It's no chin scratcher, Andris. You really do deserve All-Star recognition! Golden-haired 6-11 Andris Biedrins could be the Golden State Warrior's first all-star since Latrell Sprewell in 1997.
Such a selection seemed unlikely in 2004, when an 18-year-old Biedrins became the youngest player ever drafted by the Warriors.
In his first couple years, he averaged less than 4.5 in points and rebounds and shot a jaw-droppingly inept 30.6% from the free throw line in 2005-06.
His playing improved in 2006 when Don Nelson replaced Mike Montgomery as head coach. Nelson, who had experience tutoring another European project - Dirk Nowitzki, was able able to implement a fastbreak playing style in which Biedrins thrived. (9.5 ppg, 9.3 rpg in 2006-07). Last year, he led the NBA in FG% at 62.6% and became the Warriors' all-time leader in career field-goal percentage (61.4). He bumped his scoring and rebounding average to 10.5 points and 9.8 boards a game.
Nelson called him possibly "the best big man I've ever coached."
He was rewarded this summer with a six-year, $63 million deal and, at 22, has been named a co-captain. The Warriors have eight players on their roster who are 22 or younger, including their last two first-round draft picks, Anthony Randolph (19) and Brandan Wright (20).
This year, in the absence of high-scoring Baron Davis (traded) and Monta Ellis (suspended), he has taken another quantum leap in production by now averaging 16.8 ppg and 13.5 rpg, and even shooting a previously unimaginable 62% from the charity stripe.
Before sketching his background, here's a quick glimpse at the history of basketball in Latvia:
1. Latvia won the first European Championship in 1935
2. Gundars Vētra became the first Latvian in the NBA when he played for the Minnesota Timberwolves for 13 games in 1993. Biedrins is so far the only other.
When Biedrins signed his first professional contract with Skonto Riga, he was 15 and making $500 dollars a month, which is about how much his father, Aivars, was getting as a construction worker.
Such a selection seemed unlikely in 2004, when an 18-year-old Biedrins became the youngest player ever drafted by the Warriors.
In his first couple years, he averaged less than 4.5 in points and rebounds and shot a jaw-droppingly inept 30.6% from the free throw line in 2005-06.
His playing improved in 2006 when Don Nelson replaced Mike Montgomery as head coach. Nelson, who had experience tutoring another European project - Dirk Nowitzki, was able able to implement a fastbreak playing style in which Biedrins thrived. (9.5 ppg, 9.3 rpg in 2006-07). Last year, he led the NBA in FG% at 62.6% and became the Warriors' all-time leader in career field-goal percentage (61.4). He bumped his scoring and rebounding average to 10.5 points and 9.8 boards a game.
Nelson called him possibly "the best big man I've ever coached."
He was rewarded this summer with a six-year, $63 million deal and, at 22, has been named a co-captain. The Warriors have eight players on their roster who are 22 or younger, including their last two first-round draft picks, Anthony Randolph (19) and Brandan Wright (20).
This year, in the absence of high-scoring Baron Davis (traded) and Monta Ellis (suspended), he has taken another quantum leap in production by now averaging 16.8 ppg and 13.5 rpg, and even shooting a previously unimaginable 62% from the charity stripe.
Before sketching his background, here's a quick glimpse at the history of basketball in Latvia:
1. Latvia won the first European Championship in 1935
2. Gundars Vētra became the first Latvian in the NBA when he played for the Minnesota Timberwolves for 13 games in 1993. Biedrins is so far the only other.
When Biedrins signed his first professional contract with Skonto Riga, he was 15 and making $500 dollars a month, which is about how much his father, Aivars, was getting as a construction worker.
Aivars Biedrins was able to quit his job after Biedrins' first pro season. Hs mother, Inita, stopped working as an accountant once he signed his first NBA contract, a two-year deal worth $3.6 million.
Here, Andris - or "Dre" as his teammates call him - interviews with an exceedingly chummy Foxsports.com reporter. They talk about Dre chances of becoming the first Warrior all-star in ten years. Notice that Dre foregoes the his famed gelled, spiky hair on non game-days.
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