A Small World

The name popped out on Friday morning when I checked online for the results of the second half of the NBA Draft - aka, the draft dregs, selections nobody outside of a few fanatics care about:

Emir Preldzic, taken with the 57th pick by the Phoenix Suns.



And the past came rushing back.

November, 2007: I was attending a Euroleague game, featuring Preldzic's Fenerbahçe Ülker team, with some friends. Ülker, the eventual Turkish league champion, lost that game, but I remember being impressed by the Slovenian/Bosnian Preldzic's game. A 6'9" point forward, he showed exceptional body control and unspooled a sweet, sweet driving finger roll that would have translated to "I've got game" in any language. The game came easy to him, and you got the sense that he could develop much further.

Afterward, as my friend and I exited the arena, we ran into Emir and another player outside. They were huddling in their warm-up hoodies. We small talked about where they were from, where we were from. I congratulated Emir on his nice game, and the slick finger roll. He was cordial, unassuming, just a 20-year-old kid in a new country, with a job that happened to be played in front of thousands. A few minutes, and our little path-crossing was over.

I have occasionally run across scouting reports about him this last year, and also mused to myself that the player I "discovered" is now known by basketball heads all over. Of course, that's far from accurate - Emir, a former All-Adriatic League member, burst onto the scene in the U-20 World Championships in 2006. The NBA types had tabs on him long before I ever knew I would live in Turkey for a few months.

Emir, who since the draft has been traded to the Cavaliers, may never make an NBA roster due to his lack of athleticism and consistent shooting. Whether he makes the team or stays in Europe, his future seems bright. It's always fun to recall that once I saw a star streaming upward from the darkness.