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Going home Pacers' first-round draft pick to head back to Europe
Posted: Thursday July 06, 2000 09:09 PM
INDIANAPOLIS -- Primoz Brezec says he's dreamed of playing in the NBA ever since he was a lanky kid playing hoops in his native Slovenia. But that dream will likely have to wait at least another year. The Indiana Pacers' 7-foot-1 first-round draft pick will likely return to his country's top team for at least another season before joining his new teammates in Indianapolis, president Donnie Walsh said Thursday. One reason is his $100,000-a-year contract with Olympija Ljubljana, which includes two more years. Another is his youth. At 20, Brezec will join Al Harrington, Jonathon Bender and Jeff Foster in the team's stable of young up-and-comers. An additional season on one of Europe's elite teams -- which also produced Timberwolves' starting center Rasho Nesterovic -- will be nothing but time well spent. "Because he's 20 years old -- and I can assure you, he's a very, very skilled player -- he will need development like any rookie or any 20-year-old does in our league," Walsh said. "But he definitely has the skills to be an NBA center." The 241-pound reserve center played an average of nine minutes last season with 4.8 points and 1.7 rebounds on Olympija Ljubljana, which won the Slovenian league championship each of the last two seasons. The 27th overall draft pick was the third-leading rebounder at a recent predraft camp with seven per game. Walsh did, however, indicate it's possible he would try to buy out Brezec's contract this season if he's impressed enough with his performance in Atlanta and Boston summer leagues. If starting center Rik Smits decides to retire, that alternative could look more attractive. Still, Walsh is keeping his options open. "When we entered the draft, it was with the understanding that he would play next year in Slovenia and then we'd see if it could be worked out," Walsh said. "That's kind of our intention. But as we go into the summer league, we'll look and see," he said. Brezec, whose imperfect English makes him a man of few words, said he'd rather not get on a plane at the end of the summer. "In my heart, I'd rather stay here," said Brezec, who has played for 14 NBA teams in the past few weeks. "Being a first round pick is a very great thing for me. And being drafted by a team who reached the NBA finals this year is a great thing," he said. But there's still work to do. "For my size, I'm fast, I can score from outside, also 3-pointers. (But) I need to work on my low post game, I need to put some bounce in my body, I need to work hard," he said. Walsh also said he's no closer to choosing the Pacers' next coach. Isiah Thomas and Rick Carlisle remain the top candidates. Though he'd like to have the help of a coach during the wheeling and dealing of the draft and free agency, "in this case it wasn't possible," he said. "I've talked to (Thomas and Carlisle), and they know. Both candidates know what our team is, know who we've drafted, know what we're doing here in his camp, so no, I don't feel (any time pressure)."
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