Do you know Leon Wood? The man has 27 years as a referee in the NBA. But the now 61-year-old was also a great player before. In 1984 he was a point guard alongside Michael Jordan in the starting lineup of the US Olympic team and then played a total of 274 NBA games. Why do I mention all this? Well, Leon Wood moved to MTV 1846 Gießen for the playoffs in 1991 and scored a total of 77 points in three games. Eleven years earlier, BSC Saturn Cologne had signed Johnny Neumann, who had previously worked for the Lakers and Pacers in the NBA, among others. What was an absolute novelty 30 or 40 years ago is now available by the dozen. Eleven former NBA players are currently playing in the league, and since the North American professional league started its season this week, I would like to take a closer look at the BBL professionals who have a past there. This also includes three German players.
Bayern’s half dozen
For me, no other player in the league represents NBA quality like Serge Ibaka. This applies to both past successes and the current class. The 34-year-old shone twice as the league’s best shot blocker and was named to the All Defensive First Team three times. Admittedly, this all happened ten years ago, but the Congolese, who has a reputation as a hard worker, has so far convinced me. He makes a physically and playfully strong impression. Ibaka shows his presence under both baskets and appears with the aura of a champion (2019 NBA title with the Toronto Raptors). However, he is likely to be spared more often in national competition because Bayern need him much more urgently in the Euroleague.
Freddie Gillespie (29 games for Toronto and Orlando) is playing his second season with Munich. Above all, the 26-year-old needs to improve technically. However, his role is likely to become smaller given the huge range of classic interior players. One of which is also Elias Harris, whose two NBA appearances for the Lakers went back a decade. World Champion Isaac Bonga already found his niche as an effective all-rounder in Europe last season. This step should Leandro Bolmaro and Carsen Edwards go this season. After limited appearances in the NBA over the last two years, the Argentine point guard needs to gain the game practice that is so important for a 23-year-old. Edwards has to show in his second European season that he can live up to his goalscoring demands without going overboard. With his height of 1.80 meters and little playmaker mentality, a return to the NBA is unlikely.
A quintet at four clubs
With the Berlin duo Matt Thomas (Shooting Guard) und Sterling Brown (Small Forward) you can see what role European experience plays. It’s Brown’s first season in the Old World, and he’s struggling with adjustment issues on two fronts. On the one hand, he basically has to get used to European basketball, and on the other hand, he has to take the step from being a specialist (Three and D) to becoming a creative leader. Thomas, who in my opinion simply doesn’t have NBA athleticism, has hit his three-pointers at a very high percentage so far. Based on his two years in Spain and his ten Euroleague games last season for Panathinaikos, he knows how to move without the ball in Europe to get his shot.
Dakota Mathias from ratiopharm ulm is a similar type of player. But his overall package is not enough to establish himself in the NBA. But he has a successful career ahead of him in Europe. Wes Iwundu has played 236 games in the North American professional league. The 28-year-old is completely alien to all manners, so he also accepts his role off the bench in Vechta. But as a scorer he can and should contribute even more than before. Actually is Paul Zipser Bayern’s seventh ex-NBA player, as the former Chicago Bulls professional is on loan from Munich to Heidelberg, where he wants to take steps towards old (European) strength.
Koch’s second helping
The NBA is home to the best players in the world. But the gap to Europe has become smaller and smaller in recent years. The national team’s victory in the World Cup semi-final against the USA made the general public aware of this. Elias Harris, Paul Zipser and Isaac Bonga have already played in the NBA, but in my opinion an Andreas Obst or Johannes Thiemann could do that too.
Stefan Koch was a head coach in the premier league for two decades and was named Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2005. He regularly reached the playoffs with his teams and appeared seven times in the European Cup. He took part in the TOP FOUR six times and won the cup with Frankfurt in 2000. The Hessian was also head coach of the All-Star Game three times.
Koch currently works as a commentator at Dyn and previously worked as an expert and commentator for SPORT1, Premiere, Sportdigital and MagentaSport, as well as a scout for the NBA. His column “Kochs Nachschlag” can be found regularly here in the News Center on the right under the heading “Kochs Nachschlag”. He also produces the podcast “Talkin’ Basketball” every two weeks together with Oliver Dütschke, which is available on all common platforms.
2023-10-26 17:52:58
#NBA #professionals #Germany #role #teams
