A report by the AP has many less foreign players ready to be selected in the NBA draft this year.

“This year, in Europe, there really weren’t as many players ready,” Pacers president Larry Bird said. “There’s some guys ready to come over, but they’re not ready to play in the NBA.”

A record 21 international players were drafted in 2003, but the total has dropped each year since; falling to thirteen in last year’s draft.  If the mock drafts around the net hold up, that number will drop again this year.

In this year’s draft, the only sure fire foreign first rounders are Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio and Tanzanian center Hasheem Thabeet, but even with the prospect of being drafted in the top-five, there are still many concerns surrounding them.

From there, Omri Casspi of Israel, Patrick Mills of Australia, and Jonas Jerebko are slated to go anywhere from the mid-to-late 20s to early second rounders.  At worst, there may only be seven international players drafted in 2009 with Rodrigue Beaubois (France) and Victor Claver (Spain) likely to be second round picks.

The problems international players face are complicated contract buyouts and the difference of approaches between the international game and the NBA.  But that same problem can be seen as a blessing by some teams.  Teams that have full rosters and own lower draft picks can pick on potential, keeping the player overseas for 2-3 years of extra seasoning.

“I do think it’s a down year, but I don’t think it’s a trend,” said Ryan Blake, the NBA’s assistant director of scouting. “It’s just how it goes and how people developed.”

Links and Resources: Foreign talent pool for NBA draft down this year (AP), Even Thabeet, Rubio come with doubts (Yahoo/AP)