Hoops

Cody Ellis??

Crocs City,
People need to get out of this mentality:

"6'8 nice can step out,rebounds,screens well,passing is very nice,growing post game,will be good at PF in NBL"

This is the NBL , A professional league. Not some social league; People need to understand that just because he can do a few things well and that he is 6"8 doesn't mean jack.
This type of analysis is why teams end up with players like Ben Allen.

Ok, so Cody Ellis is 6"8, but can he defend or block shots or is he foul-pronged?
Ok so he can step out and shoot it, but does he have a fast release and what range are we talking?
Ok so he screens well..But how would he go screening men, instead of youngins?
So he rebounds well? Well let me tell you theres a lot of good PF rebounders..Knight, Grant, Vukona, Simpson..

Im not saying Ellis isn't a good player; I think he is a good college player.

But people need to understand the level of the NBL is high; just because he can do those things at the college level, does not mean he can do them at the pro-level.

Sure NCAA Division 1 might be an extremely high league, but the NBL is a professional legaue and men play a lot smarter and the execution of a pro team will be more evident.

BJF, I obviously meant they have to be careful taking Australian players straight from college.

In the NBA, scouts look at hundereds of hours of game tape and pick out a potential draftee and his weaknesses, strengths etc. Furthermore, a lot of college games are televised so the general public and scouts can see a potential player and what he has to offer; plus over in the US, people talk abotu certain players on online forums, general talk in the street or the likes of Stephen A.Smith debate about it on Sportscenter.

The same cannot be said with regard to Australian college players. It would be fair to say that NBL clubs would rarely see Australian college players in action, and the only way they would be able to follow them is by watching their stats on espn.com -- NOT EXACTLY A LOT OF INSIGHT NOR INDEPTH ANALYSIS.

When NBA teams select guys from college = they generally get it right

When NBL teams select guys from college = larger potential for a mistake, as NBL teams don't have the same access or resources available to discover information about a player.

I mean lets be serious here, what did the Crocs do before they offered Allen a contract?
Did they do much investigative work at all. I wouldn't be suprised if they said 'oh he played Division 1 basketball and shot the ball ok there' so we"ll pick him up.

Its this lack of investigation and work that can mean an NBL team chooses a guy who isn't up to it.

If Cody does not go to Europe he will sign with the cats because it's family tradition

Pretty sure that Delly does not have a Euro passport, although if I were him I'd be trying to work out how I would get one!

Dellavedova?
Anyone know origin of name? Italian? Russian? Croatian?

Surely he would be able to get a Euro passport..which only increases the chances that he will play there

I think teams do have to be careful getting guys straight from college.
Generally it works out and teams get a young guy who comes in and makes a good impact.

I think it works out better for the NZ players coming back from college, as the likes of Abercrombie, Pledger, Webster and Loe (who will eventually play NBL) all were involved in the Tall Blacks prior to signing with the Breakers.

So in that sense, it isn't as big of a step up for them.

FIBA international experience counts.

People tend to underestimate the level of the NBL.

Its a big step up from college..Look at Ben Allen and he is a classic example.
It can be hit and miss for teams to sign returning college players.
Cody Ellis may be the next Worthington (remember Worthington came from Metro State - a D2 school) or he may end up just like Ben Allen.