rafael Araujo, C
2006-07 NBA team: Jazz
2006-07 stats: 2.5 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 0.0 bpg
New team: Spartak St. Petersburg (Russia)
The skinny: As the No.8 overall pick of the 2004 NBA Draft, Araujo ultimately ended up being one of the biggest busts in draft history. To be fair to him, the Raptors never should have taken him so early and few expected them to. 'Hoffa' didn't do much in his three NBA seasons, but he remains a fairly mobile center who can score and rebound a little. Maybe he will regain some confidence with the increased playing time he'll get in Russia.

7 Dee Brown, PG
2006-07 NBA team: Jazz
2006-07 stats: 1.9 ppg, 1.6 apg, 0.4 spg
New team: Galatasaray (Turkey)
The skinny: Brown had a few nice moments for the Jazz last season as a fill-in point guard, and was good enough in that rookie campaign to stick with the team. On another NBA squad he might have contended for more minutes, but Brown wasn't looking like a lock to make this year's Jazz so he took a more secure deal in Turkey. Galatasaray is not a major force in European ball, but Brown will at least get a chance to play a big role for them (as he did at Illinois in college).

8 Lawrence Roberts, F/C
2006-07 NBA team: Grizzlies
2006-07 stats: 5.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 0.2 bpg
New team: Olympiacos (Greece)
The skinny: In two NBA seasons Roberts showed toughness and low-post power. But he also spent time in the D-League and on the injured list. He is a very strong post presence who should benefit from seeing more action in Greece. That said, big-men sometimes have a tougher time adjusting to the European game than guards, so there might be some adjustment pains.

9 Daniel Ewing, G
2006-07 NBA team: Clippers
2006-07 stats: 2.9 ppg, 1.4 apg, 0.5 spg
New team: Kimki Moscow (Russia)
The skinny: Like some of the other guards on this list, Ewing is a somewhat undersized but very skilled player. That makes him a better bet to succeed abroad than he did in the NBA, although he was a fairly regular contributor for the Clips during two seasons in L.A. Kimki isn't a major power in international basketball but they are improving, and maybe Ewing can help add to their profile and standing.

10 James Singleton, F
2006-07 NBA team: Clippers
2006-07 stats: 1.6 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 0.3 bpg
New team: Tau Ceramica (Spain)
The skinny: Singleton managed to establish himself as a valuable role player for the Clips during his two seasons with them, but he saw his playing time diminish last season. A gritty and smart player, Singleton might have done a little better in the NBA if he had landed with a team that used him more. His return to European ball won't be a culture shock for Singleton, as he spent two seasons playing in Italy before landing in Clipperland. It wouldn't be surprising to see him return to the NBA somewhere down the road. He's only 26 years old.

Also leaving the NBA for teams across the ocean: Pops Mensa-Bonsu (from the Mavericks, to Italy), C; Will Blalock, PG (from the Pistons, to Israel); Will Conroy, G (from the Clippers, to Italy); Shammond Williams, PG (from the Lakers, to Spain); Jared Reiner, C (from the Bucks, to Spain); Bracey Wright, SG (from the Timberwolves, to Greece); Luke Schenscher, C (from the Trail Blazers, to Germany); Pape Sow, PF/C (from the Raptors, to Italy); Uros Slokar, PF/C (from the Raptors, to Russia).

Visit our Sponsors

FREE NBA Picks

NBA Basketball Picks

NBA Picks

Sports Betting

Milwauklee Bucks Tickets

March Madness Predictions

Premier Partners: Bullz-Eye | Homegrown Sports | Wrestle-Complex | WWE Rumors | Wrestling Rumors

Media Inquiries | Advertise With Us | Contact Us

Member: Fantasy Sports Writers Association - Fantasy Sports Trade Association

Copyright© 1995-2008, Sports Grumblings LLC. All rights reserved. Not in any way affiliated with, endorsed or licensed by the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, NCAA, PGA, NASCAR, any member teams or repective player associations.