Podkolzine Zooming Up The Charts

[Way Of The Ray <wayray@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Who will draft the Siberian Giant? Miami and the Clippers seem the 
best candidatees.

Notebook: 'Siberian Shaq' might go No. 4 in NBA Draft  
 June 6, 2003
By Dan Wetzel
SportsLine.com Senior Writer
    
 
CHICAGO -- There he was, 7-foot-5 of long, strong proof that the legend
of Pavel Podkolzine, the Siberian Shaq, the Ivan Drago of basketball,
was, indeed, very much a reality. 

In front of about 100 representatives from all 29 NBA teams, Podkolzine
went through a private workout here at the Gold Coast Multiplex health
club Friday. He showed he could handle the ball. He showed he could
shoot the ball. He showed he could get up and down the court with
stunning speed and ease. 

And mainly he showed he is every bit the 7-5, 295 pounds of hoops
prodigy that had the league buzzing with intrigue all year. 

Darko Milicic, the 7-1 Serbian 17-year-old, may be the toast of the
international players in the draft -- almost certain to go No. 2 to
Detroit. But Podkolzine, an 18-year-old from remote Siberia, Russia, is
gaining fast. After an impressive showing Friday, he may wind up as high
as No. 4. Or who knows, maybe higher? 

"He is big," said Toronto Raptors general manager Glen Grunwald, whose
team just happens to pick fourth. "He showed pretty good athleticism and
he is skilled. For 18-years-old, he obviously has a bright future. Just
seeing him here, he can move pretty well, his feet are pretty good. It
looked like he had decent hands. 

"His size is," Grunwald smiled before pausing. "Well, you just can't
really teach that." 

This was truly something else. Watching Podkolzine go through a work out
run by CBA coach Bill Bayno left mouths agape across the league. As
these events are prone to be about, there was no competition and nothing
was attempted that could put the big Russian in a bad light. But it was
a sight to see nonetheless. 

Before the workout Podkolzine was little more than a rumor to most NBA
execs. "He was a 7-foot-5, 300 pound figment of imagination," said one
Western Conference scout. 

By the time he showed light feet, skilled hands and a decent jump shot
-- not to mention Shaqesque size -- he had turned almost the entire
draft on its ear. 

If last year's was about the arrival of mammoth Yao Ming of China, then
Russia, the other old communist empire of Asia, is poised to answer this
time around. 

"He reminds me of Yao because he combines skills with that size," Bayno
said. "I think he is heavier and stronger than Yao although Yao is more
skilled. He has a great lower body. He could be in shape at 350 down the
road. And he can really run. He is faster than he knows." 

One thing that is appealing to scouts is that Podkolzine is a true,
massive man. Although he says Tracy McGrady is his favorite player,
there is no would-be shooting guard trying to break out of his shell.
This is a guy who is willing to bang Shaquille O'Neal on the blocks. In
two years he could be a serious offensive force. 

"A lot of European big guys like to stay on the perimeter, you can't
move them into the post," said Bayno. "He likes it inside even though he
likes to shoot the ball." 

Podkolzine hails from the city of Novosibirsk, the capital of Siberia
and home to about 1.5 million people. The teenager said through his
translator that it was, yes, very cold there. It was a tough place to
grow up and poverty is extreme in the harsh region of a depressed
empire. 

He played the past two years for Varese, an A1 team in the Italian
Professional League, which is where he gained a cult following from
scouts. But for a variety of reasons he often saw only limited playing
time. So no one was completely certain about him. 

Friday he became the talk of a draft that had been searching for a
fourth pick after the lock top three of LeBron James, Milicic and
Carmelo Anthony. Podkolzine could now be that guy. In one half-hour
workout he blew American big men Chris Kaman and Chris Bosh out of the
water. 

"That is why he just made (the league execs) jobs tougher," said Bayno.
"If you look at potential, I don't know how you can pass on him." 

Despite all the fuss and pressure of Friday afternoon's workout,
Podkolzine was relaxed and smiling. He doesn't speak much English but he
obviously has personality. It's sort of like the likeable Yao. 

"I was very surprised to see this much people (at the work out),"
Podkolzine said through a translator. "I thought less people. All the
famous players, the GMs in the history of the NBA. I am only a young
prospect but I will work very hard to be a player. I hope one team signs
me for this project." 

Can you imagine the marketing possibilities here? Somebody get Sylvester
Stallone out of mothballs and film a Rocky IV remake as a Sprite
commercial. 

At this point anything is possible. He has only seen minimal coaching
and only played three years of competitive ball. His upside is immense.
Which is why the top half of the lottery was reshuffled after one very
simple workout on a rainy Chicago afternoon. 

Big is always big in the NBA. And Podkolzine almost redefines the word
big. 

"He works hard, he is coachable," said his U.S.-based agent Justin
Zanik. "The kid is a blank slate. He could go as high as top 10, top
five. The sky is the limit." 


Tide's Williams sits out 
Alabama's Maurice Williams skipped scrimmage action Friday because of a
sprained ankle. Most scouts figured Williams just shut it down because
he had played pretty well the first two days. 

The question now is whether he can get in the first round. If so, he's
staying in the draft. If not, it's back to Alabama, where he would
undoubtedly be a star. Not surprisingly, Tide coach Mark Gottfried was
in town Friday to watch the action even though Williams wasn't playing. 

Presently there are no first-round guarantees. Scouts are mixed. A
crowded late first round may push him out of the guaranteed contract
range. 

"I feel comfortable I can play in this league; it is just a matter of
where I am going in the draft," said Williams. "I feel I (will)
contribute to any team that selects me. It is just about getting a
commitment from a first-round team." 


News and notes 

Washington State's Marcus Moore, who can return to college, said he will
gather as much feedback as possible from his solid pre-draft camp
performance and make a decision on his future next week. The junior
guard played well but is probably not a guaranteed first-round guy.
"First I am going to enjoy tonight, go watch the playoff game and start
my process in the next couple days," said Moore. "I will try to find out
as much as I can and go from there." 

Duke's Dahntay Jones is a player that many scouts say was one of the few
first-round material guys in the pre-draft camp. But the Blue Devil
senior, who scored 17 points Friday despite a bruised right forearm,
isn't worrying about where he gets picked. He just wants a shot. "All I
can do is give all I can. Being a second rounder has some positive
points. So wherever I fall I am going. A lot of guys come out of the
second round, do good things and make a lot of money for themselves." 

NBA scouts like the potential of Alabama high school big man James Lang
but no one likes that he is overweight. Lang admits he needs to be in
better shape but says it is a process. The 6-9, 316-pounder already has
lost 45 pounds this spring by cutting out "fast food and a lot of junk
food" from his diet. He also started lifting weights and running up to 3
miles a day. Everyone liked that. Unlike the other marginal high
schoolers, Lang came here and played, risking being shown up by older
college guys. "I wasn't afraid at all," said Lang. 

The leading scorer of the pre-draft camp was Boston College's prolific
Troy Bell, who despite playing primarily at point averaged 18 points a
game. Marquette's Robert Jackson was second with 14 ppg. 

The top rebounders were Wyoming's Uche Nsonwu-Amadi and Memphis' Chris
Massie, who both averaged 9.3 a game. 

Saint Joseph's Jameer Nelson (19 assists) edged out Arizona power
forward Luke Walton (18) in assists. 

No surprise that Wayne Wallace of Virginia Union is a cousin of Detroit
Pistons forward Ben Wallace. Friday he posted a double-double of 14
points and 11 rebounds. 

Power forward Aloysius Anagoyne of Michigan State had his best game of
the week Friday, scoring 18 points on 7 of 9 shooting and adding eight
rebounds. 

Proof once again that if you are going to make a splash here do it on
the first day of camp. By the Friday evening session the crowd of scouts
and general managers was a third of the size it was Wednesday. A good
performance on the camp's final day is likely to be missed, ignored or
forgotten about. 

The pre-draft camp is officially over Friday night but Saturday most of
the projected lottery picks will arrive to be weighed, measured and meet
with the media. The lone exception is LeBron James, who is graduating
from Akron's St. Vincent-St. Mary on Saturday. James will arrive in
Chicago on Sunday.