Interbasket

As expected, Italian prospect Danilo Gallinari was the first foreign player chosen at number six by the hometown Knicks and a total of thirteen international players were selected in the 2008 NBA draft.

No doubt the influence of new Knick’s coach Mike D’Antoni had a huge impact of the pick.  D’Antoni played professional ball in Italy prior to NBA coaching.

Gallinari walked up to the podium to the sound of loud boos from the Madison Square Garden crowd (when are they happy, really?), and odds are that most of the catcallers never saw the 19-year old play outside of a couple YouTube clips.

“It’s a part of the game,” Gallinari said. “All of the players have got to hear this. Not all of the time you can hear good things.”

Not only was the NY crowd rowdy about the selection of the 6-8, 210lb Italian, but so was infamous for international-basketball player-hating Dick Vitale.  Vitale of course referred to his “I told you so” about the selection of Darko Milicic over Carmelo, restating what he said in 2003 “I don’t know Milicic, but I know Carmelo” (I’m sure I missed a couple “babys!” in there).  Oh and Vitale also failed to mention his so-called expertise when he said that Yao Ming would be a bust pick in 2001.

The next three veins that popped out in Vitale’s head was picks 20-25, where three international players went at 20, 24, and 25.  The Charlotte Bobcats selected Alexis Ajinca of France (20), Seattle took Spaniard (via Congo) Serge Ibaka, and Portland chose Nicolas Batum of France (25).

Next up was promising youngster Nikola Pekovic of Montenegro, whom played a significant role this season for Panathinaikos B.C. of the Greek League and the Euroleague.  Pekovic was the first pick of the second round at #31 to the Minnesota Timberwolves.  Nine of the thirteen international players drafted would be taken in the latter half.

Omer Asik of Turkey was drafted by the Portland Trailblazers (36), Luc Mbah a Moute of Cameroon (37), Nathan Jawai from Australia (41), Croatian Ante Tomic (44), Goran Dragic of Slovenia (45), Serbian Tadija Dragicevic (53), Aleksandr “Sasha” Kaun from Russia (56), and Semih Erden of Turkey was the last player selected in the draft (60).

In the second NBA draft that disallowed US high school players to jump straight to the NBA, a record number of freshmen were selected in the first round of the 2008 NBA draft, as well as five of the first seven players drafted (Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, OJ Mayo, Kevin Love, and Eric Gordon).  Both are NBA records.  The record for amount of international players drafted were 20 in both 2003 and 2004.

Links and Resources: Danilo Gallinari Draft Profile (Interbasket), Rose, Beasley, Mayo go 1-2-3 in NBA draft (AP), Yao Ming could be another LaRue Martin (ESPN), Rough reception for Gallinari in New York debut (Usa Today), My NBA Draft 08 thoughts (Interbasket NBA Draft Forum), The 10 Worst Draft Picks This Decade (Interbasket)