Something that seems to be missing from a lot of draft talk, involves previous drafts where international players are not yet here.

But not every international basketball prospect joins the NBA immediately after hearing his name called on draft night. Many, including stars like Kirilenko, Peja Stojakovic of Serbia-Montenegro and Manu Ginobili of Argentina, remained in Europe for a couple of seasons after being drafted, honing their skills and ensuring that they were ready for the difficult transition to the NBA game and life in general in North America. In the past four NBA drafts, more and more teams are using their second-round picks to select promising international players they don’t plan to have on their rosters right away.

Some young international players need another year or more to fully develop their games in Europe before entering the cauldron of NBA play. Some simply need to play out their existing contracts, avoiding huge buyouts that can run more than a million dollars. Still others needs time to hit the weight room or get used to their new bodies after explosive growth spurts in their late teens or early 20s.
…
NBA draft rules make selecting an international player who would agree to stay overseas for a year to two, or who is contractually obligated to do so, especially attractive. Most players who played college basketball in the U.S. want to try to make the NBA as soon as they are drafted. If the player signs a contract and the team can’t find a roster spot for him right away, the player is then waived and becomes a free agent, and the drafting team loses all rights to him.

In contrast, if an NBA team drafts a player who is already playing professionally outside the U.S., the NBA team retains that player’s NBA draft rights as long as he is under contract. When the player informs the NBA team that he is free of any contractual obligation, the NBA team must present the player with what is known as a “required tender,” or contract offer. At that point, contract negotiations can begin.

This could have a big impact on the 2006 draft picks. A couple weeks ago, I noted the needs of teams in the second half of the 1st round. The New Jersey Nets at #22 and #23 have been speculated to be very likely to take a traditional center like Gray.

Maybe not. They have a 7-foot Center stashed in Europe.

Mile Ilic, FMP Zeleznik (Serbia & Montenegro)

Few basketball fans in the United States had ever heard the name Nenad Krstic when the New Jersey Nets plucked him with the 24th pick in the 2002 NBA draft. As it turned out, Nets president Rod Thorn and general manager Ed Stefanski had found a bona fide NBA big man who came into the league in 2004-05 and averaged 10 points and five rebounds right away. In his second season, Krstic became a full-time starter and averaged 13.5 points and 6.4 rebounds.

Now the Nets hope to cash in again with another big man from the same part of the world. Ilic, a Bosnian selected with the 43rd pick in the 2005 draft, is young (21) and not nearly as physically developed as Krstic, but he’s an athletic big man with a knack for blocking shots.

“He is a legitimate seven-footer with terrific hands,” said Stefanski. “He runs the court well and is athletic. If you have a seven-footer with great hands, that is step one to becoming a good player. He has to get an NBA body, and he is working on his body and has made progress. He has good tools. We are encouraged by his overall progress and we’ll be talking to his agent (Marc Cornstein) in the next couple of months to talk again about when it makes sense to bring him over here.”

One more reason why draft projections are becoming more unreliable overall and borderline worthless until after the June pre-Draft camp. At which point they are only somewhat unreliable.