http://nbadraft.net/chiriaevstory.asp
A 7-footer with legitimate point guard skills?
Could be very interesting if (a big IF) he develops into a good NBA player. And I think it's pretty safe for me to say this is the first time in history that a Canadian high-school player is being even considered for a lottery pick in the NBA draft.
This brings me to my sentiment that the NBA draft has drastically changed from the past. These days, the most important thing that is looked for in a prospect is what he COULD do in basketball and not what he already CAN do. That's why the top prospects are usually some unknown, young, inexperienced, unproven, enormous size international player (who might not even be a starter in Europe), or some Lebron-esque high school kid. Basically, teams in the NBA are willing to take higher and higher risks to land themselves a project that has the potential to be a great player instead of taking a already proven college standout who is sure to make immediate impact but may never be a top player in the league.
While this does make for some interesting draft choices and some of them may develop into players worth watching but I think it also leads to some career benchwarmers who couldn't live up to their hype. And because of those not-so-great great prospects, the overlooked players who had worked to prove themselves at a high level will never be able to play in the league, where they could have had successful though not brilliant careers. I guess if it's the direction the teams are willing to go in, that's how the upcoming NBA is going to be like. A lot of hits, but a heck of a lot of misses too, and a whole bunch of sleepers.
Does anyone know how much he weighs?
