Batum's story is a well-known tragedy in French sport. His father, Richard, was a burly 6-7 forward in the French second division who died of a heart attack during a game. Nicolas was 2 years old at the time.

"Richard was standing at the free throw line when he fell,'' Medjana said. "He is our Hank Gaithers. So when you ask Nicolas why he plays, the answer is obvious. He plays for the memory of his father.''

He and his sister, who was two months old when his father died, were raised by their mother. "She is very concerned about his heart, obviously,'' Medjana said. "Every two years he is tested.'' He has no issues with his heart, the agents insisted, though of course every NBA team will want to study the results for their own peace of mind.

Batum has a 7-foot-¾-inch wingspan and wide shoulders that suggest he will add muscle to his 214-pound frame. Unlike his father, however, he'll always be a perimeter forward, which is why, according to a couple of personnel directors, he needs to improve his jump shot. Batum told me he needs to work on his catch-and-shoot game.

"I prefer to shoot after the dribble,'' he said, "because then I have more rhythm.''

Batum has an outgoing personality. He told me his favorite NBA player was Scottie Pippen, "because he makes everything happen on the court.'' His countryman Michael Pietrus of the Warriors said Batum reminds him of Boris Diaw. He was affirmed by an NBA scout who pointed out that Batum tends to disappear during games -- which is what used to be said about Diaw in France and also with the Hawks before he made his home with the Suns. Batum didn't object to the comparison.

"I want to play for my team, for my teammates,'' Batum said. "Sometimes it's a weakness.''

His favorite NBA team is Utah. "They haven't big stars but they can play, they can play,'' he said. "I like Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer [his French accent lending a newfound dignity to Carlos's surname] and [Mehmet] Okur. They have three international players, so I like them.''

Does that mean he would like to play for Utah? "No, I don't think so,'' he said. "I think Utah is not a good city.''

So where would he like to play in the NBA? "I came to Dallas in September, and I liked it,'' he said. "Also Los Angeles, Miami -- but not New York: I don't like the team. I'm there to play basketball and to win.''

By his own admission, he needs to improve in four areas: "My toughness, my intensity, my defense and my three-point shot.'' That's why, when we talked Friday night in Memphis, he said that he would not enter the draft until 2008 at the earliest. "I want to stay one more year with my club,'' he said.

The scouts I spoke to thought it would be a good idea for him to put on weight and improve his jumper in Europe rather than come to the NBA, where he would sit on the bench most of his rookie year. But Batum's performance Saturday may have altered his timetable.

Alexis Ajinca
Age: 18
Position: 7-1 center
Team: Pau-Orthez (France)

Ajinca was seen as the other leading NBA candidate, but the consensus was that he needs a lot of work. "He has bad hands,'' said a league GM, whose criticism was widely echoed.

Ajinca weighed in at 207 pounds. "The way he's built, I don't know if he'll ever gain enough weight,'' a league personnel director said. "A guy like that, as skinny as he is, he'll always be getting hurt.''

Ajinca is more quiet than Batum. He told me he began playing basketball at age 10 in hope that the sport would strengthen his legs in pursuit of his first love, BMX cycling -- a dirt-track form of racing that includes jumps off multiple hills. His sister and his brother were both BMX champions. But then he fell in love with basketball as a 14-year-old, when he played for a team that played an up-tempo style.

"It's going to take him awhile,'' Pietrus said of Ajinca. "This summer, when I go home to Pau, I'm going to have to work with him and make him be an NBA player. He is quiet, but I'm going to try to give him some toughness. Just wake up in the morning and go practice, go at him.''