New Web Site

With all the hubbub about Tyler jetting to Europe, I thought it would be interesting to start a website to track his progress (or lack thereof) and what the blogerati are saying about it. His success or failure will determine how much pull uber-agent Sonny Vaccaro will have in the future in convincing other similarly gifted teenagers to try their hand at Euro ball, and the bling it brings.

So have at it, people: www.jeremytylereurope.com

Would Ron Paul get along famously with Jeremy Tyler?

Probably - at least when it comes to selling one's basketball skills on the free market.
Basketball stud Tyler, after all, has decided to slap the Establishment across its face by jettisoning not only college to play in Europe, but also his senior year at dear ole' San Diego High.
If Texas congressman Ron Paul isn't twirling his libertarian noodles right about now, then that freshly-minted colloquilism hasn't the slightest meaning.

Jeremy Tyler is, after all, living a centuries-old American ideal - pursuing individual happiness by exercising liberty to go where you will, and do what you want, as long as you don't infringe on others' rights.
Except this young man isn't heading West - he's bolting east, back the Olde World, whisked away by the American dream of self-fulfillment.

With rapt attention, I'm following Tyler's story as he prepares to leave behind one world to embrace another. Hell, I'm creating a website devoted to following his progress (or lack thereof) and the media's commentary on it. In a following post, I'll examine how (and why) most media seem to support his decision.

But I'll postpone such meta-commentary for now to flesh out some of my own thoughts on the matter. I support what he's doing. I've lived in Europe, am half-Turkish and studied Greek and Roman culture in college. I'm a humanities junkie. How can I not like the idea of somebody shedding plastic, reheatable American monoculture for the clinking cafes, salads and wines of history-rich Spain or Italy?

It will be interesting, however, to see if Tyler will try to immerse himself in the culture around him. He and his family have said that he will try to learn a new language, come back with expanded perspective and work on his bachelor's degree abroad after securing his G.E.D.

If he does that, and avoids squirreling away with his laptop and family in an apartment after most practices (as Jennings seems to have), then all power to him. Hell, I wouldn't have been able to fully appreciate another culture at 17 and 18.

The hermetically-sealed apartment living lifestyle brings to mind another entertainer who took his talents overseas to maximize profits from them. I am referring, of course, to the aging movie star Bill Murray played in Lost in Translation who voyaged to Japan to film whiskey commercials. Entertainers in the eve of their careers often make such mercantile jaunts to film commercials or perform in Asian and European countries where they may still be considered cool (think of David Hasselhoff's chest expanding whenever he alights in Germany).

Tyler, like Brandon Jennings before him, are entertainers who have given such financially-motivated ventures a new twist. The youngsters aren't using foreign grounds to break their fall into obscurity but as an anvil to hammer out their game, which they hope translates to even greater monetary gains upon their American homecoming.

The Next Step : Jeremy Tyler

17-year-old Jeremy Tyler is basketball's newest sensation.
He's 6-10, 240 pounds, and has a suite of inside-out skills you expect from the NBA lottery prospects of his size these days.
He's also decided to follow in the footsteps of Brandon Jennings as second player to leap from American high school to a European professional basketball league.
The high school junior is upping the ante, though, by foregoing his senior year.
The reason is simple: high school competition in San Diego doesn't sharpen like professional competition in the A and B leagues of Spain and Italy.
And preps basketball doesn't pay - at least not legally.
What better way to prepare for a profession than by actually working in that profession?
In the two weeks since Tyler's announced his intentions, a veritable blogstorm of opinion has broken of the cyberscape. I'll chart those perspectives - and what Tyler's decision could presage for the future of amateur basketball.

Villanueva, Ariza Promise to Boost Dominican Basketball to Elite Levels

Jamba Juice, that fine, fine California-based juice and smoothie chain , offers a health "boost" - protein, fiber, echinecea, etc. - injected into its smoothies, taking the concoctions' flavor from heights of deliciousness to breathtaking healthful perfection.

Well, the Dominican Republic national basketball program could soon receive a life-infusing "boost" of its own - in the form of Milwaukee Bucks forward Charlie Villanueva and L.A. Lakers sixth man of the year candidate Trevor Ariza.

Villanueva, a 6-11, sweet-shooting power forward, was released by USA Basketball, clearing the path to switching sports citizenship, ESPN.com reported.

The island nation of 1.2 million has in the last few years hovered around the top finishers in American tournaments, but not been able to break through to the top, as evidenced in the final standings below:

Centrobasket Championship for Men	2008	3
CBC Championship for Men	2007	2
Centrobasket U17 Championship for Men	2007	3
Central American and Caribbean Games for Men	2006	3

The most recent team had a solid foundation with Hawks power forward Al Horford and Sacramento Kings swingman Francisco Garcia. Both young players have improved during the 2008-09 NBA campaign.












22-year-old Horford's numbers:

Year	Team	G	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	OFF	DEF	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TO	PF	PPG
07-08	ATL	81	77	31.4	0.499	0.000	0.731	3.1	6.6	9.7	1.5	0.7	0.9	1.69	3.30	10.1
08-09	ATL	67	67	33.5	0.525	0.000	0.727	2.2	7.1	9.3	2.4	0.8	1.4	1.54	2.80	11.5

27-year-old Garcia's numbers:

07-08	SAC	79	20	26.5	0.463	0.391	0.779	0.7	2.7	3.3	1.6	1.2	0.6	1.62	2.90	12.3
08-09	SAC	64	35	30.3	0.447	0.400	0.818	0.9	2.5	3.4	2.3	1.2	1.0	1.73	3.00	12.8

The national team, currently ranked 31st in the FIBA world rankings, would have improved due to the two NBA players' emergence, but Villanueva and Ariza could take the team to unprecedented heights for the upcoming Americas World Championship Qualifying Tournament in Mexico, Aug. 19-30.

Both young veterans are also still improving and in the upside of their careers.


Villanueva, a 24-year-old, has a perimeter game well-suited for international play. Last year, he posted impressive production in limited minutes due to foul trouble:

Year	Team	G	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	OFF	DEF	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TO	PF	PPG
05-06	TOR	81	36	29.1	0.463	0.327	0.706	2.2	4.2	6.4	1.1	0.7	0.8	1.22	3.00	13.0
06-07	MIL	39	17	25.2	0.470	0.337	0.820	1.6	4.3	5.8	0.9	0.6	0.3	1.38	2.80	11.8
07-08	MIL	76	31	24.1	0.435	0.297	0.783	1.9	4.2	6.1	1.0	0.4	0.5	1.41	2.30	11.7
08-09	MIL	77	47	27.0	0.449	0.348	0.835	2.0	4.7	6.7	1.8	0.6	0.7	1.78	3.30	16.3

23-year-old Ariza, still waiting pending confirmation of Dominican citizenship, would be a perfect fit for a Dominican team brandishing Villanueva and Horford in the front court and Garcia in the back court. He's a 6-8 glue guy who's long, rangy, athletic and defensively-oriented - the kind of player any team aspiring for greatness needs.


In the last year, Ariza has posted the same kind of production he posted two years ago for the Magic, but this time for a championship contender:

Year	Team	G	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	OFF	DEF	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TO	PF	PPG
04-05	NYK	80	12	17.3	0.442	0.231	0.695	1.1	1.9	3.0	1.1	0.9	0.2	0.91	1.90	5.9
05-06	NYK	36	10	19.7	0.418	0.333	0.545	1.4	2.4	3.8	1.3	1.2	0.2	1.28	2.20	4.6
05-06	ORL	21	0	13.8	0.400	0.000	0.700	1.4	2.5	3.9	0.7	0.7	0.1	0.76	1.00	4.7
06-07	ORL	57	7	22.4	0.539	0.000	0.620	1.7	2.6	4.4	1.1	1.0	0.3	1.47	2.40	8.9
07-08	ORL	11	0	10.5	0.452	0.000	0.533	0.5	1.7	2.2	0.7	0.4	0.3	0.45	0.80	3.3
07-08	LAL	24	3	18.0	0.524	0.333	0.683	1.0	2.5	3.5	1.5	1.1	0.3	0.75	1.50	6.5
08-09	LAL	82	20	24.4	0.460	0.319	0.710	1.4	2.9	4.3	1.8	1.7	0.3	1.06	2.00	8.9

If the Dominican Republic's national program can receive its "Jamba boost," it should be able to contend with Puerto Rico for second-best team status in North America, which would cause a shift in the normal North American representatives at the World Championships and Olympics.

Qualifying for those tournaments would do much for basketball's popularity in the Domincan Republic.

Baseball is now the nation's most popular sport. 22 Dominicans - including Sammy Sosa, Alex Rodriguez and Pedro Martinez, have played in the majors, according to wikipedia.

Excluding Villanueva and Ariza, five Domincans have played in the NBA, according to databaseBasketball.com.

The first - in 1988 - was Al Horford's dad, Tito Horford.


Full disclosure: Freelance basketball reporter Evin Demirel has both Charlie Villanueva and Francisco Garcia on his fantasy basketball team this year. His interest in their improvement this season is in no way unbiased.

European Exodus Age Limit? What Age Limit?

The Atlantic ran a recent story highlighting a somewhat immature star high school senior considering dipping his toes in college waters for the requisite season or bounding off to Europe for higher pay and tougher comp.

Meet 6-5 Lance Stephenson, Brooklyn Finest's:

Lance Stephenson’s nickname is “Born Ready”—as in, ready for the NBA. But on a winter night in a tiny gym in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, the 6-foot-5 high-school senior mostly looked ready for a time-out—of the preschool variety. Stephenson slumped when teammates failed to pass him the ball, shook his head in disgust when they missed shots, jogged back lazily on defense, and whined about fouls. Stephenson’s other nickname is “Sir Lance-a-lot,” but he seldom looked heroic, and seemed to be doing little to lead his team...

For all his pouty shenanigans, though, "Born Ready" racked up 38 points and 14 rebounds to lead his three-time defending New York City public-school champion to another victory.

Uber-agent Sonny Vaccaro, who brokered the deal sending Brandon Jennings to Rome, sees Stephenson - like a handful of other high school players - as another possible Europlayer, if he can handle the adversity of juggling new culture, new playing style, tougher coaches and playing with grizzled-ass professional veterans on the court. All these factors, though, form a crucible that could make Stephenson all the more "Born Ready" come the 2010 NBA draft.

And if a 17-year-old high school senior can't skip college and go pro abroad, why couldn't a 17-year-old junior? For that matter, why not a 16-year-old junior, or younger? It's bound to happen soon, Vaccaro said.

If that seems like one more sign of the basketball apocalypse, consider that many of the Europeans who populate NBA rosters began playing professionally as young as 14. In any case, Vaccaro believes Europe should be a destination only for exceptionally talented and relatively mature players. And Jennings has cautioned that his Italian sojourn hasn’t been one big scoop of gelato: “I don’t want anyone coming over here thinking it’s easy,” he wrote on his Under Armour blog.

Sharpshooter Jannero Pargo en Fuego in Russia, in Greece.

From his home town of Chicago, to an excellent college career as a Razorback in Fayetteville, AR, and then NBA stops at New Orleans, back in Chicago, Los Angeles and Toronto, 6-2 shooting guard Jannero Pargo had plied this trade across America going into the 08-09 season.

He wanted to see more, though.

Leveraging an outstanding 07-08 postseason with the New Orleans Hornets - in which he recorded a 30-point ourburst - last August Pargo signed with one of Russia's elite teams, Moscow Dynamo, for $3.5 million over one year.

Playing in the Russia-A Superleague, with former New Jersey Net Bostjan Nachbar and Lithuanian national team member Robertas Javtokas, Pargo averaged solid statistics in five Eurocup games:

13.2 pts, 1.2 stls, 3.4 asts, 3.2 rebs, 71 FT%, and a steller 56.3 3PT%.

In his 12 Russian League, games Pargo registered:

13.8 pts, .8 stls, 5.4 asts, 3.4 rebs, 88 FT%, and a "drop-off" 42% from trifecta terra.

It seems Pargo skittered to the hoop more times in one game in Russia than he did in his whole perimeter-oriented career in the states, as seen below in his debut abroad:



The team is currently 2nd in the Russia-A Superleague, with a 13-5 record.

The declining petro-dollar during the global recession, however, prompted Pargo to leave Moscow in January for balmier Mediterranean climes with Olympiacos Piraeus, to replace a fellow American - Josh Childress
who was out for nearly a month with a hernia.

While his statistics have dwindled - due to sharing a backcourt with two stars - Lynn Greer and Theodoros Papaloukas - Pargo's championship hopes seem sunnier while playing for the Athens-based Euroleague powerhouse.



In the 17 minutes he has averaged for "the Reds," Pargo has averaged 4.2 pts, .5 stls, 1.3 rebs, 67 FT% and 46 3PT%.

Euroleague competition is certainly an upgrade from Eurocup competition, which is without a doubt an upgrade from this comp:



Pargo's team has won 5 of 6 games since his arrival, earning a spot in the Euroleague playoff's Top 8.

Olympiacos, who will play Spain's Read Madrid in an upcoming Best-of-5 series, has has made its fourth consecutive playoff appearances and will be bolstered by Childress' return. Pargo's Russian League nemesis - CSKA Moscow (who went 20-0 in domestic play) - has reached a record six straight Euroleague Final Fours.

Rudy's Fernanado Martin Tribute

During the All-Star break, Rudy Fernandez, the first European to compete in the event's slam dunk contest, wore the jersey of the Fernando Martin, the first Spanish player AND first European player to play in the NBA w/o playing in college.

As Stuart from interbasket.net writes, 2/3 of TNT's announcers reacted to the unexpected tribute as if they were blindsided:

“Martin?” questioned Reggle Miller.

“Martin?” followed Kenny Smith.“Who’s Martin?”

“Larue Martin?” guessed Miller referring to the former #1 draft bust of 1972. “Ricky Martin?”

“I don’t know who Martin is.” said Smith, giving up.

“This is for Fernando Martin,” interrupted Kevin Harlan, the third announcer, as TNT broadcast an image of Fernando Martin on the screen.

“He’s wearing number ten in tribute to Fernando Martin… Martin was the first Spanish player in the NBA and briefly played for the Trailblazers he died in a car accident so in tribute… to him.”

“It’s a great tribute,” Smith responded.

I have to say, the first thing I thought was “Huh? Kenyon Martin?“ but quickly realized it was Fernando Martin. I was excited to have been in the small minority of people that actually knew what Rudy’s dedication was referring to.

However, it’s not a surprise that many were unaware of Martin, as the power forward played only 24 games for the Portland Trailblazers during an injury-plagued campaign back in the 1986-87 NBA season, before returning to Spain to play for club team Real Madrid.

For his dedication dunk, Fernandez threw a behind the back pass off the backboard and slammed it in with his right hand.

Despite not knowing who Martin was, the crowd was obviously disappointed with the score the dunk received as evidenced by the groans and boos when his point total was announced. Fernandez was awarded 42 points from the former Phoenix Sun players; Tom Chambers (9), Dan Majerle (9), Kevin Johnson (8), and former slam dunk champions Cedric Ceballos (8), and Larry Nance (8).

And though Fernandez ended the round in last place behind Dwight Howard (50), Nate Robinson (46), and J.R. Smith (43), he made a beautiful and lasting tribute to a great player that met an early demise.

Here are some interesting tidbits about the Martin courtesy of interbasket's profile...

Name: Fernando Martín Espina
Nickname: N/A
Born: 03/25/1962
Status: Deceased, December 03, 1989
Origin: Madrid, Spain
Height: 6-10/2,05m
Weight: 245lbs/108,9kg
Schools: N/A
Drafted: 1985, Second Round, 38th overall pick by the New Jersey Nets
Languages: Spanish
Teams (jersey): Spanish National Team (10), Real Madrid (10), Portland Trailblazers

He is father of Jan Fernando Martín next to the German model Petra Sonneborn. Their parents raised him to love many sports and he exceled in many. Fernando Martin wasn't only a great basketball player, he was also 5 times champion of swimming in Castile and reached a great level in judo, table tennis and handball (he rumored that he was going to file by the Athletic one of Madrid for his inferior categories) until the trainer of basketball of its school, Mariano Bartivas, put to him under a hoop...

.....
The Blazers paid attention to him and he played on 12-10-86, against the Chicago Bulls. However, his path was full of challenge and difficulties: the injuries harassed him and he missed friends, the Spanish food and climate. In addition, his coach, the young Mike Schuler, did not give many options to him to explode. His passage to the NBA is marked by 25 games, 147 minutes, 22 points, 28 rebounds, and 9 assists.
- Mayte Roman of Salamanca, Spain

...n.b. Acccording to Roman, Martin was ready to try out for an NBA team two years before he eventually made the league. In 1984, however, he suffered a car wreck the day before he was set to fly from Spain. That time, he walked away unhurt.