King Joseus

SF/PF Jorge Tabieres (Juventud Sionista/Argentina)
SF Plamen Milenkov (Rilski Sportist/Bulgaria)
SG Dahkoba Chedjou (Brose Baskets/Cameroon)
PF Lewis Barker (TBB Trier/England)
PF/C Leifur Vikingsson (CSKA Moscow/Iceland)
SG/SF Tomer Hefetz (Maccabi Tel Aviv/Israel)
PG Carlito Vargas (Real Madrid/Puerto Rico)
PG David Alaminos (Caja Laboral/Spain)

Y'know, I was expecting a bit of a down year for foreign players coming to the KVBL, but I guess it wasn't meant to be. That's alright, I love my job. This year's class sees the return of something KVBL teams haven't had to deal with in a while - buyoutapalooza. I'll have more details on those later, but for now let's roll with those scouts' takes you all enjoy:

Scout A
Carlito Vargas
Leifur Vikingsson
Jorge Tabieres
David Alaminos
Plamen Milenkov
Tomer Hefetz
Dahkoba Chedjou
Lewis Barker

Scout B
Leifur Vikingsson
David Alaminos
Jorge Tabieres
Carlito Vargas
Dahkoba Chedjou
Tomer Hefetz
Lewis Barker
Plamen Milenkov

Scout C
Jorge Tabieres
Carlito Vargas
David Alaminos
Leifur Vikingsson
Tomer Hefetz
Lewis Barker
Dahkoba Chedjou
Plamen Milenkov

Scout D
Tomer Hefetz
Leifur Vikingsson
Jorge Tabieres
David Alaminos
Carlito Vargas
Dahkoba Chedjou
Lewis Barker
Plamen Milenkov

Scout E
Leifur Vikingsson
Jorge Tabieres
Carlito Vargas
David Alaminos
Tomer Hefetz
Lewis Barker
Plamen Milenkov
Dahkoba Chedjou

Scout F
David Alaminos
Jorge Tabieres
Leifur Vikingsson
Carlito Vargas
Tomer Hefetz
Plamen Milenkov
Dahkoba Chedjou
Lewis Barker


Here's my patented quick takes...

Tabieres - Scrappy type

Milenkov - Shuts down perimeter

Chedjou - Mostly defense

Barker - One of stronger bigs I've seen

Vikingsson - Total package inside

Hefetz - Best Israeli ever, maybe

Vargas - Bonafide playmaker

Alaminos - Steals machine


Let's move on to what you've actually been waiting for...


Jorge Tabieres
Tabi is the first Argentine import the KVBL has had in a long while, and he'll be looking to carve out an impressive career for himself just as Anibal Levrino has done before him. I picture Jorge as an ideal combo forward type off the bench for somebody, or as a starting small forward for a team with the right fit. He can shoot the three ball, he can post guys up, and he rebounds nicely for a guy his size. Steals don't come that often, but he will get the occasional block or two. Defensively good rather than great, he's very good at getting under guys' skin and forcing them into worse shots than they'd normally take. At 24, Tabieres is the oldest of this group, but he's also one of the few that doesn't have any buyout issues with his current club. In this year's weak class he's probably a top five talent, but even in a stronger one he'd likely go in the lottery if teams weren't bothered by his being older. He might be my favorite player this year due to his heart.

Plamen Milenkov
I had a buddy named Plamen once, I wonder what he's up to these days. Anyhow, Milenkov. This guy is your prototypical defensive roleplayer. Doesn't take a lot of shots, gets his share of steals, rebounds at about what you'd expect. The most impressive thing about his defense is how well he hounds guys on the perimeter, it's rare he gets beat out there and he tends to do a good job with guys that drive too. There might be an adjustment period for him as he adjusts to the higher level of competition that the KVBL offers, but I think he'll be able to be useful for somebody. He might be worthy of a late lotto pick in this draft, but I don't know that that's something to brag about.

Dahkoba Chedjou
Fun fact: Dahkoba means "cannot leave your bed." Moving on, Dahkoba is almost like a poor man's version of Plamen Milenkov. That might just be laziness on my part. Chedjou shoots the three a bit better than Milenkov, but he has a bad habit of taking more shots than he probably should from everywhere else. Some of his floaters are just silly. Dahkoba also doesn't really do rebounds all that well, or get nearly as many steals. As a man defender, though, he might be just as good and could be better down the line. Brose Baskets has control of Chedjou for one more season, but he'll hit the KVBL in 2030..

Lewis Barker
Lewis Barker might be the strongest guy in this draft (well, Vikingsson has a shot...), but I don't know how well that's going to help him in the KVBL when it comes to a lot of the things he'll need to do. Offensively, Barker is very timid and doesn't really ever shoot unless he's wide open (and even then only if he's deep in the paint). Consequently, he doesn't really draw all that many fouls (although he's bad at free throws even if he did). So why should a team draft Barker? Well, that's easy. He blocks shots. He also can grab you some rebounds, and remember that strength I mentioned earlier? He's a wall inside. Guys can't get position on him and so he does very well as a defensive big. You definitely need to be able to cover for his scoring to get him, though. Barker probably rates the lowest out of all of the international crop this year due to his limited abilities, but he's still a top twenty talent this year. No buyout problem.

Leifur Vikingsson
I'm torn between this guy and Osmosis Clearwater when it comes to favorite name in this class. In any case, Leifur is a manbeast and absolutely looks to be the most complete big man prospect you can get in the draft this year. His post moves are fantastic for a kid of just twenty two, and he's only going to get better. He excels at second effort on offense, which leads to plentiful offensive rebounds which he usually puts in the hoop. One weakness that Vikingsson hasn't been able to shake is his weak vision and passing ability. That's merely a quibble, though. He also isn't the best shotblocker out there, and sometimes is careless with the basketball. Defensively, despite the lack of playmaking (although he will get a steal or two!), he's very good. Strength and savvy makes him very effective in the post, but his feet are good and help him to be a strong team defender as well. This guy is going to be great - and from Iceland, wow! Of course, there is a catch. CSKA Moscow made sure to lock this guy up tight, something that will keep him from coming over for two seasons. He should continue to get better.

Tomer Hefetz
I had to chuckle to myself when I heard back from a scout that he thought Hefetz was going to be the best of this year's international crop. That guy must've bought into the "Israeli Jordan" hype. That being said, Hefetz is actually a very nice player. He excels at driving and getting to the line, but can also hit threes with pretty good accuracy. Rebounding is okay, passing isn't bad, and he will get some steals. Very solid. His defense is already good enough to put him out there, but he'll be a really dangerous player if he can bulk up a bit and get better at handling world class athletes on that end. Hefetz has a clause in his contract with Maccabi that allows him to opt out if drafted in the top ten, but he'll be there for another year otherwise. I think it could go either way.

Carlito Vargas
The first of this year's two point guards playing in Spain is in line to become one of the smaller players in the KVBL. Consequently, some of Carlito's attempts from the field are easily altered by guys with long arms that can keep up with him. That's no guarantee, this guy is quick. At just eighteen years old, Vargas will be an interesting player to keep an eye on for many years. He's just too fast for most defenders, something that frequently sees him getting to the line. I think Vargas is the best in this class at doing that. Strength might be an issue, though, as he isn't always the best at finishing. Flash is something Vargas brings to the court each night, as he routinely makes incredible passes to his teammates. Turnovers are a minor issue, but nothing outrageous for a guy that handles the ball so often. The old adage that you can't teach height is still true, and in a bad way in this case. If Vargas remains a mere 5'10" moving forward, he's going to have a lot of difficulty matching up with some of the KVBL's best. I think he can make a name for himself, though, as he's deceptively strong and has the will to win. Can't teach that. Real Madrid is notorious for hanging onto their young talent whenever possible, and Vargas is no exception. Two years of wait for him as well, but by then he'll still ONLY be twenty. Bonafide great get in the top ten somewhere!

David Alaminos
Alaminos is the engine that makes coach Žan Tabak's Caja Laboral team go. David has been playing professionally since his teens, and that experience has helped to craft him into a smart, effective player. Alaminos looks mostly to get the ball to others, but will spot up from the three point line whenever his defender sags off too much. Defensively, he excels at stopping drives and poking balls loose to lead to easy buckets. Turnovers are probably a bit more commonplace than is ideal, but I otherwise can't find a whole lot of fault with this kid. He's up there in the discussion for top five talents (again, yes, bad draft), and that's where I expect he will go despite his not being able to get loose until after the upcoming season. .



Take care, folks. Happy drafting! Oh, and for the guys who like it easy, here's your wait times:

Chedjou: 1 year
Vikingsson: 2 years
Hefetz: 1 year if outside Top 10
Vargas: 2 years
Alaminos: 1 year

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Goulet

Osmosis?

"Vikings son" ?!?!?!

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King Joseus

Vikingsson is an actual surname. You doubted my Rain or Shine Elasto Painters too, as I recall. And let's not act like there aren't people named Shabbazz or D'Brickashaw or Dafinest or La'a (la-dasha) or such. Osmosis is tame.

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Goulet

I wouldve gone with Magnus

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Goulet

oh and didnt someone name their kid "hashtag"?

doesnt mean we need to stop that far too!

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King Joseus

You're not

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scdn

Magnus von Magnusson the great world strongest man competitor

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KVBL Owner, San Antonio Spurs

Quincy McCall/Bo Roberts
Mikel Opoku/Willie Worsley
Norberto Rosas
Harry Kingsley
Casey Schuler/Richard Osborn

Goulet

that was my thought

but its Magnus Ver Magnusson

If we are gonna go Icelandic...lets do it right!

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Smath

some one needs to trade me the Israeli kid!

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KVBL/FRSL - Miami Heat GM

fsecreast

He's mine.

El Shaqtus

Scientific and Majestic Mapp say hi.

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Mom, thanks for everything.

RIP Coach Rick Majerus 12/1/12. You were the one that said it was OK to think big at SLU. You were right.

KVBL Lexington Kings