Originally posted by pimpekaustas
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Anyway, not to disrespect the player, but last year he wasn't even a top-20 player in Spain's 2nd division (much lower level than Adriatic League). Good scorer, but little else. This year he'll have a place in 1st team roster, but he will receive very little playing time, if any at all. Word on the street is he didn't respect his coach, nor his teammates while playing for the junior team, so they want to give him a chance to improve by training with seniors and have Xavi Pascual overseer his development. In the best case, he will be a commodity by 2015. Right now he's a project.
I find quite surprising someone is ready to believe this story. The Spanish Federation doesn't have a history of stealing players away from their home countries. Prior to Ibaka stint with the NT, no foreign-born player had appeared with the NT since USA citizen Chuck Kornegay did in 2001. And this was a clear case of man crush, then-coach Imbroda had also signed and coached him for Caja San Fernando (Seville's club). He wouldn't have a chance to play for Team USA even if half the country was blown away in a nuclear explosion. Ibaka's case has some points in common: he wouldn't be able to participate in a World Championship if he played with Congo, so he offered himself to Spanish Federation.
The only case similar to Hezonja's hypothetical naturalization would be Mirotic's. But, back then he was told a spanish citizenship would help his career, and the prize for it was taking part in tournaments with our national team. Shortly after, the ACB changed its rules and being spanish didn't have a single advantage anymore. Since Ibaka's appearance, the Federation is claiming to be working towards a FIBA ruling to allow Mirotic and Ibaka play together. I don't believe a single word of it, they say that only to save face, but have no real interest in opening up a loophole that could strenghten our rivals' rosters. So, what's in it for Hezonja? He won't get a better contract in Spain. He doesn't need the passport to play in Europe, much less the NBA. He isn't going to be chosen for the NT, as Ibaka OR Mirotic go first, and they do fill a need, meanwhile Hezonja does not. Plus, after taking part in youth tournaments with Croatia, Spain would need explicit permission to play Hezonja, and it's not a given.
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