Hey all. Boy, i had a rough draft day. I'm in Amsterdam right now, and was on draft day as well. THat was frustrating as hell, as the internet inexplicably didn't work. I just found out who the Warrior's drafted!
First, my opinion.
Patrick O'Bryant to me screams Todd Fuller. I don't know. But given the circumstances, there isn't anyone else i would have picked over him. AAnd Kosta Perovic is just a ? We don't know much about it. But at least there is more flexibility on the depth chart, making it much easier to trade Troy Murphy.
Mainly, i just wanted to express my excitement at the fact that not one, but TWO Israeli's were chosen in this years draft.
Lior Eliyahu, a 6'8 PF (though will be a SF now, because of his size and athleticism). The 44th pick by the Orlando Magic (traded then to the Huston Rockets to fill the tiny void left by Stromile Swift) was the first Israeli ever drafted. He'll stay in Israel for now, to play for the best team in Europe (despite their loss in the Euroleague final to CSKA Moscow. They were 2 time defending champions. Also the former home of Pacers guard Sarunas Jasikevicsious, which i clearly spelled wrong), Maccabi Tel Aviv. He'll stay there for presumably a year, as he also has to finish his army time.
Yotam Halperin, a 6'6 point guard with great ball handling and passing skills, drafted 53 by the Seattle Supersonics. He was actually drafted much lower than originally thought, there was even talk of him being a first rounder. Last year he played at Olympic Ljublijana. Since Eliyahu will stay in Israel for now, Halperin looks to become the first Israeli ever to play in the NBA.
It's a great day for Israeli Basketball.